Flashback Friday
Posted: September 30, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Seed Balls, Seed Bombing, seeds, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 6 Comments
Today’s flashback is to “Dirt Balls”. Dirt Balls are made by mixing seeds with clay and compost and then rolling the mixture into balls. This is an ancient technique used to plant without tilling. It has also been used to seed bomb empty lots in cities.
Dirt Balls are a great way to share your seeds. Take a look at Dirt Balls.
Gingers Showing Off
Posted: September 26, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Disney Ginger, Emerald Chocozebra Ginger, Gardening, gingers, Gulf Coast gardening, Maximum Hedychium, Peacock Ginger, Pink V Ginger, Purple Globe Ginger, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, White Angel Ginger, White Butterfly Ginger, Year-round gardening 13 Comments_______________________________
The Gingers have really put on an end of summer show and I think they out did their spring blooms. The Hedychium are sending out fabulous scents that entice me to the back corner of the yard several times a day to inhale their sweet smells.
Hedychium coccineum “Disney”
Hedychium thyrsiforme “x maximum”
Kaempferia pulchra “Bronze” and Curcuma parviflora “White Angel”
Hedychium hybred “Pink V”
Cucuma hybrid “Emerald Chocozebra”
Globba globuliferaG “Purple Globe”
And the one that started my collection, Hedychium coronarium “White Butterfly Ginger”. Thank you Joyce.
Flashback Friday
Posted: September 23, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, bushwhacking, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Harry Chapin, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 6 Comments
As the great Harry Chapin wrote:
All my life’s a circle;
But I can’t tell you why;
Season’s spinning round again;
The years keep rollin’ by.
Here I am again, doing exactly what I was doing in 2013, bushwhacking. And then as they are now, the hummingbirds are back preparing for their migration.
It seems like I’ve been here before.
Flashback to Bushwhacking to find me here again.
Unexpected Blooms
Posted: September 21, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Dutchman's Pipe, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, summer pansy, torenia, Year-round gardening 9 Comments
I have only seen this Dutchman’s Pipe bloom in the spring, but it decided put on some unexpected flowers at the end of this summer. The vine wasn’t doing well and I have been giving it some extra attention which definitely worked.
Torenias are great little plants that grow really well in our hot summers. Unfortunately, the rabbits also love them. Somehow this one reseeded in the cobble rock between a sprinkler head and the corner of the garage. The rabbits don’t seem to travel in this area and the Torenia kept its flowers.
In this part of the country the Torenia is often called summer pansy. I guess it is the closest plant to a colorful pansy that will grow in our heat.
Flashback Friday
Posted: September 16, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Automatic Gardening, Four O'Clocks, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Mirabilis jalapa, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 8 Comments
This week I’m looking back at my post on Four O’Clocks. I was very excited by the easy to grow plant and all the seeds it produced. But, the excitement ended soon. It reseeded prolifically and a mature plant is impossible to pull out due to its tuber. The Four O’Clocks have woven their way between plants and only revealed themselves when they started to bloom. Now it is hard to pull up the beautiful blooming plants that are attracting night pollinators and smell so wonderfully, so I will just wait until they have finished blooming.
A word to the wise. If you live in a warm climate where the plants will not freeze to death, plant them only where they can be controlled!
Check out Four O’Clocks, if you dare.
Been Missing You
Posted: September 12, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Angel Trumpet, Automatic Gardening, Burgmansia, Gardening, Gulf Coast gardening, Hurricane Lily, Oxblood Lily, Passion Flower, Rodophiala bifida, Schoolhouse Lily, subtropical climate, Subtropical Gardening, Year-round gardening 12 Comments
Several plants that have not bloomed for years, decided to finally put out flowers this year. I usually keep plants as long as they are alive, even if they have not bloomed. It paid off this year.
This beautiful 8 inch flower is an Angel Trumpet (Burgmansia).
The red lily is commonly called School House or Hurricane Lily as it blooms at the beginning of school and hurricane season. It has not bloomed in such a long time that I had to do some research to remember what it was called. It is also know as Oxblood Lily (Rhodophiala bifida).
This Passion Flower was in really bad shape. I had left it in large pot in the far end of the yard. I brought it closer to the backdoor and tended to it on a daily basis. I was rewarded with fragrant flowers. It hasn’t bloomed in such a long time, that I thought it was purple and was quite surprised to see it was white!
Flashback Friday
Posted: September 9, 2016 Filed under: Gardening | Tags: Backyard Critters, Mediterranean Gecko, nature photography, Night Lizards, subtropical climate Leave a comment
Speaking of Geckos (from yesterday’s post), this week’s Flashback is
Night Lizards. Click on it to view some more cute Geckos.
