Hydrangeas Blue

What’s Growing in My July Florida Garden

It is so hot down here in Florida in the month of July that I rarely go outside. This morning I scurried around my yard and took some photos until I just couldn’t stand being out there. I think I lasted less than 5 minutes. The heat index says it feels like 100 out there. Add in tons of humidity, and you have Yuk.

So lets begin with the flowers. The crotons and hibiscus are loving the heat. They were made to withstand summer heat in this disgusting climate. Thankfully we are getting lots of afternoon thunderstorms that keep me from having to go out and water.

My rose bush hasn’t had any blooms for a while, but I noticed a small rose and bud today. It probably needs more attention, and more fertilizer.

small carnival rose and bud — Small Rose and Bud

I bought some Impatiens when I first moved into the house, and unbelievably they are still looking pretty good! I also planted my mother-in-laws-tongue, or snake plant, in the ground and it is doing well. I’ve put a few of the big seashells I’ve collected into the garden as decoration. The older, worn shells look good displayed that way. I had to put them out front, away from the raccoons, so they wouldn’t drag them off!

seashells decorating garden bed — Seashells Decorate the Garden Bed

The Persian Lime tree is doing great. It’s still in a pot, and has lost a lot of the fruit it started with, but I still have some good size limes coming. I’ll have to figure out when to pick the fruit.

persian lime fruit on tree — Persian Lime Fruit

I have 2 eggplant plants, but neither one is growing any eggplants. They flower, and lose the flowers and keep growing tall. They are a good spot for ladybugs to lay their eggs and eat aphid infestations, but that is about it.

Maybe there aren’t enough bugs to pollinate the flowers. I need more flowering plants in and around my garden.
But I tried. I bought a bunch of marigolds because I always grew marigolds in New Hampshire. They usually became beautiful rounded bushes with tons of flowers. But that is not happening to these marigolds.

The marigolds have been growing for months, and I only have about 3 flowers total. The stalks have grown very long and tall, without flowering. It’s very bizarre. Marigolds are good to grow near tomatoes and other vegetables because they will help keep certain unwanted bugs away.

On to the tomatoes. I have 2 tomato plants still growing, but neither one looks exceptionally good. Both have some small green tomatoes, and I don’t know if I will get red ones to eat before the raccoons decide to help themselves.

I tried covering the vegetable garden with netting, and I think that helped. But a papa cardinal somehow got inside the netting and was trapped in the garden! I went out and freed him, but I had to cut the netting off in the process. He was really freaking out, so I left the garden uncovered.
I’m not trying too hard to garden these days. It’s too hot, and I don’t think the vegetables like it either.
……. Happy 4th!

Multi-Color Hydrangea Blooms

I am not familiar with all types of hydrangeas, but I do know that almost all blooms change color at some point. These multi-color hydrangea blooms show how pretty the hydrangea flower can become along the timeline of it’s life.

This first picture is mine. The blue buds of Endless Summer hydrangeas come out as cream color then eventually turn bright blue, if the soil is acidic enough. As summer ends, the flowers may turn other colors, like green or pinkish purple. Eventually they will dry on the stem.

As a flower fades, or goes by, it can become most beautiful. The blue petals can turn purple and green. I am not sure if this is what happened in the picture below, but I’ve seen my own blue hydrangeas fade to the most stunning and unique colors. Late summer hydrangeas that have turned green are my favorite.

Late in the growing season – into fall – hydrangeas can dry right on the stem. Dried flowers can be just about as lovely as the fresh blooms.

All of the flowers pictured here are of the macrophylla variety, with big, round blooms.

If your soil is more alkaline, mophead hydrangeas can be pink instead of blue.

The long life of the hydrangea flower makes it a popular choice as a perennial for the landscape. Once it begins to flower, you can enjoy those huge blooms for months.

Thanks to Pixabay for most of these pretty floral images.

One Year Since the Big Move

My daughter gave me a calendar for last Christmas. She had gone through and written some things on each of the months and in June she wrote, “One year since you moved”. At first, it doesn’t seem like a year has gone by since we packed up the Penske truck and took the 3-day (hellish) drive from New Hampshire to Florida. But if I give it more thought, I can see all that I did within that year, and yes, it is believable. In fact, I did pack a lot into the past 12 months.

pampas grass — Pampas Grass grew in my northern yard, but it died over one extremely cold winter.

I had hoped to find a house to buy with a good size yard and plenty of place for gardens. But money, or lack of it, always seems to give so few options in reality. Florida is no longer the super cheap place to live that it used to be. Without money, you don’t have many options, and you have to end up settling for the best you can do.

One thing I am very grateful for is that I don’t have to move in the near future. Hopefully I will never have to move again, but I know better than to plan on that. At least the house is in good shape. Aside from replacing the AC unit, there isn’t much to do until the fridge stops working, or something like that. No major repairs needed (fingers crossed).

In Florida, summer is like my winter was in the North. Winter was a time to rest (except for shoveling snow and lugging wood for the wood stove). There was no yard work to be done (unless you count snowplowing the driveway). And most winters it was manageable. (2015 was a bad one.) It’s too cold to do much outdoors, and I simply sat at my desk and worked day after day. I was much busier in summer with my gardens and yard work.

Summer in Florida is the time to stay inside. It is NOT the time to garden, unless you want heat-stroke. Believe it or not, it can even be too hot to go to the beach! I’d love to have a pool, but since I don’t, I stay inside and sit at my desk and work day after day. Now, I look forward to Fall, the way I used to look forward to Spring. That is when I can get back outside and do some gardening / yard work.

Hydrangeas are beginning to bloom in the north. Next month all my hydrangeas at my old house (none of it is mine any more, but I like to pretend it is) will be blooming. One day I will go back and take a ride (or walk) past my previous home, just to look at how much the plants have grown. They were my babies. I planted them, and wish I could have stuck around to see them grow year after year. Wishes mean nothing.

Robin in birdbath — An Evening Ritual, Robins Bathing

If I ever have hydrangeas here, they will have to be in pots. No hydrangeas can possibly withstand the heat of these summers. They would be wilted all the time. I’m sticking with citrus trees and tropical plants. The vegetable garden is still in it’s experimental stage, with netting over it to block the raccoons’ escapades.

So in a year I have done a lot. (All photos are mine, and were taken while I lived in New Hampshire.)

Fairytale Places I’d Like to Live

Not much is happening in my garden these days, so I thought I’d share some interesting photos I came across at the Free photo sharing site, Pixabay.

These fairytale places contain elements I would require to be truly happy and at peace.

1. I would need a beautiful view, preferably with mountains and / or water.
2. Lots of land, with room to roam and explore.

That’s about it, except maybe fertile land with room for a nice vegetable and flower garden. With room for animals, I’d probably have a lot of those too.

I prefer a small house, but maybe not quite as small as this little red house in the Alps. I wonder where those outdoor steps are leading? And quite honestly, I’d like to have a window or two in my house!

alpine home Switzerland alps — Alpine Home in Switzerland, Photo shared at Pixabay by Fotoworkshop4You

I like the idea of having to cross a cool bridge to get to my house. I’m not sure that little building is a house or a barn, but this bridge is awesome, and the river looks interesting.

Okay, in this shot you can’t see my home (haha) but this is the view out my front window. I can watch my sheep graze in the meadow.

English countryside England — England, landscape – contributed to Pixabay by tpsdave

Now this little wood home, or cabin, is right up my ally. Looks to be the perfect size, with a porch and mountain view. Could those be fruit trees of some kind in the backyard?

small house cabin with porch — Wood Cabin, contributed to Pixabay by Tappancs

And below, a picture of my horse!

Hope you enjoyed my journey through dreamland. I did get some work done today too. This was just a quick escape … which we all need now and then.

black horse with long white mane — Iceland Horse, by contributor Blaer at Pixabay

All of these photos can be found at Pixabay.com

How to Care For a Desert Rose Plant

desert rose pink flowers — Desert Rose in Garden

When I was given this flowering plant as a gift I was told it was a Plumeria. After seeing this same plant at the local Home Depot store, I discovered it was a Desert Rose. But before I knew what it was, I had taken it out of the original pot and put it into a sunny location in the backyard.

Sun is exactly what this flowering plant craves. But the word “desert” caused me to believe less water was better. The truth is that this plant did well with and without water.

Today I am watering it frequently, and it is thriving! So much for the “desert” title.

At the time I planted it, we were have a long dry spell here in Florida. The Desert Rose did well. I avoided watering it when I watered the hibiscus next to it, and the plant even sent out new buds, which you can see blooming at the bottom of the stalk.

Florida is a tropical place, but some areas are more tropical than others. I am in the central part of the state and it can get very cold (below freezing) here overnight in winter. I was afraid the Rose would die, so I ended up digging it up and putting it into a (bright orange) pot.

pink desert rose in orange pot — Dug up and potted

The Secret to Growing a Desert Rose in Florida

Sunlight is most important, with plenty of heat. The plant can deal with lack of water (I’ve tried that), but it also loves a daily spray with the hose.

These plants develop a very thick “stem” or caudex (see them in the photo below). This is the part that holds in the water to keep the plant thriving in drought conditions. But apparently it does not need to grow in a desert to thrive.

Keep it in a pot so it can come inside when temperatures drop – some sites say below 60 degrees and others say 40. Just bring it inside when it gets cold to be safe.

Pictures of My Desert Rose and How It Has Grown

As I mentioned above, this plant was a gift to me shortly after I moved into my house in 2016. I’ve had the plant for nearly 2 years now.

After a period of dormancy during the winter, suddenly lots of buds began to show up. New little leaves began to grow from the base of the stem. This was about the time when aphids were appearing on all my plants outside. A daily check, and I would spray the buggers off with the hose. I let the lady bugs take care of most of the aphids in my garden, but the Rose is not near the vegetables.

desert rose — Blooming Desert Rose, after winter

desert rose plant in pot — Give it sunshine! It is slow growing.

In the photo below, lots of greenery is showing on the plant, which has stopped blooming for now. It will take this time to put effort into growing stems and leaves before it begins to flower again.
Right now I am not sure when that will be. This plant flowers more than once a year, so I expect to see buds forming soon.

green leaves on desert rose — August 2018, glossy green leaves on my desert rose. I spray it with the hose every day.

More Information About The Desert Rose

The Desert Rose is similar in appearance to the plumeria / frangipani tree and Oleander. The unique aspect is the thick stems. The Oleander does grow in Florida, but I have not seen Plumeria trees. Maybe they will grow in the southern part of the state. For more information about growing the desert rose elsewhere, read my friend’s article: Desert Rose Adenium Plant for Gardening and Bonsai.

Like the Oleander plant, the Rose contains poisonous sap. It may not be a good choice as a houseplant for families with young kids for this reason.

The South Florida Plant Guide site has more info.

Here’s What’s Happening in My Florida Yard in May

Aside from the fact that the raccoons are helping themselves to all my tomatoes… red and green… I am still attempting to grow a garden. The raised bed is filling slowly with dirt and compost, and right now I have cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, bell peppers, and eggplant growing.

So far I am eating tomatoes and cukes. Still waiting for the peppers, squash and eggplant.

raised bed gardening — New Plants in My Raised Bed Garden

None of my vegetable plants were doing very well. They had plenty of sun and water. The problem was the soil. I have been buying bags of organic dirt, but I don’t think it had any type of compost in it. So I bought a few bags of compost, and that has helped. I had started my own compost in a pail on my porch and I added that to the raised bed. What I really need is a composter.

Now my older eggplant is flowering again. I have some green peppers and can see little cucumbers beginning to grow. But I need more dirt and compost.

eggplant flower growing — Maybe I’ll Get an Eggplant

The Rose bush is blooming, with small, but beautiful roses.

I must go outside and check them every day, because the flowers don’t last. Just the other day I got a pure white rose on this bush! But I waited too long and lost the opportunity to get a photo. Roses are difficult to grow and with the humidity here, I’m afraid of black spot – or whatever they get.

Down toward the back of my house the watermelon vine is getting longer, and baby watermelons are popping out along the stem.

tiny watermelon on the vine — Baby Watermelon

Since I’ve amended the soil with compost, the peppers are doing better. The bells are not very large yet, but I’m afraid the raccoons will pick them before I get to.

green bell peppers growing — Finally, my peppers are growing!

It’s been so dry here in Florida for months. This tropical location is in need of rain. We’ve had very few rainy days, and there have been fires all over the place.

Because of this, I decided to add a cheap bird bath to the corner of my garden. Using a big plastic pot saucer, I added some broken bricks left over from the building of our patio, and filled it with water. It sits on the corner of the raised bed. Each day I spray it out and refill while I’m watering the garden.

I do get birds who drink and bathe in the thing. A female cardinal especially seems to like it, and a Cowbird (I think) had a nice long bath the other day. Of course my cats drink from it as well!

I know that if I was still living in New Hampshire, gardening would hopefully begin this Memorial Day weekend. Their garden veggies won’t be coming in for a couple more months.

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!

The Secret to Growing a Desert Rose in Florida

Pictures of My Desert Rose and How It Has Grown

More Information About The Desert Rose

Thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing!