Speaking of Flowers – Did You Know This?
Flowers! For me the early months of February and March remind me of home (Kansas) and all the Spring flowers that sprout through the damp and sometimes snowy ground. Plus, several of my blogger friends are posting beautiful photos of flowers and blooms.
See “my” cardinal in the above photo? And the butterfly in the photo below.
When living in Kansas, I loved watching the little purple crocus pop through the white surface of snow as it gave encouragement of what was to come. That meant the lovely green leaves of tulips and daffodils would soon follow. And That heralded the warmer temps of Spring which made everyone happy including the beautiful song birds of the Midwest.
As I have stated before on this blog, when we moved to the SW part of the peninsula of this United States of America, we exchanged many amenities for “other” amenities. I mean, one can not have it all, can they? I remember the news channels and newspapers heralding “Paradise” as a description of this new state we moved to. I thought, ‘oh come on now…it is beautiful and warm and sunny with almost perfect weather but could we be so presumptuous as to call it paradise?’ As the days become months and wore on into years, I had to confess, yes, we do live in a paradise of sorts. We have many exotic Flowers, Fruits, and Palm Trees along with white sandy Beaches. Our weather is almost the same year round…an average of 73-75 degrees. We have many species of animals including Black Bears, Panthers, Deer, Manatees, Dolphins, Sea Turtles, Alligators and Crocodiles. We have deep sea fishing for white and blue Marlin, Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Grouper, Snapper, Sail Fish, Shrimp, and for the thrill seeker, Sharks. We have beautiful birds (which I have highlighted in a previous post here) Parrots, Cranes, Roseate Spoonbills, and Pink Flamingos. Of course, we can’t eliminate the obvious reptiles such as the little Geckos, Salamanders, Iguanas, and the Everglade Swamps that harbor giant Pythons.
Some Photos of our Flowers in Florida.
We can’t grow most Spring Flowering plants such as Lilacs, Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Crocus, Snowdrops, Iris, Peonies, Spirea and Forsythia, because most bulbs need 10–17 weeks of temperatures below 35-45 degrees, You see, the COLD temperatures trigger a mechanism which activates the internal “clock” of the bulb, preparing it to grow once the soil warms up.
So Did You Know This?
Recently, Florida has had a couple of weeks of “cold” weather, much like our Northern friends. Temps were in the upper 40’s in the early morning hours, but warmed up to about 60-ish during the day. Certainly not conducive to bulb producing Spring flowers.
My Kansas family and friends have informed me, they have seen ‘shoots’ of Spring popping up in their gardens, some still covered in snow or ice. Sigh…yes, I miss those, however, I am content with the vibrant and colorful Orchids, Bougainvillea, Hibiscus, Bird of Paradise, and Bromeliads . The Fragrant and unique Datura Trumpet, Frangipani (Plumeria) and Evening Jasmine…. which gives off the most wonderful fragrance on evening breezes. The Red Firespike, Yellow Shrimp Plant, Passionflower, and Bauhinia galpinii , which are excellent for attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.
Have a Blessed and wonderful week with whatever beautiful blooms you have, or will have where you live. 🧚♂️🦋🌴🌺🌸🌻🌷🌾🌹🌼
Philippians 4:11-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Those blooms are so gorgeous, Kari. And that egret! WOW! If I ever saw an egret in my yard, I don’t know wht I’d do, I’d be so excited! I love our four seasons but wish winter was only a week or two long (not several months!) If I want to see flowers at this time of year, I need to go to the store and get them myself! I especially loved your potted pieces and one of my faves, the irises!
Thank you for another lovely post with beautiful flowers. I wish I could still get out and plant flowers, but I’m afraid it’s not to be.
Hugs,
Sandy
I hear ya Sandy…I don’t ‘plant’ anything myself anymore, Usually the Captain has to do it or we hire it done…or if living in Florida…dead plants seem to come back to life on their own. Happy Valentine’s Day my dear friend and stay warm up there. hugs
Kari, I so enjoyed seeing all your colorful blooms especially on this gray day here in Pennsylvania. Back in early January I saw green pushing thru the ground where my daffodils grow, but they have been covered with snow ever since then. Never would have guessed that Florida was the Gladiolus Capital of the World. Beautiful pictures of all the different varieties. Seeing them brought back memories of my mother’s garden of the orange and yellow gladioluses.
How about those Jayhawks going from an unranked team earlier this season to a possible 2 Seed for March Madness per CBS Sports? What a game Monday night!
Thanks Jan….I love gladioli…when I lived in Kansas, I had to stake them but that was ok. Oh, how I love those Jayhawks…can you believe we dropped to an unranked team and then built ourselves up to #19, then #11 and then #9 AND beat two teams, ranked #1 and #2 in the same season ! Plus, those teams were 16-0 and 23-0! I just hope we can go to the Hilton and beat the Cyclones on their turf. One game at a time, but no matter how that game turns out….I love the Jayhawks. And you are right Jan….that was a great game Monday nite and we were without DP. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
Oooh Kari, what a beautiful post for me to see this morning! You’ve shared such loveliness from Florida. It must make your heart happy to see all the colorful flowers that you can walk out to and be delighted.
Thank you for sharing the beauty with us. 😘
Thanks dear friend….I love flowers period…and yes, I even talk to them…but I think my favorite of all time is the sweet smelling lilac. They make me smile. Hugs and blessings and have a great week.
I enjoyed seeing all your flowers! Isn’t it nice that wherever we go, there are special attributes about that place? Everyone has their own flowers, trees, and vegetation.
I loved seeing yours!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Yes Nancy…and I have been fortunate to live in Seattle, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas and Florida and I enjoyed each and every one. 🥰❤️
Kari, I enjoyed your post immensely! Your weather does sound like paradise and so many wonderful blooms that won’t grow here. Every place has its lovely offerings and then maybe not so wonderful. The humidity in our summers can be horrendous, but this is home for both of us our entire lives. So we just do our best with the humidity. We think it is worse than ever, but maybe it is our age 😉 I hope your day was fabulous, my friend!
Thanks Pam….for your sweet comments and you are so right that every place has it’s beauty and attractions. My Son and Daughter-in-Luv absolutely love the flatlands of Kansas….with all the snow & ice & wind…and low humidity. When they visit us here in Florida, they can’t wait to get back to the cooler temps. And that is what makes the world go round…and not everyone lives in the same place. Hugs…