Greetings from Plum Cottage this first day of January 2025. I hope you all had safe holidays and pray that 2025 will be a blessed year for you.
The fireworks were not as bad as I expected last night and really only lasted about 30-45 minutes before all was quiet once again. In years past, fireworks have lasted till around 2 am. I did see some wonderful sparkly colors happening out my scullery window and they made up for all of the noise.
The header photo is of the garlic vine covering my wash house. There is also Hamelia patens, bougainvillea, Alamo vine, and a couple other vines I can't think of the names of at the moment. The garlic vine blooms several times a year and it is not the flowers that smell of garlic, but the leaves when you brush up against or crush them. I've had this vine for many, many years. I love it. Except it does grow pretty fast.
Here are a couple of pictures taken in August 2023 when it all got a hair cut.
Here's the way it looks now from inside the secret garden.
This is taken from the driveway.
Here is a closeup of these beautiful flowers.
Here is a link from Hot Tropicals with info about this vine. I live in zone 10a s.e. FL. Garlic Vine
Well, that's it for this first day of 2025. I saw a hummingbird today, lots of butterflies flitting about, and I received an invitation from a new young friend, to go to an orchid festival on the 19th, which I am looking forward to. Being able to see clearly all of the wonderful colors will be absolutely wonderful. I am excited.
During the holidays I watched a wonderful movie 'A Cinderella Christmas Ball'. I want to watch it again, it was really good. I will close this post with a line from the movie.
"Every day is a gift from God
wrapped in new paper."
Let's be thankful and enjoy each new day that we are blessed with.
Have a blessed 2025.
FlowerLady
