One of the reasons we love gardening

Since I started planting milkweeds in my garden I have an over abundance of monarch butterflies visiting and laying eggs.

The results are lots of caterpillars eating the milkweed to the ground. I always wonder where do all the caterpillars go? These critters are very good at finding hiding places.

This pupa attached itself to the fence in the vegetable garden. I been keeping an eye on it for a few days.

I didn’t get to see the actual transformation to a beautiful monarch butterfly but Sunday I found this monarch nearby getting ready to fly and an empty cocoon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From the land of blooming bougainvilleas, I hope you and your families have a peaceful and safe thanksgiving. Happy turkey day.

Garage Sale Saturday

Yesterday my wife and I had our yearly garage sale. This is the time of the year when we take all the clutter from our home and get rid of all the things we don’t need or use anymore. Every year we think that this will be our last garage sale, but every year we managed to accumulate more things we don’t need or use (got to keep the economy going)

This year for the first time I sold extra Bromeliad plants that I had around the garden, and to my surprise many were sold. The best part was meting fellow gardeners and giving tours of my garden, it was definite a lot of fun.

At the end of the day after taking everything unsold to Goodwill, we both were tired but satisfied with the results. I do think this was my last garage sale; I am getting too old for this kind of work.

Is there a career change in the future?

I am on a roll; this weekend I worked on another kitchen garden this one was for my sister in law. I promised her one as her birthday present; she is a health food nut and has been wanting a kitchen garden for a long time, unfortunate she is not much of gardener so I’ll been getting follow up calls I’m sure.

Before

I planted several herbs, basil, oregano, dill, rosemary, cilantro, three tomato plants, some onions and marigolds for color.

This coming weekend I got to get some work on my own garden, I am already late planting my winter garden

What do you give a person that has everything?

A balcony herb garden!!!.

This week is my oldest daughter 28th birthday, and after much thought I decided to give her an herb garden for the balcony in her apartment.

My daughter has two passions in her life, teaching high school drama and cooking. (she is a fantastic cook) As per her request I included oregano, sweet and Tai basil, parsley, cilantro and rosemary.

Next week is the same gift for my sister-in-law (may be I’ll never have to step inside a mall again)

The Edible Garden Festival

Sunday we visit the second annual Edible Garden Festival at Fairchild Tropical Garden.
The edible festival is all about growing fruits and vegetable and home, Halloween decorations, scarecrow contest, delicious food and lots of fun.

Halloween decorations

All made from plant materials

Scarecrow Contest

The water conservation scarecrow, my favorite.

Other pictures from around the garden




This full bloom tree is the Ceiba Speciosa from Brazil and Argentina.

Is that time of the year

Is time to plant the vegetable garden.

Every year I wait for my local U-pick farm to plant their winter vegetables before I start my own garden.

This U-pick farm is very close to my house and the only one left in the area. Twenty years ago when my family moved to western Miami, the area was blanketed with strawberry and tomato fields. Today the expanding suburbs have pushed them all out.

This field was on the way to be converted into an office park, but the current economic conditions put an end to that idea, so we will have fresh vegetables for another season.

Today I planted red peppers, arugula and sweet basil. I am also sowing lettuce, squash and zucchini seeds.

Behind the burlap cover I am growing 20 tomatoes plants in containers.

Tomorrow we are going to the “Edible Garden Festival” at Fairchild Tropical Garden. I’m hoping to pick more plants for my vegetable garden.

This is the latest addition to my collection of succulents in containers.

I am hook on succulents; I want to buy them all.

It must be orchid season.

I noticed today that must of my orchids are with flowers. I love orchids but I am not very good at growing them.

Most of these orchids were gifts from friends and family.

These ground orchids almost died last winter during all the below freezing nights, they came back strong over the summer.

Free tomatoes plants

All these plants were growing in my compost filled vegetable plot. I don’t know what kind they are, most likely cherry tomatoes.

Taking on a bromeliad

Today I decided to take on the Aechmea Blanchetiana bromeliad, (not sure if this is the correct name) this bromeliad is in the front of the house, and is overgrown crowding the beautiful crown of thorns.

I was dreading this job. The spikes on this bromeliad are painful and I have the scars to prove it.

I will be dividing all these pops.

Now you can see the crown of thorns.

Would you pay $5 for these bromeliads if you find them in a garage sale?
My wife is planning a garage sale later this month and I am thinking of having a bromeliad sale. Should I ask for more???

Fall is in the air

Today I worked on the road-visiting clients, I drove over 300 miles between Miami to West Palm Beach; by the end of the day I was exhausted. The thought of going biking was not very appealing.

The weather was so nice that I couldn’t resist a long bike ride; it truly felt like fall. The temperature was in the low seventies with a nice breeze blowing from the Everglades.

There is nothing like an intense exercise outside in pleasant weather, it takes away all the stresses of the day.

Ibises or as they are known around here “Florida pigeons”

This lonely Great Egret was looking for diner.

Another spectacular Florida sunset.

Today was the official start of the dry season, according to an article in the local newspaper. Scientists predict a particularly dry season this year, I hope the plentiful rainy season will get us through the winter. The year around water restrictions are in effect.