Beautiful orange hibiscus

For Mothers Day I found this amazingly beautiful bright orange ruffled single hibiscus for my Mom's walking buddy!!! My Mom never believed too much in cut flowers, as they die so quickly, but she loved plants that could be planted and enjoyed for years to come. When I discovered this one in a gallon bucket at Lowes, I knew it was Mom telling me to buy it for her friend, Bert. This is a picture of what I believe the hibiscus actually looked like, but I can't be sure...I had thought it was a double hibiscus, but now think it was a ruffled single. I sure love this bright orange one!!! This pic is from Hidden Valley Nature Arts.

Woven wheels and chipettes!

Goodday!!!

Continuing on with my embroidery practice stitches, here are three woven wheels I tried. Now these are fun to make!!! I want to make more...but I am glad I am just doing a silly practice cloth, because I would have no idea how to incorporate them into anything! I still need to think about that a while. But...ain't they cute!! The one is solid white, and then one is dark and light pink and the blue one actually has light green in it. This stitch inspiration was directed by Sharon over at Pin Tangle, with her TAST (Take a Stitch Tuesday). Thanks Sharon, for your awesome blog! If anyone wants to follow along with weekly stitch challenges, feel free. I'm gonna try, as best I can.

Update a few minutes later: Looks like I did a sort of modified stitch from what Sharon was doing. She is doing a WHIPPED wheel...so now I have to try this other technique, which is very similar, but has a completely different look to it. I had gone to MY stitch book, and followed what it had in it, which wasn't the correct thing. I will be back.

My granddaughter likes Alvin and the Chipmunks and the Chipettes. I found a line drawing of them and I used my computer screen as a light box to hold the paper they were printed on behind the fabric and traced with a pencil. It works. So I am adding them in to the crazy scene! Next I will have to add something from Star Wars for my grandson, and add the date, for sure. I was thinking of having some tags made up with "Made By Julie" on them to sew on as well...and make a fabric sampler book. This will be my famous 1st page, of course!!! LOL.

Mr Bunny is getting ready for Easter amongst the marigolds!!!

xoxo- Julie

OK, here is my second okra bloom (to my knowledge), and a few other flowering pretties today!

OKRA

HIBISCUS

LANTANA

Hibiscus hope and a pretty kitty!

This morning I had to trim my hibiscus and lantana bushes...sadly they were blooming away and I had to cut all of the great show off of them!!! I had a whole section hanging down from the front of the bibiscus bush that HAD to be trimmed or I would have had to have tied the thing up to keep it from cracking off from weight. I figure they will all be blooming out again in a few weeks, so no big deal, really.

I brought in a lot of the cut blooms and stuck them into my never brought down Christmas tree that has been left up as a symbol of hope for the world. I call my tree a new name now...HIBISCUS HOPE!!! The lights are still on it, but were turned off for the pic. It is sitting over there glowing at me right now and so much prettier with her lights on!

Our new Petsmart opened today, so we stoppd in for a look-see. Lovely store! Lovely animals for sale, and lovely people working there! Doozey got a new scarf to wear! She is saying, OH GOSH, DO I HAVE TO HAVE MY PICTURE TAKEN, MOM?????

When we were about to leave, we saw the most beautiful cat...a Himalayan! His name was Bentley, and we spent quite a little while visiting with him! So fluffy and soft...big blue eyes...just a real beauty! Reminded me of Judi's cat, Abby over at Cranberry Blossoms, except that Abby is a Persian X, and she is, of course a different color. Did you know that a Himalayan is a cross between a Persian and a Siamese? I didn't. Lovely!!!

Hello handsome!!!

The grandkids went down to their other grandparents house today, so this makes 3 days I haven't seen them, and I am suffering withdrawl. I love those little cutie pies!!! Hope ya'll have a fun Sunday!!!

Saturday morning garden work and yard walk

Good Saturday morning everyone (or whenever you view this)! This morning I went out because I had soaked okra seeds to get in the ground. They were sprouting! I planted about 12 of them. They love heat and sun, so they should do very well. Below is a pic of some of the pink-eyued pea blooms...they are just so darn cute!

And marigolds in the peas.

A few shots of the succulents in the tires!





And lookie what I found this morning (only cause I haven't looked in the past week or so)...GLORIOSA LILIES coming up!!! My husband had sprayed some around this area with Round Up (I KNOW)...and I thought he had killed the gloriosas altogether, since my Mom's garden is chock full of them...but here they are...back again! Maybe they are really hard to kill. Yeah!!! I am so happy, because as you know they are a cheery orange and yellow and they make me extremely happy!!! It is almost worth the torture of summer to have them! Almost, I said...


Mr plastic pelican peeking out from his permanent home amidst the Oyster Plants! Are they not just so cool with the purple and green bad selves! I just adore them. Most people, as I have said before, around here regard them as weeds, but not me...I find them growing in other areas of the yard and move thmem in here for a gorgeous bed. I love to find huge beds of them...they are so striking!!! The best part is that they stay pretty year round, basically in sand!

Now, just in case the heat completely knocks out my tomato plants, I just wanted to show you the 4 fruits I have right now. I pray these will at least ripen so I can say I got something out of this whole darn experiment.


Here is a variegated jasmine on the fence and it is developing a few all white areas of leaves...I love this...so, so sweet!

Morning glories are all over the jasmine fence...

Here is a long shot of the vegie darden, sux tires and then beyond that are my flower filled tires! I love this view cause it makes me feel like a gardener! LOLOL! Such a small little plot, and not all that much work really...just a little here and there, but such fun! I would encourage anyone to start a small plot and just go for it.

Thought I would show you my butt-ugly wild Sansevieria hyacinthoides (????) fields! LOL. They are just scraggly looking, but have started looking some better. I often think of trying to relocate them and make a bed of them, and I think it may be something to conquer in the fall when it gets cooler. I think I would like that.



A shot of my beautiful, full, lush and totally stunning (to me) huge ferns in my front planter along front of house! All transplants from the back yard one day many years ago...and they need NOTHING...they just stay purdy year round with rain and no fertilizer at all. Perfection on a stick!!! :)

3 shots of this really sweet red and white hibiscus...it hangs downward and it so delicate. I have no idea of it's name, sadly. It surely needs to be trimmed again...maybe this evening when it cools down I can force myself to do it. I need someone with a big whip to get me out there!!! LOL.



And last but not least, the Vincas are getting ready for the 4th! I have two of these pinwheels, and sometimes I look over and see them both spinning full force. A very happy garden and gardener!

Any of you with aches and pains, illness, or just feeling kinda low, I pray my garden pics have perked you up a bit, and you will have the best weekend EVER!
xoxo- Julie

Florida Spring Plant Smorgasbord Part 2

Look at this pretty little pink spine on my Ferocactus latispinus! Can I assume it is a spring thing??? LOL. Don't forget, I am on the hunt for spring-like action here in tropical south Florida, which is hard to find!!!

Now, this is definately a sign of spring...my Silver Squill is blooming! It is in one of my succulent tires, along with the top photo of Ferocactus latispinus.

How about this new spring growth on the banana tree across the street! Isn't it a lovely color? Is it a stalk of bananas or a new shoot of leaves?

This beautiful, frilly yellow hibiscus grows in the neighborhood!

Here is the orange blooming small plant that I was gonna ask about. Anyone know what it is??? It seems to like growing in our area, so I want some, seeing as how it is my fav color and all...(orange)...

My cousin has this lovely pot of pink and red geraniums...they are so purdy together, don't you think???

My neighbor, Terri has these new red amaryllis blooms that have popped up!!! Gorgeous!

It has worked out well for me to keep my camera with me at all times...wow...such spring action going on here!!!!! LOL! See ya later...Julie

Florida Spring Plant Smorgasbord!

OK, I have to admit...I am a bit jealous of all of the spring flowers everyone is posting right now...so I decided to carry my camera with me today and take pictures wherever I went. As you might guess, living in a tropical area...not much changes season to season...it is just tropical all the time. I JUST HAD TO find some beautiful blooms to show. I want to be part of the group having fun with their photos of spring flowers!!! I hope you all will love what I found today so far...
First...a hibiscus with red center and yellow petals! Lovely!

Then a really gorgeous white orchid bloom that was found up in an oak tree!!!

A purple Tibouchina bloom on a large bush in my Moms front yard!

Then some reddish pink color hibiscus that we call "Daddy". Long story.

Check out this little teeny hisicsus that hangs upside down, and is only about 1 inch across! It is adorable and so sweety-sweet!

Here are some Amaryllis about to open up!

And some ultra spring-like Aloe blooms!!!

Hope you enjoyed my morning photos...and stay tuned for some really beautiful orange colored blooms on some small plants down the road. I have no idea what they are, so will need help to ID them! Will plan to post them tomorrow! Have a wonderful spring Tuesday!
Julie