.........We will complete the tour around my house today and see mostly the back yard. You will be looking at a lot of green. First I wanted to show you this mystery blossom.........
The bench in this collage is just to the right and a few steps forward of where I stood to take the above picture. The mushrooms are under and around the bench. Here is a sure sign of plenty of rain. I find mushrooms (toadstools??) interesting.
On the right is my native bay (magnolia) tree. We are following a path that circles the backyard. It has lost its definition and needs to be remulched - always more time, money and work needed!!!
This is on the right as we take a left turn. The big plant behind the bench is a wild coffee plant. I have many of those back here. The red berries (beans?) are nice at Christmas time.
If we walked straight up the left edge of this photo we would be back where we began with the mushrooms. And walking up the stone path leads to the back door.
What is mysterious about it is the color. I planted only one agapanthus here and for years it has had nice blue blossoms. But the first to bloom this year is this white one - snow white! How did that happen? I have other buds opening and they are obviously going to be blue.
I have now moved to the side street at the very back of my property looking towards the area of the first picture in Update 1. Up among the clump of trees where the sidewalk curves and goes around the front of the house is the arbor, sideways tree, etc. I thought this shot would give you an idea of the depth of my property. There is a strip of grass about six feet wide between this sidewalk and the street. I have a lot of edging to do - all this plus across the front and one side of my driveway.
Now, looking into the yard down the street from the bench is this huge old stump of a camphor tree. It continues to send up sprouts which I keep trimming to keep low. I do not need another big tree back here. Notice the clumb of grass to the right which is my lemon grass.
Now you see part of the lemon grass to the left and in the middle is ginger and a planting of birdhouses. There is a third house directly beyond the smaller tree trunk. There are several more gingers coming up and will fill in more of this area.
This picture is out of order so we are back to a close up of the lemon grass.
A view across the back yard close to where mine and my backyard neighbors property meets. We will be walking up a trail towards the purple chair.
On the right is my native bay (magnolia) tree. We are following a path that circles the backyard. It has lost its definition and needs to be remulched - always more time, money and work needed!!!
I turned the camera almost straight up so you could get an idea of how tall the trees are.
In the top left is a cardboard palm, next is Waldo and his house, a ginger and some violets.
I keep hoping these two plants will spread and cover up more sand back here. I see little clumps of each here and there but they seem to be taking their time growing.
Walking forward and looking to the right.
Straight ahead is the end of my yard and the beginning of my side neighbors totally uncleared area. This is not a pretty picture but I am trying to show it all. In this corner is where the faries hang out.
In another couple of weeks this bare ground and that in most other areas will be covered with Florida basket grass. It is a weed but I love it! It grows very low to the ground and is a much better look than bare sand. Actually, I dumped some potting mix here and this spot doesn't look like sand. I can edge the basket grass along the path. Unfortunately, it disappears in the fall and is slow coming back.
On around the corner is this one. He is evidently planning an herb garden.
Just to the left of the reading fairy is where the purple chair, which is usually pictured from a distance, is located. In the background here you can see a small patio, table and chairs. If we walked straight we would pass by the west end of my house. I dug every bit of it up all the way to the front end of the house. This is where most of my blooming plants, rose bushes, raised beds, etc. are. That side gets more sun.
This is on the right as we take a left turn. The big plant behind the bench is a wild coffee plant. I have many of those back here. The red berries (beans?) are nice at Christmas time.
To the left and in the middle of the backyard is all this ground cover. It is a sweet potato vine and beyond is a solid patch of Jerusalem Artichoke which should get tall and bloom by late fall. Beyond that is another ground cover with yellow flowers. I forget the name of that one. It just might meet up with my weed whacker soon. It is getting a little taller than what I like for ground cover. This area is prone to flooding and about two or three times a year there will be standing water for a few days - one reason for not having grass the other reason is too much shade.
If we walked straight up the left edge of this photo we would be back where we began with the mushrooms. And walking up the stone path leads to the back door.
I hope you enjoyed another stroll through my garden. I don't know about you but I am tired! I promise my next post will be something from the inside or maybe inside the back porch. As I sat here at my computer I saw a car stop out front, a young boy get out and walk into my driveway and pick up a huge turtle and loaded it into their car. Doggone! Maybe I would like him in my garden! I see several kinds of wildlife here. I am sure my garden would qualify to be a wildlife refuge. I should check into getting it designated as one.
