More than enough

Good evening Everyone ~ I've got the pictures uploaded,
now I'm going to go start dinner.
Be back in a while.

Ok, here I am, the beef, onion and spices are simmering, and when that is tender, I'll add plain yogurt, since I don't have any sour cream, and creamy horseradish, for 'beef in horseradish sauce'. This is a delicious way to fix beef.

Now, on with my post of 'more than enough'. What I am talking about is all of my garden areas. I'm not digging or planting anymore areas. I may set a few potted plants around, but that is it. I have all I can handle right now.

A while back, I thought, Oh, I'd love to have acreage so that I could plant to my hearts content. But, let's get real here, I'm not getting any younger, money doesn't grow on trees, and plants don't just automatically show up at your doorstep ready for you to plant. Not to mention having your well poop out on you, pumping sand instead of water. Now we pay for water.

Anyway, I went out a little while ago, to show my garden spots here on our 1/4 acre off a busy 4 lane highway. I didn't take pics from the sidewalk though of the front hedgerow, and the driveway garden beds, although I take care of them too. I was in a hurry, and wasn't quite dressed to go out on the street to take pictures.

For larger views click on the pictures.

This is the secret garden looking east, my shed is fast disappearing underneath, roses, flowering vines, hamelia patens and bougainvillea.

This is looking west. I realized after taking pictures that garden hoses are in several of them. I wasn't planning on doing a garden photo shoot.


This little area is actually at the back northwest corner of the main garden. There is a lattice roof with Phyllis Bide roses growing over it. I'm looking south, into this area. To the left which I'm purposely not showing, is a pile of rusting iron bits and pieces. Part of our stash.


I'm standing in the main garden looking east toward the front patio with a rock bordered bed in the foreground. The front path is to the right of that area. In this bed are big leaved begonias with white flowers, several different aloe plant, ferns, orchids, and a couple of roses, Maggie and Chrysler Imperial, not in bloom at the moment.


This is a bed around the Norfolk pine just opposite the rock bordered bed. All areas need work. :-)

This is looking back to the northwest garden area.


Main garden.

This is the path that leads to main garden. Gateway to street to the left. Different kinds of shrubs line both sides of this path, from flowering to non-flowering, with ferns, etc. ground level.




This is the start of that front path, from the entry patio. Off to the left front is the mailbox area, we can get our mail without having to go out on the street, since the mailbox has two doors.


This is front entry patio, looking west. Oops, I see weeds, etc. laying on the patio that I didn't clean up yet.


Driveway gate area, looking east. That blue and white vase won't stay there, I had moved it from the new area I just worked on this past weekend, and haven't found a new home for it yet.


This is part of the east patio area, looking south.


This is looking north, toward my shed's garden which has herbs, roses, vinca, ferns, and more. The Queen Crepe Myrtle is in the brick edged square bed.

This is my clothesline garden, potted roses, a potted bay tree,with moses in a basket, and mother of millions, etc.



Last but not least, the back shed garden area, which hides my potting area.

Now, tell me, doesn't that look like more than enough to handle?

*****

A few garden aphorisms from Garden Digest.

Our eyes are bigger than our gardens,
and certainly bigger than our budgets.

A garden recreates itself daily;
we seldom step in the same garden thrice.

A garden speaks no language,
yet many gardeners still listen.

Learning how to garden is learning how to slow down.

Happy Gardening, Happy Living

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Rain and gardens

Good morning Everyone ~ Hope you are off to a good start on the weekend. It's Friday. I'm working at my job today and tomorrow, then Wed-Sat next week, so I won't be gardening much from now until next weekend.

We've had some wonderful heavy rain, really soaking into the ground and watering everything nicely. I am thankful. The other night it started pouring in the middle of the night and DH reached over and patted me and said "There's your rain." He knew I'd been praying and hoping for rain. I think more is expected through the weekend, and is just what we need.

The past few days DH and I have been working outside on our property. It's not as miserable and hellish as it was over the summer, so we feel like working. Our place has become a jungle over the summer, so we're pulling weeds, vines, etc. that have gotten out of control. We haven't started painting our cottage yet, but it's in the back of our minds. We are looking forward to some cooler temps, and hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later. We are ready.

Yesterday morning I went to a different library than the one I've been going to on my way to work. The older library is closed for a year for renovation. This other one is really close to home, I just have to make time to go there now, not on my way to work. Anyway, the library I went to yesterday is really nice, new, and I'm going to have to learn my way around it. I do look forward to jaunts to this closer library.
I found a great book called "Landscaper Plants for South Florida". I've already found one plant that I didn't know what it was in my own gardens. I also got a wonderful book, "Embroidery for all Seasons", which is exquisite. Found the book at Amazon, and two more books by this lady and put them all on my wish list. :-)
My fingers are itchin' to be stitchin' again.

Here are some pictures taken the last few days. We are mostly green, and I hope to add more color in the future. We are also little rooms and hallways, rather than open spaces.

Below is the front path, the road is to the left with traffic rushing by about 15' away.
There were piles all over like this, this was just the only picture I took.
This picture is looking west.


Here I am on the path looking east.


Here we are looking east toward the driveway gate into patio.
You can see the front wall of my little space needs painting.
This is the primer coat.
You can see the front door, which we don't use. My workspace with beads and embroidery materials covering it right now, is on the inside.



This picture is looking southeast to the patio just outside the front window.


This is the front patio, looking west.


East gate, driveway behind.


I'm standing by the kitchen's screened porch,
which is the main entry into our cottage.


I'm standing in the driveway just off the patio by screened porch,
looking north. The gate into secret garden has the wreath hanging on it,
on the left side of the picture.



This is my shed's garden.


Here we are inside the secret garden. I trimmed the hedges at the back,
so that now I can see the two outbuildings rooflines.


View from inside. Colea cuttings rooting in water.


Lemon tea bread.
Delicious and the recipe can be found at
Keeping it Simple




******

To find the universal elements enough;

to find the air and the water exhilarating;

to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter. . .

to be thrilled by the stars at night;

to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring -

these are some of the rewards of the simple life.

John Burroughs

**********

Have a great weekend whatever you do, wherever you are.

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

True Confession

Good morning blogging Friends ~ I've been thinking about something for quite awhile now, it's about computers and blogging and how they have made changes in my life.

The good changes are the friendships made, information shared, the inspiration that abounds. Pictures have been wonderful. Pictures of gardens, individual flowers, critters, recipes, crafts, people.

The bad has been my feelings when I started viewing other gardener's colorful, flower filled gardens. Viewing lovely homes.

In the gardening dept. I had been quite content before seeing all that's out in the wide world, with my own humble little tropical/cottage gardens. Then I started feeling like mine didn't quite fill the bill, and I wanted more and more. My flower beds grew as I bought more plants, on a shoestring. I also traded seeds with other gardeners, and traded some plants with other FL gardeners as well. My work in the gardens increased.

At first, I was a tad 'green' with envy viewing all of these overflowing lovely gardens. Shame on me. Then as time has gone on, with posting pictures of what I can grow down here, and receiving all the great complements, I've been learning contentment, and happiness once again in my own little space.

This morning I went out and worked for about an hour, pulling weeds, raking up debris, laying some roofing shingle tiles as path material, feeling thankful for another day. We can't all live or garden the same, we all have different circumstances. But, we can all create beauty in our own way, in our own spaces.

I want to thank all of you for your lovely gardens and homes, and for the inspiration your pictures have been to me, in spite of the 'green' that moves over me on occasion. I've seen nice simple changes in my gardens and in our cottage because of you, and eagerly look forward to working in my gardens and in our home with each new day.

I will end this rambling post with the following with thanks to all of you.

"I've heard it said,

That people come into our lives for a reason

Bringing something we must learn"

Lyrics from For Good, Wicked the musical

Zone 10 ~ s.e. FL

Coffee grounds for our gardens

Good morning everyone. We've had some rain already this morning, great for the gardens, and I don't have to move the hoses around to water.

This thread is about using 'used' coffee grounds on your gardens. I've been saving up the grounds from our morning coffee and have a large yogurt container filled to the top with nice dry grounds. Will be putting them around rose bushes, and sprinkling them into flower beds. From what I've read they are wonderful and there is nothing like recycling something that's good for your gardens.

******

Using coffee grounds in the garden is a great way to add organic matter to your soil. Coffee grounds are also a good source of nitrogen for your garden soil. Being naturally acidic in nature, used coffee grounds are wonderful for acid loving plants such as roses, blueberries, camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and even viburnum. Should you want to use coffee ground in the garden on plants that do not appreciate the acidity, you may need to add a limestone supplement.

Don't add too thick of a pile of coffee grounds or mold may develop. A nice thin layer of coffee grounds around the trunk of the plant is all that is needed. One more added benefit of using coffee grounds in the garden is that earthworms love the used coffee grounds. They will feed on the coffee grounds and in turn aerate and fertilize the soil around your plants. You'll always enjoy the rewards of using coffee grounds in the garden.

******

The link below will take you to the website where this info came from.
Using Coffee Grounds

I'm looking forward to seeing more flowers and healthier looking plants by using the grounds. I've read many places that you can get 'free' coffee grounds from places like Star Bucks.

Here's to happier, healthier gardens ~ FlowerLady

******
I have found, through years of practice,
that people garden to make something grow;
to interact with nature;
to share, find sanctuary, to heal,
to honor the earth, to make a mark.
Through gardening we feel whole,
as we make our personal work or art upon our land.

Julie Moir Messervy, The Inward Garden, 1995, p.19