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 MoreTag: tropical hibiscus
Morning Blossoms
A few days ago I was waiting at my car for Vickie around 9:20 AM. It was a beautiful day. Unlike a few neighbors, none of my spring flowers are blooming yet. The sky was so beautiful and seemed to reach to the heavens. I had to snap a few photos trying to capture it.
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January Flowers
The weather here in central Florida was mild at the beginning of the month. Then when that big snow storm blew over the southeast, it brought a cold front down to us. Here in my area we had our lowest temperature so far this winter. Our low Tuesday night was 39 degrees F. Above us the counties had freezing temperatures. Below us it was a little warmer. Unfortunately the south west side of Florida had multiple tornadoes and some areas had extensive damage. No damage in my area just a wild cold rain with high wind gusts. After 2 days of cooler temperatures, our highs and lows went back up. I still have flowers growing and I’m happy.
January Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, known colloquially as Chinese hibiscus, China rose, Hawaiian hibiscus, rose mallow and shoeblackplant, is a species of tropical hibiscus, a flowering plant in the Hibisceae group of the family Malvaceae. The biggest difference between tropical and hardy hibiscus is that tropical hibiscus is not hardy in zones lower than zone 9. Tropical hibiscus does not tolerate freezing temperatures and cannot survive more than brief periods of cold.
The other morning I went outside shortly after sunrise. My two yellow tropical hibiscus had multiple flowers. Hibiscus are made to flower, and mine always try when they have sun and water. We have a mild winter with only occasional freezes. It’s been over 5 years since I lost tropical plants to frost.
My Favorite Flowers & Nature Photos From 2021
Monday we looked at the top posts of 2021 in terms of visitors and link party features. At the end of the first year of my little blog, I did a post of my favorite flowers from the year before. I included flowers in the garden or in a bouquet. If you’ve visited me before you probably know flowers are one of my great loves. Several years ago I also included a few nature shots, another great love. Today’s post is some of my favorites photos of flowers and nature from 2021. I hope I included some of yours too.
Hibiscus & Orchids
My friend Beverly who lives further south in Florida shared her photos today. We’ve seen her orchids before. They always brighten my day. Thanks Beverly!
Beverly had her white orchid blooming last week. It is located next to her single red hibiscus. They make a lovely combination.
Peach Double Hibiscus & Periwinkle
I made a little bouquet of some tropical peach double hibiscus and a few white periwinkles from the yard. Remember I live in semi-tropical central Florida where I have flowers almost year round.
