Change of plans

My first order of business this morning was to plant my Orange Geiger tree, the one I got at a tree give-a-way last week. I had a spot all set in the front garden, but it didn’t feel right, it looked a bit crowded. I decided to plant the Geiger tree in the courtyard outside my dining room. When it is mature, I will be able to see the beautiful orange flowers from inside the house.

I did some work in the courtyard--trimmed the bougainvillea, the fire dragon, and the ti bushes. I layed some mulch and pressure-cleaned the bricks.

Let me take you on a tour of the courtyard.

View from inside the house.

In this corner, I keep my collection of bonsai and succulents.

The fire dragon looks better during late spring and early summer. I rescued this yucca from a neighbor’s garbage can.

The St. Francis statute was a gift for my wife. St. Francis is her favorite saint and very appropriate for a garden. We Catholics know him as the patron saint of animals and the environment. The Saint Francis prayer is a favorite of mine.

This is the view of the backyard through the Mexican fire bush vine. Replacing the trellis where the vine is growing on is a future project.

The Dracaena Marginata plant was here when I purchased the house. It's not a favorite of mine but I left it there as a reminder of what was here before. Growing inside is a blue porterflower plant. I also added the Spanish moss to hide the lanky branches.

My dog Rosie supervised my work.

HAPPY LABOR DAY, ALL! I will be working in the garden preparing the vegetable beds.

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Since 1992 when hurricane Andrew devastated the tree cover in our southern end of the county, our county government has designate several days a year as adopt-a-tree day. Today was one of those days, and it was my first time attending the event.

Each homeowner is permitted two free trees per year; the trees are usually native or fruit trees that have adapted well to our soil and climate. The choices today were Lychee, Jackfruit, Inkwood, Orange Geiger and Logan trees.

My first choice was an Avocado tree but I was told that they would be available on the next adopt-a-tree day in September. I walked away with a Orange Geiger tree for my front yard and I pencil in Sep 25 in my calendar for the next adopt-a-tree day.

The Orange Geiger tree (Cordia Sebestena) is native of the West Indies, and was introduced to Key West by a local see captain named Geiger. The tree was featured in one of Audubon famous paintings, when he was asked what was the name of the tree, he would answer the Geiger tree, referring to the house where the tree was planted. The tree is moderate growing (15-20ft height) with beautiful orange flowers that appear throughout the year.

There were many people attending the event, but the process was fast and efficient. Is nice to see our tax dollars at work for such a worthy cause.

This is the spot where the tree will be planted. My original plan for succulents in this corner of the garden didn’t worked. This area gets flooded when we get too much rain; I am transplanting the surviving plants to containers.

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Colour of the moment: Red

My gardening footwear

Red is the colour of the moment. 

Do you find that dominant colours change significantly in the garden as seasons pass?  At the moment my garden is coming through its purple phase and moving in to the much hotter red/orange phase.   Large drifts of Alliums and Iris, dainty Primula denticulata, Dodecatheons and Anemones, and the ever prolific Cerinthe are giving way to hot  Geums, Blood red Asparagus pea, rows of red lettuce, Asiatic Lilies and many others.

In keeping with the red theme I have pictured my current choice of gardening footwear.   Of course the good old wellington boot (green) is my general choice for tougher tasks but my ever faithful Vans, of which I have many pairs, serve me well.   A recent post by Charlotte Germane of Daffodil Planter focussed on the footwear of gardeners and I was sad to see that Vans didn't make the cut.  I'm also yet to try Crocs but seeing that Billy models them so well and quite possibly has shares in them I may have to give them a go.

The winged seeds of Acer palmatum

Back to the garden and this little Acer was is really putting on a show at the moment.  Its pendulous winged seeds hang from its branches soaked in sunlight.  

Asparagus Pea flower

The Asparagus Peas (Lotus tetragonolobus), which I planted earlier in the year at the front of the border, are doing really well and their deep blood red flowers are a welcome sight.  Planted more for their ornamental use, these little plants will produce small seed pods that give the plants their name.  Apparently they taste very much like Asparagus but I have heard contradictory stories.  Have you grown these plants?  I would love to hear your stories and I will let you know what my findings are soon.

A beautiful 7-spot Ladybird

Last but not least, even the wildlife has been supporting the red theme.  In fact, I have been praying that ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies get busy in the garden as at the moment blackfly is quite a problem.  Last year I found that by leaving the evil aphids in place the beneficial insects responded well enough to prevent any lasting damage, an approach that I want to replicate for future years.

What colours dominate your garden?  Are there colours that you refuse to grow? And how does colour change how we view gardens?

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