I began taking these photographs on 13 February. Everyday I feel like a child in a candy store because there is always something new to see...
Mango 'Carrie"
Buds, Blooms, & Signs of New Life
Today I was not the only creature visiting Mango 'Carrie'
Mango 'Glenn'
Mango 'Icecream'
In November, 2003, I cut my Scotch Bonnet Pepper Bush back because it was quickly outgrowing its' space. Here it is then...
and now...
The bush is full of peppers and some are beginning to ripen.
A close-up of the peppers...
Dombeya X Seminole
Hibiscus 'Country Music'
Delecie, great pictures. Zone envy here. LOL
The Plumerias are slowly awakening.
Plumeria species
Plumeria 'Maui Beauty'
Badseed was very kind and sent me coleus cuttings last year. They have done well and are ready to go into the ground.
beautiful pictures delecie! i cant wait for my plumeria to start waking up!!
The Brugmansias have flowered pretty much non-stop this year. My Charles Grimaldi is small but he's been packing quite a punch.
Blooms awaiting their debut...
buds...
and more buds...
Brugmansia 'Frosty Pink' has been putting on quite a show this year and the year has only just begun!
On 15 February, the flower that can be seen emerging in the previous photograph made it's debut...
Today, the color made it's debut...
and is ready for it's close-up.
Not to be outdone, the first of the Cordyline canes are springing back to life...
You are so lucky,MAJOR zone envy right now!!We are getting more snow!!ARRRGH!!!!
Give that Brug a sniff for me!!!
I was just thinking how lucky you were living in your zone.
I too am very envious!! It's chilly in Michigan!!
Bonnie
Zone envy and mango envy. LOL
OOOH, Delecie. You have made me homesick for the first time since I moved from Miami...shame on you!!! (G) When we bought our house over 50 years ago, it had two Avocado trees and a Mango, all full grown and bearing. Sitting on the back steps with my children, eating Mangos with the juice running off our elbows, is a sweet memory. Ole' Andrew took out one huge Avocado (through my roof) but the others survived. I miss my trees.
Pati
PS Scotch Bonnet?...wow, too hot for me!
Pati:
I'm with you on the Scotch Bonnets! I can't bear to eat anything too hot so I'm constantly teased about growing them. I bought the bush with plans to give the peppers away. I have become quite popular at work with people from the Caribbean who grew up eating them.
When I bought my home there was one massive Avocado tree in the back yard and one palm in the front yard. There were no other plants unless you include the grass and the weeds. :) During the "No Name Storm" the palm was uprooted and blew onto the roof. I was left with only the Avocado tree until I started planting in 2002.
I initially planned to plant only natives until I became addicted to Brugmansias. Each year I'd have avocados but I'd have to buy mangos on Old Cutler Road. I bought the mango trees in 2002 and the 'Carrie' produced one fruit last year. I think I'll have a larger crop this year and maybe the Icecream and Glenn will produce some fruits also.
Where in South Dade did you and your family live Pati? I live about a ten to 15 minute walk from the Biscayne Gate of Homestead Air Force Reserve Base.
I lived on SW 60th Court, three blocks from the Red/Bird intersection right outside the Gables. My daughter lived on SW 122 Place, right off Moody Drive. She sold her house, the grove in the Redlands, took her horses and moved to Bartow FL. She really loves it there. She was a guide at the Fruit and Spice Park and says that's the only thing she misses. We both are surprised at the difference in climate just two hours north of MIami. I'm so used to everything just growing out of control that the extra care for growing up here has me scrambling to keep up. My Mango tree was a "Heritage" tree and the Fruit and Spice Park has seeds.
Pati
It's a small world Pati. I live near where your daughter lived. I'm off of Moody Drive on 124th Court in Hartford Square. My great-aunt lives near your old home; she's on SW 62nd Court but farther west than where you lived.
I bought the Scotch Bonnet from Fruit and Spice Park in 2002 when they had a vendor sale in March. I'm keeping my eyes open for more sales there this year. I love the park but I don't get there as often as I would like to.
Speaking of horses, I passed a horse ranch on Saturday when I was taking my leisurely drive to Paradise Groves Nursery. It dawned on me that since I want to learn new things (now that my son has joined the Air Force and leaves for basic training in April), maybe horseback riding would be an adventure and a good form of exercise.
Horseback riding? GO FOR IT!!! My daughters rode English Saddle and paid for their lessons mucking out stalls and grooming horses for shows. There are some good ranches in your area that give lessons. Trail riding in S Florida isn't the best in the world, but once you learn to ride there are Dude ranches all over the U.S. You can see the best part of the world from the back of a horse.
P.S. The required question from any Miami/Homestead native:
Were you there for Andrew?
Holy cow, do you have a guest house? I'm really in need here. Need to see flowers and anything green, like grass. Shoot, even some good green paint would help me as cold and white as it is here. Great pictures.
LOL Brugie. The remark about the green paint is really funny. While I don't have a guest house, I do have a guest room so come on down! As a matter of fact, everyone can come on down and we'll spread our love of gardening to my entire neighborhood. :)
You're killing me here.......
Are those edible mangos? I love mangos. My husband loves mangos. Do you want to adopt us? Oh, WAIT! We're older than you, lol
*sigh*
needless to say.. over a 15 inches and still snowing here...
this is just pure envy here...
Barbi:
This morning I heard about the snow that blanketed your state and parts of GA. It reminded me that it's still winter as I headed off to work wearing shoes, trousers and a sleeveless blouse.
Hopefully the snow will stop soon and Spring will come early this year. I'm sending tons of South Florida sunshine your way. :)
Some of the buds in this thread have now bloomed. As soon as possible, I'll post updated photographs.
barbi, here I am in the mountains where we get much more snow than you and we only got about 4-5". It warmed off and melted off my driveway and community roads. Very little remains now. Amazing!
delecie ---- I live in zone 10b also and would like to ask if you can help me choose a dwarf mango that can be grown in an area 50ft. long but only 12ft. wide. I would like to grow it in a large container or in the ground. The mango must be stringless. Any info from anyone would be great!
Tplant:
Check out this link: http://www.fairchildgarden.org/horticulture/mangotrees.html
The three mangos that I've mentioned in this thread are fiberless and can be maintained at six feet or less. The icecream cultivar is the smallest and some people grow it in containers.