In Jo's Yard - 39 The Rain Lily

February 25 2019 – The Flatwood Plum trees have a few (very few) green leaves and some little white flowers.  I am glad they are showing signs of life!  I am looking forward to more!

February 28 2019 –  AT LAST after yesterday’s rain, I went out to get the morning paper.  I heard a lot of bird “ruckus” towards my backyard.  I walked to the corner of the house, hoping maybe birds were fighting over, or building a nest in my birdhouse.  I didn’t see any avian excitement.  I turned around to walk back and stopped dead in my tracks – there it was – a single beautiful white rain lily.  Fully formed, open, just gorgeous.  I was in awe!  Who could I tell?  I actually stood in my garden alternately gaping at this beautiful lily and looking down the street until I spot a neighbor, dog-walking, heading for home.  As soon as she approached and said good morning, I spilled out – I have my first rain lily! 

Rain lilies are a short-lived perennial flower and they are a threatened species in Florida.  Under the Endangered Species Act in the United States, "threatened" is defined as "any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range".  It is the less protected of the two protected categories. Rain lilies typically bloom in late winter to early summer, after a rain shower.  They prefer moist soil, but not saturated, and full sun to partial shade.  They are a hardy species and make for a nice mass planting – they can be mowed!  CAUTION- all parts of this plant are poisonous if eaten.

[No post on December 2, 2019 – Happy Thanksgiving to all]


                                                                     My first rain lily  

In Jo's Yard - 38 Pine Straw

It's February 12, 2019 – pine straw delivery day!  Our Villages Chapter of FNPS maintains the median strip at the entrance to the Lake Griffin State Park.  I joined TV-FNPS President Steve Turnipseed and member Roger Selch there to unload 60 bales of pine straw at Lake Griffin State Park.  At my house, 82 bales were delivered – 40 for my own yard and 42 for other TV-FNPS members.  I placed my 40 bales around the yard.  I had work scheduled 2:30AM-8:30AM – I don’t know when I will have the energy to spread the pine straw.  I wonder what I got myself into!  February 14, after working and going to Mystery Lovers Book Club, I try to spread one or two bales, then I am off to bed, exhausted.  Over the next week, I manage to spread 30 bales of pine straws, re-sell 6, and stack up the rest for future use.  Boy, that’s hard work I’m not used to, but it was manageable by doing a little at a time.  

                                            82 bales of pine straw in my driveway!

                                 Managed to spread some pine straw in my Privet Senna Corner

                                                       Back yard with fresh pine straw

In Jo's Yard - 37 Pine Straw and Coffee Grounds

In February 2019, I am expecting 40 bales of long leaf pine straw, ordered through my Villages’ Chapter of FNPS.  I did some yard work in preparation.  I spread two large bags of coffee grounds – one around each of my Flatwood plum trees.   I trimmed the Muhly grass, leaving about 4 inches from the ground and I did some weeding.  Another FNPS member gave me a trick for trimming the Muhly grass - gather up all the blades of one plant and wrap tight with a bungee cord.  Then it is easier to trim it evenly with the weed whacker or loppers.  
I feel like this MUST be Florida Spring now, because unwanted plants (aka weeds, aka right plant, wrong place) are popping up everywhere, seemingly overnight! 

I attended The Villages FNPS presentation on Feb. 22, 2019 on Practical Pruning by Nick Giancola of Green Isle Gardens and learned I really should cut the Muhly Grass back even more ….. so more came off 2 weeks later!

You can get large bags of coffee grounds from Starbucks for free.  In The Villages, the Starbucks on Sumter Landing Square has a basket in the breezeway with a “take for free” sign.  If the basket is empty, just ask inside.  Why coffee grounds, you ask?  Here’s a link to one website with a good explanation:  https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/ingredients/coffee-grounds-gardening.htm


                                          Muhly Grass in bloom in October 2018

Muhly Grass in bloom in October 2018 

Muhly Grass in February 2019

Muhly Grass, trimmed to about 2-4 inches 

In Jo's Yard - 36 Coral Honeysuckle

January 12, 2019  There is a GREAT EGRET in MY YARD!  So excited!  I rush inside to get my phone, but by the time I come out he has moved on to another yard.  Still, I’m hopeful that he will show up again!

The next week I spot two beautiful bluebirds in the front yard, around the flatwood plum trees and my glider. 

After a rainy Sunday, followed by working all night, and 4 hours sleep, I decide to spend some time out on the bench in the sun.  How delicious, gliding back and forth.  I glance at the trellis and bright coral flowers catch my attention!  Oh, the Coral Honeysuckle is really taking off now – six months after it was first planted!  Several strands are up and over the trellis.  The leaves are green and healthy looking and the flowers are stunning.  Yea!

Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera Sempervirens) is native to my part of Florida (Central / North Florida).  It requires rich, moist to dry soil and plenty of sun.  Hummingbirds visit the red tubular flowers and birds eat the small red berries in the fall.  It can be trained to grow up the trellis, or you can let it grow over trees and shrubs, or leave it grow along the ground as a ground cover.  Expect the best blooms if it is growing with the support of a trellis, tree or other plant.  It is a larval host for both the Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) and Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) butterfly.  I expect I will be cutting mine way back at the end of November, or in December.

              Six months after planting two small coral honeysuckle plants – it starts to take off!                                       

 
                         One year after planting two small Coral Honeysuckle plants!