Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Our tropical jungle

Good afternoon Folks,

Well, it’s afternoon here in s.e. FL.  It is quite a bit cooler today than yesterday. It was miserable when we went out around 9 for trim the front hedgerow that had grown out over the sidewalk from all the rain we’ve had lately. I usually do this, but DH volunteered this time as I was going to be using the electric hedge clippers. They get heavier for me as I go along the hedge, about 50-70 feet or so. I was glad he volunteered.  I ‘LOVE’ doing yard work and have since I was a kid, it’s just the older I get things get a little harder to do or wear me out faster.  Anyway, we headed out front with extension cords, the trimmer, a rake, the wheel barrow and hand clippers, and oh yeh, don’t for get the ‘sweat rags’ to mop our faces. Yesterday it was in the mid 80’s and felt like it was in the mid to high 90’s, a LOT worse than today.

It took us about 1 1/2 hours.  I raked up and wheeled the debris down the sidewalk, up the driveway, and into our fenced in space by the driveway. We don’t have a mulcher, I bag the small stuff up and the county pics it up once a week and turns it all into mulch which is FREE to all who want it.  Larger stuff is stacked in a nice pile to be picked up too.

I still have weeds to pull, weed wacking to do, other stuff to trim in the gardens, but all in good time, and only in the mornings when it’s cooler.

I don’t have before pictures of the hedgerow growing into the sidewalk, just an after picture looking west. You can see the start of the pile of brush.  It will be bigger after I do the rest. Today we did errands and after I put the cold things away, I mowed.

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Ok, I am back, this is Tuesday and I bagged up all the debris from Sunday. Did some weedwacking and trimming today and I am pooped.  Also washed and hung out a load of laundry and helped DH with putting the formica on the counter top for the caravan.

Here are more photos of our tropical jungle taken the other day.

Front gate.

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My shed garden. Where is the path leading to St. Francis? Where is the rock border? The rock border shows this evening after I weedwacked this morning, but I didn’t take a picture.  I still need to weed and trim the overgrowth into the path.

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This is looking west, on the front path between front hedgerow and garden areas.  Mexican sunflowers are the tall plants on the left.  These are from cuttings we took last year from a vacant lot. I’m still waiting to see the yellow blooms.

The main garden area is through the iron gate and lattice arbor.

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I’m at the northwest corner of the garden, at the back where the little sitting area is.

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Another view from the same area.

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I love this vibrant purple gate. Smile

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This is a view of the secret overgrown garden.

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A view from the front sidewalk.

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The fronthedge pile at the base of the palm and another smaller pile at the base of the Queen Crepe.

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This photo is after the trim job, and you can see out to the street until it all fills back in.

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Front entry patio area.

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This view is looking southeast from main garden area.

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Gate leads to driveway, east.

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I see this patio area from my ‘creative space’ inside.

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This is our longest view from inside the driveway gates.

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That’s it from our tropical gardens. Our haven from the crazy, hectic world that we live in.

Happy Gardening and living life each day.

FlowerLady

16 comments:

Catsngrams said...

I love the pics they are so wonderful. What a big area you have to take care of. I got tired for you just looking. You must have a lot of ambition.

Terra said...

Your tropical gardens are very lush and beautiful, and I like the secret garden area. All of this greenery helps the song birds and other critters. So thank you from them, and from me too.

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

My goodness you've been working. Since your garden never goes to "sleep," I guess it can certainly become a jungle.
I love all the neat pots an statues you tuck into the corners and patios. They look good with all that growth!

Morning's Minion said...

I can so agree that everything takes longer to do these days and requires more energy!
I have nearly over-whelmed myself with my gardening endeavors this spring.
I tend to forget how tropical it is in FL--and correspondingly even more hot and humid than what we deal with here. You and your husband have made your place so pretty--a tribute to your hard work.

Kit said...

I just adore your purple gate! What a great punch of color and what is on the fence at the very end of the last picture? To me it looks like a giant fish. :) Kit

Sunray Gardens said...

Everything is looking good. I know it always feels wonderful when things start coming together from our hard work.

Cher Sunray Gardens

Jane said...

Everything is so lush and exotic looking, Rainey! I can imagine it must be quite a chore to keep it all from becoming overgrown in your hot and humid weather. It's a major job here and we don't have nearly the growing weather you have. Please be careful and try not to overdo. (I know, asking a gardener not to overdo is like asking a nightingale not to sing!)

tina said...

That is a lot of work! Glad DH helped out to clean it all up. That purple gate is so pretty!

Rebecca said...

I want to move in! I can't get enough of these photos. (But I can imagine the energy & muscle it takes to keep this under control.....)

denimflyz said...

Just stunning, FL.
I have not forgotten about you, I have just been busy and get wore out too from doing too much. By the time I get a chance to work at the computer, I am wore out.
What a tropical paradise.
Hugs

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wow---Tropical Florida living. LOVE it.... So different from our area!!!!

Where are you in SE Florida? My cousin used to live in Melbourne (she has died now) --but when I was younger, I visited here there a few times. Her yard reminded me somewhat of yours.

Hugs,
Betsy

Karen said...

Oh, Rainey, look at all the work you've done! And to think your gardening season doesn't really end like ours, so you have no three month rest like we do. I don't know how you do it. I adore your wrought iron fences, and the purple one adds so much structure and color to the already exuberant gardens.

With the heat and humidity in your area, I would be a damp dish rag lying in a heap. You and DH are truly, truly Amazing!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

Thank you for letting me visit your world. My daughter lives in Tampa. You have a lot to do like this One Woman - happy you have a helper :) Thank you for checking into my world by the woods in Tennessee...

NanaK said...

Doesn't it feel good to have everything trimmed up and all those cute paths and borders showing again? It is terribly hot these days and I am pretty much just outside in the morning for a bit and then in the late afternoon for a bit more. We have to use wisdom as to what our bodies can take even when doing what we love.

Lemon Verbena Lady said...

Looks wonderful. We have to do an overhaul of our front garden. The "native" and that term is loosely used, is taking over daylilies and every other good plant in the front! Yikes! I have my work cut out for me. FL, you have given me the courage to go forward! I'll let you see the results soon. xxoo Nancy

L. D. said...

Everything looks so wonderful. It is a good thing that things grow but it is bad when they get too big. My backyard area needs to be thinned out a lot to let some more desirable things grow.