June Garden During Heat Wave

Central Florida is usually hot and sunny. Even during December and January when we can go down to freezing once in a blue moon, we usually have warm, sunny afternoons. The heat wave that crossed the country finally came down to Florida. Yup, I recognized it as more like August weather for us. When I first moved to Miami back in the 1970’s, it took a while to get used to the summer heat. For the last few years here in semi-tropical central Florida , August has become such a hot and humid place. It seems worse than previous years. I have been staying in a lot and when I go in the garden, it’s early morning. Last Saturday I walked briefly in the yard at 9:30 am, and it was bright and hot. The temperature was 86 degrees F. The afternoon will go into the 90’s with a heat index of more like 104 F. My house faces east and the garden is Florida full sun on 95% of my yard. Mornings are worse in the front yard. Afternoons are worse in the back yard. My photos are mostly from the side yard and back yard today. I hope you enjoy the flowers.

Read More

Early Plumeria Flowers

Plumeria is a genus of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. Most species are deciduous shrubs or small trees. The tropical species are indigenous to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and as far south as Brazil, but are grown as cosmopolitan ornamentals in warm regions. Common names for plants in the genus vary widely but Frangipani or variations on that theme are the most common.

April is still the dry season here in Central Florida with few rainy days and lots of blue skies.

Read More

Blue Skies & Spring Blossoms

Last year in my neighborhood I discovered a beautiful small tree with spring white blossoms. I shared it in a post on March 7th.  I talked to the home owner, and he didn’t know the name of the tree.  It  was a gift from his uncle a few years ago.  I studied the size, shape, and blossoms of the tree and I believe it is a large azalea grown as a tree.

 

Spectacular flower masses and colors, plant form, and evergreen foliage are among the reasons for the popularity of azaleas. Florida azaleas bloom from late February to early April, depending on cultivar and seasonal variation. Many azalea cultivars grow well in north and central Florida.

University of Florida 

 

This last week I’ve gone to see the tree’s blossoms 3 times. The skies are blue and the white blossoms are beautiful against the sky.

 

 

Read More

Faces Mural, New Port Richey, Florida

New Port Richy, Florida is a suburban town on the west coast of Florida NW of Tampa

 

I live in central Florida in Pasco County northwest of Tampa.  Today I’m sharing a beautiful mural in New Port Richey.  There are murals on several of the downtown buildings, and they are fun to explore. My favorite is the one at the corner of Main and Bank Street, entitled, “A 1920’s Day on the Pithlachascotee River,” by Keith Goodson, because it uses local people’s faces on the 1920’s characters.  The building is on the right in the photo below. The mural starts with signs on the left side facing Main Street. The mural wraps around the health dept. building and down the sidewalk of Bank Street on the right.

 

Read More

New Single Red Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis: Tropical hibiscus grows permanently in the landscape in warmer U.S. Dept of Agriculture  zones 9 through 11, unless they are taken indoors in winter. Outdoors, one freeze – below 25 degrees Fahrenheit – will kill them   A hibiscus flower usually has five petals (a single hibiscus). 

 

Recently I purchased 4 new tropical hibiscus. Several weeks ago I shared my two beautiful new yellow single hibiscus plants.  My two red hibiscus were $7.98 each  which is a wonderful deal.  Today we’ll look at my new single hibiscus in red and compare it to my older established double hibiscus. (Double hibiscus have multiple layers of petals for a ruffled look.)

Read More

New Yellow Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis: Tropical hibiscus grows permanently in the landscape in warmer U.S. Dept of Agriculture  zones 9 through 11, unless they are taken indoors in winter. Outdoors, one freeze – below 25 degrees Fahrenheit – will kill them   A hibiscus flower usually has five petals (a single hibiscus).

 

Recently I purchased four new tropical hibiscus plants.  Two plants have bright, sunny yellow single hibiscus flowers which is a first for me.

 

Read More