A Few Of My Favorite Things...

The gardens were completely refreshed by the beautiful deluge from the skies yesterday.  I took this photo of a Hyacinth Bean flower with storm clouds as a background.  I planted the inside of my vegetable garden with a variety of summer vines this spring and some are just beginning to show color...

Besides a quite pretty bloom, this vine will produce attractive purple beans later on.

Morning Glory vines are in the mix, and this is the first bloom.  I'm still waiting on Cardinal Climber and Moonflower vines to bloom.

It was a great day to get a photo of the 'Iceberg' rose out front as white  pops when it's nearly dark outside.

'Louis Philippe' rose in the background.

Gaura lindheimeri,  daylilies and agapanthus...my three favorite plants for my full sun gardens.

Other daylilies earlier in the day...

This 'Red Hot' Hibiscus, which is grown more for the foliage than the flower, is blooming.

Another first bloom for this season, a wild hibiscus...

Just some pretty out front, then I've got a couple things to share in the shade garden.

My 3 favorite plants for my full sun garden...daylilies, agapanthus, and gaura lindheimeri.

The agapanthus are providing a lot of blue for the garden, even though very few of the flowers have actually opened completely.  They have a long way to go, so I'll just enjoy.

Back in the shade gardens my 'Gold Dust' ginger is blooming...without leaves, but that's not unusual for some gingers.

The other surprise is 'Silver Diamonds' Ginger is doing the same thing...probably the closest I'll get to having an orchid.

Shade garden...

I have 3 Tibouchinas...they all came off the clearance rack at Lowe's the same day, a couple years ago.  One gets full sun, the other half day sun, and this one gets only a whisper of sun, but they all bloom.  You can't complain about a shrub that performs like that.

Thanks for visiting...have a great day.

Chicken Feed

 This morning I picked a little of everything, and pulled my first carrots.  The carrots are Imperator, planted in my 2 block high beds, and I have Danvers Half Long in my single block beds.  

I have another reason to be thankful for my gardens, other than all the fresh goodies they supply us with.  I gave my 5 week old chicks a handful of carrot tops, and they were delighted.

They have just been in the coop, and out of their cardboard castle, a couple days...they love it. 

Someone found a bug...

Nah...false alarm.

I wonder why it took me so long to get chickens...I love watching their silly antics.

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

The Blues

The blues are a cause for happiness when they're blooms in your garden, and especially so when they're agapanthus.  'Belinda's Dream'  rose in the background. 

For some reason the agapanthus on this side of the yard have gotten a jump start on the ones out by the fence.  Agapanthus are a great full sun plant in my yard, but they can also be grown successfully in part sun.

The plants by the fence are clearly slower, but they're making up for it in height.

Old fashioned, 'Lemon' daylilies are another full sun plant that thrive in my front yard.

More blue across the way... hydrangea shrubs.

Hopefully, one day this clematis will cover up the chicken wire.  Here in Florida, they're never going to perform as they do further north, but I still enjoy them.

The last of the blues...'Black and Blue', Salvia guaranitica.  She's a spreader, but not too hard to control.

Not blue, but my first Gloriosa Lily bloom of the season...inside the vegetable garden.

Also just beginning to bloom, Bleeding Heart Vines...

This Desert Rose is nearly always blooming, very easy plant if it doesn't get over watered.  I bought a new one the other day that has purple blooms, but they fell off before I got a picture so she'll make her debut later.

Like the Desert Rose, the Tibouchinas are in bloom nearly constantly.

Gulf Fritillary visiting a Zinnia...

I hope your gardens are full of blooms in all your favorite colors.

May Blooms

The skies opened and blessed us with rain today, nearly all day long.  It was a great day for just sitting on the porch, watching the much needed showers, and relaxing in the cool fresh air.  Between drizzles, I strolled around the garden and found the plants looking as refreshed as I felt.  This desert rose enjoys water as much as any plant, but it will defoliate, if over watered.  

Hydrangeas are beginning to bloom...a beautiful blue.  I don't think it's possible to give them too much water, they're heavy drinkers.

May is the month for Confederate Jasmine, and I look forward to it's arrival every year.  Not so much for the flower, although it is lovely, but for that fragrance that makes you want to linger in the garden.

I have over a hundred feet of Jasmine vine, used as a living privacy fence, alongside my driveway.  These plants run the gamut of full sun to complete shade and thrive nonetheless.

Gardenias also bloom in May, and perfume the garden with their wonderful scent.

  

'Valentine's Day' Rose is blooming by the front gate.

Amaryllis

Glorius May, she also brings Agapanthus blooms!  Every where these are planted, they are just full of buds...it's going to be great year for blue in the garden.

The blues will go perfect with this yellow 'Lemon' daylily...

Back in the shade gardens, my Devil's Backbone is blooming.

Blooms are an added bonus, I always liked this plant before I even knew it could bloom.

Inside and outside the gazebo, Jackmanii clematis is blooming.

I hope your gardens are filled with blooms during this wonderful month of May.  Happy gardening.