When It Rains, It Storms

We've received a whoppin' 6.5 inches of rain here in the valley over the past two weeks.  It has been a blessing after that prolonged drought, and the glory is showing in the green, green grass all around us.  Of course, having said that, I do have a gripe today.  It's just a tiny, little gripe in the grand scheme of things, and I know I shouldn't be complaining at all, considering the damaging storms they've had in the Midwest.

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.

Something Old, Something New

Something Old....

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? 

New Beginnings

Today, I announce "New Beginnings" on my blog.  I had recently become disillusioned by Blogland, as I seemed to be attracting more spammers and scrapers than real followers.  Yes, my blog was being repeatedly copied by scrapers, as well as being linked to on numerous sites, some of which I couldn't access, due to the requirement of a login.  I reacted the only way I knew how...adding watermarks and copyright verbiage and monitoring my hits on Statcounter.  But it just seemed to be getting worse.

Fantastic February Foliage

Sometimes foliage is just as fantastic as flowers, don't ya think?  Today, I am featuring a few photos of fiery foliage that is filling up my February garden.

Gentle January

With a cold and frigid December...one for the record books actually...I had really dreaded what January might have in store.  But in the end, it was such a soft, gentle January, as January's go, with so many spring-like days to enjoy.  Today, there is evidence that the garden has begun springing back to life.  There are little leaflets peeping out of the ground beneath dead branches of pentas and clerodendrum.  Brightly colored foliage is rising out of the stems of the crinums and bananas.  If February holds out for us, and it does look promising, I do think we shall have a splendid and floriferous Easter this year.  (It's been a while!)

A Virtual Garden Walk

Please come join me for a quick morning walk through my garden.  I love having virtual garden friends to share my daily walk with.  Is there anything better than walking and talking in a garden?

INCONCEIVABLE!

"That would be inconceivable."

"Stop doing that.  We can all relax.  It's almost over."

"As I told you, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable!"

Of Butterflies, Passion, and Gardening

Yesterday, I witnessed many a butterfly fluttering about my garden. Yes, this fickle weather has brought back summer and butterflies to my bipolar, roller-coaster garden. There were two species of butterflies in particular that caught my eye yesterday.  They set me to thinking about a certain weedy vine that grows up in my shrubs and palms.  A tiny vine that makes such a difference!

Foliage Follow-Up: Tropical Quintessence

Every month, Pam over at Digging hosts a Foliage Follow-Up to all of the Bloom Day postings on the 15th.  It's been so long since I participated in either of these, but I'm trying to get back on board.

My Favorites...This Month! (September 2010)

Susan of Simply Susan! asks us to share our current favorites each month, but I've found the further we travel from winter, the harder this task becomes.  I do think there must be hundreds of plant species in my garden.  Some day, I will have to catalog the lot of them.  It is unbelievable how many plant babies I can cram in this tiny space.  Problem is, nearly everything looks great right now, and of course, I love 'em all, so it's hard to narrow the faves down to a reasonable number.  Well, I'll give it a go anyway:

Of Order, Diversity, and Madness

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am no garden planner and that I cannot seem to bring myself to plant in large groupings.  I write on the sidebar over there that my garden style is "cram-as-many-plants-as-possible-into-a-half-acre-lot."  Well, that is about as true a statement as I can make.  I don't believe in putting on airs that aren't there.  This garden is what it is: a reflection of a botanically obsessed, compulsive plant collector.  It is not a garden that will appeal to everyone.  It is a far cry from the self-control of landscape design with its perfectly trimmed shrubs, ideally spaced trees, and huge groupings of colorful annuals.

Conversations with the Botanically Insane

Oh, shall I admit it?  Shall I let you in on my embarrassing secret?  Yes, I am possibly insane.  I talk to my plants.  Not in the audible way, but that telepathic sort of conversation.  Yes, neighbors, that is what I am doing when I meander around the garden, touching this bloom, stroking that leaf.  Today, I'm inviting my readers in on the conversation.

Playing with Pups

Propagating Pups....

This weekend, I decided to snap off a few pups from their Brom Moms and fill in some holes around the garden.  Hopefully, the moms will make more pups before giving up the ghost.

Hey, Look at Me!

With the stress of the wedding week over, I decided to turn my attention to the blog.  I'm not really one to be fickle or ADHD or anything.  Seriously.  I might rearrange furniture in my living room once every five years.  I kinda like things status quo.  You know what I mean?  I'm a please-don't-move-my-cheese kinda person.  Anyway, that new Template Designer button at the top of blogger has been tempting me, killing me reallly, since I first saw it appear there.  I finally got the nerve yesterday to click on it, and....suddenly, big changes were taking place in my blog design.  I was clicking and HTMLing to the point of no return.  So here it is...what do you think?  It's still a shock to me when I open it, to be honest. 

Garden News Brief

'Enon' Reveals Its Beauty

by Hemer O. Callis

Ha! I laugh in the face of winter!

Old Man Winter just can't keep a good garden down!  For those who haven't read my blog from the beginning, you are probably fortunate to have missed out on the whining and belly-aching that flowed from my fingers for the first three months of this year.  Central Florida was hit by a frigid, long-and-drawn-out winter, the kind that comes maybe once every twenty years here in my neck of the woods.  Just in time for me to start a garden blog.  Exactly the kind of winter that those pushing the boundaries with tropical plants dread the most.  But no more belly-achin' here!  I am thrilled to find that each week of May brings more growth and more flowers to this pseudo-tropical garden.  I'm so glad I didn't rip the whole lot of it out and start over.  From here on out, my only complaining will probably have to do with the incessant weeds.

My Favorites...April 2010

Once again, I'm joining in to post my favorites of the month.  This meme is hosted by Simply Susan! on the 25th of each month.  (I'm afraid I'm a day late.)  Pop over there if you'd like to join in as well.  So here they are.  My favorites...this month:

Tabebuia!