DragonFly Garden

Another day in garden paradise

2012-02-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Last night father winter visited South Florida and this morning the temperature were in the low 40's. By mid day we were in the mid sixties and the day was picture perfect. I spend a few hours finishing the project I started yesterday.In this corner of the garden I want to add three large containers like the one I have the Keyline tree and grow other tropical fruits. The only tree that escaped my cutters was the Angel's Trumpet, as you can see is ready to bloom, I'll wait after the flowers drop, to trim the tree.
Next week I'll add mulch, plant a few perennials for color and add a few other touches, and after that on to another corner of the garden. A gardener's job is never done (That's why I love this hobby)
Today I harvested these Lady Finger bananas from one of my trees. In a week or so they will be ready for eating. The Lady Finger bananas are 4 to 5in long, with thin, light-yellow skin and sweet flesh; they are the bananas of my childhood. I remember eating several in one seating, once you taste these bananas there is no going back to the grocery store kind. I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines Day.

Full day in the garden

2012-02-11T16:28:00.000-08:00

Today I spent a full day working in the garden. I worked on this corner of the garden, that has gone a bit wild. I trimmed some of the plants, pulled lots of weeds and expanded the flower bed. Tomorrow I'll put the finishing touches and post pictures on this blog.

My key-lime tree is full of flowers, I changed the pot to a more sunny location.

It looks like I'll be getting mangos this year. The mango tree I purchased this past summer is full of flowers, the tree is no more than three feet tall. This is the time of year when mango trees bloom in South Florida is quite a site.

Some of the broccoli are ready for harvest

Torrential Rains last night

2012-02-07T16:05:00.000-08:00

Last night we had torrential rains, and this morning I was a happy gardener. This area was in desperate need of rain, the last time we had any significant amount of precipitation was in mid December. The dry season was doing major damage to the local vegetation, early in the week we had a brush fire in nature preserve near my home, that threaten several homes and a school.
This morning I found all my starburst flowers on the ground, a small price to pay in exchange for a wet garden.

Below is a picture of the one and only rose bush in my garden. I have killed every other rose I planted, except for this one. This rose blooms all year long, there are no problems with deceases and the flowers have a sweet fragrance. The plant was a gift from my Dad, but it came with no name, until this weekend when an article in the local paper had a picture of the same rose, the "Blumenschmidt" rose (that's a mouth full)

Is Starburst time

2012-02-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Is that time of the year when these trees put on a great show in South Florida and I have two in my back yard (one is in my neighbor's side of the fence)

Sometimes this tree can be a pain because of all the suckers, but then it blooms like this.

This succulent is not much to look at, but is interesting to see where is going.

This is the first gerbera daisy of the season (one of my favorite flower)

Congratulation NY Giants, great game.

Days are getting longer

2012-01-26T16:49:00.001-08:00

The days are getting longer, and these days there is some sunlight left when I get home from work. Today I decided to spend sometime in the garden and do some clean up. As you can see from the picture below, the last couple of weeks of winter weather has been hard on my tropical plants.

The oxalis weeds are back, and this year I'm going to let them be. There is not much that can done unless you go atomic and that's not an option in my garden.

My South Florida Winter Garden

2012-01-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

I have not worked in the garden lately, most of my weekends are spend helping my daughter fix a new home she and her fiancee purchased last month, they are getting married in July.
Here is a video of the garden yesterday, the temperature was in the high 40's but it was a beautiful sunny day.

New Year’s Resolutions

2011-12-30T15:10:00.001-08:00

I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions simply because I don’t have a good record of keeping them. However, this year I want to try something different--my one and only resolution is to slowly turn my garden into a mini urban farm. I know this may sound a bit crazy, especially since my lot is quite small.
My idea is to produce some of the food that my family consumes and that way we’ll know exactly what it is we are eating. I want to make sure that “organic” is truly chemical-free and the only way I can be sure is to grow it myself. I also think that is wrong for us to insist on eating certain fruits year-round since this entails having to transport out-of-season produce by air from other countries and even other continents. All of us need to reduce our carbon footprint, since global warming is real and threatens the very existence of our fragile planet. I know that it’s impossible to produce all the food we consume but we have to start somewhere.
So, without further ado, this is what I propose:
1 – Turn my vegetable patch into a year-round produce garden. I know that is going to be tricky in the hot summer months in Miami, but it can be done.
2 – Plant more fruit trees. I already have a mango, avocado, papaya, key lime, and banana trees in the garden but know I can squeeze a few more.
3 – Build a chicken coop for fresh eggs. Our local county allows up to eight hens (no rooster, though).
4 – A couple of bee hives for the honey and for the benefits of having resident pollinators in the garden. I recently found out that my paternal grandfather kept bees as a hobby. Now I know where I am getting the urge!
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that items 3 and 4 have not been approved by the in-house zoning board (my wife)!
So, here goes! Let’s see if my resolution bears fruit (pun intended!).
Wishing everyone in the blogosphere a happy and healthy New Year and many wonderful things in 2012! May your flowers bloom and your plants bear fruit!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2011-12-24T08:32:00.001-08:00

May the joy and happiness of the Christmas season be with you and your families throughout the New Year

A perfect gardening day

2011-12-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Today I spend the day in the garden, the weather was perfect. The temperature was in the high 70s, sunny and breeze. It was one of those days with no particular shores, I took some pictures, pull some weeds and moved pots around (A perfect day)

The Brunfelsia looks like it's decorated for Christmas

This Celosia was a gift from a friend, I love the fullness of the color.

This male Julia butterfly was flying around the garden.

The Bolivian Sunset are growing wild in different flower beds.

Vegetable garden update.

Everything is growing a little slow, and it might be because of the lack of sun. This area is getting less sun as before, there are many mature trees blocking the sun light.

The lettuce is grown nicely.

The broccoli is doing well, but eggplant is verily hanging on.

The tomatoes are growing well and so are the herbs.

Collecting Succulents

2011-12-03T14:12:00.001-08:00

Collecting things has been part of my DNA since I was a little kid. During my childhood it was baseball cards and stamps, as an adult I got hooked on airline memorabilia, but after 33 years and working for four different airlines I have no more room in my house
These days I am a collector of plants, and ever since I read the book “Succulent Container Gardens” by Debra Lee Baldwin I am a serious collector of succulents. I don’t know the name of most of my plants but I’m fascinated by the variety of different plants and how easy they are to take care. The local Home Depot plant buyer and I are on first name basis; he knows my weakness for all things succulent.

My collection

Kalanchoes are part of the family

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T17:22:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours

Getting the garden ready for the holidays

2011-11-20T16:10:00.000-08:00

This weekend I worked in the front garden, it is that time of the year to get the garden ready for the holidays.

Splitting bromeliads is part of the cleaning

This part of the front of the garden needs upgrading but unfortunate my neighbors dogs are using it as their local bathroom.

The butterflies are back for the winter and so are the caterpillars.

The first Brunfelsia flowers of year.

Using the telephoto lens

2011-11-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

Today I tried my telephoto lens on my amazing Nikon D3100 camera. I need to take photography classes, this camera is not like my old point and shoot camera.

My winter vegetable garden is done

2011-11-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my vegetable garden, it was a perfect day for gardening. The temperature was in the mid sixties in the morning, a sunny day with a light breeze coming from the ocean.

In this bed I'm sowing different kinds of lettuces, arugula and spinach In this one I planted broccoli, eggplant and red peppers.

Here I have my tomatoes.

The Painted Bunting

This week we had a new guest in our bird feeders, a male painted bunting. This is a first for my garden, according to my Florida bird book, this little guy likes to winter in SE Florida.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T06:16:00.000-07:00

Halloween dog day at Fairchild Tropical garden

Rookie mistake

2011-10-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

After many delays, I finally finished one of the vegetable beds. The tomatoes are in, I planted three types red, yellow cherry and big boys. In the square blocks I planted herbs and marigolds.

This year I made a rookie mistake, too much compost, making the Ph level totally off. Today I mixed in more regular soil, hopefully it will do the job

Check out my new rain barrel, 50 gallons of water plus an additional 30 gallon tank. With all the rain this week both are full

Fairchild's Edible Garden Festival

2011-10-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the 3rd annual Edible garden and Fall festival at Fairchild Tropical Garden. This festival has become my favorite event at the Fairchild Garden

My favorite vendor, Redlands Herb Farm.

Scarecrow competition, a popular event at the festival

Cute Halloween decorations throughout the park.

My favorite picture spot at the garden.

A good time was had by all

2011-10-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

The happy couple
My two girls (the two sisters look alike, don't you think ) The little sister is also the maid of honor.

The best man giving a toast to the happy couple.

It rained at the end of the night, but we were able to enjoy the garden for most of the night.

Is party time

2011-10-15T11:31:00.001-07:00

Tonight we are having a party for my daughter, to celebrate her engagement. We expect around 35 guest.

I worked all morning getting the garden ready, this is the most people I ever had in my small backyard ( I'm a little nervous)

The weather has been overcast the entire day, there is no rain in the forecast. I'm keeping my fingers cross.

On the road again

2011-10-09T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is my first video with my new Nikon D3100, as you can see I'm not very good at it. This video does not do justice to the fall colors at the Maroon Bells in the White River National Forest near Aspen Colorado, the place was spectacular.

I will be traveling all this week for my job, (another week away from the garden) and next week I'm having 35 guest coming for my daughter engagement party

Pictures from Colorado

2011-10-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

My wife and I returned from our mini vacation in the mountains of Colorado. This year the aspen trees were at their peak.

The top of Vail mountain.

Driving to the top of Independence Pass. it can test your nerves.

The top of the world

The Maroon Bells, near the town of Aspen, simply spectacular.

Hiking is one of the reasons we go to the mountains, that's me leading the way.

Taking a ride to the top of Aspen mountain, you can see the town below.

Going away for the weekend

2011-09-28T18:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend my wife and I are traveling to the Rocky mountains of Colorado for some R and R. We are planning to do some hiking, photograph the fall colors and take in the cooler weather. This trip is our yearly escape from the heat and humidity of Florida.
I'm taking my new Ipad and hope to do some blogging.
See you soon.

Cheap plastic

2011-09-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday one of my rain barrels burst out and 50 gallons of water flooded the garden. I learned my lesson never buy a rain barrel made from cheap plastic, it lasted less than a year. I purchased another one on-line last night, should be arriving this week. Today's gardening consisted of some weeding, tree trimming and moving potted plants around.

This is the courtyard by the front gate, I'm thinking a small bench would look good here

A neighbor stopped by today to trade plants. She wanted some of my bromeliads, and traded this plant, she didn't know the name but the red flowers are gorgeous, they kind of look like hydrangeas.

What is happening to my plants in the front yard? The powder puff tree is looking terrible, most of the leaves are cover with a black soot, and I'm not sure if I should cut most of it or leave it as is.

The soot is also covering the palm tree and dropping on the bromeliads below.

The vegetable raised beds are done, it took 28 bags of soil. Planting starts next week, weather permitting.

Meet Maximus

Max is my daughter's dog; both moved in with us while waiting on a short sale home she made a offer 4 months ago.

Lady of the night

2011-09-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

I almost lost my Lady of the Night plant last winter during one of those below freezing nights, but this summer it came back.
Within seconds after sundown, the aroma bursts out of these flowers and it goes from zero to full power and is all gone daylight.
This a perfect plant to have while gardening at night.

Your Fall our Spring

2011-09-19T17:21:00.000-07:00

For those of us gardening in the Southern tip of the Florida peninsula is Spring time!!!!!! and time to get to work in the garden.
This weekend I stopped by my local Home Depot looking for annuals to color up my garden for the winter. There were not many choices, I planted this vincas in front of the house, where they'll get plenty of afternoon sun.

I got this bromeliad a couple of years ago at the annual Ramble plant sale at Fairchild Garden. I totally forgot I had it, and this weekend I found this bloom among all my bromeliads.
Is that time of the year when we can enjoy our gardens at night. This weekend I added these miniature Japanese lantern lights to the back deck, I want to garden at night (is that crazy?), as the days get shorter during the winter there is very little daylight left when I get home from work. My plans are to add more solar lights throughout the backyard.

Pictures from around the garden

2011-09-11T17:48:00.000-07:00

The ground orchids in the front garden are back to normal after last winter freeze.

I put in 10 cu/ft of soil in my new vegetable garden, 20 to go. I am soooo tired

Now I'm deciding what to plant, today starting buying seeds.

More blooming orchids from around the garden, the rain has done wonders to my orchid collection.

Bees and the blue porter flowers.

Labor day in the garden

2011-09-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

This Labor Day the weather in South Florida was rainy and muggy. This morning I was able to put in a couple of hours in the back yard, with all the rain in the last few days the plants are going wild. This corner needed some sprucing up. The banana season is done for the year, and it was time to cut and remove the old trees. I counted nine new trees in different stages of growths.
I took out a plumbago tree from this corner that was not working in the shade.

This weekend our oldest daughter got engaged and I was told to get the garden ready for the engagement party next month.

the raised beds are in

2011-08-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

The plan for today was to put in the vegetable raised beds, this morning at Home Depot I made a last minute change. The original idea was to do 3 wooden raised beds, but after figuring the time it would take, I changed to cement blocks.
Cement blocks are not very pretty to look at, but they are easy and fast to put in and better for the environment. I have extra paint in the garage, and might paint the outside later.
During the next couple of weeks I will be buying the soil and the beds should be ready for planting sometime at the end of September.
Today I also added a 32 gallon water tank to my rain-barrel, now I have a total of 164 gallons in reserve [I'm ready for the dry season]

To all our friends in the northeast, good luck and stay safe.

Is time to make the donuts

2011-08-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

This morning was one of those days, I had planed tons of work in the garden, but my 58 year body did not want to get out of bed. It rained most of the night and I was hoping to have that excuse, but by 7am the rain was gone and it was time to get to work.
If I want to have my new vegetable garden up and running by October 1, I better keep up with the schedule. On today's agenda was taking out the dead grass and get the soil ready for the raised beds.

My local U-pick farmer is already turning the soil and getting the land ready for planting.

I am planning three 4 x 4 raised beds and fill in the rest of the space with containers, originally I was going to put raised beds where my coleuses are now, but this area has shade all winter long and vegetable are not all that fun of shade (this project is getting to big, may be next year) Flowers of the week, these orchids are blooming and they are gorgeous.

I harvested the last of the bananas today, when these dwarf bananas are ripen they are the sweetest bananas you can ever taste.

Back in the garden after a two weeks vacation

2011-08-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we came home from a two-weeks vacation on Sanibel Island, before I left; I moved all the plants in containers to the shade, set the automatic sprinklers on and crossed my fingers.

Two weeks for a garden in the tropics is a lifetime, as you can see everything is overgrown and plenty of weeds to keep me busy for a couple of weeks. I was surprised that most plants made it without any problems. I lost a couple of annuals but it was nice to see new bromeliads and orchids blooming, and plenty of rain lilies (according to my neighbor it rained everyday)

I harvested another banana tree today, one more to go.

Killing the grass

2011-07-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend I started the process of taking out the grass for my expanded vegetable garden.
I will be adding two 4 x 6 raised beds and containers along the wall. The containers will be for the herbs and small fruit trees, like the key lime tree in the picture.

I plan to enclose the vegetable garden with another gate like this one at the other end. As you can see the Mexican flame vine is already growing very nicely.

I took out most of the ferns from the back part of the garden,

and will be transplanting most of this coleuses and other plants from this bed to the back.

I want to add another raised bed on this spot. This area is going to be a challenge, during the winter months it has shade all day long. Any idea what will be the best choice for vegetables or herbs to grow here??

It is way too hot outside to work in the garden these days, so I am taking a few days off from the garden and the the blog. I will be working on a few indoor projects that I have been procrastinating on.

Stay cool, and I'll see you soon.

Making room

2011-07-16T19:36:00.000-07:00

I decided to move my collection of coleuses, currently located on the north side of the garden to the back corner of my back yard. Preparing this new location is going to be a lot work, my original plans for that plot was to let it go wild, and unfortunate it did with overgrown ferns, (not a favorite) so the wild idea is out the window. I also came to the conclusion that a wild area doesn’t fit in my small urban garden (sorry little critters you are about to be evicted by the mean old gardener).

This is all I could do today, only one hour’s worth of work. The heat and humidity was too much for my 58-year-old body. I’ll do some more tomorrow

The reason that I’m moving the coleuses out of this area of the garden is due to my plans to expand the vegetable garden. I’m thinking of getting rid of most of the grass and putting in five raised beds. It will be a long and ambitious project with a completion date of mid October. It will be close, the college football season starts September 1.

The new Pollinator

2011-07-11T17:44:00.001-07:00

Last night my Dragon Fruit plant had the first flowers of the summer, this year I decided to pollinate the flowers myself. This flowers open at night and by morning they are done, so the chances that a moth or bat pollinates the flowers, is slim to none.

Over the years I had hundreds of flowers and only 3 fruits. This year while taking a back tour of the land exhibit at Epcot center I saw a dragon fruit plant with many fruits. The tour guide told me that Disney employees come out the night the flowers open and using Q-tips they pollinate each flower.

The dragon fruit plant is a native of the American southwest, a Hylocereus climbing cactus. The common name comes from the short green fins that grow on the bright, pinkish-red skin reminiscent of the scales of a dragon.

The fruit is consider a delicacy, sweet, low on calories and high in lycopene an antioxidant. The proper way to eat it is chilled and cut in half so the flesh may be spooned out.

Mangos of Hawaii

2011-07-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the 19 annual International Mango Festival at Fairchild Gardens. This festival has become the main summer event for the garden, and one that all of us mango aficionados can’t wait for every summer. This year, they featured the mangos of Hawaii.
I came early, with the idea of buying a mango tree for my garden. I love all mangos, but my wife is a little particular with the mangos she buys, the most important thing for her is for the fruit not to have any fibers. After speaking to several experts we made our decision.
We decided on “Rosigold” a local selection of Southeast Asian heritage, this mango ripen early mid to late March. The flavor is rich, sweet and there are no fibers in the flesh. The tree is small and manageable perfect for my garden.

This is where my future mango tree will be planted

Vote for my photo

2011-07-05T16:13:00.001-07:00

CostaFarm is having a cacti and succulent photo contest for the month of July and my photo was selected. Go to Facebook at CostaFarms select the picture and Like.

Happy Forth of July

2011-07-03T14:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July to everyone, I hope you all have fun celebrating our nations birthday. I am planning to take it easy tomorrow (no work) and at night my family will be attending the fire works display at Coconut Grove on the bay.

Pictures from around the garden today, I am getting better with my new camera.

First flower from this plumeria tree in a pot.

Summer time and the plants are growing

2011-07-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

With the rainy season comes what I call the South Florida warp drive-growing season. In a few days the garden goes from nice and neat to overgrown and messy.
I can’t stand looking at an overgrown garden; today I went out early and ready to do battle with the main offenders like the Rangoon Creeper, the Kings Mantle and many others.

I have a limit of three garbage tanks, that’s all that will fit in our city issued garbage container.

Next, I am pulling out all these ferns; they are taking over the back of my garden.

I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July

If potted plants could talk

2011-06-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

This one would be screaming "when are you going to divide me"

Yesterday I came home with some energy left after work, so it was timeI used the old container to plant a combination of sansevieria and aloa vera, both of which I have plenty growing around the garden.I divided the bromeliads, some I planted in a new pot and the others are now in the front garden.Bromeliads and Succulents make for great container plants.

Maintenance and the banana trees

2011-06-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I decided to do a little maintenance on my banana trees. I have three baby banana trees all with fruits. My father taught me a trick on how to get bigger bananas, he told me that by cutting the flower off at the end of the stem when the bananas are small, the trees will channel all their energy on growing healthier and bigger fruits. (The bees will not be happy; they love the nectar from these flowers)

The banana flower looks like a heart and I am told they are edible and a delicacy in Southeast Asia.

New flowers this week

Spider Lily

This orchid--attached to a palm tree--is a reliable producer of yearly flowers.

Aechmea fasciata bromeliad (fancy name). I have several of these flowers popping up in the garden

I counted 43 key limes today in my potted key lime tree. My wife is thrilled!

All water fountains are not the same.

2011-06-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of the sound of running water in the garden; that’s why I have two water fountains--one in the back garden and one in the courtyard. This week, the pump from the courtyard fountain stopped working. “News Flash “ the pump is attached to the fountain and it cannot be replaced. Today I bought a new fountain at Lowe’s with a replaceable water pump

The old fountain is now a flower planter in the front of the house and I planted rose moss.

It's raining again this afternoon. The rainy season is truly upon us!
The rain barrels are full

My newest toy, a Nikon D3100 SLR camera, was birthday gift from the CFO of the DragonFly Garden (my wife). Can you tell that I was a good boy?!!! Now I need to learn how to use it since it's not as simple as my old point-and-shoot.

GBBD in South Florida

2011-06-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

Another Gardeners Bloggers Bloom Day but this one is special; it's my birthday. The pictures below are the blooms from the DragonFly Garden this morning. The rainy season has finally arrived and it has rained the last three days. The temperatures also spiked into the high 90's (That's S. Florida in the summer).

Thryallis

Ground orchid

White plumeria

Rain lillies after the rain.

Milk weed

Shrimp plant

Purple Allamanda

Miniture red ixora

Blue Porterweed

Kimgs Mantle

Don't know the name of this one. Any one???

Miami's Cape Florida State Park

2011-06-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my family and I visited the Cape Florida State Park or “El Farito” ( The lighthouse) as it's known by locals. The lighthouse was built in 1925 and is the oldest standing structure in Miami Dade County.
The beach at Cape Florida is considered one of the ten best in the US. This beach is well known to locals but is less famous than its northern neighbor, South Beach.

The day was perfect for the beach, and many families took advantage of the great weather. You can see the city sky line in the background.

The lighthouse is visible from anywhere on the beach.

The family enjoying the day.

Composting the vegetable garden

2011-06-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today I composted what remained of the vegetable garden

I am not a big fan of composting in a small garden, but I know the benefits outweigh seeing and smelling the ugly composter.
For now, the old vegetable bed will serve as a holding storage for recuperating potted plants. I am planing major changes for next season, so stay tuned.

Our Australian Cattle Dog, Rosie, plays and I work. It's good to be a dog! Rosie is one of the reasons why I keep grass in my garden.

The white Mandevilla was looking outstanding this morning.

Fires in the Everglades to the west of us were blowing smoke into the city this morning, it created an unpleasant outdoor day. The Everglades have been on fire for days due to the extreme drought conditions.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, my family and I are heading to the beach. We live near some of the best beaches in the world and we seldom go. Trying to change that!

Question to the gardening blogosphere.

2011-06-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

I am in the process of designing a new vegetable garden for the upcoming season this fall. My plan is to build several wood raised beds. I am conflicted with what kind of wood to use; the least expensive and longer-lasting solution is regular pressure-treated wood.
I read several articles on the Internet that caution not to use this type of wood for fear that the chemicals used to treat it would contaminate the plants. There are others experts that see no problem with pressure-treated wood.
Whom to believe??? If you have an opinion, please let me know.

I could also use cement blocks for the border but the heat of South Florida might cook the plants.

Caladiums on sale

2011-05-28T15:10:00.001-07:00

This morning I visited my local Home Depot. I needed a few items for the garden (not plants) and guess what? The Caladiums were on sale. BINGO!!! I had the perfect place for them. The flower bed next to the back porch was in desperate need of something that could grow in partial shade. This was not part of my plans for today but you've got to take advantage of good sales.

I also replanted all the bromeliads around the water fountain
There were many Monarch butterflies flying around today. Some were newborn, like this one

The grass was cut today and the garden looks great, ready for a Memorial Day picnic

I hope you all have a happy and safe Memorial Day Holiday

Blooming Broms

2011-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

Blooming bromeliads, these are some of the broms that bloomed in my garden the last two months. Over the years I have become a big fan of these plants, they are easy to take care and perfect for the South Florida climate. Today they are a big part of the DragonFly garden.

Flowers are a hit and miss with bromeliads, sometimes it takes a couple of years to see blooms again. I purchased the Vriesea Favoriet below a couple of years ago, this month it bloomed for the first time.

This is the smallest bromeliad in my garden and my favorite. Every year at the end of the winter it turns pick and full of small purple flowers.

Can anyone recommend a good book on bromeliads? I need to learn their names!!!!

Front yard maintenance

2011-05-21T10:31:00.000-07:00

Today the garden work was dedicated to the front yard

First on the agenda was trimming the powderpuff tree
This time of the year, keeping the garden weed free is a daily chore.

Cleaning the bromeliads was also on the agenda. This time I used my new super long sleeve gloves, a Christmas gift from my daughters. No painful scratches.

Rain lilies are the flower of the week. The flowers are everywhere in the garden, usually they bloom after a big rain. This year they got tired of waiting, it has been more than three weeks since the last time we got some significant rain.

The drought continues in South Florida, May 16 was supposed to be the first day of the rainy season but there is no rain in the forecast for the near future. The rain barrels are empty.

Redland International Orchid Festival

2011-05-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

Today I attended the Redland International Orchid Festival at the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead Fl.

Orchids and more orchids everywhere

These are some of the winners in the show tent

There were 61 vendors from around the world

The Fruit and Spice Park is a county park dedicated to growing tropical fruits and spices. This is my first time visiting, I will be coming back for a tour.

These are some of the orchids that followed me home. The spider looking one is for the house the other is for my office. I also purchased a few babies that will take awhile before I get flowers. The prices were a bit high, but it's impossible to go to this type of show and come home empty handed

Flower of the week Rangoon Creeper

2011-05-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

Pictures don’t do justice to this vine, so this time I did a video.

This plant is without question the most labor-intensive plant in my garden. It requires constant pruning, is messy and it multiplies all over the garden.
The benefits outweigh the hard work, especially during this time of the year. The vine is full of blooms all summer long, and the aroma is intoxicating in the early morning and early evening. The flowers open in white, and as the sun comes up they turn to pink and finally red at the end of the day.
The creeper goes by many names, it all depends where you come from. In Cuba my parents used two different names Picuala or Jasmin Manzano. This vine is found in the Philippines, India, Malaysia and most tropical countries.
For small birds it's a great hiding place.

Flower of the week Heliconia Rostrata

2011-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

This week I am featuring the Heliconia Rostrata or Lobster claw. They are spectacular flowers during the summer months they become the focal point in this part of the garden.

Living happily among my banana trees.

Disadvantages: They don't take well to cold weather, unwanted volunteers growing everywhere, and it is a fairly high maintenance plant (needing frequent grooming to keep it attractive)

There are many types of Heliconias, but the lobster claw is my favorite.

Food and Garden Festival at Fairchild Garden

2011-04-30T17:41:00.000-07:00

Today I visited the Botanical Gardens of Fairchild for their Food and Garden Festival. Featuring their 32nd annual Spring plant sale. The weather was hot but the food and plants made up for it.

Local honey from Miguel's bees

One of my favorite sellers is the Redland Organic Herb Farm, the owner Carolyne is a wealth of information on how to take care and cook with the plants. I purchased shives, and yerva buena

Only looking none followed me home

Art at Fairchild

These are the plants that followed me home, among them a succulent and a new bromeliad

Pictures from a different angle

2011-04-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

My new tenet

Got you!!!!

Finally one gardenia

The flowers in this bromeliad look like little chicks waiting for food

Kings mantle

The wildlife in my garden.

2011-04-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

Making the DragonFly a friendly place for birds, butterflies and any other creatures, is one of the reasons I garden. Today I took a picture of this Red Admiral butterfly, a first in my garden. (She was too fast for my camera.)

Monarch butterfly.

I try to make the garden bird friendly by placing several bird feeders and baths through out, and by growing plants that can be good-hiding places. My urban garden limits the variety of birds that visit it, mostly doves, house sparrows, starlings, grackles and blue jays.

This Blue Jay was not happy posing for pictures.

Ringed Turtle Dove

The Rock Dove or City Doves. (They can empty a bird feeder in one seating)

Mother owl, perch in my back porch fan

For those of you that are new to my blog, I am posting these pictures again. Two years ago we were bless by having a Screech Owl picked our garden to nest. My wife called her Golda because she resemble Golda Meir the former prime minister of Israel. To this date that was the highlight of my garden’s wildlife encounters.

Baby owl

Happy Easter everyone

My working vacation – Part II

2011-04-19T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today I finished the trellis, I am not all that happy with it, but this is the best my 58 year old body with arthritic hands can do. I had an idea in my head to make a more grandiose trellis with arches and a small wooden fence to divide the courtyard from the rest of the garden. (The mosquitoes and the heat took care of that idea)
Many of you asked about the Mexican flame, well I didn’t take it out; I’m hoping it will grow back. This time, I am not worry how big the vine gets, the new trellis can take it.

The rest of the week, I am taking it easy, I’ll take some pictures, pull some weeds and prepare the garden for our annual family Easter bash.

My working vacation – Part I

2011-04-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I started working on the new trellis in my side garden.

First on the list was getting rid of the old trellis with the overgrown Mexican flame vine.

The Mexican flame, like must vines are beautiful to look at when they are in full bloom, but they are a pain to maintain. (This picture was taken two weeks ago)

Is going to take a couple of garbage pick up to hold away the Mexican flame.

My plans are to build a replacement wooden trellis, one that can take the weight of an overgrown vine.

Spring South Florida style

My Plumeria tree is beginning to bloom

I am having so many problems with the blogger publisher. Moving pictures and the spacing on the posts are impossible. Is there anyone out there having the same problems? Tonight I canceled the post with all the comments by mistake trying to fix the problem.

Morning surprise

2011-04-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

This morning I was surprised by this succulent plant, overnight these five gorgeous flowers bloomed (totally unexpected). By the time I got home in the afternoon the flowers were dead.

That’s the problem with most succulents, their blooms are stunning but they only last one day.

Does anyone know the name of this plant?

Counting the days

2011-04-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

I have a week’s vacation coming up April 17 to the 22nd. I am not planning to go anywhere, but I will be working in the garden. (I'm turning off my work blackberry). There are a couple of projects that I have in mind, and one involves construction. I’ll blog about it later. Queen palm Bees love the buttercup flowers The tallest Hollyhock ever in my garden This weekend was tax preparation weekend (so much fun) my time in the garden was limited, all I had time to do was take a few pictures and feeding the birds.

Taking the garden in a different direction.

2011-04-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I planted this avocado tree, a gift from a friend. My family is big consumers of avocados, during the season and we spend a great deal of money buying locally grown avocados, so is time to start growing our own.

It will be a few years before I can harvest fruits from this little guy.

I have come to the realization that my garden has an extensive variety plants, but other than my banana and key lime trees, I have no other fruit trees. We are blessed with great weather, which is excellent for growing tropical fruit trees, so I decided to move in that direction. The only problem with this new direction is that with every fruit tree planted, something else has to go.

First on the list is this giant white bird of paradise. I don’t like taking plants out of my garden, especially one I planted at the very beginning, but she is getting too big and is damaging the fence.

This space should be plenty for a mango and a couple of papaya trees.

I am back

2011-03-31T17:45:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of weeks I have been on the road traveling for my employer. Is good to be home again, pulling weeds in the garden. Traveling is hassle these days, between airport security, flight delays and bad food. Who needs it!!! My last stop was the city of New Orleans. I have visited the city many times before, but this was my first time since Katrina. Downtown is as normal as any other city, but if you drive a few blocks out you can tell that nothing normal. The number of empty lots, boarded up houses and the lack of people are striking. I can relate, that was the way it was in the Southern part of Miami for many years after Andrew. Spring has arrived to New Orleans; the mansions in the St. Charles Ave area are as beautiful as I remembered. The pictures were taken with my new I phone (my new toy)

Daylight Savings Time

2011-03-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

I am loving daylight savings time, now I can garden everyday instead of cramming it all on the weekend. I get home from work around 6pm, which gives me two hours of daylight. It also has the added benefit of been a stress reliever after a long day at work.

Today I trimmed back my banana trees.

And had enough time to take some pictures of what’s blooming around the garden

The winds of March

2011-03-06T16:55:00.000-08:00

The winds of March or in Spanish “Los vientos de cuaresma” (the winds of lent) are here. For the last week we have been experiencing strong windy days, strong enough to cause damage to trees. (None in my garden)

Saturday was sprinkler day, one of two days I get to water my plants every week. It has not rained for a couple of weeks and the dry season is in full swing.

These Monarch caterpillars are having breakfast in my Milkweed.

By afternoon is all gone.

I planted Milkweed in five different areas of the garden. Monarch caterpillars go through plants like this in one day.

This morning my wife and I went to a farmer’s market to buy veggies, and look what I came home with.

I had the perfect place to plant this ground orchid (Phaius Rabins Raven)

More color please

2011-02-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

Word came down from the office of the DragonFly CFO.

I want less of this!!! (The CFO doesn’t like bromeliads)

I want more of this.

Change of plans for this corner of the front garden, originally I was going to plant bromeliads. but my wife made it clear that they are not her favorites. So roses it is.

This is what I have to deal with every time I plant anything a foot down. There are about two feet of crush rock below my garden; the developers put it there before they got the permits to build. Originally this area was swampland and part of the Everglades.
Roses are my wife’s favorite, I like them too, but South Florida is not an ideal place to grow them, they need a lot of TLC. The tall one in the back was in pot, the other three I purchased at Home Depot this morning.

My first movie
This is my first attempt at using the movie feature in my camera. You won’t see this movie at the Oscar’s tomorrow night.

Starburst or Shooting Star

2011-02-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Starburst trees are bursting with flowers, finally after a couple of years of poor performance due to cold weather, they are blooming again. Traditionally they bloom around Christmas but this year the early cooler weather delayed their blooms.

This is my tree; the only problem I have is all the suckers it sends up. The tree can be a nuisance, but the flowers make it worth it.

That's my neighbor’s tree; it was a sucker from my tree.

Is mango time!!!

All the mango trees in Miami are full of flowers, it looks like is going to be a good mango season.

I don’t have a mango tree in my yard, and every year around this time I wish I had one. May be this is the year.

Today my work in the garden consisted of fixing my sprinklers (not fun at all). We are in the middle of our dry season, this month so far our area is seven inches below the normal rain levels. We are under water restrictions and can only use the sprinklers twice a week.

GBBD February 15, 2011

2011-02-15T06:20:00.000-08:00

These are the blooms at the DragonFly garden this morning as I walked through the garden with a cup coffee in one hand and the camera in the other (Life is good!!!!)

I hope everyone in blog-land has a magical week.

Are Florida state parks on the endangered list?

2011-02-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

This past week, my local newspaper had a story on the future of many of Florida’s state parks. Our newly-elected governor has proposed a budget that paints a bleak picture for the state as a whole and particularly its state parks. It is estimated that under this budget one third of all Florida’s parks will be closed, especially the least-visited. Four of those parks are located practically in my back yard. Today, my family and I decided to visit two of those parks before they are lost to the budget-axe.

The Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.

This 2300-acre park is located in Key Largo, the northernmost Key; it has the largest tracks of West Indian hammock and is also home of many protected species of plants and animals.
In the 1980’s, this land was going to be developed into a massive Mediterranean-style condo complex that would have destroyed the hammock. Many local citizens fought the developers and won, including the woman the park was named after.

The park has over six miles of nature trails, most of them paved and accessible by bicycles. Self-guided nature trails provide information about the park´s ecosystem and wildlife.

Windley Key Fossil Reef Gealogical State Park

This park is near Islamorada, the second Florida Key. Formed of Key Largo limestone and fossilized coral, this land was sold to the Florida East Coast Railroad, which used the stone to build Henry Flagler's Overseas Railroad in the early 1900s. The quarry was used until the 1960’s to produce exquisite pieces of decorative stone called Keystone.

Today, visitors can walk along eight-foot-high quarry walls to see cross-sections of the ancient coral and learn about the quarry and its operation, an important part of Florida's 20th century history. Samples of the quarry machinery have been preserved at the park.

The park has approximately 1.5 miles of trails that wind through a tropical hardwood hammock. Along the trails, visitors are able to observe over 40 species of trees and plants that are native to the Florida Keys.

Our newly elected governor, Rick Scott, facing a state budget deficit of $3.6 billion dollars even before taking office, has forged ahead to propose a new budget with an additional $2 billion in tax cuts for home owners and Florida corporations, ballooning the deficit to $5.6 billion. The answer is to “balance” the budget with stop-gap measures such as closing these parks.

Scott tells me that as a homeowner in this state I can look forward to approximately $500 in tax cuts for the next two years. Polifac, a non-partisan organization, published an article today stating that the tax cut will really average to $214 for each homeowner for the next two years. If governor Rick Scott is reading this blog, please keep my $214 in tax cuts and use it to keep my parks open as well as properly fund education the way the children of Florida deserve!

Super Bowl party

2011-02-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we are having family and friends over for a super bowl party / barbecue. This morning I worked on getting the garden ready for the guests.

This corner of the garden needed some spruce up; I moved some container plants around and added some mulch.

I got this plant from a neighbor today, he didn’t know the name but I think is kind of cool. Does anyone know the name?

My one and only Azalea plant is in full bloom. I got to get me more Azaleas for the garden; they are fast becoming my BFF flower.

About the Super Bowl, I have no skin in this game. I am not a fan of Pittsburgh or Green Bay, but it is the Super Bowl and a good excuse for a barbecue. I am hoping for a good game and funny commercials. Someday my Dolphins will return to the Super Bowl (wishful thinking)

What’s wrong with this picture????

2011-01-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

I think my days as gentleman (???) farmer are numbered. Last December I planted my vegetable garden and so far mix results.

I planted several tomatoes plants, broccoli, eggplant, arugula and onions. The broccoli and onions are doing well, but the rest has been a bust.

The harsh winter this year has not helped, but I believe the problem has more to do with the soil. Over the years I added many bags of compost, but every year it gets worse, maybe is time to move the vegetable garden to another location or stop all together.

I am not ready to give up this year yet. Today I went to Home Depot and got 5 tomatoes plants (yellow, red cherry tomatoes and big boys) this time I am planting them all in containers.

All my herbs are in containers and doing well so far.

The key lime tree in the container is full of flowers, if we don’t have another freeze this winter we should have plenty of key limes in the summer.

Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Garden

2011-01-23T16:34:00.000-08:00

Today my family and I visited the 5th annual Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Garden. The weather was perfect for an outdoor festival; the temperature was in the low seventies, sunny and not a cloud in the skies, weather like this is why we love living here.

There was plenty to eat and plenty of chocolates. This festival is one of the most popular for the garden and this year was well attended.

Art at Fairchild

My wife pointing out flowers on a tree

My daughter the school teacher

This year the garden is exhibiting the U.S.’s largest outdoor exhibition of works by French sculptors Claude and Francois-Xavier Lalanne. The exhibition, features more than twenty sculptures, including works never before publicly exhibited in the U.S., and they are very appropriate for a tropical garden.

The succulent section of the garden has become my favorite; there is always something new to see.

The Oxalis weeds are back

2011-01-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

The Oxalis weeds are back with a vengeance all over my garden. In past years it would bother me to no end, but now as an older and mellower gardener, I am learning to co-exist with the devilish weed.

There are only two options to eradicate them.
Nuke the bastards with chemicals (I am wiser than that) or get down on all fours and pull them one by one (Not enough hours in the day)

I have come to the conclusion that during the winter they will be part of my garden and there is very little I can do about it. I will continue to pull those that mock me, the one’s growing in containers or next to a favorite plant, and the rest can stay.

Smart Oxalis growing among my spiny bromeliads, I won’t touch that one.

Nice surprise, I found this orchid today. This one is growing in one of my palm trees, it gets very little attention from me, may be that's why I have not managed to kill her yet.

The first 2011 GBBD

2011-01-15T07:23:00.000-08:00

These are the blooms at the DragonFly garden on the first 2011 Garden Blogers Bloom Day.

My favorite rose bush is starting the year with nice flowers.

The Powderpuff tree is in full bloom.

I like this picture from inside the tree.

One of my three Hibiscuses in containers.

This is the time of the year for the Brunfelsia tree to bloom. This year the weather damaged some of the blooms.

These Gerbera daisies were pink last year and now I am getting white flowers, go figure!!!

All my Lantanas were killed by the freeze last month except for these purple ones that seem to thrive in cold weather.

Organized chaos

2011-01-09T17:57:00.001-08:00

My “organized chaotic garden” has been a little disorganized since the last freeze three weeks ago. Today I spent the day cleaning up, moving potted plants and making some changes.

The beauty of potted plants and garden art is that when you moved them around you end up having a new look.

I have plans for this broken water fountain, but I will need to break one of my New Year’s resolutions (I shall spend less money on plants in the New Year)

I found this broken pot in my neighbor’s garbage can, and now is part of my garden. The bromeliads should do well in this type of container.

Happy New Year

2010-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

The temperatures were back in the mid seventy today, normal for this time of the year. My plans for this weekend are to get back to the garden and clean up the mess left behind by Jack Frost. I have lots of pruning and plenty of raking to do.

(Picture from this summer)

My wife and I are planning a quite at home New Years night, this is one night of the year that I don’t like to be out, so we are opening a bottle of wine and toast the new year while watching the celebration in Time Square.

I hope you and your families have a happy and healthy New Year, and my all our gardens grow in 2011

Ready for round two

2010-12-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

We are getting another round of freezing temperatures tonight and tomorrow night. This is the second time this year and we are not finished with December yet.

What is going on with the weather?

This time I am ready.

I covered my succulents and my vegetable patch; I also moved all my containers to the back of the house. The wind tonight is coming from the west and that means that everything in the front of the house is going to get hit.

From our family to your family

2010-12-24T09:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas // Feliz Navidad

Where did the butterflies go?

2010-12-22T16:22:00.000-08:00

Today I took my camera into the garden; this is the first day that I had any energy to go outside, I been sick in bed with the flu for the last four days.
The garden looks messy, kind of brownish and in need of some TLC, but it will have to wait.

Where did the butterflies go?

Last month the garden was full of butterflies, today this Monarch was the only one I found. The cold weather last week sent them all packing south.

My Plumeria Tree

The plumeria is the only tropical tree in my garden that goes through the four season changes. I kind a like the winter look, but I can do without the messy leaves.

I want some more???

This poor little guy has a problem; there is no more food.

This Gerbera daisy is the only flower left in the back garden after last week’s freeze

Expecting the worst

2010-12-16T16:54:00.000-08:00

I been away on a business trip and came home today expecting the worst, but it wasn’t too bad. My garden was unprotected for the two days the temperatures dropped below freezing, but it came through in good shape.

The coleuses, banana trees and others had some damage but they should come back.

This is the second year my brunfelsia is affected from an early freeze and puts an end to the Christmas show this plant puts on every year around this time.

I hoping to be back in the garden on Saturday but I came home with a cold and I am not feeling all that well.

Back in the garden

2010-12-05T16:47:00.000-08:00

For the last month I had been away from my garden, is been a busy month with family matters, a garage sale, and many college football games, so is time to get back to the soil.

Combat gardening

I have been putting off working on this bed in the front garden for a while. Between the little spikes at the edge of the bromeliads and the big spikes in the fig palm, this it is a dangerous place to garden.

I took out some of the old bromeliads and planted the left over from the garage sale.
The fig palm was a gift from a relative. A full-grown fig palm is beautiful, but I am wondering if my small urban garden is an appropriate place for one.

Courtyard garden

The courtyard in the north side of the house is the first thing visitors see when they come to my home. This time of the year it becomes a challenge to keep this garden looking good, it gets shade most of the day and plants don’t do well, except for impatiens. Saturday I visited my local Home Depot and bought several impatiens plants and mulch.

Added another succulent to the collection.

It has become a ritual for me; every time I go to Home Depot I come back home with a new succulent plant. I don’t want too buy them, but the store keeps on bringing more exotic plants.
It’s incredible to me the turn around I have done with these plants, I didn’t like them much before, and then someone gave me a book “Succulent Container Gardens by Debra Lee Baldwin” and I was hook.
The new addition is a crocodile plant.

Kocopelli

I found this Kocopelli statue in a garage sale today. Kocopelli is a Native American fertility deity that presides over childbirth and agriculture. (At my age all I needed it for is agriculture)

One of the reasons we love gardening

2010-11-29T17:29:00.000-08:00

Since I started planting milkweeds in my garden I have an over abundance of monarch butterflies visiting and laying eggs.

The results are lots of caterpillars eating the milkweed to the ground. I always wonder where do all the caterpillars go? These critters are very good at finding hiding places.

This pupa attached itself to the fence in the vegetable garden. I been keeping an eye on it for a few days.

I didn’t get to see the actual transformation to a beautiful monarch butterfly but Sunday I found this monarch nearby getting ready to fly and an empty cocoon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

From the land of blooming bougainvilleas, I hope you and your families have a peaceful and safe thanksgiving. Happy turkey day.

Garage Sale Saturday

2010-11-21T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my wife and I had our yearly garage sale. This is the time of the year when we take all the clutter from our home and get rid of all the things we don’t need or use anymore. Every year we think that this will be our last garage sale, but every year we managed to accumulate more things we don’t need or use (got to keep the economy going)

This year for the first time I sold extra Bromeliad plants that I had around the garden, and to my surprise many were sold. The best part was meting fellow gardeners and giving tours of my garden, it was definite a lot of fun.

At the end of the day after taking everything unsold to Goodwill, we both were tired but satisfied with the results. I do think this was my last garage sale; I am getting too old for this kind of work.

Is there a career change in the future?

2010-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

I am on a roll; this weekend I worked on another kitchen garden this one was for my sister in law. I promised her one as her birthday present; she is a health food nut and has been wanting a kitchen garden for a long time, unfortunate she is not much of gardener so I’ll been getting follow up calls I’m sure.

Before

I planted several herbs, basil, oregano, dill, rosemary, cilantro, three tomato plants, some onions and marigolds for color.

This coming weekend I got to get some work on my own garden, I am already late planting my winter garden

What do you give a person that has everything?

2010-11-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

A balcony herb garden!!!.

This week is my oldest daughter 28th birthday, and after much thought I decided to give her an herb garden for the balcony in her apartment.

My daughter has two passions in her life, teaching high school drama and cooking. (she is a fantastic cook) As per her request I included oregano, sweet and Tai basil, parsley, cilantro and rosemary.

Next week is the same gift for my sister-in-law (may be I’ll never have to step inside a mall again)

The Edible Garden Festival

2010-10-25T16:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday we visit the second annual Edible Garden Festival at Fairchild Tropical Garden.
The edible festival is all about growing fruits and vegetable and home, Halloween decorations, scarecrow contest, delicious food and lots of fun.

Halloween decorations

All made from plant materials

Scarecrow Contest

The water conservation scarecrow, my favorite.

Other pictures from around the garden

This full bloom tree is the Ceiba Speciosa from Brazil and Argentina.

Is that time of the year

2010-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Is time to plant the vegetable garden.

Every year I wait for my local U-pick farm to plant their winter vegetables before I start my own garden.

This U-pick farm is very close to my house and the only one left in the area. Twenty years ago when my family moved to western Miami, the area was blanketed with strawberry and tomato fields. Today the expanding suburbs have pushed them all out.

This field was on the way to be converted into an office park, but the current economic conditions put an end to that idea, so we will have fresh vegetables for another season.

Today I planted red peppers, arugula and sweet basil. I am also sowing lettuce, squash and zucchini seeds.

Behind the burlap cover I am growing 20 tomatoes plants in containers.

Tomorrow we are going to the “Edible Garden Festival” at Fairchild Tropical Garden. I’m hoping to pick more plants for my vegetable garden.

This is the latest addition to my collection of succulents in containers.

I am hook on succulents; I want to buy them all.

It must be orchid season.

2010-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

I noticed today that must of my orchids are with flowers. I love orchids but I am not very good at growing them.

Most of these orchids were gifts from friends and family.

These ground orchids almost died last winter during all the below freezing nights, they came back strong over the summer.

Free tomatoes plants

All these plants were growing in my compost filled vegetable plot. I don’t know what kind they are, most likely cherry tomatoes.

Taking on a bromeliad

2010-10-09T11:21:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to take on the Aechmea Blanchetiana bromeliad, (not sure if this is the correct name) this bromeliad is in the front of the house, and is overgrown crowding the beautiful crown of thorns.

I was dreading this job. The spikes on this bromeliad are painful and I have the scars to prove it.

I will be dividing all these pops.

Now you can see the crown of thorns.

Would you pay $5 for these bromeliads if you find them in a garage sale?
My wife is planning a garage sale later this month and I am thinking of having a bromeliad sale. Should I ask for more???

Fall is in the air

2010-10-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today I worked on the road-visiting clients, I drove over 300 miles between Miami to West Palm Beach; by the end of the day I was exhausted. The thought of going biking was not very appealing.

The weather was so nice that I couldn’t resist a long bike ride; it truly felt like fall. The temperature was in the low seventies with a nice breeze blowing from the Everglades.

There is nothing like an intense exercise outside in pleasant weather, it takes away all the stresses of the day.

Ibises or as they are known around here “Florida pigeons”

This lonely Great Egret was looking for diner.

Another spectacular Florida sunset.

Today was the official start of the dry season, according to an article in the local newspaper. Scientists predict a particularly dry season this year, I hope the plentiful rainy season will get us through the winter. The year around water restrictions are in effect.

This bougainvillea is getting on my nerves

2010-10-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to pullout this bougainvillea tree when I put the pavers in. For sentimental reasons I kept it, today I regret that decision.

I am not afraid of aggressive vines; I have two others in my garden, but bougainvilleas fight back and I have the scars to prove it.

After, I also cleaned the pavers.

This Vriesea Zamorensis bromeliad had two pups, now I have an additional container.

Good time to decorate for Halloween.

A different botanical garden.

2010-09-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

While vacationing in Colorado, I visited the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Located at the base of Vail Mountain in the Colorado Gore Range, this Alpine Garden celebrates the incredible diversity of high mountain flora.

The perennial garden has over 1000 varieties of traditional and unusual perennials. We visited very late in the season but locals told me that early in the summer the garden is an explosion of colorful blossoms nurtured by the mild warm sun.

A wall of Colorado blue spruce, offering a place of peace and tranquility, surrounds the meditation garden.

The rock garden imitates the dramatic cliffs and water falls found in the Rocky Mountains.

The alpine tundra garden, located at the highest point of the botanic garden, has a collection of mountain tundra from all over the world.

The children’s garden is a fun place for kids to learn about their local surroundings. Hopefully, these young visitors will become future gardeners!

Fall colors in the Rocky Mountains

2010-09-25T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my wife and I returned from a wonderful vacation in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We visited the towns of Breckenridge, Vail, and Aspen in search of cooler weather and fall colors.

We found the fall colors but had no such luck with the cooler weather; the temperatures were in the mid 80’s during the day (global warming anyone?).

First stop, the old mining town of Breckenridge

While my wife visited the stores, I walked around town taking pictures of the gardens and the beautiful hanging baskets on Main Street.

This house had a plaque honoring the gardener that created the garden many years ago. Today, the house is a store but her garden and her name live on with this nice tribute. Don’t you wish someday in the distant future there would be a plaque like this in your garden?

Second stop on the tour was the ski town of Vail.

Vail was celebrating Oktoberfest.

Vail is the Disney World of the ski industry. The resort was built back in the 1960’s to resemble a Bavarian village and the ski mountain soon became world-class. Today, summer tourism has grown in popularity, an integral part of the local economy with flowers as the main attraction.

Third and final stop--the town of Aspen.

Aspen is my favorite town in Colorado and my wife and I have been coming here for many years. The town is located at the end of the Roaring Fork Valley and is surrounded by majestic mountains. Aspen was established in the mid 1800’s as a silver mining town and today the town celebrates its mining past with loving restoration of so many of the original historical buildings.

The gardening season in the mountains of Colorado is a short one but the local gardeners take full advantage of it.

While staying in Aspen, I like to walk the many miles of hiking trails surrounding the town.

A short distance from the town of Aspen is the White River National Forest and the striking Maroon Bells--the most photographed peaks in all of Colorado.

There are only two ways in and out Aspen from Denver and both are spectacular drives.
Driving from Leadville on State Road 82, you cross the Continental Divide at Independence Pass. While the drive is breathtaking, make sure you have a strong heart because, in some spots, the road is so narrow that only one car can drive through at a time with huge boulders on one side and a steep precipice on the other!

Driving on the much safer I-70 Highway, pass through Glenwood Canyon with the Colorado River running parallel to the road. The views from the bottom of the canyon are simply spectacular.

Aspen is known as the playground of the rich and famous and the evidence is seen in the many million-dollar homes built in the surrounding mountains and in the astronomical cost of real estate.
This is a town of haves and have-nots and the have-nots cannot afford to live here. Every morning buses from all over the Valley deliver workers to Aspen businesses and every night they leave. Aspen has hundreds of homes owned by absentee owners that sit empty most of the year, waiting for their owners to occupy them for a couple of weeks during ski season.

Coleuses the ideal plant

2010-09-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

In this corner of the garden is my collection of coleuses. Coleuses have a reputation as plants that just about anyone can grow. Give them good soil, fertilizer, and regularly watered, they will flourish in any garden. My zone 10B is ideal, especially during the summer months.

The best part about coleuses is how easy they propagate. Three or four inch long cuttings will produce roots, even in a glass of water. I pinch my plants to prevent flowering, it makes the color of the leaves much vivid.

I will away from the Blog for a few days. My wife and I are going to the Colorado Rockies to cool off for a few days from this hot and humid Florida weather. We hope to see the aspen trees at the peak of fall colors. (I will be taking pictures)

From one now there are eight.

2010-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

I started with one banana tree three years ago, and now I have eight.

This is the last of my three producing trees this year. Banana trees are messy and my city issued garbage container is not big enough.

There are eight trees in three different stages of growth, and several buds popping out of the ground. Before the banana was planted I had heliconias in this corner of the garden and they continue to pop out of the ground among the banana trees.

Flower of the week

This Taca is from my dad’s garden. I got two tacas a couple of years ago, one I planted in my back garden and the other was for him. Two years later my is dead and look at his (Who is the better gardener? And the man is 97 years old)

Today I hired a company to replace my rain gutters; after several hurricanes and 20 years of service it was time for new ones.

My rain barrels should be able to catch all the water.

Vegetable garden ready for planting

2010-09-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I got my vegetable bed ready for planting.

I added two full wheelbarrows of home grown black gold compost, and additional soil.

For now I’ll let it cook under the newspaper for month and start planting in early October.

This key lime tree was not doing well in a shady area of the garden; I am hoping this new location will do the trick (that’s the beauty of growing trees in containers)

Finished in time before the rain came down in buckets.

Change of plans

2010-09-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

My first order of business this morning was to plant my Orange Geiger tree, the one I got at a tree give-a-way last week. I had a spot all set in the front garden, but it didn’t feel right, it looked a bit crowded. I decided to plant the Geiger tree in the courtyard outside my dining room. When it is mature, I will be able to see the beautiful orange flowers from inside the house.

I did some work in the courtyard--trimmed the bougainvillea, the fire dragon, and the ti bushes. I layed some mulch and pressure-cleaned the bricks.

Let me take you on a tour of the courtyard.

View from inside the house.

In this corner, I keep my collection of bonsai and succulents.

The fire dragon looks better during late spring and early summer. I rescued this yucca from a neighbor’s garbage can.

The St. Francis statute was a gift for my wife. St. Francis is her favorite saint and very appropriate for a garden. We Catholics know him as the patron saint of animals and the environment. The Saint Francis prayer is a favorite of mine.

This is the view of the backyard through the Mexican fire bush vine. Replacing the trellis where the vine is growing on is a future project.

The Dracaena Marginata plant was here when I purchased the house. It's not a favorite of mine but I left it there as a reminder of what was here before. Growing inside is a blue porterflower plant. I also added the Spanish moss to hide the lanky branches.

My dog Rosie supervised my work.

HAPPY LABOR DAY, ALL! I will be working in the garden preparing the vegetable beds.

My daily ritual

2010-09-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Every working day I have a morning ritual, my alarm is set for a 5:20 AM wakeup time, I usually do 40 minutes of yoga and then my wife and I take our dog Rosie for a morning walk.
After walking the dog, I get ready for work and have a quick breakfast. Recently before heading out I take 10 minutes to walk around the garden with my camera. This time of the morning the garden is timing with life, the sun is coming up and the lighting is perfect for pictures.

I find that these 10 minutes do more to keep my sanity during my one hour commute to work, than anything else I do all day.

Pictures from this morning.

Adopt-a-Tree day

2010-08-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Since 1992 when hurricane Andrew devastated the tree cover in our southern end of the county, our county government has designate several days a year as adopt-a-tree day. Today was one of those days, and it was my first time attending the event.

Each homeowner is permitted two free trees per year; the trees are usually native or fruit trees that have adapted well to our soil and climate. The choices today were Lychee, Jackfruit, Inkwood, Orange Geiger and Logan trees.

My first choice was an Avocado tree but I was told that they would be available on the next adopt-a-tree day in September. I walked away with a Orange Geiger tree for my front yard and I pencil in Sep 25 in my calendar for the next adopt-a-tree day.

The Orange Geiger tree (Cordia Sebestena) is native of the West Indies, and was introduced to Key West by a local see captain named Geiger. The tree was featured in one of Audubon famous paintings, when he was asked what was the name of the tree, he would answer the Geiger tree, referring to the house where the tree was planted. The tree is moderate growing (15-20ft height) with beautiful orange flowers that appear throughout the year.

There were many people attending the event, but the process was fast and efficient. Is nice to see our tax dollars at work for such a worthy cause.

This is the spot where the tree will be planted. My original plan for succulents in this corner of the garden didn’t worked. This area gets flooded when we get too much rain; I am transplanting the surviving plants to containers.

Preparing the fall vegetable garden

2010-08-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Flower of the week - The Yellow Ground Orchid.

This morning I started the long process of preparing my vegetable garden for fall planting.
First step pulling out all the weeds and moving the milkweed to another location.

Future Monarch Butterfly cafeteria. (Milkweed is their favorite food)

Next week I will be adding more soil and home made compost.

My black gold home made compost.

This is my future herb garden, not much survived the summer heat.

I harvested bananas today and cut down the stock, not an easy task in 95 degree weather.

Picture of the week – This Fritillary butterfly been hunted by a couple of lizards.
(they did not succeed)

Flower of the week

2010-08-14T14:23:00.001-07:00

My Brassavola Nodosa or Lady of the night orchid is in full bloom.

Today I performed tree surgery on my powderpuff tree. The main branch split in half early this week during a rainstorm.

Invaders.

It has become a weekly routine to cut this invasive vine coming over the fence from my neighbors yard.

Why would anyone let this monster get this way? Does anyone know the name of this vine? What is it’s purpose in the plant world?

Bromeliad meets plumeria.

Another lazy August day at the DragonFly

2010-08-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

August in my opinion is the worst month of the year for Floridians. The weather is so hot and humid that working outside is wishful thinking, even in the early morning hours. We have been stock in this weather pattern for months with no relief in sight, and to make things worst August is the start of peak hurricane season.
I have several projects in the works for my garden, but for now it will have to wait for cooler months. For now my gardening is limited to light maintenance, plenty of watering and lots of pictures.

Update on my banana trees

Today I cut the hart from the three-banana bunch; a local farmer told me that this would redirect all the energy the plant has left to the bananas.

The hart is made up of many leyers of petals containing many rows of flowers that are expose when it pills back. The female flowers are on top of the stock and develop into fruits, these are male flowers (no fruits)

I started cuting the top hands in the stock and hopefuly the bananas will be ripen soon.

Pictures from around the garden this morning

This female Julia butterfly was looking for a male partner (like the one pictured in my last posting) You can tell the differece the orange in the males is more vivid.

Breakfast time for a moth at a buttercup flower

What’s blooming in the garden on this first day of August?

2010-08-01T05:20:00.000-07:00

The powderpuff tree is in full bloom for the second time this year

The white crinum lily is blooming after a rough winter, at one point during the below freezing days this plant looked like a goner.

This is the peak time for the white plumeria or bride’ bouquet.

Other summer favorites.

The blue porterflower a favorite of bees.

Thryallis

The Mexican petunias are everywhere, they are becoming an invasive plant allover the garden.

This orange Julia butterfly visited the garden this morning.