Actually, it feels like more of a new year in this season than after Christmas. The rainy season has just begun after a belated start during which I had to water my flowers every day to keep them from burning in the scorching sun. Now I can relax as by the afternoon each day, it becomes overcast and thunderstormy.
I've got lots of plans on my plate - plans for improvement food wise and budget wise. We're trying to save money as quickly as possible, barring a few necessary purchases, "just in case". I want to spend less on food in these days of inflation, and I need to be more creative, not to mention I actually need to cook more often......a task I do not enjoy after working all day. I think I'm going to befriend my crock pot a lot more closely since that appliance offers a lot more carefree cooking.
Meanwhile, I went out yesterday morning and took some pictures of some of my favorite flowers. Without further ado, for those poor souls who still peek in here to see if I have posted at all, here they are:
First a few shots of a bee on my lavender Crape Myrtle (Mirtle?)
I can't seem to write in between the photos, so I'll just describe them all from here. After the 3 bee pics is a close up of Black and Blue Salvia.
Next, my purple Buddleia, which does well, and then seems to fade. Maybe it's not meant to hang around all year. Sigh.
After the Buddleia is a pretty Caladium leaf.
Then a close up of a Chenille flower, which dies back at the first major cold front in the winter - and comes back in the spring.
Next - I'm not sure if this is a coral vine, since I have another vine that looks nothing like this that is supposed to be a coral vine. Whatever - it is for the butterflies and in the winter, when it blooms profusely, it has lavender flowers and then a more mature reddish flower, in two stages.
Of course, my favorite color of Lantana - the brilliant orange and red native species.
Brand new milk weed bulblets that are waiting to burst into red flowers.
Porterweed, which is a favorite with bees and butterflies every morning. By afternoon, most of the little flowers have fallen off and the stalk is getting ready for next morning's blooms. If you look carefully above the purple flower on this stalk, you can see little purple dots where flowers will grow next.
A miscellaneous purple annual - some sort of lavender, I think. Can you tell I like purple?
My pretty little Sensitive Vine flowers - they are like little bright lolly pops.
Two pictures - one close and one farther away - of a shrimp flower.
And finally, a Sunflower tree or Tithonia Diversifolia, which basically grows if you break off a stick of it and throw it into the ground. It has grown so large that I have to move it to another spot if I can. It was an experiment that went all too well.
And that's it for my flower photos update. Tomorrow - rake the back yard from all the trimmings I've done (and will continue to do all summer as everything grows like a Stephen King monster) - and then mow the parts that are still roughly considered "lawn" - very roughly. This will be followed by a trip to a local horse farm where I can pick up 50 lb bags (call 911!!!) of horse manure FREE!!! And my hubby thinks this will be fun.....thank God. I'm going to have fabulous butterfly plants all summer - and then, watch out come September, when our veggie growing time begins.
I have to build another 8' by 12' raised bed and fill it with dirt and - FREE!!!! (not the dirt) horse manure. Then I'm going to grow lots of veggies this winter......my favorites? Green beans and tomatoes - my two great successes this past year. My heavens, did we have spaghetti sauce or WHAT? The green beans didn't grow very well, so the few green beans that popped out every few days went immediately into my mouth raw before even making it into the house. They tasted SO GOOD I long for one now - but not one from the store or frozen....no - one of those fresh from the no-pesticide veggie garden ones that were looked after by my own greedy, loving eyes........
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