October in the Garden

 

 

My condo building is built like a square with a garden in the center. Each of the 3 floors has 4 sides. My front door opens to a walkway on the 4 sides with 2 points of access to the stairs down or up, and one elevator door. I can look sideways at the trees and sky beside the building. 

 

 

 

 

I enjoy having a small garden to greet me every day. Year-round, one of the loyal members of the garden is a peace lily. Remember, I live in central Florida with a semi-tropical climate. For most of my life I lived in south Florida, which is a zone 10, tropical climate.  Peace lilies are often planted in zone 10 shade. Full sun burns peace lilies' leaves.  Here in zone 9, I see them less often as we are exposed to times of freezing temperatures occasionally. I believe being surrounded by the 4 sides of the building helps to protect the plants. Of course, last winter's night of 28 degrees F did kill a tropical plant in this garden. Luckily, the peace lily lost some leaves but survived to come back beautifully.

 

 

 

 I hope you're enjoying October wherever you are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                     

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Terri's Garden in Nashville, Tennessee

  

 I met Terri when she was 10 years old. Her mother, Margie, worked with me and invited me home for dinner.  I met Terri and her two younger brothers.  Several years later, a baby sister was added to the family.  Until I decided to move to Miami, Florida, I was a frequent visitor in the home. Through the decades I've kept in touch with Margie and her family.  Today Terri is a grandmother in a community just north of Nashville.  She grows beautiful flowers. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Our Neighbor's White Crepe Myrtle

    

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is a genus of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and other parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer climates around the world. They thrive in full sun (6+ hours daily), well-drained soil, and warm climates (USDA Zones 7–9, with some hardy in 6). They prefer slightly acidic soil and are drought-tolerant once established. They bloom on new wood, making late winter/early spring the best time for pruning. The flowers can be white or pink.

 

 On the side of the parking lot behind my condo building is a wooden fence separating our neighbor's yard. He has a beautiful white crepe myrtle tree in bloom. I had to share some photos taken from our parking lot. Flowers, blue skies, puffy clouds, and beautiful trees are gifts from God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy July!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Late June Michigan Garden

 

Photos and garden today courtesy of one of my favorite people, multi-talented Heather Murphy. Thank you! 

Today we're again visiting the late June Michigan garden of my nephew, James, and his lovely wife, Heather. She is so talented!  (Slight editing and mosaics by yours-truly.)

Heather has a great base of perennials and always adds lots of annuals.

 

 

 

 

 

Now to finish this post, I'll add a sunset from James & Heather's weekend camping stay at Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground, Grayling, Michigan. It's a beauty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Many Colors of Tropical Hibiscus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Living in semi-tropical central Florida with the hot, humid summer requires tropical plants in the garden. Tropical hibiscus are favorites in my area. I see them planted nearly everywhere. They are planted by the pharmacy drive-through, by the windows at fast food restaurants, by libraries and city hall. Today I’m sharing hibiscus photos from the archives. Let's start with single hibiscus flowers, like the fiesta hibiscus. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My pink hibiscus was one of the first plants I bought for my garden back in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 I even added one flower to a bouquet I made.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw this beauty at a garden center; it's called Snow Queen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Double hibiscus have multiple layers of petals with a sort of ruffled appearance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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