Garden Pic Wednesday: Rain Garden & Pink Vinca!

-
It started off this morning with a summer thunderstorm, but by lunch had cleared off, though it remained cloudy. Plus the rain cooled things off, so it has halfway pleasant to work outside.
My planned outside project was to finish cleaning up leaf debris along the house foundation on east & south side and refresh the pea gravel.
Most is done, except, though I ran out of pea gravel to finish  behind the strawberry bed.
I have a frame house and keeping the foundation edge clear and visible helps protect it from termites, which can be a serious problem in Florida.  Also makes things easier for the termite guy, since our annual inspection is coming up.

Today's Garden Pics:
A nice recent shot of my rain garden on the north corner of the house including Ponytail Asparagus Fern, purple Ajuga and a Hosta.
I love the upright habit of this Ponytail Fern. Despite it's name, it isn't a member of the fern family, but is, in fact, a Lily family member. It can also be called "Bottle Brush Fern," or "Emerald Fern," or more properly, a "Foxtail Fern."

Next: A pretty shot of a light pink Vinca out front by the driveway.
Vinca's are great garden flowers! The re-seed themselves prolifically so I have tons of volunteers popping up all spring and summer and they bloom until a hard frost. Here in Florida, they can even come back from the root as well. 
Their shiny dark green leaves all have a white lines down the middle, which makes the seedlings very easy to identify and their color range is many shades of pink to white.


This particular Vinca is ONE single stem. I've been pinching it off and shaping it into this nice mound shape, since it came up this spring.
 Vinca's are marvelously easy to shape by simply pinching or snipping off their stems, which makes them branch out. Then, as they grow, you just keep pinching off stems that are too long.
This also makes for more blooms.
Of course, they do alright left to their own resources, though they can be quite leggy and floppy and  pinching keeps them out of the way of my mower.
Be aware Vinca's are so prolific, they can take over a garden space within a couple summers.
****
That's it for today! Come back for Mama Kat tomorrow!

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

Good Eating Monday: Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing!

-
Image
Now this some wicked good dressing!  I tried it for Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved it! I've been looking for just the right dressing and I may have finally found it!  It's also healthy with a tasty combo of fruit, veggies and a mix of white & whole wheat bakery breads. It will fill a  fill a 9 x 13 pan.  You can use fresh or dried herbs. I've included the measurements for both. Just remember dried seasoning is more concentrated in flavor because it is dried, so you need less of it then fresh herbs. I have fresh Parsley growing outside and this was a great use for it! I found leftover over stuffing wonderful heated up and topped with a over-easy egg for lunch!  Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Ingredients:  5 1/2 cups fresh European style or sourdough bread, white, sliced and cubed 2 1/2 cups wheat bread, whole grain sliced and cubed 1 lb ground pork or turkey ( I used Jimmy Dean's Turkey Crumbles, which was 8 oz and that worked great! ) 1 1/2
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Peach Cobbler Dump Cake!

-
Image
Yes, I tried another new Pinterest recipe and this one is a winner! The primary dictionary definition of a "Dump Cake," is an easily made cobbler in which cake mix is dumped over canned fruit or pie filling.  This recipe was pinned from Del Monte, which means it's been a recipe that's been created & tested in a corporate test kitchen. That's one benefit of all those label, can & box recipes provided by manufacturers on their product packaging. You can even buy cookbooks featuring nothing, but package & label recipes of which many are vintage. The only changes I'd suggest is add one more 15 oz can of fruit. It can be more peaches, cherry fruit cocktail, regular fruit cocktail or whatever you want. (So, I've noted 4 cans of peaches in the recipe.)   It just needs a little more volume on the fruit quantity.  And stir a teaspoon or two of cinnamon into the fruit! Otherwise, this is an excellent, quick dessert you can serve hot with v
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding!

-
Image
Welcome to the first week of February! It's supposed to be 31 degrees tonight, so after cleaning up the front walk beds, I went around covering various things that either are blooming, about to bloom or that have sensitive leaf buds, like my hydrangea's.  I picked all the yellow daffodils and brought them inside for a cheerful vase on my counter. For Garden Pic Wednesday this week I have an excellent photo of a pine tree flower! You didn't know pine trees flower?  Well, you'll have to stop back for a look! Today's Good Eating Recipe is a family favorite my Mother used to make often for us as kids: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding! What Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding Looks Like This is just your basic wholesome old fashioned bread pudding made with just eggs, bread, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar & raisins! No sauces to make. Just simple bread pudding. We'd eat it hot with a little evaporated milk poured over the top.
Read more

Garden Pic Wednesday: Ajuga & Lettuce Crop

-
Image
T oday's Garden Pic is a nice January shot of some Common Ajuga draping over the edge of a large container out front & my bumper crop of lettuce Ajuga: It's a ground cover with a burgundy tinge to it's leaves. It reaches it's best color in shade, but can tolerate light sun. This Ajuga just gets morning sun. It throws runners like a strawberry does, spreading along the ground. It's reaching for the ground and will establish once it touches around the shady side of the stump the container sits on. It's a member of the mint family.  My Winter Crop of Lettuce: This is a french head lettuce I got ordered from Seed Savers for spring 2021. It went to seed in May 2021, then dozens popped up around Sept. I separated them, this whole 4 x 8 raised bed with them. I dined on fresh crisp lettuce all winter! I've left 2 to go to seed on one end of the raised bed, so can have lettuce all winter again!  I've joined a group a ladies in a Book Club that meets once a mo
Read more