Waiting for the next storm

August and September are the peak of the hurricane season in South Florida, we spend more time keeping an eye on the tropics and storm preparation than anything else.  As I write this post there is tropical storm Laura moving in our direction, the projections are that she will pass south of us, but with these storms you never know.

Starting new garden projects during this time of the year is not advisable.  The last couple of weeks my gardening has been limited to cleaning and upgrading some corners of the garden.

This week I hired someone to cut my giant bird of paradise, it was getting too big and damaging the fence, now I have more sun light in this area. I might grow some winter veggies in containers this coming season.

Before

My organized work bench

I got a new umbrella this week from Amazon

I also cleaned my favorite corner of the garden.  The perfect place to sit and drink a cup coffee in the morning and have a glass of wine in the afternoon.  From here I have a perfect view on the entire back garden.

 

Two weeks away plus a brush with a tropical storm

I came back this week from a two weeks summer vacation to the beaches of Southwest Florida.  This vacation was different like everything is these days, but it was good to get out of the city and enjoy a relaxing time on a semi secluded beach.   For the first time the garden was left unattended for the two weeks I was away, the person that usually comes to check on the house was not able to do it this year, and making things worse, my sprinkler system is not working (no problem it rained everyday)  To the end of my holiday, tropical storm Isaias decided to pass nearby the Florida coast bringing tropical storm winds to the city.   I worried what I would find when I came back to Miami, but I was lucky the garden fare well, a little messy and overgrown but no damage from the storm. I lost a few potted plants from the excessive amount of rain, but that was to be expected. 

I nice surprise, I found the white orchids in full bloom, they only bloom once a year in late summer.

The bromeliads in the front of the garden were also a surprise, the red flowers are popping out everywhere.