Fall Garden

This is labor Day weekend and for gardeners it gives us a three day weekend to labor in our gardens. This is the north side of my house with the AC unit, so to hide it Mr. Grumpy built a picket fence to hide it. As some of you know I went to Hoe and Shovel to a garden party and the plant that stopped me in my tracks was this stripped butterfly plant. I finally found this week it is the reason I put in my first Fall garden for the season.

I pulled together all the plants that looked like Fall to me and added three pumpkins; can you find them? My nickname is pumpkin so I have to use them in my garden.

Those of us that have this plant call it petticoat. If you know a different name let me know. It is starting to send up a bloom, like the coleus does.

Now you can see my three little pumpkins, cute huh? We know the caladiums will go to sleep soon, but the small coleus will grow and hopefully fill the void. Oh before I let you go I used chocolate brown mulch for something different, it makes everything pop. Have a safe holiday. Janis AKA Pumpkin

I Went To a Garden Party.

The whole time I was at Meems garden I kept thinking of the song "I went to a garden Party" although most of the guests I had never meet before I felt like I had know them for years. Most of us were thinking I need to get home and work on my own garden.

The beds seamed perfect to us, but I know Meems could spot all the thing she could still work on.

You see this great spot to just sit in these chairs and enjoy the garden, well when I got home that is just what I did, sat down and took a nap.

After the garden tour, some great folks brought some plants and cuttings for us to take home. This is what I picked a Cassia (candlestick). I took one and there were two left when everyone was done picking, so I got one for the school. The kids will really enjoy the butterflies visiting this great plant. What a perfect day I got to visit with Hoe and Shovel, Simply Susan and My garden path. As a child I could never have imagined what my God would have blessed me with. Thank you Love Janis

Schools Out For Summer

School is out for summer and I am going to be sitting in my swing alot over the next 2 and1/2 months, so I knew I needed to make my pond look alot better. Riverview Farms sells to Home Depot and Farmer Rick and let several of of visit his farm, this is where I learned of Sausedge products. This is what you see around my pond, giving the old pond a clean edge. All I need to use is a pair of scissors to keep this Coleus neat and just the right height.

This is the swing I will be parking my behind in with my morning cup of coffee. Doesn't rain make everything look cleaner?

The plant to the right is another Riverview Farms Florida Friendly plants, it a Florida native Firebush. If is gets cold enough in winter it will freeze to the ground, but when it warms it it grows very fast. This one did freeze to the ground last winter, now look at it.

I added many more butterfly plants this year to my backyard, so this summer I would have free entertainment from endless butterflies.

Angel Trumpets

My love for Angel Trumpets started about 15 years ago. My husband and I were coming home from a road trip and passed a little nursery, he said "do you want me to stop?" Well you guessed the answer. In the front yard was what we call The Two Sisters House, was in full bloom a peach Angel Trumpet. It was love at first sight. I bought one and went on my merry way home. This part is just plain weird a possum died that night in our back yard. In the morning my husband asked me where do you want me to bury it? All I could think about was my new Angel Trumpet so I said it will become fertilizer, so hole was dug possum placed in hole and Angel Trumpet planted.

About six months later we were passing The Two Sisters House and stopped. On a table in the back were a bunch of sticks in pots. I asked what they were and she said the same lady just sold them and until they bloomed she would not know what color they would be. She told me that she really thought the lady lied to her and they would all be the same color. I bought 3 more.

About 5 years ago during a trip to The Baltimore House I was in the garden center and they had a variegated Angel Trumpet; I just had to bring that one home. One of the great joys of gardening is sharing cuttings with others. Over the years I have given hundreds of cuttings away.

Then came the computer and I started looking up Angel Trumpets and learned the colors, sizes, bloom types are endless. This winter Florida had a horrible freeze and all Angel Trumpets were frozen to the ground and they are just starting to bloom. I will post again as begin to bloom.

Yellow

This morning I sitting outside in my garden with my cup of chocolate cherry flavored coffee, everywhere I looked I saw yellow. I looked up the meaning of a yellow rose; warmth and friendship. Throughout history the color yellow was closely associated with light and warmth, the sun integral to life on Earth. This morning I feel blessed for all new and old friendships.

This is a yellow shrimp plant, great for shade gardens in zone 9, it will grow to about 4 feet tall.

Now this is Florida bush daisy, not one of my favorites, but we are in Florida and it does bloom!

I use lantana in pots, groundcover and in groupings. Some people think of this as a weed, but this Florida gardener loves lantana. It comes in white, purple, rainbow colors. Well I hope you feel Warm and fuzzy now. Have a blessed day. Janice

Roses For Fallen Officers

This is Officer Jason, he has a smile on his face for the photo, BUT this was a very serious event today. My school planted two roses one for Officer David Curtis and one for Officer Kocab the two Tampa Police Officers that were slain last week. Officer Jason was not smiling when he spoke of the funeral and the look in both wives faces on the day of the funeral. He said he could not believe how many people cried over someone that they never even knew. Like many of the people in the bottom photo.

This is my friend Penny she is a editor for The Tampa Tribune and came to the school from her very busy day to cover this story. Tampa is just heart broken over this senseless murder. Planting these roses in the school garden hopefully will show the students how important it is to always remember that the police lay their lives down for us each day so we can feel safe.

My friend Debbie and Alumni from my school was so kind to come by and plant the roses, I just had surgery and could not do the bending and lifting. We placed a solar light next to each rose (kind of like a eternal flame).

This is the moment of silence at the end of the service. Plaques have been ordered and Officer Jason will come back and take a photo to send to each wife. I was told that Officer Kocab wife went into labor today, what a bittersweet event. I try to make a difference in the time I am here on Earth, I hope this did just that. Janice

Birdhouses

Birdhouse show up in my cottage garden just about everywhere, this one is right in the middle of the weeping china doll rose.

The only thing that lives in my bird houses are lizards and black racer snakes.

Meems took this photo when she visited my garden and I thank her for sending it to me.

Now when I said birdhouses show up everywhere you can see for your self, birdhouse chairs. Have a blessed week. Janis