Category: Come To The Garden

Flowers and gardens, Eco-friendly Gardening

Golden Trumpet Trees Spring Blooms

Carol 20 Comments

Tropical Tabebuia trees

Common name(s): Golden trumpet tree

Family: Bignoniaceae

USDA hardiness zones: 9B through 11

Origin: native to Central and South America

This last week I was surprised by the sudden blooms of bright yellow on trees in the neighborhood. I remembered them from last year. It reminds me of forsythia up north. One morning you wake up to an explosion of yellow blossoms throughout the neighborhood.. Tabebuias are from the West Indies, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and Central America, but several species are very well adapted to South Florida. I am thrilled to find the golden beauties around me. Since they are tropical plants, they WON’T SURVIVE HARD FREEZES.

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4 Florida Trees & Palms in February

Carol 14 Comments

I. Red Maple trees (Acer rubrum)

Red maple trees (Acer rubrum) grow in USDA hardiness zones 4A through 9B. They are native to Eastern North America, including the Canadian provinces and Newfoundland.  The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant native tree in eastern North America. In Florida, the Red Maple is found in nearly every county. Although it is common, some people have never noticed that it flowers in late winter. It was blooming last week in central and northern Florida. The Red Maple blooms are rather small. They are found in clusters which make them more noticeable if you look closely.

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It’s Orchid Time Again

Carol 15 Comments

Here in the USA, it’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’d like to thank you for your friendship in the last year. Your dropping by is always appreciated. Today I just want to say thank you and share the beautiful orchids my friend Beverly grows. Beverly lives in south Florida and has a tropical garden. I’m thankful for her generosity in sharing the photos, and I hope you enjoy them.

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Don’t Murder Your Crape Myrtles

Carol 18 Comments

Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crape or crepe myrtle, is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of Oceania. It is cultivated in warmer climates around the world. It is very popular here in the southeastern USA in growing zones 6 or 7 to 10.

Crape Myrtles (crape or crepe are both correct spellings) are trees, and they grow from 20 – 40’ in height. They have been lovingly referred to as the Lilac of the South (with no fragrance) with a very long bloom time in the summer.

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Tips to Help Create a Self-Sustaining Garden

Carol 5 Comments

Many of us spend a lot of time in the garden trying to get it to look the way we want it to. Maintaining and sustaining a garden can take a lot of work, but it doesn’t need to. In fact, if you’re prepared to put the initial work in to plan, you can create a garden that does a lot of self maintainance. Most of the work involved in creating a self-sustaining garden gets done during the planning phase. When you put more thought into the set-up of your garden, you’ll reduce the amount of care and maintenance required to keep it going. If you’re new to gardening or you’re unsure how to make it self-sufficient, these tips can help you get started:

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