August: Are the Plants Okay?

We live just north of East Central Florida. It is August. I can feel the breath of the sun. So today, I wanted to give an update on the things I planted in spring, because the sun’s breath is a little unforgiving.

Here’s a Papaya.

Loquat

Bird of Paradise and Hibiscus.

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What's Happening in Spring to Summer Florida

I'm a terrible garden blogger, because I get all frazzled and don't do things on a regular basis, but this blog is the big ol' update on stuff that's happening and what I'm doing differently than I did before now. Pineapple Plant Here's a pineapple plant that I think I planted in a pot over a year ago. I had two, but I was a bad plant mommy and left them both in the cold during the winter. This one was closer to the house than the other one, and it did well. The weeds in the pot are purslane. They are actually edible and good for you too, so I tend not to weed them out unless the start crowding my intended plants out. This plant is starting to get little spikes in the center, so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping its trying to grow a baby pineapple. Wild Persimmon I live on a long dirt road, and part of it was paved up a ways. Before the county started paving that part, they started clearing out the area across from me to make a

My Neighbor's Gift Bloomed!

I mentioned in a previous post that I had something growing under the fennel that my neighbor had given me before she passed on. She had no clue what it was and asked me to tell her what it was when it grew. It was some kind of bulb, and much to my surprise, today I saw it in full bloom! I kept losing this plant under the fennel. I thought it had died after the winter. I had such a hard time finding the slender leaf blade that originally grew from the bulb, that I thought it was gone. A week ago or so, I noticed the blade a little further to the corner than I was usually looking, so imagine my surprise to see the big pretty purplish face! Thank you, Kelly, for your amazing gift. So, what is it? It's a Zephyranthes or rain lily! They have a tendency to bloom in spring, usually after rain storms, so that's why they are called "rain lilies." :) It's so pretty.

Spring Update, a Possible Red Bay, and Banana Babies

I found a little tree about two years ago growing near the tall pines in the uncleared section of my back yard. It didn't look like any other tree I had, so I transplanted it in the front of my house. I need to know what it is. It smells like bay. It looks like bay. I do think it is a Red Bay tree, and I'll be happy if it is, but I don't have the low-down on all the science-y aspects of tree identification. The Red Bay is in the Lauraceae family, genus Persea, and species Borbonia. That's what I Googled- up anyway. The Red Bay is in the same family as the avocado, and I love avocados, but I don't think I can grow some good ones 'round these parts. If you've stumbled on this blog (or my personal-yet obviously public garden diary), then please feel free to school me on what type of tree this is (also, could I grow a fruit bearing avocado in zone 9? I'd love to do that! I have this red bay or whatever it is in the front yard by the winged

Flora Journal in Northeast Central Florida

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