Trial and Error in Florida 2012

[Minime8484]

I agree, Harriet - walking out in the morning to Cereus blooms is invorgorating! = )

[Harriet]

This has been a wet season so far. I really miss the sun! I got several new agave and other plants that need planting or potting and every time I have the time to do it, the rain comes down and I haven't got a place inside to pot them up. I have one bed in which you cannot see the plants for the weeds., and the new bed in the back yard is being covered up almost as fast. There will be so much weeding to do soon that I'm beginning to have nightmares about green monsters taking over the world!

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[apfire]

You have such a nice looking Yard. Everything looks sooo nice.

[Harriet]

Thank you! But I am about to learn which cacti like to swim!

[hoteidoc]

Talked to my daughter (UofF-Gainesville) yesterday. Sounds like your cacti are going to have to learn to surf

[Harriet]

Talked to my daughter (UofF-Gainesville) yesterday. Sounds like your cacti are going to have to learn to surf

No kidding! But, I think it was worse in Gainesville! Yesterday my husband spent an extra three hours on I-75 between the Georgia border and Gainesville because of rain and resulting floods! But I actually saw blue sky this afternoon so things are looking up.

[fanaticactus]

I'm so sorry you had to endure those 4 (?) days of rain and wind, but I hope that your cacti will not suffer. I'll bet you've found a couple of hundred weeds that will occupy quite a few hours to eradicate as a result of the wet and now the sun.

[Arjen]

ouch, hope everything turns out ok

your garden once again looks very nice!

[Harriet]

I'm so sorry you had to endure those 4 (?) days of rain and wind, but I hope that your cacti will not suffer. I'll bet you've found a couple of hundred weeds that will occupy quite a few hours to eradicate as a result of the wet and now the sun.

I wish it had been only 4 days. We have had weeks of grey rainy weather here, Debby just made it more news worthy. The weeds are unbelievable!

[Harriet]

My husband has been travelling a lot lately. I get bored being alone. I order plants, plant books, more plants, regular books, camera bags, lawn chairs and more plants. The Internet and a PayPal account are a dangerous combination!

So here's a couple of pictures of the plants I have to get sorted, labeled, added to the database and potted up, or put in the ground.

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I have more coming. Big and/or expensive plants are on their way...

What was I thinking?

[Tony]

Those last two in the newspaper are especially beautiful!
Its probably to late, but be really careful potting up the A. funkiana. Whimpiest agave ever!
Whats the large agave on the table A. gypsophylla?

[Harriet]

Those last two in the newspaper are especially beautiful!
Its probably to late, but be really careful potting up the A. funkiana. Whimpiest agave ever!
Whats the large agave on the table A. gypsophylla?

I think the newspaper adds an extra something special, don't you?

The big blue Agave is a hybrid called Agave 'Blue Wave' (from Plant Delights, it may also be available at Yucca Do). I think it is totally cool. I got it to go with an A. protoamericana 'Pokey Ghost' in a new agave bed with mostly blue and silver species. The Pokey Ghost will get much bigger than the Blue Wave, but for now it has some catching up to do. It will look funny in the back of a bed with bigger (for now) plants in front, but I sure don't want to have to move it if it gets too big in the wrong place too fast!

I also bought a rather large and expensive (I'm too old to wait for it to grow) Dioscorea elaphantipes from Terrapin Gardens (up in the North West somewhere). The owner was especially nice and sent a second plant for free. He says these plants grow better if there is another one nearby. Sounds strange to me, but I'm not arguing with it. I thought it was incredibly nice!

Plant people can be very good people!

[Harriet]

It has been a LOOONG day.

In addition to potting some 15-20 new plants. I got busy on extending the "rock garden" across the front of my house. Before you go all C&S purist on me, please remember this is Florida, and I have to plant what grows here... and that is not always cactus. Agave and Dyckia are a different story though...

Before. I had to get rid of all the mulch. The giant liriope is staying until the agave gets bigger.

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After. If that small Agave in the center to the right of the big rock gets too huge, I may have to re-route the walk way. Somehow I think that might be easier than moving a full grown A. protoamericana. The small variagated agave on the back side by itself is A. 'Cornelius', which should be a nice medium sized plant. Out in the corner in the sun is a Dyckia platyphylla 'Silver Stream'. I hope it can handle that location, it should make a pretty clump of some really spiney loveliness. The blue wavy agave is 'Blue Wave'.

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Today in my yard it is 95.6 degrees with a humidity level of "Full Sauna". This little bed took a lot out of me. I hope it works, and I hope you enjoy it!

[Harriet]

More yard work...

Moved a bunch of pavers to where they will become a patio of sorts.

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And continued my love hate relationship with my Florida garden... WEEDS! before and after.

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Finished the day bloody but unbowed... Dyckia is a killer!

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This was all I could handle on one 96 degree day.

[hoteidoc]

You are a "trooper", Harriet, but the results always show! I spent all yesterday afternoon out in 95f weather (wearing a dark navy blue "flak jacket" - but shorts & "Hawaiian shirt" ) making sure Thoroughbred race horses didn't heatstroke or "breakdown" (they didn't, thank God). I was totally drained by the time I got home @6:30! But cacti tour lifted the Spirit!