Summer 2004

After a shaggy spring I finally managed to cut the grass up on top of The Hill over the July 4th holiday. It looked so nice I took a picture (this is looking north to south).

This is the same place on The Hill but a month later and looking in the opposite direction from south to north. The trees with the peeling red bark are 'Natchez' crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica). Click here for a large version (800x600).

A turn 90 degrees to the left from the above vantage point and you're looking west and past a small sinkhole full of cypress trees and oaks. By mid-July I still hadn't planted any flowers but I thought these tall fuzzy weeds looked pretty if you don't look too closely.

The dark clouds gathering over the swamp mark the edge of Hurricane Jeane as she passes south of the Big Bend.

By the end of summer it's cooled off and an autumn haziness hangs in the air. Just over the fence, and beyond the muscadine grape (Vitis rotundifolia) arbors running along the bottom of the photo, you can see big clumps of ballmoss (Tillandsia spp.) arranged up and down the trunk of a bald cypress tree (Taxodium distichum) that stands in the middle of neighbor JM's pond. Click here for a large version (800x600).

The wet and stormy Spring here in Florida's Big Bend proved to be a fitting prelude to what the summer would bring us. In July Tropical Storm Bonnie blew through the panhandle bringing a scare but fortunately not much damage. Next came Hurricane Charley in mid-August smashing into Florida's southwest coast and tearing across the state in a destructive fury. Orlando was hit and its beautiful Harry P. Leu Botanical Gardens suffered extensive damage. Another of my favorite places Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales was also hit by Charley, the first of three devastating storms that would stike that area over the summer.

My sister Lynn lives in Lake Wales and as luck would have it my niece Kara was to be married just a couple weeks after the storm. So at the end of August I drove to Lake Wales to find a devastated landscape of uprooted trees and damaged structures. It was heartbreaking. I didn't even take any pictures and just tried to ignore the damage because it was too sad. Happily though, my whole family had come to Florida. All of my brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews and even a brand new great nephew were here for the celebration. It was the first time we'd all been together in years and despite the destruction around us, everyone had a great time being together all at once.

Because of the storm damage in Lake Wales, we all stayed at a motel in nearby Winter Haven which avoided the heaviest damage. Even there though, the storm's effects lingered. Homeless cats roamed the area - some limping, others with bloody sores on their bodies and all hungry and frightened. I bought some little tins of cat food and sat them around the parking lot. I'm not sure that was a good thing to do or not because some cat fights broke out and I saw one poor guy throwing up and coughing like he had eaten too much too fast. I hope the animal welfare people found them before Francis and Jeanne arrived...

Gratuitous Baby Picture

This is my great nephew, (The Mighty) Quinn. He has hair and everything - isn't he a handsome little bruiser? I think I'm his favorite great uncle.

I don't know how they managed it with trees down, power outages and a big hole in the roof of their house but Lynn and husband Bob pulled off one of most beautiful weddings I've ever attended. Afterwards there was a big reception, with lots of fun music, great food and tasty wedding cake! Then everyone blew soap bubbles and cheered as we sent the happy couple off to their honeymoon and new lives. Congratulations to Kara and Brian!

On Sunday I hugged everyone goodby and climbed into the car for the ride back to Tallahassee. On the way out of town I drove past huge piles of tree branches (and whole trees) that lined every street. I drove out of Lake Wales on Scenic US 27 from where I could look up the hill to see the Bok Tower surrounded by the brown remains of huge oak trees that surround it. Saying goodbye after these family gatherings is always kinda sad and it was impossible to ignore the destruction. Whole forests were ripped apart and twisted into brown tangles, roofs were missing shingles, houses were missing roofs and trailer parks were missing trailers. The once neat rows of orange trees in the groves were scrambled and green citrus lay fermenting on the ground. Scrawny cattle wandered around soggy pastures looking hungry and sick from the ordeal. A wave of depression swept over me - not the kind where you cry and sob. The kind where you're just dazed and numb and even a donut and espresso hold no interest or appeal. Who could have imagined that Lake Wales would have to endure two more of these vicious storms before the summer ended. I wonder what happened to the cats at the motel and the sick cows in the flooded pasture and all of the people who lived in those houses that are now piles of rubble

My coral bean (Erythrina herbacea) bloomed this summer for the first time ever in the 10 years since I planted it - with its unusual leaves and spectacular flowers I think it was worth the wait. Click here for a large version (800x600).

... following the flowers it was also the first year for seeds. The scarlet coral beans are almost as showy as the flowers as they nestled in their jet black pods. (They're poisonous though, so don't plant around children.) Click here for a large version (800x600).

By the end of summer the seeds are just about ripe and in a few weeks will drop to the ground. Click here for a large version (800x600).

After seeing Charley's effects I assumed Frances was coming to wipe us out too. I resigned myself to the certainty that house, garden and plants would be destroyed. I took a last look around, a few goodby pictures and then it was time to evacuate. Since the hurricane shelters don't accept people with dogs I loaded up the computer, 3 Great Danes, one beagle and one good book into the car and headed for Bainbridge, Georgia. After paying a hefty non-refundable "pet deposit" we hunkered down to sit out the storm in an old (but sturdy) motel.

The dogs loved it and thought we were on vacation because they had pretzels, French fries and got to jump on the bed. What made it not a total bummer for me was that I had a fascinating book and now I had some time to read it! I haven't read a novel in years and was saving The DaVinci Code for when I could relax and enjoy it. It was such an exciting and fascinating book that I made it through two nights of storms and power outages with minimal discomfort and boredom. In fact I hardly yelled at the dogs at all even when they were rowdy and deserved it.

The happy ending is that by the time Frances hit our area it had weakened to a tropical storm. The center passed right over us and except for downed limbs and trees and some power outages our area sustained little damage when compared to damage done to Central Florida.

By the time Ivan appeared on the map I was completely not paying attention. I think I had "hurricane fatigue" because I spent the rest of the summer on autopilot. My brain was numb and exhausted - it was similar to the dazed feeling that followed 9/11. I emotionally retreated into the nerdosphere so I could learn some new technology and do some programming to distract myself from named weather events. Although I would emerge from my work from time to time to watch announcers blowing in the wind on the Weather Channel.

That was some summer!

A golden orb spider wove spectacular webs just outside the back door. Even though I don't much like spiders the webs were so impressively designed and magnificently executed that I permitted their existence despite their proximity. All of the hurricanes and storm totally wrecked them though every other week still the spider and her entourage of husbands-in-waiting always rebuilt it with days. Click to download a large version.

There are two rabbits that live in the yard that seem to think they're my pets or something. They were both babies this spring and had no fear as they hopped around me each evening being cute and adorable that they made me feel like St. Francis of Assisi.

In July I noticed that my desklamp was attracting lots of moths and bugs to my window at night. The little tree frogs noticed too and came by regularly to gorge feed on them. Over the course of an evening I'd watch their bellies grow bigger and pressing wider against the glass. This fellow scarfed up four of them in less than a minute - he was such a pig I took this picture (see the moth outline in his belly?). He should know that when it's "all you can eat" fluffy, filling foods (like moths and salads) should be avoided. If he'd dine on beetles instead he'd avoid bloating and premature fullness. Shortly after I took this picture all of my fat frogs disappeared (suspiciously several new, well fed looking snakes have been spotted recently). Now, in early October as I write this, a new frog just appeared on my window. He's really skinny but I plan to leave the light on for him...

In fact, just the other day I walked out back to move a sprinkler and there was this rabbit, just dripping attitude, staring and nibbling. I yelled "GIT" and he didn't move a muscle. I wasn't until I waved my arms and ran at him yelling "WHOOOOOOO" that he turned and casually hopped into the bushes. The stupid things are so brazen and arrogant that I expect it will not be long before a hungry hawk or coyote stops by for dinner and demonstrate to the bunnies that life is fleeting and one shouldn't eat Jack's radicalis palm.

Bubba admires the patch of orange cosmos that we planted a couple years ago. They've reseeded themselves since. The ones not blown over in the storms are more than 7 ft (2.1 m) tall. (See How to Create a Meadow Garden for info on putting in your own patch of wildflowers.

Twelve years ago I planted some seedling Hispaniola palms (Sabal domingensis) out in the field by the road. They grew slowly at first but in recent years they've grown to more than 6 ft high and will be growing a trunk in the next year or two. I planted some wax myrtles among them a couple years ago and now they're full of berries and beginning to provide cover that should attract more birds to that part of the yard.

I got tired of moving all of my potted nursery plants around each time a storm came so it seemed like a good time to plant some out in the yard so I wouldn't need to lug them around any more. In late July I planted a Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) out front that I had rooted a year ago. It survived summer's heat even had some flowers on it by mid-September - this is one rugged and beautiful shrub!

A few weeks later I planted three 'Miami' crapemyrtle trees (Lagerstroemia indica). In the center of them I planted a chaste tree all of which I had rooted just last year and both had bloomed already! Toward the front of the group I stuck in a colony of small agaves (Agave americana) and across the path heading down into the sinkhole I planted a trio of California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera) seedlings. If I'm lucky and take a little care this area will grow into a beautiful grove that will require minimal supplemental watering and little maintenance. It will also provide food and good cover for wildlife too and something pretty for me to look at!

I also planted about 30 of the California fan palm seedlings that I germinated last year out in several places around the yard. Some of these caught fungus too and were given the Clorox treatment. The lush tender leaves of those planted out in the front pasture were being devoured by by grasshoppers - I broke down and bought a can of all-in-one bug and disease spray for roses. After a few spritzes it appears that the grasshoppers are leaving them alone - hopefully the deer and bunnies will too.

'Indigo Spires' salvia (Salvia 'Indigo Spires') is a non-stop bloomer with handsome foliage and an easy going attitude. Click here for a large version (800x600).

A large colony of maypop vine (Passiflora incarnata) established itself up on The Hill. It's a popular butterfly hangout and Gulf fritallary caterpillars strip the foliage from the vines several times each season. This bee seems to like them too! Click here for a large version (800x600).

The devil's trumpet (Datura inoxia var. quinquecuspida) is also called downy thornapple because it's foliage is softly fuzzy and it's fruit is thorny (but not edible, in fact it's very poisonous!) Click here for a large version (800x600).

The canna or Indian shot (Canna edulis) has a spiny seed pod that resembles that of the devil's trumpet. Click here for a large version (800x600).

This is a head-on shot of the unripe seed pod (or "burr") of a cultivar of the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) called 'Little Gem' it is smaller in stature than the species with downsized flowers, leaves and pods - it's great for small yards! Click here for a large version (800x600).

This rudely shaped seed pod is produced by the hybrid saucer magnolia (Magnolia x soulangeana). They normally don't form seeds here, but one of them in particular is full of them this year. I'm not sure if they are viable or not - maybe I'll plant a few just to see what happens. Click here for a large version (800x600).

Some plants are just easy and dependable and require little from the gardener. The trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) and the cross vine (Bignonia capreolata) are two climbers that produce showy flowers for extended periods and both have attractive foliage as well that looks great climbing up pine trees or over trellises.

Some annual plants are so accommodating as (Impatiens wallerana) is now a bed of impatiens that returns each year a bit bigger and more beautiful. I love this plant and the way it fills a shady place with color with so little effort on my part.

In the back the woodies produced lots of flowers - bright orange from the pomegranate (Punica granatum) tree, brilliant orange from the firebush (), the banana yellow of the Jerusalem thorn (Parkinsonia aculeata) and pale yellow from an old oleander (Nerium oleander) bush. Montbretia (Crocosmia X crocosmiiflora) crowds scarlet and orange in a bed beneath the pomegranate trying to grab territory from it's neighbors: the reseeding annual scarlet Texas sage (Salvia coccinea) and the rugged perennial 'Black and Blue' salvia (Salvia guaranitica). This part of the yard is always busy with the comings and goings of hummingbirds and butterflies.

Out front on The Hill the crape myrtles had a second flush of flowers toward the end of July just as the pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus floridulus) began to bloom. The scrambling skyflower (Thunbergia battiscombei) bloomed most of the summer but the other skyflower (Thunbergia grandiflora) continues to be eaten by vermin. The angel trumpet (Brugmansia suaveolens ) has produced flushes of dozens of huge flowers throughout the summer as did it's cousin the devil's trumpet (Datura inoxia var. quinquecuspida) and both are still blooming now in mid-October! Next to these some blue glorybower (Clerodendrum ugandense) is blooming and below that is a mass of red Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) - which reminds me that I did plant some new stuff this spring but except for the periwinkle everything got eaten...

Nearby is where I compost the dog poop and garden waste. Over the years the pile has migrated slowly around the area leaving little islands of fertility scattered across otherwise barren sandy soils. The additional nutrients have sustained a self-seeding colony of sulfur cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus) and just across the pile both Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundiflora) and eggplants (Solanum melongena) have volunteered and bloomed all summer. Even with storms knocking them over all the time they just sprout again and deliver round after round of flowers!

In the same area, providing a cooling contrast, are clumps of 'Indigo Spires' salvia (Salvia 'Indigo Spires'). This non-stop bloomer produces long spiral spikes of purple blue flowers that butterflies like but that bees absolutely love. Pieces of stem easily root so I'm using this plant to fill in empty spaces around the garden. The attractive bluish green foliage makes a very pretty background for all the orange and yellow things I have growing nearby.

My whole place is pretty overgrown and messy right now but if you consider that these plants have been neglected and storm battered all summer it is incredible that they are not only alive but growing well and recovering beautifully - again!

Lawnchair

The bananas, cassava and angel trumpet and other stuff growing up in the Compost Pile garden are messed up from the storms and the place is overgrown and weedy. After I rest up in my chair for a while I plan to weed, trim, cleanup and mulch - then plant some more wildflower seeds. It's great to sit (and even work) in the garden again after such a long scary summer!

This summer we also launched our online mall called the Floridata Marketplace. [Update 2006: New shops are being added!] The advertising and Marketplace are how we fund our efforts and keep the site growing. If you like Floridata and want to help us succeed, I invite (beg) you to visit the Marketplace stores and shop (there's lots of pretty stuff to buy!)

Thank you for your visits, clicks and business. Please tell your friends about us and be good and grow! - Jack

10/13/04

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