Choice Morsels

Today was mowing-the-back-yard day, especially since thunder showers are possible this evening. I also tied up tomatoes & hibiscus, trimmed off the outer edges of both Pampas Grass out front and watered the veggies & blackberries with Miracle-Gro. Today's interesting Garden Pics are 4 O'Clocks, which are an old-fashioned flower. It also has a more elegant nickname: "Marvel of Peru," which comes from it's genus-species name, " Mirabilis Jalapa ." 4 O'Clocks were exported from Peruvian Andes around 1540. Three years ago I bought seed from Park Seed for 2 specific colors of 4 O'Clock: Limelight & Broken Colors. And they've performed beautifully. They are short & bushy in form and bloom profusely at dusk every evening. They also come back faithfully every spring. Pictured below:  Limelight 4 O'Clocks Bright lime green leaves with fushia blooms. Next: Broken Colors: An heirloom, this is the original 4...

It was clear enough today to mow the front yard and put down some weed & feed. (I use Scott's Turf Builder Weed & Feed for Florida ) It was the first mow of the season. Today, I thought I'd show you my new walled in veggie garden and what I've planted in it: The soil level inside is much higher to protect it from getting flooded. I'd call Florida an "aggressive gardening environment."  By that, I mean the soil here is sandy and poor; the climate is hot, humid and either too dry or too wet; the bugs are ferocious and the weeds, tenacious. Bugs & weeds are can be dealt with; it's the climate that's the biggest problem. For that, I usually turn to my favorite garden seed catalog, Park Seed for veggie seed bred for my kind of climate. Seed I ordered this year with catalog pictures: Partenon Hybrid Squash (Zucchini) Key feature for me : it pollinates & sets even in 90+ degree heat !  Also it's a bush squash,...

"Can I get blue roses?" was probably the most often asked question at the flower shop where I worked for 17 years as a floral designer. And the answer is, "No."  Fresh, real roses do not come in blue. Even those with names like, "Bluebird," are lavenderish and not blue. If you want roses in blue you're going to have to pay a visit to your local silk flower retailer. Below are two photos of real roses classed as "Lavender" colored from a florist shop web page. You can see "lavender" in roses varies from more pinkish to more lavenderish. Roses classed as "purple," generally run to the maroon side as a natural color. (If you see roses that actually look purple the color has probably been artificially applied someway---and I don't recommend painting---it's stinky and only effects the outer surface.) The pinker rose to the left called "Ocean Song Lavender" and the one on the right was unnamed, but h...