A Garden Neglected Still Brings Joy

Between vacation days, rainy days and sweltering heat, time spent in the garden has been minimal.  I'm very thankful for the rains we've been getting as that eliminates the chore of hand-watering every day. ( Irrigation for the back garden is certainly on the list for "someday" improvements.)  Since being left on its own, the garden has grown a bit wild.

Some nice surprises have shown up among all the wildness.  Bromeliads that were damaged by the cold this winter seem to have recovered quite well and are blooming now. 

While visiting a public garden on vacation I purchased a little sign that fits perfectly here.  It reads, "I don't remember planting this."  Really, that sign will fit in many places here at My Garden Path.

My little spot for catching the eastern sunlight always challenges my camera abilities.  One day I'll be able to capture the light just as I see it, I hope.

The rain barrel is finally getting some camouflage from the star jasmine and blue plumbago.  Every winter the barrel is left standing exposed and ugly.  I tried ripping out the plumbago and jasmine with the idea of planting something like tea olive which would give year-round coverage, but I dawdled and they grew back.  I love the plumbago when it's blooming but this winter I'm going to regret my laziness.

The newer version of flowering maple that was planted under the big oak is about three feet by three feet now and seems to be  staying smaller and bushier than the tall one I have in another bed.  Love it.  It blooms constantly and, while blooms are not always open all at the same time, it makes a lovely backdrop for the bright coleus planted in front of it.

Sweet almond is perfuming the yard.  This bush is now a small tree.  I have it in quite a bit of shade which I think is keeping it spindly.  But, it has really grown tall.  It's hard to get a photograph of the whole tree as it disappears into the background due to its slender, open branched form.  Bees of all types love it but so do stink bugs.  Maybe the sweet almond fragrance will make them smell better when I squish 'em.  

This is the time of the year when I slow my gardening efforts.  Morning hours are still enjoyably spent outside but heavy digging and planting is not on the agenda.  

A Morning Look at the Garden

Lately there has been little time to spend in the garden.  What time has been available has been spent watering drought thirsty plants.  This morning I took some time to observe my garden in anticipation of having an entire day tomorrow to spend caring for my favorite place to be.

The crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet' has sent up a scape of beautiful pink flowers.  There are three of these planted at the foot of the Raja Puri banana tree.  (Note for tomorrow:  The bamboo could use a little trim to keep it from covering up the banana tree.)
 

Oh my goodness!  There are bananas!  These are the first bananas ever at My Garden Path! 

A quick walk over to the circular path around the oak tree allows for a beautiful view of morning sunlight shining through all the colorful foliage of coleus and caladiums.

This is a really tropical looking spot along the path.  The pinecone gingers have grown quite tall and are already forming pinecones. 

Over in a sunny area the white guara is putting on quite a show.  I've never seen it so thick before.  Usually it is quite spindly and thin.  I like this new look.

Little green bees with loaded pollen pockets are enjoying the guara too.  This morning there are many of them and some honey bees too enjoying all the flowers.

One of my favorite things about walking through the garden in the morning is the way the slanting eastern light backlights the normally dark, shady corner. 

I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow outside for the day.  There is much tidying to be done and fertilizing with fish emulsion and compost.  The roses need their monthly Mills Magic application.  A passing rain shower would be a nice occurrence. 

Whatever your weekend plans may be, I hope they include some time in your garden. 

Colorful Leaves

Sometimes a leaf can be just as eye-catching as a bloom.  Different varieties of coleus are planted each year as annuals throughout the garden.  Some are pass-alongs from other's gardens, some are over-wintered from cuttings placed in water and brought into the house and some are purchased new each spring.

Most come without any identification.  That's fine with me, I wouldn't remember their names anyway.  The colors reflect the caladium colors and provide a nice contrast of leaf shape.  With similar light and water needs, these two plants make a good pairing.

Frilly leaves of bright chartreuse, purple, pink, and cream all create a bright spot in the shade gardens.  There are some coleus that can take quite a lot of sun but all of mine are planted in dappled shade.  They seem less thirsty with more shade. 

The variegated cast-iron plant which is another plant that was passed-along to me, is really starting to settle into its spot and put out more of those lovely leaves.  The cast-iron plant is an old Southern shade garden staple that is not that easy to find for sale at garden centers.  Aren't gardening friends the best?

Last May, this curcuma was blooming.  Not this May.  But, I love the leaves with that burgundy mid-rib and count on their appearing each year.  They show up by April and last through November.  The beautiful fuschia bloom is a bonus I hope to get soon.

Lots of caladiums were planted beneath the big oak tree this spring and they haven't disappointed me a bit.  My new favorite foliage plant, blood leaf irisine, shines in the slanting rays of the afternoon sun.  It is an eye-catcher for sure.   Irisine is another plant that is easy to propagate from cuttings.  I had a few small cuttings that were planted last fall that weren't fazed by the cold weather.  I'm hoping that the ones I've spread around in other areas will be as hardy.

I love having interesting foliage plants as much as I do the flowering plants.  They all have their unique charms.

Under The Oak Tree

The southeast corner of the backyard garden is under the shady canopy of the large oak tree as well as the shadow of the wood fencing.  Pockets of sunlight appear in different areas at different times throughout the day.

Still on the east side but closer in toward the tree, new plants have been added to fill in the area where the wedelia ground cover once was growing.  The tallest plants are about two feet tall right now, but there are several which will be gaining height to add much needed layers.

Lots of low growing ground covering plants are planted on the north side of the tree.  This is the view we have from our back porch. 

There is a fairly good mix of cold hardy plants such as flax lily, holly fern and walking iris to keep the area from being too bare when the various clerodendrum, coleus, and caladiums disappear for the winter.  Where are all those caladiums I planted right after removing the wedelia?  Maybe I've been digging around too much and displaced them. 


Three oakleaf hydrangeas were planted on the southside of the tree to give some height and background.  These blooms are just beginning to open.  Hydrangea quercifolia is a native plant that fits in well with a natural woodland setting. 

Another native plant just added is this ground cover, Ruellia caroliniensis.  I'm hoping this native wild petunia will spread and help cover the areas between the other plantings. 

Up against the trunk of the old oak are clumps of different types of bromeliads.  The roots of the oak tree make it impossible to dig deep planting holes so these epiphytes fit perfectly. 

I just enjoy the sunlight shining through the leaves.  You never know when a stray sunbeam will show up.

On the west side of the tree I tried to mirror the planting of the east side.  There is another flowering maple, wormwood, firespike and a new reed-stem epidendrum planted on the outer edge of the circle where it can get some stronger sunlight.

With a mix of old and new, native and Florida friendly plants, I am eager to see how this woodland garden grows up.