Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
We jumped right in and started pulling out Oyster Plants and Jasmine to start with. First we cut everything back and then dug everything left out of the ground. After we dumped a few loads we dug out 2 unknown trees. We then trimmed the Sea Grape hammock back a little so you don't get hit in the head by low hanging branches. Now when you look through the Sea Grape Hammock you can see a Silk Floss Tree standing at the other end looking very strong!! We pulled up some more ferns to widen the path a little more too! And we also trimmed back some of the Crape Myrtle branches that were hanging a little to low. After we were done trimming everything it was time to rake up the mess!! We lost track of time today while recreating the rear entrance, when we finally finished and looked at the clock it was 3:00pm. It took us close to 5 hours to complete our renovation but it was well worth it!!
The following pictures are before and after pictures of today's project. The first 5 pictures are today's before shots, the three after that are the afters and the last two are back to back before and afters from the same spot!! Enjoy!!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
When I returned to the house and walked in the front door holding a bag I was asked what's in the bag? I said I am not sure you tell me, she said Passion Vine!! So I called Jeremy back to verify and he said yep that's it!! I immediately went outside and planted my new Passion Vine's into pots.
The Passion Vine ( Passiflora incarnata ) is very invasive!! The Passion Vine grows best in full sun to partial shade. The Passion Vine can grow from 4-20 feet tall. It grows extremely fast and can get out of control very quickly!! I will attempt to grow my Passion Vines in pots next to my fence and see if they will climb the fence that way to contain them. If not, oh well the flower is absolutely amazing!! Here are some pictures of my new Passion Vine ( Passiflora incarnata ) or Passion Flower is another name it is referred to.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Basil is a very fast and easy to germinate. I was given some pieces of Basil that had seed pods all over it the other day. They told to just stick these sticks in the pot and watch what happens.
So I went home with my Basil sticks and I pulled a couple seed pods off and sprinkled them throughout the pot and just placed the rest right on top of the soil. It has been about 4 days since I did this. I went out this morning and to my surprise there are loads of sprouts!!
I really like the way Basil smells in the garden and I also use it a lot when I am cooking so to be able to go outside and pick fresh Basil will be great!! Here are some pictures of my new Basil sprouts!!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wow was it hot today!! Brandan and I showed up a little earlier than usual today because we have been itching all week to get back. When we arrived we were asked to recreate the back entrance to the Palm walk which was overgrown by Oyster Plants, and Cape Honeysuckle. When you walked up on the back entrance you were kind of left thinking where am I ? Do I go here? Which way do I go?
Well we took care of that today!! We cut back and dug out the Cape Honeysuckle and pulled up all the Oyster Plants. Now you can see the Crape Myrtle Tree that was hidden. We must have dumped 5 or 6 loads of limbs and leaves. Looks good, now you can tell where to go.......almost!!
Now the actual entrance to the Palm walk is overgrown by ferns. The path is barely wide enough to walk through. Well to fix this problem we got down and pulled up every Fern that was in our path!! In the process we uncovered several hidden Palm Trees that were down in the Ferns. No we have a pathway that is probably 5 feet wide. No more questioning is this the way anymore!! What a day, we accomplished a lot, however my batteries were dead in my camera. Good thing Brandan had his, if you want to see the before and after pictures of the new Palm Walk entrance then click here!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I ended up coming home with 1 of the Misi Luki pups to plant in my yard. The little guy looks down right now but he will be back real soon. The Misi Luki Banana is at it's best when grown in full sun light. There are plenty of reasons why the Misi Luki Banana is of the favorites of Bananas, I might even go as far as to say it ranks #1!! Here are a few of the reasons: The Misi Luki Banana is highly resistant to disease, the major diseases they are susceptible to are Panama Disease and Black Sigatoka ( a leaf spot disease ). The Misi Luki Banana grows on average 10-12 feet tall and is very wind tolerant. The bananas are around 4 inches in length and are packed with a smooth creamy flavor making it an excellent dessert.
Here are a few pictures of my new addition to my Banana collection!!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Finally we are getting some rain around here!! It rained yesterday too. We need this rain alot here due to all of the fires we have throughout the state. Now the Everglades are on fire. It is getting out of hand and the rain should be a huge help to all of the dedicated Fire Fighters that are out there risking it all to stop these horrendous fires. I sure hope it continues to rain for a few more days. They can use all the help they can get!! Besides, we need a good soaking here, the ground is very dry and we have water restrictions so needless to say the grass isn't much to look at these days.
I was so excited to have another day of rain that I ran outside during a break in the rain and snapped a few shots for you to enjoy!! The last two pictures are of my Williams Hybrid Banana leaf and my Variegated Pink Lemon Tree bud!! Here they are, Have a Great Day!!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Last Sunday there was a man in Palm Bay Florida that was spotted tossing an object from the window of his vehicle in an area where one of many fires started. Since these fires were started over 52 miles, 11,853 acres of land has been burned. There has been 20 homes destroyed and 140 other structures damaged. As of now the fires are 40% contained leaving 6800 acres by Interstate 95, and 3700 acres around the US 1 area still burning and moving.
There are 300 firefighters at work bringing city, county and state firefighters together to battle this mighty blaze. There are 30 bulldozers dozing fire lanes in hopes to defeat the mighty fires.
When I went outside to play in my yard it was extremely foggy out. I snapped a few shots of the effects from the fires burning 2 hours away from where I live.
My heart goes out to all the family's affected by this mans horrible doings. I hope they teach him a lesson!!
Friday, May 16, 2008
Well I Scored again!! I purchased a Dendrobium Thongchai Gold Orchid for $10 on a pretty neat mount. The blooms are a beautiful gold color and there are very many of them! I hung my new Orchid in my Star Fruit Tree. I think it looks great there, and I am pretty sure it will be happy too! I finally have an Orchid with a name!! Lol!!! Well here are some pictures of my new Dendrobium Thongchai Gold Orchid!! Enjoy!!
While I was at the Farmer's Market last weekend I Scored again!! I was given this beautiful Ginger for free!! It is a Hidden Ginger ( Curcuma petiolata ). The bloom is a beautiful pinkish color and the leaves are amazing looking too!! The Hidden Ginger likes full shade to partial shade and has average water needs. This is a great addition to my collection!! Here are a few pictures of my new Aussie Plume Ginger!! Enjoy!!
