Bloom Day Preview

Last night I realized how long it had been since I made a blog post. Spring sprang and then summer followed right behind.

We'll have a Brugmansia bloom in another night or two, maybe. I failed to mention before that when they first put out new growth, two of the stems fainted and fell over. I never knew why. I cut them off at ground level. The stems looked fine, there was no insect damage nor evidence of disease.

I got the Okra bed dug and seeds planted alphabetically before an inch of rain fell this afternoon. The electricity went off for 2 hours during which I had a nice nap which I needed after all that digging in the sun.

I bought Ferry-Morse seeds: Clear Clemson Superb and Louisiana Green Velvet.




In the Greenhouse, blooming:

My new Pelargonium, which we call zonal geranium.

Pentas cuttings needing planting out for butterflies.

Look closely behind; there is a green tomato.

My tomato plants have green tomatoes and lots of

blossoms on new plants and the old one. 

Just outside the greenhouse:

   
Calla Lilies, so far only in yellow.

 

Agapanthus bloom about to pop open. This is a seedling from seeds 'borrowed' off plants in a parking lot in Florida. 

The REAL Bloom Day post with more flowers is here: Bloom Day in the Hot and Humid Coastal South.

Please Vote for Me for Okra Queen

Okra - USDA Photo in the public domain.

One year we planted so much okra -- four 100 foot rows -- that I claimed title as Okra Queen as there was no contest. As desirable as okra is in the South, we had to beg people to  come help themselves to okra. If you have never cut okra, it is like gathering stinging nettles. I do love okra: boiled, baked, fried or in soup.

My okra patch before planting

This time there are two 30 foot rows. I used old seed, really old seed, figuring that it would either be up by the time a germination test was complete, or not. It is coming up. We haven't had rain in a week.

I had the idea to make this okra patch a regular little potager with little gates and everything. The back side has sills from under the old barn as an edge. I have some cute little gate thingies that I hook onto rebar posts.

Before I could fix the little cute parts, the okra begged watering. I set up some of my handy pipe soaker/dribblers and soon filled the middle between the rows with a nice loblolly. Buffy-the-helping-Dog with her tongue hanging out in the heat recognized this as a potential cool spot. My nice bedded up rows now have big dog paw prints. I ran her out. Next I knew, she's lying between the rows in the cool damp middle where the water soaked in. As she came out when I scolded, more tracks in the okra rows!

My cute little potager gates now have non-matching posts in between and twine run through and around everything to remind her not to walk through.

We'll know in a few days whether the stepped-on places will still grow tiny plants and whether enough of my old seed comes up to make full rows.

I filled the old syrup kettle with water so Buffy can go wading instead.

It was a water feature until she decided the solar fountain was a dog toy.

I'll let you know how the okra potager turns out.

I hope to have photos soon of my own okra.

Did you know that okra is in the same family as hollyhocks and hibiscus?