Thinking Spring!

Now that Christmas is over and even though it's not the new year yet, here I am already thinkin' about spring!

Well, it's not too hard considering it's still 80 degrees plus down here in the south.

Yum, I love the combination of pink, purple and blue and that combo always says 'Cottage Flowers' to me.

And I love cottage flowers A LOT!

These are Ivy Geraniums.

This is about the only time of year I can have these types of flowers, so I go all out and indulge my craving for these cool weather beauties.

This pansy is that wonderful blue-violet color that is my absolute favorite!

Since I really, really love this color, I'm posting one more shot...

These white geraniums are a lovely accent against all that lush color.

Oooooh, oooooh, oooooh Hot Pink!  This Bougainvillea isn't what I'd consider a cottage flower, but it is kind of dainty and lacy and I think it fits in okay along with the English garden theme.

Mmmmmmm, lush!

Pink Impatiens and Ivy work okay too.

I know I can't truly have an English garden in southwest Florida, but I can have my version of it and even though it's mostly in containers, and only lasts a little while - it's my little sanctuary and it makes me happy.  And that's what a garden is suppose to do!  : )

More Colors of the Season

It's not the Holidays without Poinsettias!  Or Euphorbia pulcherrima if you please.

Just some more reds and greens - this is salvia and verbena.

And the Bottlebrush tree.

Here's the Mandevilla in all its bright red glory.

The Begonia is looking lush right after getting a big drink from the sprinklers.

Here's the neighbors Crown of Thorns plant - I didn't use to really like this, but it has grown on me after seeing so much of it next door, lol.

I see a lot of magnolia leaves and pods used in Holiday decorations, so I'm just going to go ahead then and include it here along with the reds and greens...

And here's Mrs. C., that stands for Chirpy and Cardinal - she doesn't have much red on her, but in this shot her beak stands out so nicely against all the green leaves.

Now this - this you don't want in your garden.  It's  Schinus terebinthifolius or more commonly known as the Brazilian Pepper tree.  It is really very pretty, but is an aggressive invader and a non-native introduced for its ornamental qualities.  If you think you have one, you might want to Google it and see the best way to remove it as it is in the Sumac family and might cause you reaction somewhat like poison ivy, if you're sensitive to that kind of thing.  And it's easily spread, so you don't want to just cut it down and throw it on the curb - it needs to be disposed of properly.  Anyway - it's red and green and that's why it's in this post!  And if I have in any way help to spread the word of this bad addition to our ecosystem - I have done my good deed for the day!

This is just a funky shot of Chirpy the Cardinal that I edited in one of the programs - it wasn't a great shot, but thought I'd just mess around with it.  He's so gorgeous in any season.

Colors of the Season

For me, red and green would probably be the main colors of the Holiday season.  Perhaps for others it would be blue or maybe another color.  I always think of glittering, twittering lights during the season too - does glimmer have a color?  I don't know...

I'm trying not to spend a lot of money this year.  I'd gotten these strands of red berries for only $1 each at the craft store after the holidays last season.  So I circled them 'round and tied them with a leather to make a cheapie Christmas wreath!   True, it's a little unruly, but I kind of like the sprawling mess it makes.  Hard to find something that goes with a palm tree doorknocker!  

I'm not doing a lot of decorating either -  because I'll just have to go around and take it all down in a couple of weeks and what fun is that!   However, I do have a couple of ornaments that I like to take out and look at, like this handmade one that my grandma Flossie and I made circa 1960 something.  It's fashioned out of one of those old cloth egg cartons that we cut and glued together, added some beads and then spray painted gold.  A bit baroque looking and I still remember when we made them.  My newest favorite ornament is the Scandinavian longboat in the background.  Because, of course, I am from a mighty Viking heritage!  lol

In the garden, there's a lot of red and green going on.  The Rubber Tree leaf spike is beautiful and shows up so nicely against the leaves.

The Tillandsias are gorgeous in their holiday colors.

There's even a little red tomato to join in the festivities.  (Although, they aren't very sweet)

And when the sun shines through the Queens wings - they glow with an almost red and vibrant intensity.

Of course, I can't forget Chirpy - he's the best red thing in my garden.  He looks so handsome against the green foliage.  He's still coming every day to my window, chirping for seed.  Earlier this week, he sent Mrs. Chirpy to sit at the window, but I don't think she really knew what to do.  She faced outward and only made a few little cheeps.  But I knew what they wanted, so I took out some sunflower seeds and Chirpy came right over and ate out of the scoop.  What a guy!

I don't really have any photos of anything glittering in my garden, but I did take this at the beach the other day.  I'm truly amazed at how each grain of sand looks almost like diamonds in this beautiful shell.  It wasn't very big, and I couldn't see how beautiful the sand was until I enlarged the picture.  So, this is my glimmering glam shot for the Holidays.  Hope you are enjoying yours!

Pink and Spicy - a favorite combination!

Earlier this year, I bought this lush and abundant pink carnation at the local garden center.  I couldn't resist it as I ran my hands through the blossoms and all the spicy goodness drifted upwards to my nose.

I've never had a carnation plant before, but I know from purchasing the cut blooms at the store that they last a long time.  So almost every week I bring in a couple of flowers to cheer up the kitchen or anywhere that needs a little more positive energy.

It's been on the lanai for several months now, and it's still blooming strong!

About this time every year, I set a hot pink geranium on the lanai table to soak up the winter sun.

When I was young, my mother and grandmother always had beautifully spicy geraniums.  I haven't been able to find one since!  I started looking in college, gave up when we moved overseas, and started looking again upon our return.  Well, I think they still exist - but I'm having a very hard time locating one!  Sometimes fragrances make such a vivid memory!  Instantly transporting me back to the time I encountered it!

I love being able to see this hot pink color on the table as I look out of the house.  Pink and orange always seem to say "tropics" to me!

Well, this isn't pink - but it's pretty like pink and it is spicy.  This is Agastache and has a wonderful lemony pepper fragrance.  I love it and can't get enough!

And this is a Fuchsia - it's quite obviously pink and purple and I can't detect a fragrance at all.  But I think their attitude is spicy!

Since this post seems to have morphed into "pink plants I keep on the lanai", here is a pretty Mandevilla that has since gone on to the Big Plant Party in the Sky.  That probably makes the monkey happy as I think it was making him a bit nervous...

And now to help you meet your daily cute requirement - here's some puppies that even like pink flowers!  These Tibetan Terriers are from our dog Kohl's second litter.  We kept Flash (he's the little sweetie in the middle with the gold color on his head).

Brrrr, It's Cold in the Garden!

Whooowee - it is COLD again this morning!  It probably isn't as cold as I think it is, but when I see stocking caps, winter coats and when I even wore gloves to walk the dogs - I know it's almost freezing here in south Florida.  Well, it's just been in the high 40's, but it sure feels icy!

I thought I might have to bring in the girls (that would be the orchids), but they seem to be all right.  When I bring them in they all go in the cabana bath off the lanai.  I stick them in the shower and they happily stay over until it warms up again.  The orchids that are on the trees just have to brave it, and they've been doing okay too.  This pretty I named Antigone - yes, I name all my Vandas.  And yeah, I'm a little strange...

It was ALMOST too cold to sit out in my birdwatching chair in the backyard - but I piled on a sweater and my wellies and found I was quite comfortable.  This is my favorite part of the garden.  It looks out upon the large preserve, which is very active and I find it's very relaxing as I wait for visitors to photograph.  A friend said it reminded him of a Secret Garden and that really made my day, as that was kind of what I was going for.  This shot doesn't show much of the Bougainvillea blooming on the right and the passionflower vine on the left, but it's the only pic of my chair, so that's why I used it.  

This is Mrs. Cardinal posing for me when the Bourg is profusely blooming.  It's just starting now to gear up for a really big show.

And this is probably my favorite shot, which you have probably guessed as I use it for the cover photo.

While I was out there just taking random shots of the garden, this ended up being sort of an abstract.  I just think of it as a pretty mess.

Also, while I was out back this Eurasian Collared Dove showed up for the first time in the yard.  I know she's just a commoner and not very exciting compared to say, the Painted Bunting, but she has a pale grey beauty that is lovely.  And she sports a very cool red iris in her eye.  The thing is she's a bit bossy and doesn't get along very well with the Mourning Dove gang that hangs out every day.

There's at least seven of them and they patrol the back fence area.

Puffed up against the cold.  The Mourning Dove call is so haunting and pretty.

Whoa - close up!

Getting back to flowers - I got this at the grocery store.  I'm only including it because it is so gosh-darn gorgeous!  I am completely in love with the lime green color and the architectural spikes.  I believe it is a Chrysanthemum, but as usual, I don't want to mislead with misinformation... I will have to research a bit more.  Sometimes the flower industry adds dyes to flowers and I always wonder if I'm getting a natural color or if it is enhanced.

Like these beautiful, but dyed blue orchids.  I got these as a gift and I adore the blue, but it's an example of adding a false color.  Those big blue orchids that have been around the stores the last couple of years will rebloom white.  (Or so I've been told by the president of the local gardening club)

These were in with the grocery store bouquet and I hope they brighten your day with a little cheer!