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.

Crops And Coops

I've not posted much  about my veggie gardens, but we have been enjoying radishes,onions, and lettuce from them already. Our carrots are getting real close , as are the beans.  Knockout roses are planted on the way to the fenced in garden...

Beans, carrots, sweet onions, tomatoes, and lettuce.

This crop of onions has been my best ever.  I bought them as Vidalia  transplants, but you know true Vidalias can only be grown in Georgia, or so I've heard.  Anyway, they're sweet and yummy!  We're using them daily as they are not a good storage onion, so you wouldn't want to harvest them all at once.

Cucumbers and red onions in another bed...

This has become my overflow garden bed, with more tomatoes, squash, and okra.

Just simple goodness from the garden...Romaine and radishes.

My baby chicks home has been completed, but it will be a couple more weeks before they'll move outside.  I didn't know I'd be getting chicks when I planted  veggies over here, but most of it should be harvested before the 'girls' start free ranging. 

Looking inside through one of the clean out doors, you'll see we have their roost and their laying boxes ready.  We just need to add pine shavings and chickens.  There's wire buried in the ground all around their coop, because I know we have some big raccoons running around here at night.

My 'girls' getting some outside playtime...

Have a great weekend.

April Garden

The garden is most lovely this time of year!  Lots of blooms, and what's not blooming is full of buds, assuring us of more beauty to come.  My Amaryllis are blooming a little late this year, but I prefer this, rather than them blooming early, all alone...

On the other hand, my Agapanthus will bloom early.  This one is already showing color...  

Agapanthus are one of my favorite summer blooms, and they're so easy to grow here in Central Florida.  I have them everywhere in my full sun gardens.

Another great plant for zone 9 gardens is Gaura lindheimeri.  It's just begun to bloom, and it's another plant that I use extensively in my full sun gardens.  It's available in pink or white, but I prefer the white because it returns more faithfully than the pink...for me, anyway.  

Zinnias do well in full sun also, and these have only just begun to bloom.  They're the kind of flower that makes me smile, when I see their cheerful faces.

I bought this Red Yucca off the clearance rack last year, but it didn't bloom at all.  Finally...

Two more photos out in my full sun garden...

Around back by the gazebo, the clematis and gardenia are both blooming.

My shade gardens are also a tad slow this year, but it may be because I buried everything under many inches of good oak leaves.  Everything will soon push it's way out.  There's plenty of pretty for right now...

Sinningia sellorii, Hardy Red Gloxinia

It's bloom...

English Dogwood

I planted this Mexican Flame Vine behind my fenced vegetable garden. so it could cover up a stack of old wood.  So far, so good.

We've been working all week on the chicken coop, off and on.  It's almost done and I'll be posting photos soon.  The chicks are growing  fast, and yes, I will be happy to move them out of my house and into theirs.  

Happy Gardening!