Spring 2015 Has Officially Sprung.......

..........I have been working so many hours in the garden, trimming, raking, planting, pulling up ground cover, moving things around and more. While there are many things yet to do (isn't there always?) it is past time to show a little of it on here. We do have more spring-like happenings here in central Florida than you might think.

 

In the last few weeks the Bridal Wreath Spirea has gone from bare branches to green leaves and many buds and a few open flowers.  Two weeks from now it will be almost a white bush.

 

 

I love the tiny buds and clusters of small flowers.

 

 

A seldom noticed shooting forth of spring. 

 

 

This Tillandsia (air plant) fell out of a tall tree about two years ago and I put it here in the almond Aloysia tree.  It was much smaller but has grown and recently sent forth the long green shoot. Actually I think they do this at other times of the year too but it has the look of spring.

 

 

This ginger plant looks the same year round but it is here in an area where I recently did many hours of cleaning.  The last post was quite colorless so I am including it here to provide more color.

 

 

It certainly does that.

 

 

 

Just a little to the left a small portion of the much cleaner looking area. The big area had gotten too thick with plants and also lots of leaves and some small debris that had fallen from trees.

 

 

 

 

And, continuing on to the left I uncovered this bromeliad.

 

 

And, this one.

 

 

And, another kind, none of which were visible before.

 

 

One more.  Bromeliads have never been a favorite of mine but they do put some color into shady places.

 

 

I was beginning to wonder if the crepe myrtle that I moved from a pot into the ground in the fall was dead. They are deciduous and this one was a slender trunk about seven feet tall with no leaves. This one low branch became green and then..... 

 

......... the very top two feet started sprouting leaves. 

 

 

This Easter cactus is right on time - should be blooming full by Easter.  It is amazing to me that the Christmas ones bloom for Christmas and this one at Easter. They are all here in pots outside. Treated exactly the same way in the same environment! No buds on the two Christmas ones.

 

 

I happened to look up this week and noticed the aforementioned almond tree is full of blooms.

 

 

They smell so good.

 

 

I have periwinkles, two shades of pink and these white ones, blooming most of the year. I love the white ones best. I let them live wherever they come up.

 

 

And last for this post - a potted basil plant with blooms worthy of a photograph.

 

 

 

 

O. K. one more picture. I have a good bit of moss, green and Spanish, lichen and see a few wild mushrooms from time to time.  I may do another post on just these a little later.

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