We all know that saying the Early Bird gets the worm, and if you are from the Midwest, one also knows that the earlier one starts the day, the less unbearably hot the work in the fields (or front garden as is our case) will be.
Common sense, right?
The Captain and I like to get up early and have done so for years.
We sometimes like to go out for breakfast, especially on Saturdays, although we do not need an excuse for an early morning cup of coffee followed by a hearty breakfast.
Especially…….
……..especially if we are about to enter the jungles of our SW Florida gardens, be it the Secret Garden in the back of the house or the front garden in, of course the front.
If you have followed me on this blog, you have heard me say our plants and trees grow 24-7 as is evidenced with this Philodendron that is engulfing this area of our home.
You can almost hear the creaking of growth in the stillness of the night time hours. LOL
After hurricane Irma, we lost two shady lady Olive trees in our front garden and we replanted with a silver/green bismark palm
and a bottle brush tree.
I am sure you can see why it is called a bottle brush tree.
I LOVE the pretty bismark and my dear friend from across the pond also fell in love with these majestic fans of palm fronds, threatening to take one back to jolly old England.
Of course we knew that was not only improbable, it was almost impossible, due to weather deviations alone.
So every time I look at my bismark, I think of my friend and how much she would enjoy this tree.
We also planted common plants to Florida around the bismark and have to trim them back about once every month.
Yes, they grow that fast.
In fact, when a new business is built here in the Cape….and the landscapers have put the finishing touches on the plants, bushes and trees, there is NO WAY a tourist or native Floridian can tell the business is new.
Trust me here folks, once the landscaping goes in, the business looks as if it has been there for years.
This is partly because the palm trees are planted as mature, but young palms.
I have never seen a palm tree about 2-3 foot high, unless it is sprouting from seed in your personal garden and then it shoots up almost over night to over 7 foot tall.
Take a look at this native bird of paradise palm that just keeps on growing. By the way, the flowers are usually white.
I know.
Unbelievable when you consider living in the Midwest and you plant a 12 inch tall bush and it takes 20 years to mature.
Ok. slight exaggeration, but very slight. 🙂
This is what they call the “original” bird of paradise and it is very slow growing, because it is not native to Florida, but it is the most recognizable with it’s orange and purple flowers.
So this morning, after a very early breakfast, the Captain and I started trimming bushes and doing general garden work in the early morning hours.
OK, let me rephrase that.
The Captain did the front garden work and I did all the looking at what needed to be done.
I know.
But someone needed to make sure all was attended to, right?
Sigh!
Oh, and by the way…you have heard me speak of my courtyard and pool in the front of the house. The above and below pic show just how that works. 🙂
In my defense, I did pick up a few stray clippings and I did refold the red, white and blue banners and put them away and I did point to a bush and say it needed another few inches off.
It is starting to get hot and I need to go inside for a bit.
I will get back to you later.
Have a great and blessed day.
I some how missed this post! Congratulations on you being featured on Pam’s Garden Galore from Everyday Living!
Beautiful gardens and a beautiful yard!
Thanks Nancy…commenting is never too late. I appreciate all your feedback and your beautiful reflections post was so beautiful.
Hi Kari, hope you have had a great Sunday! I am featuring this post on Gardens Galore tomorrow. Have a wonderful week!
thanks Pam
Kari, I love your Florida gardens. I see so many plants that we can’t grow here. Isn’t it nice to work together with your hubby on making your landscape pretty. Please share this at Gardens Galore, my garden link up! Happy Tuesday!
I haven’t gotten around to reading all that has been linked, so if you have linked it, I will get to it!
Thanks Pam…my honey and I are a team for sure! God Bless you.
Love your garden Kari. It reminds me so much of the gardens we see here on the South Coast of Natal in South Africa. And the plants are super charged too 😀 Unfortunately we’re not allowed to plant bottle brushes here. It’s considered a level 1 invasive species, which is so sad because it’s such a pretty tree. Stay cool and enjoy your garden
Thank you Michelle….the bottlebrush trees are so pretty and I understand about invasive. I’m sure you have beautiful native plants on the coast of South Africa. We also have plants that are not native to Florida that have been brought in from other parts of the country and we can’t plant them either. The carrotwood tree is one. Thank you for stopping by and have a great day.
Lol, Kari, the Captain probably prefers that division of labor, right? You have some major home and garden – all beautiful! – going on there! Oh my, the maintenance costs of gardening (the heavy stuff) must be horrendous for those who choose not to do it themselves in SW FL. And here I thought our gardens in Zone 7A were lush and needy in summer growing months. This really puts things into perspective. Good post!
Thanks Rita, perhaps you see why Florida is called a service state. There are service people to do pool maintenance and lawn people to do lawn maintenance. And tree cutters to do…well, you get the picture.
The Captain and I have a pool service…the guy comes once a week, checks chemicals and filters and if you have the extra service of brushing down the pool, they will do that too. In and out in about 5-10 minutes. (12 months of the year)
We also pay a lawn service, but all they do is mow, blow and edge. They bring in a crew of 3 to do each task and are in and out in 10-15 minutes. (Again 12 months of the year)
Trimming is always extra and can run into the hundreds and hundreds of dollars as is lawn treatment for pests and lawn treatment for fertilizing and….well, just about everything.
It is nothing to see 3 or 4 lawn care companies parked at any given intersection with their trailers and mowers in tow on their ways to lawn jobs.
Ha Ha…my husband and I did our yard work the same way early this morning in our Treasure Coast FL yard! It’s so hot and we are trying to stay ahead of the weeds, trees and shrubs. You have a beautiful yard and it’s beautifully cared for. The Bottlebrush tree is named for the flower shape that looks like an old fashioned baby bottle brush. We’ve had several and they are great hosts for orchids. Place a hunk of wet spaghum moss that has been soaked in fertilizer on a branch and nestle the orchid into the moss and then tie onto the branch with wire. It will soon root into the bark and take hold.
Thanks Pamela, you know how it is with literal overnight growth of vegetation in Florida. LOL Thanks for the tips on the Bottlebrush tree and orchids. I love orchids and will try your suggestion using them as hosts for orchids. Have a great day.