Coolness of the Northside

Woohoo!  We got our first rain in ages yesterday afternoon!  It lasted all of about 5 minutes, but a little rain is better than no rain at all.  Hope it's a sign of wetter things to come.

In Celebration of Spring

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of the singing of birds is come,

and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,

and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.

~Song of Solomon 2:11-13a (KJV) 

The Marvelous Month of March

It rained all night.  And this morning, we are still enjoying the downpour.  Oh, how I love a rainy day!  I had breakfast on the front porch this morning, watching the rain fall and the hummingbirds flit back and forth to sip from bottlebrush blooms.  It was a bit on the chilly side, but I knew I was going to love this day anyway.  The rain is much needed here at PITV, especially since we have just put in several new plants. 

Azaleas in Wonderland

A few days ago, Susan mentioned to me that she had found Banana Shrubs last year at Bok Sanctuary's nursery.  (Thanks, Susan!)  I made a mental note to look for it next time I was there, but as the days passed, I just couldn't get my mind off those Banana Shrubs that are creating a heavenly scent in my sister's garden right now.  How many years should one yearn for a particular plant? 

Blogging Blahs

My garden has been good to me.  This year promises to be the best ever.  The blog...not so much.  I do believe the passion has fizzled. 

February is Bustin' Out All Over!

Spring is bustin' out all over here at PITV!  Oh, yeah!  With a whole month of 70- and 80-degree days behind us, I think it's safe to say winter is officially over.  This has been the best February here in my neck of the woods since 2008.  : ) 

Spring Cleaning; No More Hibiscus Hoarding

No doubt about it, the gorgeous weather is here to stay.  No excuses anymore for this mess of a garden.  I've let things go all winter, since I can't bear the chill in my bones.  No, it isn't just about being wimpy.  I have serious cold-sensitivity issues that cause my bones to ache and my skin to burn when the temperature falls below 70°F.  TMPI, huh?  So anyway, this Saturday is spring cleaning day here in the PITV garden, and BIG changes are taking place!  Bless my husband's heart!  He has been out there chopping and digging and weeding for hours already this Saturday morning.  And he has made decisions for me that I have been waffling over for two years! 

GBBD: February 2011

Today, I'm joining in on the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, hosted by Carol of May Dream Gardens.  I am sooooo lovin' my February garden!  The garden flowers--and the weeds!--are proliferating this month.  Seriously, I need to get on that weeding.

Hindsight is 20/20

You know the old saying, "Hindsight is 20/20"?  Well, I'm seeing things pretty clearly these days.  As I walked through my garden today carefully peeling off sheets and blankets from my tenderest of tropicals, I was seeing everything I had done wrong and everything that should've been different.  If only I could hit rewind and plant this garden again from scratch!

Fairest Blooms of Spring

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Awake, thou wintry earth,

Fling off, fling off thy sadness.

Ye vernal flowers, laugh forth,

Laugh forth your ancient gladness.

Playin' Favorites - March 2010

Along with fellow Floridian gardener Susan of Simply Susan!, I am posting photos of "My Favorites" - this month.  There is still much in the way of brown sticks (and winter weeds) in my garden, and as such, it will be a while before I post any wide-angle views of this place.  But there are a few bright spots shining in the garden.  And those shining spots are my favorites this month...the cold hardy wonders that have kept my spirits up this month!

Winter Winners in a Zone 9 Garden

Yes, I have planted far too many tropical plants in my yard. The brown wasteland in wake of the recent "Arctic Blast" is testament to my Zone 9 gardening blunders. But, once again, I have searched my garden today for plants that didn't just survive, but are shining in this wintry garden.




The classic conifer is given a subtropical twist in the Bunya-Bunya Tree (Araucaria bidwillii). A native of Australia, the Bunya-Bunya thrives in my Zone 9 Central Florida garden. It is a tree that grows to massive proportions in its native environ. This tree was honored by aboriginal Australians in annual festivals to celebrate the ripening of the nuts that come from its enormous coconut-shaped cone.

This evergreen Autumn Fern is a bright splash of green in a bed where caladiums and gingers have gone to sleep for the winter.

The knockout roses were unfazed by our "Arctic Blast" and are loaded with buds. This is Rosa 'Radtko.'

Not real sure if this Aechmea bromeliad is cold-tolerant, since it hid under a blanket and a beach towel for the past week and a half. It has a scape rising up, so I had to protect it just in case!

The Neoregelia bromeliads all survived these frigid temperatures. Those under tree cover were not protected.

'Red Ruffles' Azalea is Florida-friendly and offers splashes of color in a winter garden. Just really slow growing, though. This is growing in the shade of an old oak tree.

This was my first year growing Indian Blanketflowers. I wasn't sure if they would go dormant at the first sign of cold or what, but they are still green and lush after our worst winter in years.

Camellias are clearly the stars of my winter garden. I look forward to their bloom every year, with their 4- to 6-inch layered blooms and sweet-tea-like scent. Above is Camellia japonica 'Kramer's Supreme'; below is Camellia x williamsii 'Blue Danube.'

The African Iris buds dropped and flopped all week, but the plants are still all intact and green.

The Florida Cracker Rose ('Louis Philippe') is one of my favorite garden plants. The ones in my garden have been evergreen and everblooming (in flushes) since I planted them years ago. Definitely a winter winner!

Another Australian native, Bottlebrush thrives in our Zone 9 environment, throwing off its giant red blooms year-round. Above is stiff bottlebrush. I also have a weeping bottlebrush tree.