Monthly Archives: March 2010

More Signs of Spring…

Posted by Lesley on March 30, 2010 None comments

…four more signs of Spring, to be exact.  There’s a house off Shade Avenue that has a gorgeous display of Amaryllis every year.  I passed by there this morning and noticed two or three starting to bloom.  I couldn’t wait to get home tonight; it was straight to the side yard to check on mine and sure enough…buds!  Amaryllis are stunners and the ultimate Southern bulb.  You can leave them in the ground year-round, and cold weather or not, they’ll bloom the next year.  One got mixed in with some Rain lily bulbs out in the garage, and it nearly bloomed in the bucket!  By the time I found it, the stem had sprouted a good four inches.  The stems grow tall and sturdy to support enormous double, triple and quadruple blooms!  They resemble lilies, and the petals are usually red, pink or white.  I’ll be posting lots of pictures…stay tuned!        

My First Florida Spring

Posted by Lesley on March 28, 2010 None comments

There are certain things you give up to live in paradise – cold water and strong calves are among them, but  seasons seem to be among the most dear.  Well, Winter?  Not so much.  It’s tough to miss shoveling, but Spring bulbs and Autumn leaves have more appeal.  In Florida, there is Summer and Season.  Summer is the wretchedly hot period between May and September.  And Season is when the snowbirds arrive to take advantage of the good weather we true Floridians suffer for during the summer.  But snowbirds turned to suckas this year because we actually had a winter.  And while walking through the garden this weekend, it dawned on me that we’re having a spring too!  After the first few years of living in Florida your eyes gradually adjust to the constant green, and your senses dull to the seasonal changes.  December through February on the Weather Channel seem more like a movie than the news when you live with a sweet 70-80 degree temperature margin.  But this year Winter smacked us around and blew the leaves off everything!  I had to say goodbye to the jasmine, mango and a couple of crotons, but here are a few of the beauties I’m watching bloom back to life:

Shooting Star

Lantana

Bleeding Heart

J is for Joseph’s Coat

Posted by Lesley on March 24, 2010 2 comments

What a great week for my Joseph’s Coat rose to be covered in buds…

…and blooms.

Joseph is a personal favorite because he’s the only one to give me a successful clone.  I may have mentioned in the past how I become obsessed with things, well one little container of rooting hormone was all it took.  I had three clippings for every rose bush, and our laundry room was once again transformed for the sake of my latest obsession.  The countertop was a sea of headless roses, and they all rooted!  I was so excited; it was just before Christmas, and there were enough to hand out to everyone we know.  Then they all died within a week of one another.  I was absolutely devastated and still have no idea what happened.  All I know is that one sole clipping survived – this Joseph’s Coat:

It’s not blooming right now, but it has in the past and is getting tall.  It’s up to the third rung on the ladder! 

Phillippi Farmhouse Market

Posted by Lesley on March 24, 2010 None comments

It’s Wednesday, so Luke and I headed over to Phillippi Estate Park for the farmers market.  I was on a mission to identify this plant:

On our first lap around, I didn’t see the Master Gardener’s Help Desk.  But I did stop at Nature’s Partner to buy some lettuce.  Peter Burkard owns the stand.  He grows and sells local produce, plants and honey – all organic.  Judging from his produce, he’s as good a source as any.  I pulled out my sprig and asked him to identify it.  He grabbed a leaf, snapped it in half, took a big whiff, and quickly said “Surinam Cherry.”  Even though I asked him to repeat it, by the time we were leaving I could only remember s…something…cherry.  These Rainbow carrots distracted me. 

I finally spotted the Master Gardener’s Help Desk on our way out, so I grabbed the sprig.  But neither of the two gardeners knew what it was!  I told them someone told me it was a cherry, and only then with the help of a book did they identify it as a Barbados cherry.  Google to the rescue!  After searching a bunch of images, it looks like Peter’s native nose wins this one.  It’s a Surinam cherry. 

Joan M. Durante Community Park

Posted by Lesley on March 23, 2010 3 comments

We ended our Tourist Saturday at Joan M. Durante Community Park, a park that neither John nor I knew existed.  We were driving home through Longboat Key and spotted it.  We had to turn around, and I’m so glad we did.  This is the entrance:

It’s a 32-acre park that sits right on Sarasota Bay.  Trails wind through a created wetland system, a mangrove forest and a hammock of Sea Grapes and Red Cedars.

Every once in a while the trees open up to offer some incredible views of the bay…

…and they allow dogs!  Get ready, Pirate Lukey!

Anna Maria Island Getaway

Posted by Lesley on March 22, 2010 3 comments

John and I felt like being tourists for a day, so we headed up to Anna Maria Island on Saturday.  I wanted to check out the Bridge Street Market.  It runs November through May from 9 am to 2 pm, but check the events calendar before heading out as it’s not open every Saturday.  

It’s a small outdoor market with about 20 vendors.  Although there’s one produce stand and one plant stand, I wouldn’t consider it a farmers market.  The majority of vendors sell crafts.  There are handmade aprons, bags, headbands, and jewelry.

My favorite was the plant stand; there were boxes full of air plants – Tillandsia varieties. 

Air plants are also known as epiphytes.  They’re not parasites; but they grow on other plants, mostly trees.  I picked up a couple of Tillandsia ionantha minis for only a dollar a piece.  John grabbed a fish taco, and we were off to the beach.  Here’s the view from my beach chair: 

After a few hours on the beach, it was on to the Sun House for wine and appetizers on the roof.  I knew we were at the right place from the moment we stepped on the elevator The Sunshine Express.

Unfortunately, we were about three hours too early but what made us choose The Sun House, besides the view…

…was their sunset ritual - the whole restaurant breaks out in song!  But not just any song, it is the Sun House after all; everybody sings You Are My Sunshine.  And next time, we’ll be singing too!  It’s now on my must-do list.        

Our day didn’t end at the Sun House, but I’ll leave that for tomorrow…

Size really doesn’t matter…

Posted by Lesley on March 19, 2010 1 comments

Not when it comes to grapefruit anyway.  Check out my giant grapefruit:

I pulled three like this off the tree; I was excited to cut one open. 

But the lack of flesh was disappointing.  You get the same amount of fruit from a regular-sized grapefruit.  You only end up with more rind and membrane.  Although the membrane on its own is magnificent.  Sort of a strange comment about compost material, I know, but it was literally so soft I wanted to lay my head on it and take a nap. 

It probably would’ve bounced, but trade it for a Chinese grapefruit and you might get a dribble.  Sweeter than a typical grapefruit, some will grow as big as basketballs!  They’re also known as pummelos.

I is for Ixora

Posted by Lesley on March 17, 2010 3 comments

This is the current state of my Ixora…

…and to my dismay, I have nothing else in my garden that begins with the letter “I”.  So this is what the Ixora should look like:

It wouldn’t actually be blooming, but at least it would have leaves.  Ixora is a summer bloomer that loves the heat.  Two days after the first cold spell and just about every leaf had dropped to the ground.  All but five anyway and those five leaves are still hanging on, no matter how brown and yellow. 

When I went out to take pictures this morning, the first three branches I grabbed snapped in my hands.  It wasn’t looking good until I spotted this…

…and then this!

Amongst this pile of nearly leafless and lifeless twigs, there is regrowth!  This gives me hope for the mango tree!    

Happy Bloom Day!

Posted by Lesley on March 15, 2010 1 comments

It’s the fifteenth of the month, which means it’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – another gardening blog meme I found through Gardening Gone Wild, my new favorite blog.  The idea is to check in once a month with a list of what’s blooming in your garden.  Mr. Lincoln and the blueberry bush were blooming in my garden today.

Mr. Lincoln Hybrid Tea Rose

    Blueberry Bush

Honey Taste Test

Posted by Lesley on March 13, 2010 1 comments

I answered my own question about honey this morning at the Lakewood Ranch farmers market, “Is there a huge flavor difference between varieties?” Yes, there is.  The Honey Cart was offering samples of their seasonal honey. 

Cooper and I tasted four types of honey, each from a different nectar.  Fall comes from Black Mangrove and Wildflower (Ragweed).  Winter comes from Florida Maple, Golden Rod, Tea Tree, Strawberry, and Blueberry.  Spring comes from Citrus, Primrose and Clover.  And Summer comes from Palmetto, Jasmine and Gallberry.  

They all tasted good, but we went with Summer.  It’s a departure from our usual orange blossom honey but is still fruity and sweet.  Fall and Winter had the most bite; you could really taste the maple in the Winter honey.  According to the National Honey Board, there are over 300 varieties of honey in the United States!  

Despite the sweet flavor, honey is actually good for you!  It’ll full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.  I’m a huge fan of Burt’s Bees products for all these reasons.  But now that I’ve been on the National Honey Board’s website, maybe I’ll start whipping up some of my own beauty products.  Check out these recipes: