Lady Cat Lady

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening Friends! 

No apologies for my absence, I’m still recovering from the Radio Frequency Ablation. Plus, I’m sick with a nasty chest cold, just got over a stye in my eye, and yesterday was my mother’s birthday. It’s been 43 years without her, and the pain never went away. I just learned how to cope better. 

One of the ways I’ve learned to bond with a mother I barely remember is by sharing her love of gardening. I distinctly remember my mother growing vegetables in our backyard, in Michigan, when she was still alive. There’s a lot of joy and therapy growing your own food, putting your hands in soil, and being a good steward to our Earth.

That said, I came back because there’s been exciting happenings in ze gardens. Plus, I figure all you northerners would enjoy some splashes of color to brighten your day!

Starting in the backyard, I am pleased as punch to announce that my Clitoria has bloomed. Yes, that’s the scientific name of it. Even though the common name is Butterfly Pea, I think we can all agree Clitoria is the superior name. 😝

A heat loving plant, most northerners can’t grow Clitoria. It needs long, hot summers to get to the point where it blooms. I’ve been growing this plant for three years, these are my very first blooms. I’m sure you can understand why I’m so excited.

Here it is climbing the trellis, you can even see a couple “peas” on the left. And, yes, they are edible when they’re young.

The loofah is still fruiting, much to my surprise. I’ve gotten a lot this year! Loofah or Luffa, depending on how you decide to spell it, is also a heat loving plant. But, much easier to grow in Florida than zucchini/courgettes, which would be a similar vegetable when the loofah is still young, but are susceptible to our massive pest pressure in the summer. As it ages, the membranes grow too thick to eat, though.

Check out the gloriousness of this Hibiscus flower.

My bell pepper has sprung to life now that the extreme heat and UV rays have slowed. 

Who is growing tomatoes in November? People in Florida 😂

Moving to the front yard:

Red, fuchsia, and pink Pentas are all still giving me the blooms. You can even see a hint of the Butttercup and white Pentas blooming on either side.

The Plumbago is also blooming!

Although we have three racks of bananas, one in back and two in front, I had to make some deep cuts to make sure I showed you variety. So here’s one in front. 

This is called a Golden Ray tree. Isn’t it gorgeous?

Florida is quite pretty in the “fall”. (It’s gonna be 87 today, does that sound like fall to you? 🤣)

Thank you for joining me on this tour of our gardens.

Happy Farm Day!