Where the Wild Things Are!

Where the Wild Things Are! 
What a fantastic children's story written by Maurice Sendak.

As a child, I was fascinated by this story of a little boy's adventure into the wild forest after being sent to his room for causing mischief.  The rebellious little boy, Max, sailed into the wilderness and to the land where the wild things are.  They were terrible fearsome beasts whom Max tamed by staring into their eyes without blinking.  They made him king of the wild things!  But Max became lonely and homesick so he sailed back home. Upon awakening from his dreamy adventure, he was greeted by a warm supper, proving that he's loved even when he's ill behaved.

What does this walk down memory lane and children's literature have to do with gardening?  Well, it reminds me of untamed wild flowers, of course, which I've spotted quite a bit of lately. 

So let the wild rumpus begin!!

 

This Indian Blanket Flower, or Gaillardia,
populates the fields around my house, as well as my personal garden.

White Star Sedge - this lines my roadside.

Bidens Spanish Needle

Cassia Fasciaculata (mimosa)

Here it is close up...beautiful, isn't it?

Here's a white version.

www.ecoyardfarming.com via flickr

This is Blue Flag Iris. 

(My photo turned out very blurry so I've borrowed this one courtesy of www.ecoyardfarming.com via flickr)

I LOVE this one!!!

Tickseed

I think this is wild azalea?  It lines my roadside and is really pretty!

NOPE...not wild azalea, but Tarflower Bejaria racemosa...thankyou Nell Jean!

Echinacea, or Purple Coneflower is native to Florida.
This one grows in my garden as well as my roadside.

Creeping Ox Eye

Fleabane

This is a close up of a Prickly Pear blossom with a bee inside.

Salvia Rubra - this is a macro shot of the tip of a red salvia.

Puncture Weed

I have absolutely no idea what this pretty posey might be...any takers?!

Thank you Myamuhnative and Lotusleaf for providing the identity to this Pink Porterweed!

How 'bout this pretty white unknown?

And while you're at it, does anyone know what this one is?

At least I know what this one is...

Blue eyed Grass

And this one too...

Rattlebox

The next two are Tassle Flowers

This WILD THING fits right in!!

Now This is Progress!

PROGRESS...

Pronunciation: \ˈprä-grəs, -ˌgres, US also & British usually ˈprō-ˌgres

Movement, as toward a goal; advance.

Development or growth

To continue onward in course;

to proceed; to advance;

to go on;

to make headway;

PROGRESS!

Please check out what else is blooming at
 Katarina's Blooming Friday and Maia's Macro Saturday!

Making a Comeback!

It's a topic that won't go away...the cold snap that swept across Florida with little regard for the tender tropicals that are unaccustomed to such low temperatures for more than a couple of days at a time.  We don't want to think about the cold air, the frozen moisture covering our precious plants, or the dull shades of brown left behind in our typically colorful landscapes.  We've painstakingly cut back the obvious carnage and kept a hopeful, watchful eye for any sign of new growth. 

I was rewarded today as I strolled through my garden looking for new signs of life!  One of my bottle palms has opened a new green leaf!

This dwarf canna is sending up new shoots.

The mango tree not only came through the freeze unscathed, it is preparing to bloom!

And my beloved bananas are showing positive signs of recovery!!

In addition to the Orange Jasmine, Star Jasmine, Meyer Lemon, Ponderosa Lemon and Carolina Jasmine displaying full blooms, the navel oranges are almost ripe!

The Brown Turkey Fig is sending out new growth...

Both of the Coconut Palms are sending out new healthy leaves.

I scored with this new addition that I obtained today while out for a walk...it had been left out with the trash!  Lucky Day!!

This frost bitten crinum has two new pups along with a lovely flower bud!

And this other crinum is in full bloom!

I'm still holding out hope for this sad bottle palm...it's still sporting a little bit of green.

And this firebush made my day when I found the new growth!!  I thought it was lost for sure!!!  My friend, Florida Girl (Valley in Paradise) reassured me that it would probably be ok...and she was right!!!  Woo Hoo!!!

To top things off, I recieved my first Territorial Seed Company catalog in the mail today.  They have these fantastic fuschia "Gum Drop" and brilliant "Coral Reef" echinacea plants that I feel must become part of my landscape!  Amazing, aren't they?

Finally, take a moment to check your calendar...February 6th is the Growing Green Festival in Stuart, FL from 12 noon-5pm!  Central Florida Gardener writes, "This free indoor-outdoor event features presentations, activities, resources, living plants, great food, horse manure, live music and even an award-winning Sundance Film Festival movie about dirt (http://www.dirtthemovie.org/).


You can find all the details on Central Florida Gardener's blog: http://centralfloridagardener.blogspot.com/2010/01/growing-green-festival-buffy-at-green.html .

You can also click here for a festival flyer!
www.greenpathsflorida.org/GrowingGreenFestival6February.pdf
I'll definitely attend! Let me know if you're going!!