A House From The 30's

The design of a house tells you when it was built. The balcony style and the coral rock surround of the front door were common in the thirties. Some of the new houses now use some bits of the old style here and there so they don't look like new comers.

Fall And Spring in One Day For a Mamey Tree

Before all of the old leaves are shed, the new leaves are popping out. The leaves shed quickly on mature trees. It gives me a chance to see were all of the fruit's hiding. This mamey is a grafted tree from a tree in Key West and it in tern was from Havana. The large fruit will be ripe in late summer. The small fruit will take another year before it's ripe.

Pink Cassia

Spring is still alive in south Florida. This tree will not give use any apples or plums, but it surely gives us beauty.

My Florida Forthysia

Your plant is Forsythia x intermedia (the x means that it is natural hybrid and not made by man). My forsythia is Oncidium sphacelatum. The orchid looks like a large bush with yellow flowers. Since the forsythia will not grow here I will use the orchid to give me a big yellow bush in the spring.


Here is a close up of the orchids. I started this plant in a four inch pot, but it took 40+ years to get it this big.

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden

The gardens palm collection is rated as one of the three major collections in the world. We have two very rare talipot palms in our front yard that I posted last year.

The Red Costus In Bloom

I posted this Costus on March 2, 08 when it was just starting to bloom. In that picture you can't even see a bud.
Now yellow flowers are starting to open. The red cone will keep growing all summer.

Another Green House

The front door doesn't look like it gets used used any more.


The side door is the one that invites you in. The house is covered with Ficus vine. The vine is mature and needs clipping almost as often as the grass. The mature leaves of the vine are course. But when it's trimmed the leaves stay immature and it looks much better.

Seedling Daylily

The daylily thrives in temperate areas. We can grow some of them that have been selected for Florida. But very few people bother to grow them in our area. They need extra water to get through the dry winter. This is the darkest one in our garden.

Earth Day April 22 2008

This greenhouse is just starting. The vine on the house is a type of ficus (yes Ficus as in a large tree). If not trained, the vine could cover the house in 10 years. With careful trimming this house will have green walls that never need painting. It's good for the environment but very hard on the pocketbook.

Ground Cover

We have rules, oh do we have rules. Now if you use a landscape architect you must have a specific percentage of trees and shrubs in your yard. The owners can have as much grass in the landscape as they please. The city is trying to minimize grass. We have rules on the times that grass can be watered.

Dealing With The Roots

This big Ficus tree is a beauty, but the roots are an ongoing problem. A few years ago the sidewalk was repaired due to the roots of the tree.

This water pipe is pushed up from the roots that are under ground. Now some roots look like that they are tyring to shove the pipe back into the ground.

Anhinga or Cormorant, Warming Up and Drying Out

The Anhinga tends to prefer salt water and the Cormorant likes fresh water. These three birds are drying out in a branch above a brackish pond in the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.

The City Golf Course

The course has nine holes. But it has trees that will make you remember your day on the greens.

This Waterlily Blooms All Year Around

For two nights we had temperatures in the 50's. While the waterlilies thrive, the lotus are having a hard time.

A Coconut With Problems

A coconut palm has only one point of growth. That's why a coconut palm will never branch. If something damages that growth point the palm will die. This palm is trying to recover from damage. If it grows much more, the weight will cause a brake of the new growth from the old trunk.

Give Me a Name

Sure I know what it is, but do you? It is normally seen as a house plant. But I grow it in my trees.

In The Neighborhood

Friends of ours lived in this house for 35 years. It was just a house, but the people inside were special. Now that they moved away, I realize that the house is pretty nice.

Avocado and Mango

I have never had an avocado from our trees this late in the season nor a mango so early. The avocado is a 'Monroe' and it is a late maturing clone. It's normally ripe from October to early December. The mango is a Carrie and it ripens early, but early is meant to be mid May. I am not complaining.

Intruders

These iguanas are not natives and they are taking over the warm parts of our state. This picture was captured at Fairchild Garden. The iguanas are vegetarian's and the garden has plenty food. My yard has not been invaded yet, but the day is coming.

Venetian Pool

This public pool has an entrance area for people in wheel chairs - note the fence on the right. Behind that is a shallow area for toddlers. When I was young that area was not shallow. I know, because that's where I took Red Cross swimming classes and I am still a lap swimmer.

A Pond at Fairchild

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has many ponds and they are all brackish. The water has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater.

Cattleya skinneri 'Pastel'

This orchid is not the regular jungle species. I have a collection of improved Cattleya shinneri orchids. They bloom from February to April.

As Seen in Google Earth

Google Earth has taken movies of some cities and greater Miami is one of those cities. So naturally I tried to find my street. This is the only house on our street that I could recognize on Google Earth. Google Earth looked great, but not when I used it. I'm sure it will improve quickly. My biggest problem is that it will not work in Linux.

One Spooky Night

Last night about 11PM a squall hit us. I heard the sound of a large branch beginning to brake, not a pretty sound. And then the thud as it fell to the grown. Was it the large poinciana or one of the avocados? This morning I found this large branch from our old oak. At first it looked like a healthy branch.

Here you can see that it was rotting inside of the branch. Than termites that eat only wet and decomposing wood started to eat the center of the trunk. Most of the old oaks have some termites. Not to worry, this termite does not come into homes.

Ficus On The Road

This large branch fell on the road in the middle of last night. The timber blocked the road, and someone wrapped a yellow ribbon around the broken branch(the kind that has a warning 'do not enter'). But when I came back by at 9:30AM the trunk was sawed up and off the road. At 10:30 someone was having a party across from that tree. If you look closely at the trunk you will notice the rotted areas. The party giver is lucky that it didn't fall during the party.

More Water

This button wood tree is shedding last years leaves and next week it will be green with new growth. We totally skipped winter. This pond at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is brackish. That means half salt water and half fresh water.

Red bromeliad

I guess that you could call it a perennial. It's in the same genus as the pineapple.

Same Bird But Now Vicious

At Fairchild he is a thing of beauty. But in the neighbors pond he is a vicious killer. In one week he ate all of there koi and gold fish. Now he's looking for the little ones. When the neighbors scare the bird away, it comes to our lily pond. I have a water sprinkler that waters any thing that moves around my pond and is good for scarring the bird away. So far I still have most of my fish.

This Water Contains Fish

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is near the bay and has many brackish ponds. The bird is majestic and he is here for a meal.

The Gulf of Mexico Side of Key Largo

Water Theme

For 30+ years we watched the sunset on week ends. Every thing would stop and we all gathered at the water side and watched the colors change. This is now for the next generation. They are really lucky, they live there full time. We still visit them and the best part is that I don't have to cut the lawn. And I can play with the our grandson.

Other City Daily Photo blogs participating in the theme are listed below:

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Adelaide, Australia by Gordon, Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen, American Fork (UT), USA by Annie, Anderson (SC), USA by Lessie, Ararat, Australia by Digger, Arradon, France by Alice, Ashton under Lyne, UK by Pennine, Athens, Greece by Debbie, Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar, Austin (TX), USA by LB, Bandung, Indonesia by Guntur Purwanto, Barton (VT), USA by Andree, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Paja, Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro by Bibi, Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA, Bicheno, Australia by Greg, Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah, Boston (MA), USA by Fenix - Bostonscapes, Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre, Brighton, UK by Harvey, Brookville (OH), USA by Abraham, Budapest, Hungary by Zannnie and Zsolt, Budapest, Hungary by Isadora, Canterbury, UK by Rose, Cape Town, South Africa by Kerry-Anne, Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff, Chateaubriant, France by Bergson, Cheltenham, UK by Marley, Chicago (IL), USA by b.c., Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle, Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish, Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic, Cypress (TX), USA by Riniroo, Dallas/Fort Worth (TX), USA by A Wandering Soul, Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01, Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow, East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide, Evry, France by Olivier, Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie, Greenville (SC), USA by Denton, Grenoble, France by Bleeding Orange, Guelph, Canada by Pat, Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady, Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi, Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Haninge, Sweden by Steffe, Helsinki, Finland by Kaa, Hobart, Australia by Greg, Hyde, UK by Old Hyde, Inverness (IL), USA by Neva, Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon, Jakarta, Indonesia by Santy, Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005, Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait, Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria, Juneau (AK), USA by Gwyn, Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin, Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine, Lake Forest Park (WA), USA by Azure, Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale, Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo, Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl, Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João, Lodz, Poland by ritalounge, London, UK by Mo, London, UK by Ham, Mainz, Germany by JB, Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan, Marseille, France by Alex, Mazatlan, Mexico by Kate, Melbourne, Australia by John, Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo, Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart, Menton, France by Jilly, Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol, Mexico City, Mexico by Poly, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg, Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch, Minsk, Belarus by Olga, Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith, Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly, Montego Bay, Jamaica by Ann, Monterrey, Mexico by rafa, Moscow, Russia by Irina, Mumbai, India by Magiceye, Mumbai, India by MumbaiiteAnu, Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia, Nancy, France by yoshi, Naples (FL), USA by Isabella, Nashville (TN), USA by Chris, Nelson, New Zealand by Meg and Ben, New Orleans (LA), USA by steve buser, New York City (NY), USA by Ming the Merciless, Niamey, Niger by Dinabee, Norfolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Norman (OK), USA by Chad & LaCresha, Norwich, UK by Goddess888, Nottingham, UK by Gail's Man, Odense, Denmark by ania odense, Omsk, Russia by Nataly, Orlando (FL), USA by OrlFla, Oslo, Norway by Lothiane, Paderborn, Germany by Soemchen, Paris, France by Eric, Paris, France by Gordio, Pasadena (CA), USA by Can8ianben, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia by Murphy_jay, Pilisvörösvár, Hungary by Elise, Pont-à-Mousson, France by Tintin-j, Port Angeles (WA), USA by Jelvistar, Port Elizabeth, South Africa by Sam, Port Townsend (WA), USA by raf, Port Vila, Vanuatu by Mblamo, Portland (ME), USA by Corey, Portland (OR), USA by NWgal, Portsmouth (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Prague, Czech Republic by Honza03, Quincy (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston, Riga, Latvia by Prokur, Rotterdam, Netherlands by Ineke, Saarbrücken, Germany by LadyDemeter, Saigon, Vietnam by Simon, Saint Louis (MO), USA by Strangetastes, Saint Paul (MN), USA by Kate, Salem (OR), USA by jill, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by Eric, Salt Lake City (UT), USA by atc, San Diego (CA), USA by Felicia, San Francisco (CA), USA by PFranson, Seattle (WA), USA by Chuck, Seattle (WA), USA by Kim, Seguin (TX), USA by Thien, Selma (AL), USA by RamblingRound, Sequim (WA), USA by Eponabri, Sesimbra, Portugal by Aldeia, Setúbal, Portugal by Maria Elisa, Shanghai, China by Jing, Sharon (CT), USA by Jenny, Singapore, Singapore by Keropok, Sofia, Bulgaria by Antonia, St Francis, South Africa by Sam, Stavanger, Norway by Tanty, Stayton (OR), USA by Celine, Stockholm, Sweden by Stromsjo, Stouffville, Canada by Ken, Subang Jaya, Malaysia by JC, Suffolk (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Sunshine Coast, Australia by bitingmidge, Sydney, Australia by Nathalie, Sydney, Australia by Sally, Székesfehérvár, Hungary by Teomo, Tacloban City, Philippines by agnesdv, Terrell (TX), USA by Bstexas, Terrell (TX), USA by Jim K, The Hague, Netherlands by Lezard, Tokyo, Japan by Tadamine, Toruń, Poland by Torun Observer, Toulouse, France by Julia, Turin, Italy by Livio, Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina by Jazzy, Twin Cities (MN), USA by Slinger, Victoria, Canada by Benjamin Madison, Vienna, Austria by G_mirage2, Virginia Beach (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Wailea (HI), USA by Kuanyin, Washington (DC), USA by Rachel, Wassenaar, Netherlands by Rich, Wellington, New Zealand by Jeremyb, West Paris (ME), USA by crittoria, West Sacramento (CA), USA by Barbara, Weston (FL), USA by WestonDailyPhoto, Williamsburg (VA), USA by ptowngirl, Willits (CA), USA by Elaine, Yardley (PA), USA by Mrlynn,