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Swampin’ in Fakahatchee | Part II
Old logging scars…what a shame, they cut the tree down but couldn’t haul it out. On our second day of swamp walking in Fakahatchee Strand we went to a completely different section of the central slough, coming in from Janes Scenic Drive, the main dirt road that winds up through the park. This would be a bushwhacking adventure instead of the easy walk like the previous day. We also did not end up hiking with Mike this day as he had a group of other volunteers and was leaving from a little bit further down the road than we were. Theorhetically our destinations were the same, a large and deep…
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Same View, Different Weeks | In The Garden: April 2014
April 2nd April 10th April 19th The view is rapidly changing here in the garden! Growth everywhere we turn!
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Clematis | Wordless Wednesday
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On The Potting Bench
The potting bench is a little crowded these days, and I still need to start some more seeds! We have a flat of these jack-in-the-pulpits as well as more in larger containers. Last spring Chris ordered a bunch of the bulbs and they didn’t come up. The dirt ended up being dumped in a big container with other soil and lo and behold they sprouted this spring! I think it’s time we get these in the ground, though. I started bottle gourd seeds to grow along the vegetable garden fence this summer, along with luffa seeds. I’m imagining a lush fence with vines covered in blooms! I can’t wait! Sweet…
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Swampin’ in Fakahatchee | Part I
Lots of photos in this post! Our first day in Fakahatchee for the yearly Central Slough Survey, we joined park biologist Mike Owen and several other botany and plant enthusiasts for a slow slog down Mink Slough. The best thing about walking through this slough was the generally it was fairly easy walking with little bushwhacking. The Central Slough Survey is conducted by Mike and some other trusted folks who are on the lookout for rare plants. Some plants on the radar are those that are thought to be extirpated from the park. Back in the 40s and 50s the swamp was logged and throughout the swamp logging trams were…
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Poison Ivy on Steroids
I first noticed this vine last year, which grows on a pine tree just on the other side of our fence on the neighbor’s property, and had identified it as poison ivy. Chris just noticed it this year and wants to cut the vine, which is within reach of our snippers. It’s a pretty magnificent vine despite its itchiness status! Either way, you’ve got to appreciate the tenacity of poison ivy!
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Alliums
The edible onions keep attempting to bolt….they need to hold on another month or so until we can harvest them. I’m a little worried they aren’t bulbing up as much as they should be by now, but with a month or so left to go I can only hope they get their bulbing into high gear! Last year I bought a pot of chives in hopes that one day they’d find a permanent home in our herb beds. They are still biding their time at the end of the one of our vegetable beds. Out in the yard the wild onions are giving off their aroma as we walk around…
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Blooms, Blooms…Everywhere Blooms!
Chris grew these giant snapdragons last year and they returned this year from the roots, at least I think from the roots. The coloration of the blooms is gorgeous! A few muted maroon bluebonnets were mixed in with the blue-bluebonnets we bought. I’m still in love with the columbines blooming. I never would have thought they would have become a favorite spring flower, but they’ve proved to be a wonderful addition to the garden. The garden is almost in full foxglove mode, too. They are so striking with their height and color it is almost a disappointment we’ll have to wait two more years for them to bloom again. The…
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The Fig Tree
The fig tree area of the garden is one of my favorite spots. Really, the fig tree worked out to be in the perfect location there on the side yard, fitting into the landscape perfectly. Currently there are many new plants sprouting beneath the tree, a lot of ferns, a few lilies, some different tropicals. Still biding our time for some of the tropicals to re-emerge…giving them only a few more weeks to appear before calling them toast. We’ll find something else for the spots where plants didn’t pull through. I’m ready for a balmy summer evening where I can sit out under the fig tree and read, maybe nabbing…
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Crawfish Burrow | Wordless Wednesday