Rustic Garden Bloom Day December 2017

Wishing all garden bloggers and followers a Merry Christmas,  Happy Hanuka, Happy Kwanza and Happy Holidays

Jamaican poinsettia

Santa  speaks creole

Christmas candles

I have a problem,  someone is pulling the table cloths off the tables at night. I now have to resort to putting ballast on the tables and folding up the corners to prevent the culprits from pulling at it. I think it is the three musketeers in the middle.

 Snow on the mountain eurphorbia leucocephala

Oranges

Portlandia grandiflora

Red sorrel aka roselle  hisicus sabdariffa our traditional Christmas drink in the Caribbean

White sorrel tastes exactly like the red but not popular with the traditionalists.

Red Chinaman's hat

Chrysanthemums 

Ficus berries are falling by the thousands and have filled many wheel barow loads. I decided to let them fall because raking them up makes no difference. They will soon turn brown and blend in.

This Christmas will be nostalgic and a bit sad for me, it will be my first Christmas without my mom Miss Rose who sadly passed away earlier this year at the end of February at the age of 83.  This will be the second Christmas without my mother in law Barbara who passed away last November at the age of 87 and my two good friends Carol and Stella.  Life is fleeting and take time to enjoy it with the ones close to you because it is a path we all have to travel one day. Remember to treat everyone with dignity and respect.  Take time for yourself to find that inner peace we all desire. Take time to nurture a child, an older person, a plant, an animal it is rewarding. Do not  allow material things define who you are and who your friends should be.

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2018!

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day March 2016

We are now on water restrictions due to drought.

Euphorbia punicea  aka Jamaica poinsettia

Dwarf sunflowers

Adenium aka desert rose

Sabinea carinalis aka Pride of Dominica

Rondeletia leucophylla aka Panama rose

This is the season for Bougainvillea.

Verbena bonariensis  

Heliconia rostrata

Jamaican ackee 

This is the national fruit of Jamaica and is used in their national dish Ackee and salt fish.

 Hello and welcome to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day where gardeners around the globe post what is blooming in their gardens. We are still in a drought and water rationing is in place. Hose and sprinkler usage is prohibited.  Apart from that, the dry season triggers many plants and shrubs to bloom

I have been experimenting with dwarf sunflowers with very good results. Another newbie to the garden is verbena bonariensis. It looks a lot like lantana but without the smelly leaves. 

This adorable cutie is latest family member "Reds".  She appeared a few months ago bleeding from the mouth and limping. We immediately took her to the vet and was diagnosed with rat poisoning. She was treated and is now part of the pack. 

To see more blooming gardens please go over to Carol at May dreams gardens.   Wishing all a fantastic week!

Sunday in the garden

 My shade house has become a jungle, I plan to transform it as soon as I am finished with the house renos.

 One of my favorite Heliconias

 Lettuce ready to be harvested

 Scallop squash

 Cucumbers

 Milkweeds (asclepias) waiting to be transplanted for the monarch butterfly.

Jamaica Poinsettia
I am paying more attention to the garden now the house renos are almost finished. On Saturday my hubby and some helpers drained the round pond and cleaned it.

 See the two albino sharks and Moby Dick in the middle swimming together.

It was a right mess and had been so for several months. The pump was not working properly and hubby took it to the repair shop. The shop tried opening it and broke the case housing the pump because the screws were fused together. It is still there waiting to find a similar used housing. So last month Hubby went to visit his mother in Miami and brought back a new pump.  Now the pump and filter are up and running again with a clean pond to boot.
Have a great week my friends!