"Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. " ~Lindley Karstens

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cool weather brings back the blogger

I can not believe I have not posted anything for this long.  After coming back from a three-week vacation in China, I have been busy catching up the work. The blogging had to take the back seat. The gardening work was mostly involved with weeding, weeding, and weeding!  Yes, Florida gardeners know what I meant by non-stopping weeding in the rainy summer season.  Also, lots of plants have grown wild, and have turned the flower beds into the jungle.  I had to do lots of trimming on those bushes, and removing the dead branches, plants.  

I have to admit that I am still not very fond of the hot humid weather of South Florida after living here for 18 years!  The mosquitoes and strong sun light are simply not the best friends to my sensitive skins.  So, the summer time I usually do the limited gardening, and try enjoying what I have in the garden.

Now the weather has been cooling down, especially in the morning and evening. It feels so comfortable to wander around the garden with the cool breeze blowing on my face.  Yes, once again, I feel energetic and want to get out to do more in the garden, and also some blogging!!!


Since this is the first post after a long break, I really don't know where to start. Let me first show you a new addition to the garden that I am very happy about.

A new fountain! I have been wanting a fountain for a long time, and have been searching for it for quite some time now. The experience was quite dramatic. Let me just say, this is the third one we brought home, and the only one kept! The first one was from a big box store, made of fiberglass. Looked quite nice, and fit our budget. However, after we finished installation, we found some coating already peeled off. So, we returned. Then we spent almost double of the price as the first one to buy another one from a specialty store. On the way the worker carried it to our car, they dropped the piece on the floor! So, the store said they would order for us with the color we preferred. We waited for almost three months for the order, and when we called to ask for the update, they found the person forgot to place the order! I almost gave up, but when we went to that store to discuss this matter, I fell love into this piece they had in store immediately! So, we bought it right that day, and delivered to us within a week. Good thing doesn't come easily, huh?


It is very heavy, although I don't think it is made of the real stone, it was made looking like stone.  Not only I liked the textures and the finishing color, I loved the four birds (one is blocked, not shown in the picture) at the top the most.  The birds sipping the fountain water just add more tranquility to the garden.



Speak of garden decoration, look what I have brought all the way from China, a Stone Turtle!  This one was made of the real stone, and has a hole carved underneath to connect to the mouth.  So if sinking this turtle half way into the water, and attach a bump to it, water can come out of the turtle's mouth.  For now, I just put it on the top of a boulder in the garden.  Love how it adds the life into the garden!



This is the first time Tibouchina grandifolia bloomed in my garden.  The new flower has a white center, and it turns to red with the flowers aging.  I also love its large fuzzy leaves even when it is not blooming. 



Another first in the garden is blackberry lily.  I started it from the seeds sent by Susan  two years ago.  After the seeds sprouted, it only grew leaves for the first year, and finally they bloomed for me this year.  Thanks, Susan!  I love them!




This knockout roses I started from some cuttings early this year, see how well it has bloomed this summer.


Griffinia liboniana bloomed again this year, yay!


The following are the orchids currently blooming in the garden. 


Finally, let me show you a visitor to my garden this past weekend, a Wood Stork, standing on the fence, looking down my flower bed.


That's it for now.  Happy Gardening, my friends all over the world!

9 comments:

  1. Dear Ami ~ It is so good to see you posting again. I thought of you the other day wondering how you were doing.

    You are so right about not wanting to be outside during our summer heat and humidity. It is nice to have cooler temps these days.

    I love your fountain, it is beautiful and serene and your little turtle is adorable.

    Your blooms are lovely as always and the wood stork was a neat visitor to have.

    Enjoy the rest of your week and gardening in cooler weather.

    Hugs ~ FlowerLady Lorraine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. FlowerLady: Thanks for the nice words! It is always nice to know somebody thought of me when I was absent for a long time :) Yes, I am glad that the summer is finally over, and now I can enjoy working in the garden more, and clean up all the summer mess.

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  2. Thanks for the update Ami, we are just heading into our hot humid summer, and I agree it never gets any easier. I love your fountain - and the frog - both great additions to your lovely garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. africanaussie: With opposite seasons we have, we can always enjoy the off-season plants from each other's blog :) Take care, and stay cool in the summer. I am glad the summer is over for me!

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  3. Hi Ami...I have been AWOL for the summer, too, but am just now getting back into the garden. I love your new fountain. It's funny how things have a way of working out. And, your stone turtle is adorable. It's a nice memory from your trip. Glad to see the blackberry lily is doing well for you. It's a nice plant and one that all Florida gardeners should have. Hope to see more posts from you.

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  4. Susan: First, I had to google to find out what AWOL stands for, haha! "Absent without leave", cool, now I learn one more word, or maybe can impress my kids :) Yes, it took us total three months to settle down that fountain, and I am glad that eventually I got the fountain that I like. Although that stone turtle is small, but quite heavy, we put it in one of our carry-on suitcase back to US, and the suitcase had to be opened for three times go through the security check. I guess the shape through the x-ray is not common at all. LOL. Yes, it is not only a nice garden piece, it reminds me of China as well.

    The blackberry lily is a beautiful surprise when I came back from China. Beautiful flowers, thanks again! Happy Gardening!

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  5. It's good to see you blogging again Ami. I hope you enjoyed your trip to China this summer. I understand how you feel about gardening in the heat, humidity and bugs of your Florida garden. We have very similar weather here in Texas and I have to admit, I've spent more time *looking* at my garden than actually working in it! I adore your new fountain and your little turtle is adorable too. You have some beautiful blooms in your garden. Looking forward to seeing more again.

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