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Spanish Needle with seeds Photo Credit Wie146 / CCSA  2.5 / Wikimedia

(For all my Christian readers, this is tongue-in-cheek. I'm not a Christian, but I was for most of my life and respect the Christian religion. Please don't get all bent out of shape about it.)

I spent some time weeding the past couple of days, and I have come to two conclusions:

1) Spanish needle is the most noxious weed on earth
2) I am totally justified in not worshipping a God who would create Spanish Needle.

I'm now totally convinced that there cannot be a God, or if there is, he isn't a gardener. No gardener would ever invent Spanish Needle (Bidens pilosa).  This weed is so invasive, it's not even funny.  The yard next door to me is taken over by it, and it spread into my yard from there. The seeds cling to your clothes and you carry them everywhere with you.  Broadleaf weed killers won't touch established plants, and larger older plants take several applications of Roundup to die.  Doesn't matter, because it will leave 100 seedlings in its wake.

There are good things about Spanish Needle, but not enough to justify having it in your yard, especially since it grows in abundance in weedy areas.  The tender young leaves are edible as a pot herb.  They don't taste very good, but if you're starving, you won't ever die in the Florida wilderness as long as you have a way to cook it. It takes quite a while to gather enough for even one helping, though.  Butterflies and bees love the flowers.  In fact, I almost let some grow in a back corner of my yard once because of this, but decided against it.

The very existence of this horrid weed proves to me that God is not all powerful and perfect. He makes mistakes, and then he tries to fix them by letting things such as Monsanto and Roundup come into being.  Nope, there cannot be a God.  Nobody is that stupid.

Everything is a "disorder" now, so I decided that I must suffer from major FZDD, or Floridian Zone Denial Disorder. I plant things that aren't hardy in my area, then get all upset when they freeze.

Here are some symptoms of FZDD:

1. Inability to accept zone hardiness recommendations. This is characterized by the tendency to "ooh" and "ahh" over catalog items and the inability to keep from ordering things not hardy to your zone. Also includes confusion as to why northern plants can't be brought to Florida and thrive as they did where you came from.

2. Tendency toward "zone push". Characterized by thinking such as "It will be o.k. if I cover it during the cold", or "If it dies, I can get another one next year." Includes
the delusion that shade growing will save many northern sun loving plants.

3. Hording (sp?) of blankets, sheets, plastic and other protective gear in order to make vain attempts to save non-hardy zone plants from cold snaps.

4. Excessive container planting, followed by intensive transfer of potted plants to a warmer place (like inside your house) when it gets too cold. This tends to result in making your house a winter jungle, which can only be traversed with care, through very narrow avenues weaving between the pots.

5. Compulsion to make things bloom out of their zone, when a dozen or more people have quoted you horror stories about how they have tried and failed.

6. Weatherphilia, characterized by constant monitoring of weather stations, weather charts, statistical data, and may include having a weather board on your wall with all the charts and data attached. Includes almanacitis, which is a obsession with almanac information, and may include a tendency to collect almanacs from 20 years ago or more.

7. Argumentitive syndrome, characterized by a tendency to contradict and condemn anyone who says you can't grow something in your zone, coupled with an uncanny knowledge of statistical and anectdotal data to back up your opinion.

8. Catalog obssessivitis, characterized by a tendency to order every gardening catalog from every zone in the southern hemisphere, and an inability to refrain from buying dutch bulbs and planting them in zone 10.

9. Extreme mood swings, ranging from excessive elation over a single bloom to crying jags and depression over the death of a plant. Anger over inability to make plants conform to expectations is common, and may result in violent ripping out or chopping down of non-performing specimens, coupled with uncontrollable outbursts of obscenity.

There is no cure for this disorder, but with treatment, a reasonable level of reality can be instilled into the sufferer.

Did you know that many of the spices you use will grow herbs, veggies or flowers? Yes, they will! Read here, then check out your own spice rack to see what you can find. Tell me if I missed anything.

Coriander - This is the seed of cilantro, a popular herb in latino cooking. If you let it go to seed, you have coriander again, which is used in soups, stews and curry.

Mustard Seed - While many people don't like mustard greens, a lot of us do, so stealing a few mustard seeds to grow greens is just up our alley.

Flax Seed - Yes, the laxative. Flax has beautiful blue flowers, so next time you put some of this into your muffins, take a teaspoon out and put it into your garden.

Celery Seed - We all know what this grows, and while celery won't grow well in many parts of the country, if it does in yours, well worth growing.

Poppy Seed - Yes, it will grow poppies, but not those beautiful white opium poppies. However, you may get a variety of poppy flowers from a jar. Recently, thieves began stealing poppy seed off the spice racks to grow poppies for opium. Actually, you can get opium from any poppy, but the white ones produce more. Hey! Don't get any ideas!

Dill Seed - Dill plants are very useful, both the leaves and seeds, and are very attractive as well as being a larval plant for butterflies.

Caraway Seed - Grown slmost exclusively for its seeds, caraway is used in casseroles, sauerkraut, cakes, cheeses, and curry. It can also be used to make a tea that is a tonic for colic and digestive disorders. Caraway roots may be cooked as a vegetable and tastes much like parsnips.

Fennel Seed - Fennel seeds and leaves have a strong licorice or anise smell and taste. It has culinary and medicinal properties, and fennel seed extract is often added to milk to cure colic in babies.

Anise Seed - This spice has a taste similar to fennel, and is used medicinally to treat menstrual cramps, relieve gas, and as a treatment for head lice and mites.

Fenugreek Seed - The leaves of fenugreek are used as an herb, and the seeds as a spice. It is a common ingredient in curries.

Cardamom Seed - Now this takes a long time to produce anything, but in subtropical areas, this will grow into a large ginger-like plant with beautiful white bell-shaped flowers. Ground cardamom is made from the seeds.

O.K., so some of these are a little far-out and not spices you'd use every day, but it still may be fun to try to grow some if you have a need to buy them. I've personally grown dill, flax, fennel,  mustard, coriander, anise and fenugreek. They really are pretty easy, and if you have the spices anyway, maybe it will save you some money.

There are still seeds you can put in the ground in March. It's also time to plant summer vegetables, while still planting for another crop of your current winter-grown veggies. If you had frozen veggies this winter, you can replant those now and get a crop before the heat hits.

It's too late to start many cooler season vegetables, such as broccoli and greens, from seed, but you can buy starter plants and possibly get another harvest before hot weather hits.

Heat resistant annuals such as Zinnia, Marigold, and Cosmos are excellent choices to add color during warmer weather. Plant Coleus seeds now for everlasting summer color.

Annuals to plant in March in South Florida:

Ageratum	Marigold	Begonia	Zinnia	Coleus
Cosmos	Portulaca	Amaranthus	Salvia	Vinca
Aster	Torenia	Balsam	Gloriosa Daisy

Vegetables to plant in South Florida in March:

Tomato	Watermelon	Radish	Lima Bean
Snap Beans	Okra	Sweet  Potato	Summer Squash
Mustard	Onion Sets	Canteloupe	Southern Peas

Photo credit: Michael Wolf CCSA 3.0 / Wikimedia

February gardening in South Florida is generally a time of preparation, cleaning and replanting. Temperatures are warming, and there is generally no chance of a hard freeze. Now is the time to plant that vegetable garden you didn't get around to in September, or second vegetable crop can now be planted in order to get in a harvest before the summer heat hits. February is also a perfect time to refurbish those freeze damaged beds, or start a new one.

There is still time in February to plant most of what you didn't get planted in January. What most of our northern transplants consider summer vegetables still have time to bear before hot weather. February is a great month in the South Florida garden, and with the wonderful cool weather, one of the most productive months of the year.

Annuals to plant in February in South Florida:

Ageratum	Hollyhock	Begonia	Petunia	Candytuft
Alyssum	Dianthus	Celosia	Salvia	Vinca
Marigold	Nasturtiums	Cosmos	Portulaca	Impatiens

Vegetables to plant in South Florida in February:

Radish	Tomato	Onions	Beets	Cabbage	Eggplant
Broccoli	Peas	Potato	Turnips	Lettuce	Pepper
Celery	Mustard	Cauliflower	Chinese Cabbage	Beans	Cucumber
Squash	Spinach	Corn	Collards	Parsey	Kohlrabi

Bulbs to be planted in February in South Florida:

Tuberose	Dahlia	Eucharis	Canna
Caladium	Blood Lily	Lilies	Daylily
Agapanthus	Zephranthes	Calla	Crinum
Allium	Ginger	Montbretia	Watsonia

Papayas killed by a freeze can be replanted from seed and will bear within a year.

February is a very busy month in South Florida gardens. Temperatures are warming in most of the area, and insects are coming back into activity.

Insect control in South Florida

Check plants for scale and mealybug activity. Hornworms will be appearing on tomatoes, as will various fungal and wilt diseases. Make sure to keep foliage dry, watering in the morning, as wet conditions aggravate these diseases.

Spider mites are still around, as they thrive in dry weather, so make sure to keep a watchful eye. Removing them is done with a strong stream of water directed
under the leaves. Systemic chemical sprays are available to treat spider mites, but the water spray does just as good a job, and you can't use systemic chemicals on edibles.

Cleanup and Pruning

In warmer areas, where no further freezing temperatures are expected, pruning can begin toward the middle/end of the month. In colder inland areas, it's best to wait out February and begin pruning and cleaning plants in March. Early pruning will cause plants to put out new growth, which can be damaged by subsequent cold spells.

Cleaning up dead foliage and grass is essential before the insects and diseases that harbor in them have time to spread to your plants. Removal and replacement of mulch is best done now as well.

Planting and Fertilizing

February is the last best month for planting shrubs and edibles, such as blueberries. Bare root roses can also be planted this month, making sure to keep them watered well during this dry season.

While it's tempting to fertilize your plants when the first growth appears, it really should be postponed until March, when soil temperatures rise and there is absolutely no chance of frost killing off the new growth. Fertilizers will not be taken up into a plant until soil temperatures reach 70 degrees, so applying them now is simply a waste.

Starting Seeds

February is a great time to start seeds for your late spring and summer crops. Many vegetables can still be planted this month, and summer vegetable seeds such as eggplant and peppers can be given a jump start for planting later on.

Annuals such as marigold, zinnia, and cosmos can be started now. These are very heat resistant plants that will grow and bloom right through the summer.

The mild temperatures across most of South Florida make gardening very pleasant in February. Chores that are torturous in the summer are best done now before the heat hits and keeps us all inside for most of the day.

Photo Credit: Atamari [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Credit: jppi at morguefile.com

People tend to think it's the cold that kills plants in the winter, but that simply isn't so. Winter kill can easily be avoided by taking the proper steps to protect and care for your garden during the winter months.

Plants do not "freeze to death". Most plants die in the winter from dehydration stress. While plants need less moisture in the winter, they still need gallons of water. Snow isn't water until it melts. Couple this with harsh, cold, drying winds, and you have a recipe for disaster in your garden. Just as your skin dries out in the winter, so do your plants.

New plants are especially susceptible to winter kill. Trees under 5 years old and shrubs and perennials under two years old are considered "new". The roots of new plants are closer to the surface, in the hard freeze zone. Older plants with deeper roots find sources of moisture underground that new plants cannot.

Later fall and early winter watering is the best way to save your plants from winter kill. Heavy mulching also helps retain soil moisture and can keep roots safe from dehydration. Mulch also helps the water from the spring thaw penetrate into the ground, instead of running off.

To protect the tops of your plants during the winter, you can wrap trunks and limbs in burlap or other material to avoid dehydration from drying winter winds. There are also anti-dessicant sprays that can be used on evergreens, but they are expensive, and eventually wash off. In nature, falling leaves and needles protect the forest floors from frost. Don't ever hesitate to do the same in your garden. Using wire or other material to build a fence around your more tender plants, and filling with leaves or pine straw until they are completely covered, is an excellent winter protection. In very harsh winter climates, it is sometimes wise to build a winter shelter around and over your plants, or store them in a cold frame until spring.

In warmer southern states, building a simple shelter from poles and clear plastic sheeting can provide an effective protection against the occasional hard freeze. Always be sure to remove or open the plastic enclosure as soon as the sun comes out, to prevent burning. In warmer climes, simply covering your plants with blankets or sheets, to prevent frost from settling on and burning the foliage, can be sufficient. Professional growers regularly keep sprinklers running during a freeze to form a layer of insulating ice on crops, such as strawberries and citrus.

Lighter, friable soil rich in organic material holds moisture very well. Adding compost to the soil is a good way to not only aid moisture retention, but air retention as well, which is nearly as important.

Piling up snow around plants is a good way to insulate them and keep them safe from winter winds. While you are shoveling your walks and driveways, toss that snow over onto your plants. If this snow melts slowly in the spring, it will provide a deep watering.

Dig up tender bulbs, wrap in newspaper, and store in a cool place until spring. Dig up tender perennials and tropicals and put into pots, and bring indoors if possible.

The time and effort it takes to winterize your garden is well worth it. Taking these simple precautions will keep your garden safe and healthy during the harsh winter months, so that it can burst forth in spring and provide you with hours of joy.

Who is running the trademark office these days? First, we hear that Facebook is trying to trademark the word "book", now it's the terms "urban homestead" and "urban homesteading", which they have evidently allowed to be trademarked by the Dervaes family. You'll have to look them up for yourself, because I will not dignify them with a link to their site.

Have these people been sniffing manure, or maybe some of that homemade diesel they have in their garage? Maybe the fumes are seeping into their house, killing their brain cells in their sleep. Whatever...they are getting way too big for their britches, as we like to say in the south.

Now they are going after one of my favorite blogs, Root Simple (formerly Homegrown Evolution). You can read all about it in this blog post. You see, the owners of the original website also wrote a book in 2008 named "The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City". I suggest that you rush over to Amazon and buy the book to help contribute to their legal fees.

You know, the world is getting to be an absolutely insane place, when people like the Dervaes can lay claim to everyday words and use that power to pick on little people. To demand that people pay you to use a phrase that has been around since at least the 1970's is such total bullshit it stinks even from way over here in Florida. If you'd like to let them know what you think, you can write to them at info@pathtofreedom.com, write them at @urbanhomestead  on Twitter (yes, they claimed the name there too). Looks like they took their Facebook page down. Probably couldn't handle the truth. The strangest thing about these people is that they evidently own the domain urbanhomesteading.com, but don't use it. How weird is that? Or maybe they don't own it, but are not going to allow the owner to ever use it now that they've trademarked that term, so he will have no choice but to give it to them.

Who really cares about some crazy people in California who own 1/5th of an acre of land and act like they own the world?  I guess the hoopla about them died down, so they had to find a way to get some attention. Let me just tell you one thing, Dervaes...gardeners are NOT the people you want to go up against. We have sharp tools, and sharper minds, and we like to bury things. We will bury your website, have no doubt. You will no longer be famous, you will just be another infamous blip on the internet history of assholes who think they are more than they actually are.

Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame. It won't last long.

Click on Image to Enlarge

I know we live in Florida, and if you want to see feet in FL, all you have to do is look down. I'm going to tell you a story that isn't pleasant, but it's a warning I have to issue.

I am infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, commonly known at threadworm. Usually, this infection is easy to knock out with drugs, but there is a chance in immuno-compromised people and those on steroids that it will become a hyperinfection and become incurable. 87% of hyperinfected people die....yes DIE.


I have these worms in my eyes and my sinuses, my lungs, my digestive tract and maybe in my brain. I don't know, because I don't have insurance to get the tests I need. Without the tests, the doctor will not prescribe the medicine I need. 70% of the time, the tests come back negative anyway, so I'm not going to waste my time taking them.

So how do I know I have threadworms? It started when my right eye started twitching and watering, and I could swear I felt something crawling around in it. I started Googling, and came up with parasitic infection of some sort, so I started looking for an herbal parasite cleanser.  I found Humaworm, and took it for a month, during which time the eye got better. Unfortunately, this started another round of symptoms as soon as I stopped. The eye problems came back and worms started coming out of my nose. I don't mean literally crawling out of my nose, but as they die, they try to exit your body, so I would feel something in my nose, dig around with a q-tip, and literally pull 1" to 2" worms out.

The more I read, the more frightened I got. I started looking for ways to treat these creatures inbetween the doses of Humaworm (there is a 90-day wait between treatments).  I am now using coconut oil, iodine, and cayenne pepper. I actually have to use coconut oil drops in my eyes at night, and an eye wash with cayenne in it three times a day just to control the crawling sensations and watering. Then I have to take more coconut oil during the day, along with the iodine, to treat the ones in my stomach and digestive tract. I also have to drink quarts of clove tea to try and kill the eggs before they hatch and make even more worms.  You can read all about these worms and my attempt to rid myself of them on Deb's Health and Fitness.

So how did I get these worms? By not wearing closed shoes outside. These worms are in our soil, and they get into your body through your feet. I never wore shoes outside unless we had an unusual cold day. I lived in flip-flops and sandals, mostly flip-flops. I would come inside with my feet filthy, and I may not wash them for half a day or more. I went barefoot in the house, probably spreading the eggs all over my house, reinfecting myself over and over. I petted my cat and kissed her, and did not wash my hands between petting her and eating. Actually, I did not wash my hands near enough during the day. Who washes their hands every time they eat some snack food?  I do now.

I don't garden barefoot anymore. I wear shoes and socks, long pants, and tuck my pants legs into my socks. I use gloves, and even when I don't, I wash my hands before touching anything in my house. I have to wash my sheets twice a week in hot water.

At this point, this house is infected, my cat is infected, and I'm glad to be moving out of here so that I can be in a non-infected environment. At present, I don't put my feet on the floor unless they are covered with socks. I'm paranoid that the eggs can somehow get through the socks and onto my feet, so I wear slide sandals around the  house as well.

This is a horrible parasite to have, and it is dangerous simply for the fact that it auto-infects, which means it reproduces inside the body. Pinworms have to leave your body to lay eggs, threadworms don't. Pinworms stay in your intestinal tract, but threadworms bore through your intestinal wall and get into your blood stream, or simply crawl around under your skin until they get somewhere friendly, where they set up camp and wreak havoc.

So I'm begging you, wear shoes and socks outside when you garden, and if you have any of the symptoms of pinworm or threadworm infection, see your doctor. The Humaworm cleanse can take care of pinworm infections, and it helps kill the adults and eggs in the intestines, but it can't cure threadworms completely. Read more on my health blog about my ongoing struggle to kill these worms, and the final outcome.

Resources:
Strongyloides on Wikipedia
Deb's Health and Fitness Blog
Humaworm
Parasites Support Forum on Curezone

So I haven't been posting much, because it's so hot here, I haven't really been gardening much.  It's all I can do, with the heat sensitivity of the lupus, to even keep up with mowing and weed whacking.  I took a few pictures the other day of what is blooming, or was when I took them, so here they are.  Enjoy!

 A Blackberry Lily volunteered itself behind the Jatropha tree last year. I have no idea where it came from, some seed probably washed in on a storm.  It bloomed this year for the first time.

Angel Wing cane begonia and Religious Radish Coleus.  These two plants seem to live in spite of me.  I've killed so many coleus and begonias, but these just go on and on.


Aechmea bromeliad.  I don't know the exact variety, because there are a lot that look just like this one. I usually get more blooms, but the freeze hit this one, and it just didn't bloom this year like usual.


I bought this crape myrtle at a small garden center outside of Ocala on my way back from SC once.  It's "Dallas Red", which I thought was a true red, but really isn't.  I like it, though. It's a deep red-pink that is pretty, but I still want a true red one.


"Dancing Ladies" globba gingers.  I love these. They are so delicate and beautiful. I wish I had the pink. If anyone has one, I'll be glad to trade "bulblets" with you.


My firebush died down to the ground in the freeze, but is about 3 feet tall now and blooming. I have another that I want to plant alongside this one to make a hedge. If I plant them far enough apart, they'll actually get large enough to fill in the space.  These bushes are amazing with how fast they grow.


Gloriosa lily. This picture doesn't really show the bright colors. I'll try to get a better one later.


Jatropha shrub that I can't seem to get rid of. I had truly hoped that it was dead this year after the freeze, but it came back up, and is really pretty. Unfortunately, it's in a very bad place, and will start leaning toward the sun as it gets larger. Do you know how huge the root ball is on these plants?  I tried to dig it up. No way.

Native spider lilies.  These are really large plants. This one was rescued from the house next door after its owner died, and the new resident was just letting the yard go to hell. 


This is some unknown variety of Euphorbia Milii, Crown of Thorns.  The stems are square, and twist as they grow, which makes it very interesting.

 
 Yellow Thai Crown of Thorns, which is doing very well after some freeze damage caused me to have to prune it back severely.  I had thought I would have to start it over from cuttings, but it came back out with a vengeance.

Weeds are taking over, as they do every summer, but this last little late blooming double orange ditch lily was determined to bloom despite the weeds choking it out.


Speaking of weeds, this is what happens to your African Iris if you don't weed around it regularly.  This is for anyone who thinks I must have a beautiful yard. Actually, my yard is ugly.  It's the plants that are pretty.
 

 I've had this aloe since I was 25 years old., at least the top of it.  It gets too tall, I lop the top off and replant it. My mother gave it to me as a birthday gift.

The geranium is called a "tree geranium".  It's one of the tall growing species of geraniums, and this is the only one I've been able to keep alive for very long.  It gets up to 4 feet tall, and hopefully, I will get this one that size this year.

 A Versicolor Peach Brugmansia I thought was dead from the cold, coming back up in a pot full of blooming purple oxalis.  I love this oxalis, but the purple is coming up all over my yard.  Little spots of purple everywhere.  Can't see it well in this pic, but the blooms are a pale pink, very pretty contrast.
 Tutti Frutti plumeria.  I lopped this off of the one that was planted outside this winter so it wouldn't freeze.  Just stuck it into this pot, and it seems to be happy.

I love these caladiums.  There are also celosia and a Alabama Sunset Coleus in there, but you can't see them from this angle.  I may have to move the caladiums, because they are already showing a little sun stress.
 My new "rescued" Calibroachoa (Million Bells).  This was an almost dead plant I got from Wal-Mart for half price.  I don't know why I buy these things, but I do, and it seems happy now. It will have its own home soon.
 Pot of celosia.  The pink and yellow don't seem to be doing as well as the red.  May take them out and put them into their own pot.

 Cucumbers blooming. These are from the seeds I'd had in my freezer since 1991...seriously.  I did not even think they would come up.
Double Purple Datura growing in a pot of Ruellia Squarosa.  This Ruellia is so pretty as a ground cover, and nearly bullet proof.  It's called Water Bluebell, because it will grow in standing water.  It also withstands drought, or it wouldn't have survived my yard, believe me.
Elderberry in bloom.  Had my neighbor saw this thing down to the ground last year.  The original trunk was about 2 feet around. This came up from around the trunk. I tried to grow this as a tree, but it's much prettier and easier to care for as a bush.
Mimosa Strigillosa, finally taking over my side yard.  This was so strange. It grew from my yard over into my neighbor's yard (towards the sun), then back into my yard.  It's moving into the front lawn too now, which is fine with me.  I'd transplant some, but somehow, I've had no luck with that.  People say it's easy to root, but I haven't been able to get any to live in pots.O


A somewhat wilted Pereskia Grandifolia.  I have another one that is just coming into bloom, so I'll have better flower pics later.  This thing has some baaaaad thorns on it.
There are so many fruits on this Surinam Cherry, they are falling all over the ground.  I eat as many as I can, but nobody else I know likes them, so they just fall off.

I'll have part 2 of WBITG in May soon, but I don't have time right now to resize all the remaining pics.  I think I took 63 this morning.

I'm always saying nothing is blooming in my yard, and that's hardly ever true.  I went out today to see what WAS blooming, and found a friendly Giant Swallowtail on a Hippeastrum.  He tried to find something else, but couldn't, so he kept coming back, and I kept snapping.  Finally got one with his wings open.

I have so much dead stuff I've cut off of plants in the yard, I'm going to have to arrange a bulk pickup.  The huge Mexican Daisy Bush yielded enough for a pickup all on it's own.  Sure, I could let it all sit out in the yard, and put it out bit by bit, but why do that when I can just call them and get it all picked up at one time?

One really stupid thing about our city is how they pick up yard trash.  Unless it's in paper bags or containers, you have to arrange a bulk pickup.  You can only have two a year (year runs from Oct. thru Sept.), and it can't be a total of over 10 cubic yds.  Oh, and that isn't
ONLY yard waste.  That 10 cu. yds. a year applies to ALL bulk pickups...more than that, you have to pay.  So if you put out a sofa, that's 3 cu. yds.  right there. Of course, you can have as much stuff in containers and bags as you want, but that is SUCH a PITA to do when you have tons of stuff.

This all came from ONE plant, the Mexican Daisy  Tree, which is huge and had all the limbs die back.  Those limbs are 10-15 feet long.  Click pictures for a larger view.

This is what it looked like before I took all the dead limbs off.  It's really beautiful when  it's in bloom. I'll have to find a picture and post it.

A little worse for the wear from the winter cold and the heavy rains of late, the garden still manages to put out amazing blooms.

The Parable of the Rainlily

It's no news to anyone who knows me that I've been struggling with some heavy things lately; financial problems, the possibility of foreclosure, health concerns, and a search for a purpose to my life. Last night was a bad night, and ending my life had become a serious, logical option.

It is also no news to anyone that I love nature. My life, my religion, my whole being is wrapped up in the changing of the seasons, in the ending and beginnings of life that are so apparent all around for anyone who will pay attention. Lessons abound in nature, and this morning, I got a lesson in survival from a rain lily.

Rain lilies are amazing. They can go through prolonged periods of intense drought, freezing temperatures, blazing heat. Nevertheless, after the first real rain, they spring from the earth to prove that indeed, you can survive whatever the universe throws at you. They produce seeds that are so light that they are spread hither and yon by winds and rains, and will sprout up in the most unlikely places.

This morning I was going to take my morning walk to try to renew myself from my crisis of faith last night, when my eye caught a flash of color. It was a rain lily. This rain lily was growing in a crack between stepping stones and edging in a part of the garden outside my back porch where I keep broken pots and nurture seedlings. This dainty pink flower shone like a beacon, shouting out to me "If I can survive here, so can you."

I was so inspired by this tiny survivor that I grabbed my camera and went searching for other overlooked examples of survival in my yard. I found them everywhere.

My once beautiful orange epidendrum, now just a few sprigs where it once was a gorgeous, full pot of healthy blooms still survives, although it was the victim of an attack by squirrels two years ago that devastated it, and left only a few pieces from which I could try to regrow it. Every year, it puts out one or two more small sprouts, striving to become the enviable beauty of the garden it once was.

This now stunning butterfly weed was stripped bare last year by Monarch caterpillars. That is its purpose in life, to send out blooms that act as a beacon to Monarch butterflies, then serve as a nursery and feeding ground for their young. Every year, they strip it of all greenery, and every year, it comes back out fuller, and more alluring than the year before.

Last year my neighbor gave me piles of Oyster Plant which I didn't get planted before the freeze hit. I was planning to compost them, because they looked like they had all died. Today, I saw green sprouts poking up through the mass of dead leaves.

My Chicasaw Plum seedling, mowed down by well-meaning neighbors trying to help me clean up my yard, is green and growing.

Seeds of okra and cantaloupe are growing in a pile of leaves, manure and refuse while peanuts sprout from a pile of kitchen scraps. Sustenance from garbage...how much of a blessing is that?

Last night I was looking for a sign, a reason to keep going. This morning, nature gave me my answer.