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In My Garden

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Last week there was strange weather all over the country.  We had freeze warnings for Wednesday and Thursday.  Rain and wind pounded us on Saturday.  Heat and humidity came back on Sunday.  We went from 37 degrees on Wednesday morning to 80 degrees on Sunday afternoon.  

CRAZY CAKES!

So Sunday afternoon I was out on my screened room and saw a butterfly.  What??? Which made me think, I probably out to check out the yard after this strange weather and maybe take some pics.

Here’s that butterfly….

Butterfly

butterfly

He’s a little worn.  Pollen on his shoulder, part of his wing chewed off.  The weather hasn’t been kind to him.  But he just happened to flutter into a yard of butterfly flowers.  And life is good for him for a few moments.

Butterfly plants

 JatrophahamilliaMilkweedMilkweed

And I went on to check out the rest of the gardens.  Two of the hibiscus got hit with frost yet the azaleas are starting to bloom.  The plants are so confused!

azalea

 The trellis of mandevilla and roses has never looked better!

trellis of roses and mandevilla

roses and mandevilla

And these poinsettas.  I planted them last year just to have some Christmas color.  They were wee.  I never expected them to live.  Finally I put them in pots because I didn’t need Christmas color in September.  They shriveled up and looked pathetic but I put them in the sun and here they are now, ready for another Christmas season.

Poinsettas

Only in Florida!

 

In My Gardens

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African Iris
African Iris after the rain.

I’ve been trying to get my gardens back into some type of order since we got back.  So much rain! 

The garden bed right by the front door was covered with powdery mildew and fungus.  I had to cut everything down to the ground.  I’ve never had anything like that happen and these were mature plants that have been there for years.

Fungus
These plants were huge but I had to cut them all back.  You can even see the black fungus on the sidewalk Yeck!

And it’s just not local, here’s the overlook deck on Lake Kanapaha that we visited on Saturday.  Underwater!  We were really fortunate to get that trip in before the afternoon rains hit.

Lake Kanapaha

Thanks to my trip to Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, I think that I’ve identified this mystery fern on my seawall.  There are four of them and they just showed up one season.  I think they look very cool on the rocks.

Bird's Nest Fern
This looks just like the Birds’s Nest Fern at the Gardens.

I especially like the shape the new growth takes.

birds nest fern

 I also identified a bromeliad that was in my yard when we moved here many years ago.  The one on the left is a Fingernail Bromeliad named for the red color on the tips of the leaves.  Michelle gave me the bromeliads on the right. I don’t know what they are but Michelle probably does. They started out as just a few plants but they spread like crazy.  I’ve planted them around several trees.  Love it when they are blooming.

BromeliadsOne more photo of a bloom after the rain…

Plumeria

More rain forecasted for the rest of the week! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out and About: Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

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Kanapaha Botanical Gardens

Ever heard of the Kanapaha Botanical Gardens in Gainesville?  Me neither.  KInd of sounds Hawaiian to me.  But no, Kanapaha means something about Native American’s living in palmetto thatched huts along a lake.  When we saw that the Citrus County Corvette and Camaro Car Club was planning a driving excursion there, we said “why not?”  

And that garden was amazing!  It was actually 25 specialty gardens on sixty-two acres of beautiful land bordering a lake.  (Kanapaha Lake–must be where those Native Americans lived in their palmetto huts once upon a time.)

Unusual plants, both native and from around the world, shade meandering paths; flowering vines entwine pergolas and gazebos; concrete mythical creatures hide in quiet corners; a bamboo forest shades a contemplative Buddha. Lovely.

We had two hours to explore and wander through the various gardens. Most of the plants and trees had markers and I was able to identify some of the unknown plants in my own yard, plus decide what plants I needed to add to my own gardens.   (I can’t stop thinking about those brick paths bordered with mondo grass and how good that would look in my shaded areas or how much I want to put in my own bamboo forest and Buddha.)

I took about 150 photos–all beautiful.  But 150 might be just a few to many to post here.  So I’ve just put up some of my favorites and in no particular order. 

Vine

ViewViewPineapple GingerDragon in Children's GardenChildren's GardenOne of many gazebosSucculent gardensucculent GardenPapaya

 PapayaGriffinGazeboChenille PlantBridge and padsPadspadsflowerflowerBirds Nest FernBambooBambooBambooBambooBudda in Bambo GardenBananasBottle Tree

Cars
There’s even a nice view in the parking lot!

The Garden is approximately 75 miles north of Citrus County–about an hour and a half drive.  According to the literature from the Garden, the best time to visit for blooms is from June through September.  They allow dogs as long as they are on a leash and we saw one little adorable Westie.  It would be a lovely spot for a wedding or just for a family photography session.  The admission fee for adults is $7 and there’s a discount for large groups.  A fun and inexpensive day trip.