Additions to the Butterfly Garden

Now that Florida's much anticipated rainy season is in full swing, the garden and new immature additions have really come to life!  Even watering daily with well water does not compare to natural rain water, and my garden is proof of that.  And since new additions do not have to struggle in drought conditions, I thought it would be a great time to add to the butterfly garden.  Woo Hoo!!!!

Of course, I went straight for the Buddleia davidii 'Pink Delight'. 

It's a hard one to pass up with it's lovely cherry fragrance

and pretty pink flowers with bright orange throats. 

Spectacular!

Aptly named "Butterfly Bush", this shrub attracts both butterflies and hummingbirds alike...that's what I'm counting on!!  Some gardeners think it a little unruly, but I enjoy it's natural, gracefully arching branches tipped with large bloom spikes. 

It can grow to 8 feet tall and 4 feet wide, so I've given it plenty of room to sprawl. 

I also decided on a young Cat Whiskers. 

It's exotic blooms are what lured my attention. 

The blooms boast extra long stamens that resemble cat whiskers. 

Officially named Orthosiphon aristatus,

this flowering shrub is actually a member of the mint family. 

It is a fast grower, reaching heights of 3-4 feet tall

and up to 3 feet wide. 

The best part?!?! 

Both butterflies and hummers like this one too! 

Although not a member of the butterfly garden, another new addition to my landscape is a young Jatropha.  It is planted further down the front fence row between two sabal palms.  I like the cheerful, bright red flower clusters against the interesting shape of evergreen leaves.

Jatropha is a genus that includes over 175 varieties of succulents, plants and trees. 

They are drought tolerant and....attract both butterflies and hummingbirds!!! 

Giddy up!

Back to the butterfly garden, 

there's always something to see. 

I spotted this pretty fellow a couple of weeks ago.

I believe this is a Tersa Sphinx Hummingbird Moth caterpillar.  His head is pulled in, enlarging its eye spots. 

This guy thoroughly enjoyed munching on a Penta plant.

The Black and Blue Salvia has recovered from whatever found it delicious about a month ago.  The tropical milkweed, on the other hand, was not photo worthy due to the endless Monarch caterpillar appetite.  Then again, that is the reason I included it in the garden.  It's a food source, not necessarily to look pretty.

The red Porterweed is a constant magnet for Gulf Fritilary, Queen and Monarch butterflies.

They can't seem to resist the pretty little red blooms.

They enjoy the Clarodendrum too!

This particular kind of Clarodendrum

(C. speciosissimum, Java Glory Bower) 

from the Verbena family grows up to 6 feet tall 

and is a cherished ornamental.  

More exotic looking whiskers,

although not nearly as long as the Cat Whiskers.

Now for the strange and unusual,

because there is typically something odd going on around here.

One of my Azaleas is blooming in the dead heat of summer.

Here's the proof.  Bizarre! 

It's been in bloom now for about 2 weeks.

I thought Azaleas only bloom in the spring.

The leaves weren't looking very well.  In fact, most of the original growth died back and tons of new growth sprang to life along with these pretty little blooms.  Since this is my first time having Azaleas (I didn't have the correct light conditions in my previous home), I really don't know what to expect. 

Comments, suggestions and experience are very welcome!!

Now for some bad news.

If you can't tell what this is, look closely and you will see an orchid flower spike that has been chewed off.  You can only imagine my fury!  Especially when I found the culprit...

This lubber was found only a short distance away

munching on yet another orchid. 

I had no choice but to take care of this situation.

I lost my beloved Vanda bloom spike

even before it had a chance to bloom,

but at least this wonderful Queen Emma

bouquet was spared!!!

This particular Crinum Lily is blooming on the other side also!!

I wish I could bottle this fragrance and wear it every day!

The rains have brought more than beautiful blooms

to my Garden in Paradise.

The pond is finally full again and the new dock

is where we can be found most every evening.

It really is Paradise,

and I'm so very thankful every day!

Progress Report - No Macros This Time!

I've been terribly negligent with my blog these days.  A new job and the start of the rains (which translates to  weeds that turn into trees overnight if left unattended) has left little time for blogging.  I've managed to snatch a little bit of time...not sure where it came from but I'm not going to question the gift! 

For the sake of journaling progress, I thought I'd take a detour from my usual macro celebration of blooms and focus on the broader landscape.  Having spent the last 7 months clearing the property and planting new, "prettier" specimens (albeit small and immature), the view is quite different from when we first moved in last fall.  Of course, the landscape was quite full after the rainy season at that time, and the current photos show the property in the middle of a severe drought.  Nevertheless...

The front of the house the day we purchased it.

The front and side yards from the driveway entrance.

The view of the pond from the side of the house. We could hardly see the neighbors across the street!

This view of the pond is from the front looking toward the backside of the property.

This is what I call the front side yard. The pond is to the right in this photo.

This view is from the far front side corner looking back at the house. 

The pond is to the left, although not shown in this shot.

This is the back of the house, where the pool will go, hopefully next year.

This is the view from the front of the house looking out into the front yard.  The pond and side yard are to the right of this view and the property entrance/shed are to the left.  This space was cleaned up and pruned, and has become the "Bromeliad Island".

Here is the view of the property as you enter through the front gate. 

We still do not have a driveway, which is on the 2012 plan.

Finally, this is how the property looked from the outside corner. 

The "front side yard" is on the other side of this overgrown fence row. 

Although pretty and lush, most of the shrubs and tree pictured here

are highly invasive.  Beside the fact that they

hide the beautiful native Sabal Palms and Slash Pines.

Following are photos of the property in it's current state,

before the rains (parched dust bowl!),

but mostly cleared of nasty, aggressive weeds and trees.

This is the outer corner, cleared of all invasive trees, shrubs, and nasty thorny vines.

It will be replaced with a native ground cover such as beach sunflower. 

Young bushes (Firebush, Hibiscus, Ligustrum and a Mango tree)

have been planted on the other side of the fence

that will mature into an attractive, Florida Friendly hedge. 

This view shows the newly erected dock that will be just at water level after a few weeks of rains, believe it or not. (To date, the water has already reached the first posts of the dock!)  Notice the fence row at the back side of the property - you can actually see the fence and the neighbor behind.  Although too small to notice in this picture, the right side of this photo is the "edible" area where the veggie gardens are housed along with pineapple and citrus trees (Ponderosa lemon and naval orange - the bananas died but will be replaced).  The backside of the pond, along the fence, is the future home for a lovely weeping Bottlebrush tree.  The back corner of the pond will feature a mulberry tree.

Looking at the property from the front entrance,

I've cut out various garden spaces, primarily around existing tree clusters. 

As these spaces mature and grow, they will fill in nicely,

creating natural walking paths rambling throughout the property,

in between the flower beds.

This is the "Bromeliad Island" which also houses numerous orchids. 

The Island is the first garden space you see as you leave the house. 

This is the front side of Bromeliad Island, as seen from the street.

This fence was not visible before.  We've cleared and cut,

leaving a clean fence row, and planted young flowering bushes and shrubs,

all Florida Friendly, of course. 

Once mature, the fence will diminish amidst the evergreen foliage

and bright blooms of Shrimp Plant, Firebush, Cassia, Powderpuff, and Hibiscus.  

This section of fence row is directly in front of the house

and is home to the newly formed Butterfly Garden 

as well as a nicely groomed Saw Palmetto stand

featuring a sea of Caladiums (at least it will be a "sea" in a year or two

after the bulbs multiply and I add another 2 dozen or so). 

As with the other garden spaces, I expect this area to mature

and grow wider, naturally reducing the amount of lawn but leaving 

rambling pathways to meander through the garden.  

The Butterfly Garden includes Milkweed, Black and Blue Salvia,

Clerodendrum speciosissimum, Ruellia, Pentas and red Porterweed.  

This is a broad view of the front side yard after clearing the fence row of weeds, unwanted trees and stumps.  The foundation for the yard is made up of native Slash Pines and Sabal Palms with a couple of Saw Palmetto stands (also native).  Beauty Berry and Lantana grow freely as well, but were victims of the clearing process since it was very difficult to discriminate during the clean up.  However, they are growing back with ease and will help naturalize the new plants and garden spaces. 

Following is an incomplete list of specimens I have added to the landscape thus far:

Crinum Lily, Plumbago, various Bromeliad / Tillandsia, Agave, Devil's Backbone / Slipper Flower, Croton, Frangipani / Plumeria, various succulents, Ti Plants, Azalea, Staghorn Fern, Birds Nest Fern, Yucca, various Orchids including terrestrial orchids, Heliconia, Angelonia, Mexican Heather, Caladiums, Milkweed, Salvia, Clerodendrum, Pentas, Ruellia, Porterweed, Hibiscus, Cassia, Queen Palms (from seed), Night Blooming Cereus, Firecracker Plant, Costus Ginger, Powderpuff, Cape Honeysuckle, Dwarf Poinciana, Firebush, Mango, White Bird of Paradise, Orange Bird of Paradise, Xanadu, Purple Queen, Crossondra, Pencil Cactus, Ligustrum, Iris, Canna, Elephant Ear, Aloe, Bougainvillea, Black Eyed Susan Vine, Amaryllis, Rain Lily, Easter Lily, Agapanthus, Spider Lily, various Day Lily, Liriope, various Bamboo, Pineapple, Ponderosa Lemon, Naval Orange, Mulberry, Passion Vine, Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata), Mission Fig, and Ponytail Palm.

  This is a big list. 

However, it's just the beginning, as I am a hopeless

collector, hoarder, plantaholic, etc.  I have a long wish list!  

Finally, BIG NEWS!!! 

Gina, one of our hens, has started laying eggs!! 

Here's her first egg at 5 months old.

She's laying one per day right now, and we're still waiting on Penny. 

Cameron, the unexpected rooster,

has started to find his voice and is crowing more consistantly now.

They enjoy their days finding as many bugs as possible

and are quite effective in our war against the lubbers. 

I found them romping about the dry, grassy pond bank in this photo.

So, progress continues in my ever-developing Garden in Paradise!!