Hydrangeas Blue

At Last I Have a Fiddleleaf Fig Tree!

It is January, and the weather has cooled off nicely here in central Florida. The windows are open, and it’s a pleasure to be outdoors. Finally I wanted to shop for plants because walking through the nursery was fun!

Christmas spending is over and I decided to add a few essential plants to my home. I traveled to Lindley’s Garden Center in New Smyrna and bought a little Staghorn Fern which is hanging under the Brazilian pepper trees in my backyard.

For inside the house I added a little thyme plant to the kitchen windowsill – a necessity for cooking – and a Fiddleleaf Fig tree to the dining room. Yes, I have a Fig Tree! I have wanted one for a very long time, and finally splurged on this beauty. Now I need to find a suitable decorative pot to complete the look. I’m in the process of finding the perfect pot.

If this fig tree looks familiar, I wouldn’t be surprised. It is used often as backdrop greenery for commercials, tv shows, and movies. You can hardly watch any show or read any magazine without seeing one somewhere in the background. If you are a fan of the Fixer Upper show, Joanna uses them often when decorating finished homes. The gorgeous fiddle-shaped leaves grow in bunches from a straight trunk to create a tall, textured green space. Various size trees can be grouped together to make a big accent area, but single trees are enough to decorate any room with interest. They can grow tall without being overwhelming, and the combination of stalks and fat leaves is such fun. Smaller trees can even go on countertops or tables. If my house was larger, I would have many of these trees scattered about. As it is, I could barely find room for just one.

At Lindley’s I paid $39.50 for this tree which is about 4 feet tall. Mind you the pot is nothing special. To get it home I set it on the floor of the passenger side of my Subaru and tilted it back toward the seat. I did have to grab the pot as I went around corners as it wanted to roll, but no leaves broke off- phew. I got it home safely and am so pleased to finally have this tree to enjoy.

How to Care For the Fiddle-leaf Fig Tree

After a day or two I took the tree outside and sprayed it down with the hose. I added a little fish fertilizer and watered it good. I am lucky to live in a tropical location because these trees love sunlight (filtered, not direct) and warmth (with humidity thrown in). Because of this, I have a good chance of keeping this tree happy and healthy. I can give it some playtime outside now and then, which I do with all my houseplants.

I’m not sure how well a Fiddleleaf Fig would fare in a northern climate, but the HGTV website has some advice for those of you who would like to try to grow one.

Fig Tree Artwork

One afternoon I decided to draw the fig tree. After I finished the drawing I uploaded it and used Pixelmater to remove the background and add color. Then I played around with the image and used it to create artwork for sale in my Zazzle store, Clara’s Desk. Below is the poster I made.

Hand drawn fiddle leaf fig in baskets on poster paper — My drawing as a poster for sale in my online store.

Growing Squash in Florida is Not So Easy

In New England squash and zucchini were always part of my summer gardening design. Usually a couple of plants gave me more squash than I could eat.

In Florida I have had no luck growing any type of squash. Now I read that “summer squash” is not grown in summer here. In fact, I am discovering that not much does grow well here in summer, except the tropical plants and citrus.

The Summer Squash Gardening Solutions page at the University of Florida has some recommendations when it comes to planting and growing squash. My garden is very small so I’ve tried to grow squash in my fabric bags. The plants begin fine, but eventually rot away. The types suggested are: Black Beauty and Spineless Beauty zucchini, and Summer Crookneck and Early Prolific Straightneck. I’ve never grown pattypan squash, but the site recommends Early White Scallop.

Another mistake I may be making is buying my seedlings (and seeds) at Home Depot. I have not had luck growing any plants that come from that store! Both of my caladiums have disappeared totally from the garden! I don’t know much about growing caladiums but I guess they need attention I did not give them.

Recently I visited a local nursery called Lindleys, in New Smyrna, where I found my Staghorn fern and Fiddle leaf fig tree, and a little thyme plant, but I’m thinking they might have seedlings to plant as well. I believe the real growing season begins in February here. I will go back and see what they have next month.

My Own Turkey Chili Recipe

My son smoked the Thanksgiving turkey this year and it was delicious. With only two of us to eat, we had a lot of leftovers, which I froze.

Now it’s time to make some winter chili, and I broke out the turkey and broth from my freezer to make this recipe tasty.

Turkey chili recipe — My version of chili made with leftover turkey from Thanksgiving

To begin, I got out my LeCrueset Dutch Oven, which I love.

I sautéed lots of green pepper (from my garden) and onions in oil for a few minutes. Then I added chopped garlic and cooked a bit longer. Then I added the turkey broth (thawed), can of organic diced tomatoes, and spices. I chopped the leftover turkey into bite size pieces and threw it in. The spices I used were parsley and basil from my garden. Dried spices would work too. I had bought some jalapeño peppers at the local farm stand so I chopped a small amount of one jalapeño to add some heat.

To begin with uncooked meat, brown it first then remove from the pan. Add the pepper and onion with oil and sauté. Add the liquid broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. Add meat, spices and tomatoes.

It’s really your choice about how hot and spicy you want your chili to be. I like a little heat, but not overwhelming. If you don’t have flavored broth, use broth granules in water. About a cup or 2 is needed depending on the amount of meat, tomatoes and veggies you use. I basically wing it!

Once those ingredients simmer for about an hour, I add the black beans (or kidney beans can be used) with the liquid (I use organic beans only). Then I simmer for at least another half hour. Don’t add the beans too soon or they will get mushy.

Because our turkey was smoked, this chili has a slight smoky flavor. Between the jalapeño pepper and spices and melding of the flavors while it slow-cooks, it turned out super yummy!

When I make chili or soup I fly by the seat of my pants and add whatever I have on hand or seems to work.

I had made a batch of cornbread (recipe on the cornmeal box) and froze it. That way I had ready-made cornbread to add to my chili.

Use your freezer. It’s your best friend. BTW I froze a serving of this chili to enjoy later.

End of Year Yard Happenings, Orchids, Hibiscus and More

It’s the end of 2018 and I have decided to share some recent yard happenings. One of my orchids is blooming. My orchids don’t look too good, so I was surprised to see two blooms on one of my plants.

blooming pink orchid — My orchid is blooming!

The orange hibiscus plant is growing like mad! I have neglected this plant and am frankly amazed it is doing so well. I’m planning a new garden along the front of the house and another hibiscus is in the plans.

One of the plants you must have if you are a true Floridian is a Staghorn fern! And now I have one hanging from the trees out back. I had a Staghorn fern which I gave to my best friend before I left Florida and she still has it hanging in her yard. She offered to give it back, but her yard is much nicer, and if the plant is happy there then I’m happy to leave it with her. This new one is in a pot but I will re-pot it into that hanging basket eventually.

The rubber plant I propagated is still growing nicely out front under the oak. If I can keep it from freezing over winter it may grow and live to be tall and beautiful.

Hope you have fond memories of 2018 and the new year brings all good things!

Go With the Flow and Stop Wasting Time

I’ve been growing fresh vegetables in my backyard for years. Now I struggle to get food to grow.

We learn from experience and observation. Life is about change. If we are wise, we will go with the flow and not waste time with something we cannot change. I am applying this philosophy to my backyard vegetable garden.

Observation and Common Sense

One thing I have observed since I began gardening in Florida is that a lot of vegetables simply won’t grow here. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but I grew veggies fine in New Hampshire. I am not an inexperienced gardener, but vegetable gardening in this climate is obviously beyond my grasp.

It’s been two years. That is plenty of time to grow something well. I’ve built up the dirt with compost and fertilizer, watered like mad, and thwarted raccoon attacks on the plants. I’ve picked worms, loved the lady bugs, and sprayed off mites. My little raised bed garden has given me very little to eat in return.

With the exception of about three eggplants (total) and occasional small bell peppers, there is little food coming from the backyard.

Herbs Seem to Flourish

On the other hand, my observation is that many herbs do grow very nicely here. In fact, my parsley, basil, thyme, mint and fennel have lasted a very long time.

Herbs are hardy. When I first began growing parsley I lived in New Hampshire. The green stems would push up through the first snowfall, which amazed me. Deer used to help themselves to the lush green herb.

In Florida I have had the same parsley plants growing in my garden for over two years! Parsley not only survives the cold, it can take the heat and oppressive humidity.

It is depressing to put work into trying to grow decent tomatoes, squash, zucchini and root vegetables, only to watch them rot, wilt or end up too tiny to bother with.

How long do I keep trying, only to watch the plants produce nothing I can eat? I’m about over it.

Changes All Around

My life is always changing, and recently it went through another change. My youngest son has moved out. He’s nearly done with college and does online classes, so he went back to the northeast to live. Good for him. Wish I could afford to do the same. I did take a trip back to stay for a week, which was so nice.

My youngest son has always been a very picky eater. If I don’t make food he likes, he could literally go all day long without eating. So, I tended to make food he would eat. That type of food was very different from the type of food I eat. Now that he has moved out, I can concentrate on cooking for me only.

This is a very new idea and it will take a while for my brain to wrap around the concept. I’ve been cooking for my children for over 40 years! My way of cooking will be changing. Although I am not crazy about spending a lot of time in the kitchen, I am a very good cook. As an “almost vegetarian” meat is not my main focus. I love to cook soups, stews and one pot meals (using my Dutch oven) which are full of fresh vegetables.

Since I can’t grow all the vegetables I’d like to, I will concentrate on growing the herbs. I learned very late in life how much herbs can brighten the flavor of a meal. Now I can’t make anything without using herbs because it’s not worth eating.

Because my herbs will grow year round, I don’t have to spend time drying or freezing them. Sometimes I even get to collect their seeds. I still need to find a store that sells good fresh, organic vegetables. Publix is a good store, but as I have discovered, their produce is not the best.

I also have access to fresh citrus, which I should begin incorporating into my food as well. Both my lime tree and lemon tree are still growing, but the lime needs re-potting.

So I’m collecting recipes to make for myself and will concentrate more on eating healthy. The weather is much cooler now here in Florida, and I do get outside for walks as much as possible. My neighborhood is a boring place to walk, and there are no hills to get my heart pumping, but I do what I can.

(They Yacht is not mine. Photo taken at a nearby Marina.)

Surprise Little Flower on Sweet Potato Vines

It’s November and my Florida vegetable garden is a bit of a mess. I don’t do much with it, but I look at it every day out my bedroom window. And today, I noticed a lavender-pink flower that was out of place. The outside color is about the same as the eggplant flowers, but this bloom was larger. It looked like it was on the trailing vine of the sweet potato plant. And sure enough it was!

Lavender, pink and purple sweet potato flower — The inside of the flower is darker purple

sweet potato flower on vine — Sweet potato vines can flower!

Any day I can learn something new is a good day, in my opinion. And today I did. After neglecting my overgrown raised bed garden for months due to the heat, I am pleased to see new things happening in November. Maybe a cool down was all it needed.

Sweet potato vines trailing over the garden bed

After doing a quick search about flowering potato vines, I found an article at The Walden Effect which said flowers on potatoes were unusual. Then, I read comments from lots of people who have had flowers like mine. So whether it is uncommon or not, I don’t know. Maybe flowering sweet potatoes are only common in Florida, or other humid areas. It certainly looks like more flowers will be blooming on my vine. And yes, as someone mentioned, they do look like Morning Glories.

blue morning glory flower and buds — Blue morning glory flower and buds – my photo

At my house in New Hampshire I grew a big Morning Glory plant with blue flowers. The vine grew up the side of my deck railing, but the plant was frozen just as loads of buds were forming. I decided not to grow them again, but the blue flowers were gorgeous. The buds were twirled around and unfolded like a mini umbrella. You can see that in my photo above.

Getting Seeds From Sweet Potato Flowers

Another interesting sweet potato article talks about how sometimes the blossoms can turn into tomato-looking berries. This is where the seeds will be. I have never grown a sweet potato from seeds, only from tubers, or bits of old sweet potatoes with eyes.

I will watch and see what happens to the flowers, and if I get any of those seed pods.

How to Care For the Fiddle-leaf Fig Tree

Fig Tree Artwork

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Observation and Common Sense

Herbs Seem to Flourish

Changes All Around

Thank you for sharing!

Getting Seeds From Sweet Potato Flowers

Thank you for sharing!