July in the Garden.........

July and August are not the favorite gardening months in central Florida - zone 9b.  Because of the heat and humidity, often too much or not enough rain, it can be quite difficult for both garden and gardener.  So far, my summer garden is looking better than some past years. But I am definitely looking forward to the time for our good fall season to begin.

 

I was pleased to find at least one bloom on this little salvia plant.

 

Over in the shady front corner I see a good bit of moss, you know how I love it, and it's always nice to have the resurrection fern green instead of dead-looking brown.

 

 

It can change to green in one day after a good rain.

 

 

 

In the same area of the garden is purple Persian shield which gets leggy because it doesn't get much sun at all, but it cannot take much sun at this time of year. It adds a bit of color to the mostly green side.

 

This week I noticed the shapes on the HUGE staghorn fern, high in a tree, also in all shade. Thought a close-up might be good for a change. Because it is so big I have to be far away when I picture the whole plant.

 

I took this picture out the window since I started this post. LOVE my dragonflies.

 

 

 

This was a great sight for me one morning this week. I knew that a nearby area had been the recipient of a lot of these Chinese beetles, hoping they will get rid of the much unwanted, air potato plants. That happened a year ago. I have talked on here about my next door neighbor's air potato "plantation" which makes it a real challenge for me not to have the same kind of "plantation". They are making his leaves look like a sieve so, I hope  it will be the answer. Just so they don't start eating my pretty chartreuse sweet potato vine too!

 

 

This is my newest plant. Saw it in Home Depot and loved the color, and the leaves which have the same pretty color stripe down the middle of a wonderful shade of green. It took me years to like any tropical plants. I guess that has changed.

 

The same blossom days later and in the sun instead of shade.

 

It is here just outside my front window in the tall pot. The pot had been sitting empty - another good excuse for buying one more plant!

 

 

Another discovery, this week - the developing pinecone ginger.  The cones have just now sprung up, long after the plants. And, I don't know how I had missed it in other years, but I didn't even know that they bloom like this! The cones eventually turn a pretty red.

 

 

The turkeys have been in my yard so much this week I thought I would include her here.

 

 

The same begonia plant that has been in the window box for years is still going strong.

 

 

I have been looking at this stem on the plectranthus plant, just outside on the window ledge, hoping to get a good picture of the hummingbird, that has come to it. No luck so far. You will be sure to see if I get a good sharp picture.

 

Well, I have included too many pictures again. And, my apologies to my Facebook friends who had already seen a couple of these pictures.  Since I am only posting once a week lately, maybe this many pictures is not too bad?

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