Smoke Plant Reborn

This smoke plant was about 20 feet high as it didn’t get trimmed before last winter.
It was cut right down to the ground in early spring and came back looking so pretty.
It is a fast grower and I love it’s colors.

Once Upon A Time There Were 3 Little Palm Trees

These trees were planted by the developer when our house was built in 2014. They were barely as tall as the house.

Things grow very fast in Florida. At this point special equipment had to be brought in to trim them a few times a year.

The trees were towering over the house and no longer an asset. Queen palms are not native to this part of the state and have a short lifespan. They were in danger of coming down in a storm or even a light wind.

Last week we said goodbye to all three of them.

All that remains are 3 stumps and the landscaper will be back soon with a stump grinder to get rid of them. We are one of the last in the neighborhood to still have them and the one on the right might have been the tallest in the whole area.
Everything else has filled in in these last 14 years and the yard looks beautiful.

In Full Bloom

My flower garden is now in full bloom with a riot of colors.

Green is natures way of setting off all the colors in a garden,

I love the colors of stain glass in this old window frame. It picks up the green of nature and also flows into the blues with red as accent.

More red directly below the deck. The smoke plant is a nice variation of the red from the globes.

On the other side of the sidewalk there is more red.

Red mosaic mirror balls on the deck.

A collection of pink gazing globes.

Variation in shapes is always good and these help unify the colors.

It’s always nice to have some neutrals to set off the glorious colors.

More neutrals to finish off this years back yard garden.

Hey, Hey, Hey, It’s A Beautiful Day

According to the calendar it is still summer, although we haven’t seen summer yet.
Today is a perfect pre fall day.

The sun is shining all around after a cleansing rain earlier today.
It’s time to bring out the cushions and enjoy some relaxing time drinking in the sunshine.

These leaves just glow in the sunshine.

Even inside the gazebo these gazing balls are glowing.

As day turns to dusk and darkness the gazebo is a perfect place to sit, relax and avoid mosquitos.
Won’t be long before the family is making music out here!

Big And Green

We’ve had a lot of rain this spring and the yard is green.

The shrubs are huge and green except for the red one.

The trees are full and green and even the weeds are healthy!

When the house was built almost 50 years ago the sugar maples in the front yard were about as high as the first story.

Now they tower over the second story. They are actually much taller than this picture would have you believe because of the angle it was shot from.

The tall trees you see here were volunteers that were 6-10 feet high at the most when the house was built.

The clump birch in the foreground was planted 20 years ago after the second story addition was added.

There was another birch in it’s place but it had to come down so they could pour the foundation.

It is unusual that the shrubs need trimming this early in the season, but since we had two large trees and two medium size trees removed the remaining yard gets a lot more sun.

These photos do not show the evergreens nor the glass garden which is my answer to planting colorful flowers.

It’s fun to think back and realize how things change as time goes by…..or as my middle child says “Time flies when you are having fun!”

Backyard Beauties

The Garden Club in our community had a garden tour Saturday morning.

What amazing creativity in the back yards of 6 homes.

When driving down the streets these are things we could never imagine.

Lovely flower bed

Loved this screen and the flowers

Not only did I love this yard but the table and chairs each painted a different color were awesome.

Don’t miss the chandelier hanging in the tree…how clever!

Loved the glass totem on the pole made from a wine bottle and other pieces of glassware.

I took many more pictures and could have spent all day taking pictures.

Each yard was so different and I LOVED them all.

It was obvious that all these homeowners put many many hours into their yards.

Crap Apple Tree In Bloom

This tree only blooms occasionally and some years only a few branches have flowers.

This year it is blooming profusely. I am wondering it the severe winter has something to do with it?

Palms For Palm Sunday

 

Looking up!

Looking ahead!

Taking a close look!

Taking a look at two!

What A Difference 10 Years Makes!

This picture shows our house when it was built about 10 years ago. Yesterday I mentioned how fast things grow in Florida
.
This is what it looks like today. The most obvious difference is the size of the palm trees.
If you look closer you can also see the azaleas and other shrubs which were hardly noticeable on the original photo have grown to maturity.
Nothing new has been added in this time period.
They have been trimmed and shaped many times and are in wonderful condition.
Florida has sunshine, warmth, humidity and rain which all contribute to ideal growing conditions.

Flowers and Foliage

I was so surprised when I walked out the front door (facing east) this morning and this one lone azalea was in bloom. The thing that surprised me most was we have had so much cold weather I thought they would bloom later than usual.
They usually start to  bloom in March or even April. Although they are loaded with buds but I don’t expect them to be in full bloom for a while yet.

This plant started as a houseplant. I moved it outside about 5 years ago. I really expected to lose it in the first few year. When it got cold it lost a lot of leaves and it almost looked dead.
It’s now about 5 feet tall and almost hides the two smaller shrubs. The leaves themselves are close to 3 feet in length.
I am thinking it is time to trim back a few of the leaves.
I’m always amazed at how fast things grow in Florida.

The Sun Is Shining, The Temperature Is 83, Time To Plant My Garden

I love all colors, but I think my favorite color for my deck accents is red.

Well maybe green and blue are my favorites?

In case you haven’t guessed, my garden is glass. I LOVE colored glass and enjoy using it as an easy way to add color to the yard.

This is just the beginning, but I take my time making sure each vignette is in a spot you can see and is attractive.

I’ll do a little each day until I am satisfied with my “plantings”!

I compare this to making a quilt as it takes time to put the right pieces together for an attractive whole.

Wisconsin Is Green!

All the snow and rain Wisconsin experienced this winter and spring has given us a lush landscape.

This tulip is always the last to bloom. It is the only one that waited for me.

The blue spruce is looking great.

No matter what the season the Japanese Maple is always beautiful.

Looks like we will have another bumper crop of peonies in about two weeks.

If I had to pick a favorite type of vegetation between Florida and Wisconsin it would be a tie!

Fall’s Changing Colors

Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love the colors as they change. I have been taking similar pictures every other day to appreciate the change as it has happened.

This was taken on October 14th.

Similar view on October 16th. The orange bush in the background has lost some of it’s leaves. The burning bush on the right is becoming redder.

The burning bush has almost reached it’s peak of color today on October 19th. I hope to enjoy it for at least another week before it starts losing it’s leaves. I also see a little more loss of the leaves on the orange bush.

I will try to remember to continue taking photos of this area.

Honey I’m Home And I Am Embracing Change!

I arrived home last night and was glad for this reminder!

 

I brought back some warm weather from Florida, or should I say I sent it ahead. When I checked the temperatures first thing this morning it was 74 degrees in WI and 73 degrees in Florida.

The sun is shining and the yard looks quite plush with green grass and vigorous growth on the bushes and trees.

Fortunately the yards and yards of mulch we spread last year has kept the weeds down.

 

I have a lot of changes to embrace today and in the days ahead.

My first challenge is to short through a pile of mail that is at least 4 feet high. Most of it will be recycled right away.

My goal is to accomplish this before my son arrives with my car in the early afternoon!

 

 

My next challenge will be to figure out where to put this wall unit purchased on eBay that was delivered while I was gone.

These are just a few of the settling in things I will have to accomplish.

I’ll intersperse them with working on some quilts. I did hand carry several in my carry on bag. They were quilt tops and some small layered quilts ready to quilt of finish.