Spring in Florida

Happy Springtime!

We spent this last weekend watching to the Weather Channel as snow, ice, and hail pelted the Upper Midwest.  We were worried about our family and friends as well as our property in Wisconsin; however, we also were happy that the worst weather we had to deal with was a line of powerful thunderstorms which brought much-needed moisture to Florida.

We received a good shower with lots of rain, but we could use still more to keep everything green and healthy in my flower gardens.  For now, though, I will share a bit of spring with those of you who are now just watching the mountains of snow that you moved off your driveways being to melt.

When we purchased this house, the back yard was filled with overgrown trees and shrubs that filled the back six feet of our yard.  The vegetation was so thick that we could not see the chain-link fence that surrounded our property in back, and we had no idea how may trees and shrubs actually grew in that mess.

Dense vegetation almost hides the house behind us from view.

A worker removes some of the trees from the yard which
hides my gardenia tree somewhere back in the mess.

In time, we removed nine Brazilian Pepper trees (which are invasive), a malformed palm, a dead holly tree, a dangerously-leaning "ear" tree, an almost strangled red hibiscus --discovered only when an errant red flower suddenly bloomed in the midst of green foliage -- and a second palm that was too close to overhead wires.  Layers of unnamed bushes, scores of mother-in-law tongue, and even a gnarled cactus eventually had to go.  When we finally had cleaned out the gardens, we discovered a tiny gardenia tree buried in the corner of the yard.  I had no idea it was even hidden back there, but something told me to let it alone.

Exposed to the sun for the first time in years if not in its entire life, the gardenia started to grow.  In the past seven years, it occasionally would grace us with a few delightful white flowers, but nothing that made us say, "Wow."

This year, I have been watering the garden extensively to get some crotons to grow after they were devastated by cold weather in January.  The result not only is new croton leaves, but also scores of blooms on the gardenia tree.

Buds promise wonderful flowers soon to appear.

These are the most buds I have seen at one time on the tree.

Spring has arrived in Florida, so I share with you the fragrant blooms on my gardenia tree.

The gardenia flowers are not large, but they are fragrant.

P. S. My Freesia also bloomed again!