)
near the kitchen door )
. First you see the dwarf papyrus and the Buddha near the kitchen door .
Then you turn right and see the fountain - inspired by a
Tsukubai - under the gumbo limo tree )
The
fountain is surrounded by crotons, caladiums )
,
potato vines, heliconias )
, purple wandering jew, anthuriums and
ferns which
are trying to take over the garden. I planted the caladiums last year.
At
the end of last summer the leaves disappeared, but now they are back.
Blue jays ){kind=small}
often visit the fountain to drink and to cool off
their heads. They land on the spout, hop down to the edge of the pot and wash their heads
in the water )
. One of these days I'll catch them in
the act with the camera. This time I was a little late .
The gray buttonwood bushes against the kitchen window are rather
bare. They are decorated with bromeliads that bloom for months )
.
The patio is separated from the garden with a little bamboo fence ){kind=small}
. A
rock garden with blue Mexican beach pebbles and Florida limestone extends to the edge of
the patio's concrete slab )
.
I
planted mondo grass, green fountain grass (Pennisetum Setaceum)
and purple
fountain grass )
in
the rock garden . The purple fountain grass )
blends
nicely with the blue pebbles and the purple of the wandering jew under the
Norfolk pine tree. The fern just appeared by itself )
as it does all over the garden.
There is a lot of lizard traffic on the patio )
.
The golden dew drop bush at the other end of the patio is a
perfect place for orchids. These two have been in bloom for the last couple of weeks )
. The white Phaleonopsis that was placed
there last years sent its roots out of the pot and attached itself to the stem
on the
bush )
.
It has produced two new spikes, new leaves and blossoms.
Now, we'll take the path on the left of the rock
garden )
and walk past some more caladiums in the shade
of the pine tree )
,
California bush daisies, Cuban oregano, society garlic, lantana, night blooming
jasmine, bananas )
and
the bamboo.
This is the lower part of the weaver's bamboo )
(Bambusa Textilis
Gracilis), which is growing really well. I planted it last December. It
produced five new canes so far. The golden hawaiian (Bambusa Vitata
Vulgaris) behind the bananas grew one new cane.
The sunny area between the house and the pine trees is taken over
by the golden dew drop bush, which is in bloom now and is very popular with bumblebees and
longwing zebras )
.
The zebra butterflies )
seem to be in the garden all year round. They love the blooming Honeysuckle bush, the
mussaenda ){kind=small}
behind the bamboo, and the various pentas ){kind=small}
that are growing many places.
Occasionally, monarch butterflies check out the backyard, but they are usually
in the front of the house where they find their favorite milkweeds.
The path continues along the side of the house )
under the mahogany trees and the live oak tree . On the right side of the path,
there are more blooming bromeliads, salvia, lobster claw heliconia that was
given to me by a neighbor, some ground orchids, a new porterweed plant,
gloxinia, canna, ivy, and a big clerodendrum in the corner of the ficus
hedge.
The little terracotta lantern ){kind=small}
under the mahogany tree is turning green with moss. Moss is also starting to grow
on the rocks on the shady parts of the path. I made the path two years ago with the
limestone rocks that I found in the ground when I removed the lawn and planted
the garden ){kind=small}
.
The shady area under the live oak tree is a good spot for ferns.
There is fowtail fern and lots of macho fern, which is spreading all over the garden. This
heart fern ){kind=small}
started out as a little plant in a three inch pot. I'm now working on
getting a maidenhair fern and a birds nest fern acclimatized to the garden.
At the end of the path I have a number of small pots where I
propagate various plants. Here are some pentas and Persian shields )
grown from cuttings.
Now follow the path around the ficus hedge to get to the street or to the front garden. I'll take pictures of the front some other time.
)
.
That's all for today, the end of my Labor day weekend.
Ilse