Scenes From My Florida Winter Garden - The End of Part 1

Can't get much more exotic than this. Who's lookin
at who?

This concludes this parade of outdoor beauty.

A peek at my indoors Winter gardens.

Scenes From My Florida Winter Garden cont'd

What could this bud be possibly hiding. 

Ooo...             Ohooo!!

My official first candidate for my pre-permacultured yard.

Once one more study in vegetative texture.

Scenes From My Florida Winter Garden cont'd

This squirrel sown Cardboard fern looks like a good place as any.

These animal likenesses are getting too easy. I shouldn't even

have to call this one out.

This orchid specimen could be in competition for Florida's smallest

orchid.

This near spent White Violet has seen better days, but still a beaut.

Ok, I'm going to run with animal likeness theme once again

as this vegetative Peacock makes a show of it's finery.

Scenes From My Florida Winter Garden cont'd

Yes, we are having to cook out doors for reasons not worth going into.

This hear is one of many good examples where my common theme of textures
shows well. Not just in plants but also the natural yard debris that makes a good
place for insects to scrounge around in, which feeds many a fauna.

 

My word this plant has the head of a Llama.

With four repeats with this specimen.

I don't know, but these trampled on Cypress knees are giving Jupiter's turbulent
storms some competition.

Scenes From My Florida Winter Garden

And the peoples choice award goes to.....

this creamy dreamy of a Camellia.

It's first bloom of the season has it's advantages obviously. The winter's
evening's lighting doesn't hurt either. A bloom this beautiful, to us humans
don't even need a fragrance either, but then that would put it in direct
competition with the Rose.

Do You Know What Time It Is?

This Florida Green Anole, rarely seen now a days since being displaced by
the Brown Cuban Anole. Is always a joy but also brings to me a rush of
discovery.

So yeah, break out the phone and flash and capture the moment.

If I hadn't brought out a cutting that I had brought in the house for my
house guests last week. I would not have witnessed this bright green
monster of joy.

'Under The Tree' by Seymour Butts

As the Ibis collect in the morning's sun's rays a top of my hybrid Live Oak.
I now know the source of the bird wash that I saw on some of my landscaping
yesterday as I was trimming some scraggly weeds.

One of my father's favorite sayings was, ask and you receive, as was answered
this morning to the source of this bird wash.

Now I know. Thanks for the fertilizer.
                                                                                 
    

Today seems to be full with some new nature discoveries.

This evening I witnessed my neighbor's cat catch a mouse in his backyard.
This location where the cat went on the prowl is where I witnessed a
Crow disembowel a rodent. I say rodent because it looked larger than a
mouse. So this location must be rodent central.

Whether it be a mouse or bird, cats really have no business out of doors
if you were to ask me. Some lame human discarded this cat and it has been
an outdoor survivor for many years, eating the lizards that called my yard, home.
That is until my neighbor started feeding it some store bought
crap.

What are going to do? Enjoy the awe of nature doing it's thing. No matter if it's wild
or not.

Mistletoe Cactus Gets Relocated

I all most wasted three feet of this poly cord just trying to find it's beginning.
So I was able to use the false start to help secure this pot to my neighbor's
fence post.   

Between now and Summer I will have to come up with some shade cloth
for some protection for this shade loving plant to prevent sunburn from our
harsh Florida sun.

Potting Up Jack Fruit Seedlings

From start when planted mid December of last decade.

Amaryllis Pushing Up It's First Bloom

A nice surprise, spotting this budded bulb that just keeps giving year after year.

Even more appreciated after skirting near freezing temperatures early this morning.

What Better Way...

to mark the new decade's coldest temperatures with a bit of beauty. One from
the store and one from the yard.

Looks like I will have to make another light source for my ever multiplying
house plants. Who new, it's been over twenty years since I kept plants in this
house.

Now ,at the office, that was another thing. What could be more calming
than staring at some live greenery.

Yikes! What's That Smell

These Ceylon Cinnamon blooms can't compete with it's own aromatic fragrant
essence , so goes for just the opposite.

Cactus Beauty

Cactus blooms always amazes me on their delicate complexities.

Hey! That's No Prop

Don't tell that to the new African violet.

This Bronze Frog's Photo Op

An artist friend of mine manages to have a relatively diverse universe of frogery.

This flashy begonia is no competition when it comes to this frog's glamour puss.

Today's Lake Gift - Nelumbo lutea "American Lotus"

Seed pod. Not sure what my plans are with this, at the moment I will admire
it's architecture.

Then This Little Guy Shows Up

Now my concerns have been answered. These two statuesque cactus were
once of similar heights but the one on the left has since towered over the
other.

I was so focused on my other two tropical specimens to even notice that
this cactus sported this not so new sprout. I was wondering to myself just
the other day how I would cut these back to their original heights and
replant the now new giant props and let the remaining bases put out some
more sprouts.

Once again time will tell to see how if any this unexpected turn of events
goes.

My my how fast you have grown with just a change in the angle. That in it's
self has allowed me make a decision on how to proceed.

I hear some rain, a welcomed sound and event for this constant gardener, during
our Winter months. I sometimes think that it must be snowing somewheres else.

First Of Five.. New Beginnings

There always seems to have to have a first. First time growing this
Jack Fruit and from seed even. Use your imagination as I will use
mine. As the otherworldly Water Dragon merges from it's worldly
lair.

New shoot looks similar to an Avocado's and that's where the similarities
end

Transition, Investigation...A Wonderful Beginning To A New Year

Have to find out why this cutting is not making more progress.
           Sometimes I can have all the patience in the world and then there are
           times where, like now they just run out.

Only find out in my mind is to go digging and to my amazement!

This big honker of a tap root first peeking out of this sand. Now I know what it's spending
all it's energy on generating. I was feeding it along with some orchid fertilizer, which I see
has paid off. It's reward, I nice warm bed of some real soil mix and some of the old sand
it grew up with,to give it some familiar biome.

A place with the others along with it's companion fern that came along for the
ride gets it's own pot. There is also a new African violet that's about a week old
in it's own pot to add to this Winter props collection.