Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Hope Grows Day: March 2011





for another fresh, new idea: The First Hope Grows Day meme.

In order to rise to Hanni's challenge, I prowled around my garden, Iphone quivering with anticpation of a good shot, looking for something to put into my blog. However, I was distracted on the way by another Horde of Lubburions which have
had taken up residence on my bush beans. I don't think so......But I digress......

I finally decided on two Hopeful Grow Candidates:

This fleshy, stick-like tree is actually a dormant Frangipani (Plumeria).

Frangipani
For more info on this flowering plant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumeria

As you can see from my rather poorly executed photograph (I had to hold the stem and take photograph at the same time), I am "expecting" some new leaf shoots to develop. After that occurs, probably about the same time as April 5th, we can look forward to some very fragrant flowers. My Frangipani is almost 8 feet tall now. I grew it from a cutting which I had bought at a arts fair 3 years ago. Since it is very unattractive without its leaves and flowers, I have a Gardenia in the front to somewhat distract from the Frangipani's  gangling appearance.
New Leaves Budding
My second hopeful contender is this rather bulbous looking sprout. It is a Weeping Bottlebrush (Callistemon Spp.): more info found at: http://floridasnature.com/landscape/bottlebrush_tree.htm

Weeping Bottlebrush

The Bottlebrush only does really well after a good rain. We have two of these directly outside our patio. Since the Giant Eastern Swallowtail Butterfly and Hummingbirds, luv, luv, luv, this shrub it remains a firm fave in my garden. This is what it will look like after a good couple of rainfalls between now and April (hopefully).
Bottlebrush "brush"


5 comments:

  1. Hey, Dawn, I wish I had been aware of your blog sooner! How nice to find someone who is as interested as I am in growing veg - most people (bloggers, anyway) seem to be primarily interested in ornamentals. I'm the other way round: mostly I am a veg gardener, though I also appreciate flowers.
    I love your idea of the drip-feed mechanism for the tomatoes. Probably not required for me here in the UK yet, but with climate change having its effect, anything could happen!

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  2. Thanks for visiting from across the 'Pond' Mark!
    I love your blog and the photography. I am going to try and "chit" some potatoes now I have read about it. Previously I just plunked them in the garden, they came up but oh-so-slowly!

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  3. Hi Dawn...Two good choices. I need to go out and check our frangipani...not sure if it made it through the winter. It is pretty tough though considering how tropical it is.

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  4. Wow Dawn! I am woefully ignorant of plants that grow in your zone...the bottlebrush is spectacular! And I am duly impressed at an 8 ft tall plant that you grew from a cutting. Wow, indeed. :)

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  5. Susan, thanks!

    Hanni, thank you, but you flatter me...the frangipani's origins are from very similar to Florida's climate, and so it was really easy to grow from a cutting (although it's tempting to take full kudos) :)

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog and leave a message. Happy Gardening!

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