A Busy Month and The Weather My Garden Loves

April started as a busy month for me. 

First, we were preparing for parents going back to China after a six month stay with us.  It was a long and exhausting trip coming here all the way from China for their ages, so once they were here, we wanted them to stay longer.  Some of my western friends think that is very unusual for parents to stay with their grow-up children for this long time, but it is not that uncommon for Chinese families in the past.  Although now more and more Chinese families are taking the same life style as here in States, i.e., keeping the family small.   I am a mother myself now, and I know how much we are willing to sacrifice for our kids  and how hard we have worked for our kids when they are little, and my parents did the exact same for me and my sister when we were little.  Now they are in the ages that need cares from their children, and I wish I can give them more than what I can give now.  Confucius said: "While your parents are alive, do not journey afar  (父母在，不远游)".   While this becomes more and more difficult in these modern days, I understand its meaning more than ever now with parents getting older and weaker.  Not only I have journeied afar, it is across-pacific-ocean far from them!  I am happy at least I got this half year to stay with them and took care of them like they did when I was a kid...

Second, my husband is also on a trip back to China to visit his parents.  I am here alone with two boys, and this week is the FCAT  (Florida's Comprehensive Assessment Test) week!  For those Floridian parents who have kids taking the test, you know how schools make a big deal out of this.  I will be glad when this is over :)

To add on all of this, the Internet service that our community uses had some issues, so we are having on and off connections this week.  Kids need Internet to do their homework, so I had to drive them to the places that have Wi-Fi connections.  I wish we could have our choice for the Internet service provider, not stuck with the one that community has chosen for us.

With all of these going on, blogging and gardening have to take the back seats, although I have been squeezing some time to do some necessary gardening chores here and there.

The April weather in South Florida is gorgeous, the temperature has kept in middle to upper 80s for the high.  To be honest, it is a little bit too hot for me to work in the garden in the middle of the day already, but this is the weather my garden loves!

Here are some pictures I shoot recently.  Everyday there are new things occurring in the garden, and I really can not keep up with them. 

Pentas love the hot weather...

So are these Indian blanket flowers...

One early morning, I took out the long lens that I hardly use, and caught this view from my patio.  It is a merged view of the bromeliad corner and my container area at the patio.  There actually is a little gravel path between the corner and patio.  Do you see my effort of "Vertical" gardening with that bromliad wreath attached on the fence on the back?  The pink Angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) on the back was the result of my stucking a branch trimmed off my other Angel's trumpet into the ground last year.  Now it has become a small tree!

Here is the view of the west backyard flower bed looking towards the bromeliad corner, you can see both white and pink Angel's trumpets blooming in this picture.  Loving the colors shown in this picture, so Spring!

Oh, want to show you a picture of this same area that I took one month ago.  Do you see that big rosemary in front of the Orange Marmalade Crossandra?  That was a small plant in six inch container that I started from seed about one year ago.  As you know me, I can not stand any bare spot in the garden, and love to squeeze plants here and there, so I decided to stuck that young plant in that location.  Now one year later, it becomes huge, and blocked the view of the three Orange Marmalade Crossandras that are major focal point of this flower bed.  I moved the rosemary somewhere else in the garden, now it looked better :)

Mealycup sage started blooming again once the weather warmed up.  It has my favorite color of blue/purle,   I expect it will become even more prolific in the next several months.


Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue'
Common name: Mealycup Sage

I got this purple shooting stars from Lowes' clearance rack.  The label says full sun for it, but I found it wilted easily in the sunny location.  After I planted it in a partial shade area ( a couple of hour of sun), it has been growing quite well.  Not only I love its ability to bloom constantly,  I also love its deep green shinny leaves.

Pseuderanthemum laxiflorum
common name: Shooting Stars

I forgot to trim this Crape Jasmine bush until I saw all the fresh buds shooting out early March.  Since I prefer a more compact version of bush, I trimmed it anyway.  The result is that I had to wait for another one and half month for new buds developed, and now it finally openning the first set of flowers.  The bush is located in the center of the front garden.



Crape Jasmine

April is also the month that Desert Rose blooms its head off!

Even this hibiscus is still in a container, it blooms quite often for me.  I think it deserves a spot in my garden ground.

Hibiscus 'Jane Cowell'

This is my new Rose called "Josephine Land".  It was recommended by the nursery for its fragrance, and it is one of the varieties sold as Nelson's Florida Roses.  So I am hoping it will do well in South Florida weather as well.  So far, it looks very healthy, and has developed lots of buds recently.  Florida's hot hummid summer will be a real test for it. 

Needle flower has been growing quite big, and full of flower buds as well.  Very soon, I will be able to enjoy its 2 inch long delicate white flowers.  Hmmm, looks like I was not the only one who was enjoying its flower buds.

Augusta rivalis

Common name: Needle Flower

It gets hot outside, but this is the weather that my garden loves, so I am not complaining...

I am submitting this post to the GBBD at http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/ and Fertilizer Friday at http://tootsietime.blogspot.com/.

A Busy Gardener's Garden

For those who are the regular readers of my blog, you might have noticed that I have not posted anything for more than two weeks now.  The weather has been wonderful for the garden in the past month, only this gardener has not got much time to work in the garden with numerous kids' activities and busy working schedule.

Of course, that did not stop me visiting my favorite local nursery and bringing two new begonias.  I don't know what are their names, but I think they are Rhizomatous Begonias.  Anybody recognize them, please let me know the names.

This one is said that can grow in the sun.  I planted it in a new partial sun flower bed.  I will write more about this new flower bed later.

This one requires shade, and as always, I struggled to find a shady place in my garden, so it is still in the container.  Even without the flowers, I love the texture of its hairy foliage.


After being attacked by some sort of insects last year,   this Orange Marmalade Crossandra was pulled off from the container (at least I thought I did).  I was surprised and happy to see its glossy green leaves emerging from the soil.  Now it opened its orange flowers again.  Together with purple petunia and white frost diamond, they made a beautiful container combination.

Another orchid has been reblooming for me after I owned it for two years.

Indian blanket flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) have been blooming without any special care from this gardener.  Can you believe all these flowers are coming from only three plants that were started from seeds last year?

African Iris and crown of thorns are another combination that doesn't require much of care once establised.

I noticed the flower buds from this Neomarica Caerulea 'Regina' (Giant Apostle's Iris) ten days ago and was looking forward to seeing its flowers in person for the very first time.  Two days ago, I finally managed to come home in the daylight, only found the flowers are already gone!  Since the plant is still quite young, I don't know when I can see they rebloom.

At least this bromeliad bloom is not easy to miss, it will be quite a while from it starts showing red to finishing the blooming.

Amazon Lily has also finished blooming.  Its beauty is so impressive!

Meanwhile, Ground orchids just started their long blooming period.  In my garden, It did not stop blooming until temperature dropped down to 40s and 30s.

For me, one of fun to grow a garden is to see the plants take turns to show their beauties, either through the flowers or the foliage.  Each stage is unique for each plant.  Even with a new garden as young as mine, I have been amazed with the cycle of the plants life.

I do believe Spring has arrived to my part of the garden.  I am itchy to put my hands into the soil, at least more than what the time has permitted me.

Happy Gardening, my friends!

My March Favorites -- 2010

It is always hard for gardeners to pick their favorites... I am no exception!  When I was looking through my photo collection taken this month, I have to say I love each and every one of them!

If I have to choose... 

After a couple of months' rest, this golden shrimp plant (camaron amarillo) started blooming prolifically again.  I love those little white flowers peeking through the yellow bracts.

A big salute to this Jatropha tree for it stood the cold weather for me and producing these cheerful red flowers non-stopping the whole winter!

Oh, this golden yellow double layer Kalanchoe (长寿花) is really my favorite among the favorites!  Its lovely color and bloom reminds me of something that a bride may hold in her wedding, only if it is larger :)  I have purchased this for two weeks, and the blossoms are still looking like new. 

This combination of Diamond Frost and Orange Marmalade Crossandra in a container was toasted in January freeze, and they are recovering quite nicely.

Another one of my favorite among the favorites!  (Am I allowed to say this twice??)  This dipladenia pink (红蝉花/双腺藤/飘香藤) is a reliable non-stopping bloomer in my garden.  I love to see its color changes from deep pink (almost red) on buds to the light pink of fully opened flower.  The foliages are always shiny dark green.

 I took this Petunia pictre in a rainy day.  Aren't they pretty with those dark pink veins and dotted rain drops?

  

I love white bloomings although I don't have too many of them in my garden.  This voila looks so delicate, but they are surprisingly tough and productive.  The plant originally came in a little six inch pot.  After I planted it in the ground, it has spread to one foot acorss, and has been blooming like crazy.  I have been collecting the seeds from it, so that next fall I can have a lot more of these lovely white flowers in my garden. 

This Inca Lily (Alstroemeria) has been blooming its heart out! I should try to take some as cutting flowers to put in a vase so that I can enjoy its beauty even I am not in the garden. Not sure how it will react when Florida's weather heats up though... I may plant it into a shady place after it is done blooming.

Last but certainly not the least, two variety of lettuce that have been filling my tiny veggie garden since the fall.  Don't they look just like flowers?

LECHGA Royal Oakleaf (Heat Resistant)

LECHGA Four Seasons (Beautiful & Delicious)

This post is to join Susan at "Simply Susan" for this month's favorites.  Please visit her at her site for her March favorites.

I will also use this as my entry to the Blooming Friday. For other bloomings all over the world, please check out Katrarina's site at http://rosorochris.blogspot.com/.

Have a nice weekend!