Nerves and Distractions

Last week, I shared a genuinely phenominal wildlife habitat in my very own neighborhood.  My yard is also a NWF certified wildlife habitat, which I am very proud of, although it's certainly not the masterpiece I posted about.  We work hard to encourage wildlife of all types to visit or live in our yard. 

This week, I'll know if I have reached another goal...

to be a certified Florida Friendly Yard.   

 Susan at Central Florida Gardener posted about this program not too long ago, so I won't go into great detail.  However, I must admit that I'm pretty NeRvOuS about this.  I don't want to be disappointed on my day of reckoning.  Everyone will know how it ends up because I'll either post about my sheer delight or lament about my deep disappointment and failure.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

So, to keep my mind preoccupied until my much anticipated evaluation, I purchased a plant.  HA!!!  Imagine that!!!  I saw it planted in a yard that was hosting a garage sale and enticed the homeowner to sell me a pot for $2. I had no idea what it was but thought it looked unique.

After some research, I found out it's called a Slipper Plant, Devil's Backbone, Jacob's Ladder, or Red Bird Cactus.  It's officially named Pedilanthus tithymaloides.  There are both solid green (like mine) and a variegated leaf version.  The variegated leaf apparently turns pinkish in the cooler winter months.  I don't have a photo of a variegated type, but Mr. Subjunctive of Plants are the Strangest People does.  You can read all kinds of interesting info about this sensational succulent on his blog.

Some of my leaves have a bit of red veining in them.

 The plant is called Devil's Backbone or Jacob's Ladder for the zig-zag habit of the thick stem, and Slipper Plant or Red Bird Cactus for the red blooms that form in late winter and early spring.

These two photos are courtesy of Onalee Isreal. 

You can find out more about the Slipper Plant and others

that she sells on her website, Onalees Seeds and Plants. 

Note that this plant is not a cactus at all.  It lacks thorns, but is drought tolerant, thriving in dry conditions.  It's a native to dry tropical forests in Florida, Mexico, Central and Northern South America and the Caribbean.  Florida Gardener also writes about interesting stats and photos of the Red Bird Cactus.

Note to all you Greenies out there... the Pedilanthus Tithymaloides is also a possible RENEWABLE FUEL SOURCE

that can be used in place of gasoline!!  Yep...that's right!!! 

The fuel source is the milky sap produced when the stems are broken. 

Bummer for me...milky sap in plants typically means a horrible allergic reaction

which I have experienced more than enough times

since moving to my tropical paradise. 

It'd be nice if this toxic substance could be put to good use!

Finally, just to keep me distracted, I thought I'd show you my cacti blooms. 

I recently posted a shot of the buds.

Here it is in full bloom!

So keep your fingers (or paws) crossed!!!

Courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Diamond in the Rough

We are all aware of the National Wildlife Federation's Certification for hosting a Wildlife Habitat.  My own personal yard is a certified yard. I take great pride in knowing that I meet and exceed the criteria for this certification.  I was extremely happy with my yard and continuing progress until I found this DIAMOND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ROUGH....(not to be confused with a diamond in a rough neighborhood)

Unfortunately, many of my photos are, again,

not to be prized for their quality.

These photos were taken in the early morning,

when light conditions weren't the best. 

Additionally, I wasn't using my best View Master!

The property owners display their NWF Wildlife Habitat sign in an attractive container at the entry of their habitat.  The property is divided into two distinct areas consisting of two adjacent lots.  Both lots are sandwiched between streets so both areas enjoy their own front entry.  This NWF sign is posted at the entry to the Wildlife Habitat property.

The gate is closed, but not locked. All are encouraged to respectfully wander through Burrisville.

Upon entering the gate, visitors are greeted by a bench and light post,

welcoming all to linger a bit.  The path leads to the left...

...and to the right.  I turn right. 

But first, I take in the entry one more time.

As I begin my walk-about, I notice a theme garden to my left.

Interesting desert theme with the suculents and Arizona license plate.

To my right is a contrasting scene of tropical paradise and a tiki mask.

Back to my left, again, is another desert theme space

featuring a Texas license plate and more succulents.

I feel the need to get a closer look at these blooming succulents.

I chuckle at this little plant who is obviously confused by it's two environments...

desert and tropical.  Afterall, isn't this cactus morphing into a palm tree?!

As I come to the end of the front entry path,

I am again greeted by a bench encouraging me to sit a spell. 

But I continue around the corner, taking a look over my shoulder as I move on.

There are many sights to spark the imagination and creative juices.

 

Although this photo is a bit blurry, you get the idea of the many

bromelaids nestled in the palm trunks.

They add vivid color to the tropical scene.

The beautiful blooms of this Hoya (wax vine) are quiet and elegant.

There's nothing quiet about a huge Vanda in full bloom!

I approach an entry way.

I love how the doorway doubles as a planter.

I pass by the obvious entry to the private residence. 

Respectfully, I move on, although I was welcomed by the resident pooch. 

He was very kind and gracious!

This area is the entertaining space. 

There's so much to see here from every angle.

I like that there's a tiki mask in every direction!

I continue on my way, hesitating slightly. 

I wouldn't want to disturb the residents during their morning coffee.

Something delights at every curve in the path!

A side trail leads to this very well organized work space.

Who wouldn't enjoy working here?!

As I re-enter the main path, I find myself glancing longingly over my shoulder again!

I wander on, slowly, knowing I am coming closer to the end of the trail.

This blurry shot shows that I have, indeed, reached the beginning of the path again. 

I have to restrain myself from walking around a second time.

This tropical paradise is only about 2 blocks from my house.  Can you believe it?  I am inspired and encouraged that my personal suburban property can be a tropical paradise too!  There are no limits when creativity is permitted to flow. 

Thanks so much for joining me on my tour of the

DIAMOND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ROUGH!

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Creature Feature

Creature Feature...Wordless Wednesday...Arachnophobia!! 

No words necessary!

SHIVER!!!!

Purveyor of Poo

Last week, at the weekly farmer's market, I noticed a booth selling worm composters, worm castings, worm tea, etc.  Of course, I had to hustle over to see what was going on.  That's when I met Adina Lehrman, the Compost Gardener, otherwise known as the Purveyor of Poo.  What a priviledge!  Adina is a human treasure chest of information regarding composting and gardening.  We talked for quite a while about various ways of composting, the best method for specific situations, and her own personal composting experiences.  I could have talked to Adina for hours! 

As it happened, Adina had sold out of "Bunny Blessings".  However, she was very kind to invite me to her home so my garden wouldn't miss any time.  When my family and I arrived, Adina met us with a smile and happily showed us about her lush property.  We started in the driveway, surrounded by huge mature trees covered with bromelaids and undergrowth, proceded to the fantastic (and yummy) vegetable and fruit garden, which led to the bunny cages and composting piles, and finally to the water gardens that line Adina's front entry.  My head was spinning with the wealth of information and wonderful sites I was encountering!  This is my excuse for my extremely poor photography...most of my photos suffer from poor lighting (it was evening) and fuzzy details (I didn't take time to stop moving when I shot the pics...I was moving on so I wouldn't miss a thing!).  Lucky for me, Adina has an AWESOME website that I link to throughout this post so you can view her photos as well as read to your heart's content about her gardens and composting!

The first stop was the vegetable and fruit garden where we viewed the healthy plants and tasted their FANTASTIC produce.  My SON even ate raw veggies and liked it!!!  This is a big deal, just so you know!

Adina shows us her Amaranth and shares some with us to munch on.  It was wonderfully tastey!! 

Here's a long bean, but it's not that long, compared to...

........this red LOOOOOOOOONG bean!

My son couldn't eat enough of these!

This is the last stages of a Dragon Cactus bloom that will give way to Dragon Fruit!!!

Some of the other vegetables that Adina's summer garden houses is brocolli, asparagus, sweet potato, spinach, and eggplant.  Beautiful color!!

Some of the fruits in Adina's garden include loquat, passion fruit

blueberries and mango

 Acerola cherry, and pineapple.

Adina posts about her garden, what to grow, pests, etc. at length. 

You can read and see more at her website under the In the Garden category.

We moved on to the Rabbits.  Adina's rabbits are the generous hosts of "bunny blessings". 

They were also graciously rescued by Adina.  Cool, huh? 

This is where they live.

Of course, you can read more about Adina's bunnies at Manure Depot.

Obviously, the component that creates such a lush, successful garden is the compost that Adina adds to her soil.  There are several ways to compost, which Adina discusses on her website.  She also discusses the No Till No Dig way of gardening as well as lasagna layering.  You can add compost material directly to the top of your garden (i.e. mulch, straw, pine needles, banana peels, grass cuttings, etc.) or create compost.  Here's a few examples of Adina's compost bins...

 

This is what feeds Adina's soil!  She's one of the few Floridians without sandy soil,

thus her garden is rich and produces healthy, vitamin-rich vegetables.

It's not all work and no fun, though!  Adina has beautiful water gardens that line her front entry.  I took photos, but only one came out.  Luckily, Adina's website shows off her

 water gardens and beautiful golden Koi fish!

This is an example of one of the many fountains Adina created in her water gardens.  The moss covers the rock, naturally, and is at least an inch thich!  It's really cool!!!

Now, I'm not a vegetable gardener...yet!!  I love flowers. 

There were plenty to make me happy in Adina's landscape.

Here's one of the numerous epidendrum orchids Adina graciously gave to me.

And the bloom of the Chenille plant she sent home to grace my garden.

She also gave me some umbrella plant / papyrus cuttings.

More good news...Adina offers consulting services, which I may need in a month or so when I embark on my winter vegetable garden!  Although, ultimately, I strive to have rich dark soil like Adina's throughout my property.  As I continue to decrease the amount of lawn space and increase my garden/landscape space, I hope to layer in compost and nutrients that will transform my sandy corner into a rich, lush, tropical paradise!!

I was sincerely impresses and blessed by my visit with Adina!  She's an educated, kind, generous person who has a clear and sincere passion for her garden, composting, sustainable living, and , as her blog description says, "Embracing Our Independence With Nature"!  I hope you'll check out Adina's blog and leave her a message.  As for me, I'm happy to have met a new friend!