Update after shoveling along.....still no let up.

Yikes, you're really getting clobbered there, Ursula. See, you should have come to FL this week . . .

You could have gone with me to Apopka!

Jim

Tell me about it!!! It sure would have been a LOT nicer!

Sigh!

You too, Kathy! Enough snow?

Getting more snow overnight. I will have to get up really early since I have 5 clients tomorrow and 2 are coming here! We have to clean up!

Getting more snow overnight. I will have to get up really early since I have 5 clients tomorrow and 2 are coming here! We have to clean up!

I haven't seen this much snow this morning around here since the seventies or so. We got some more of the white stuff overnight. Things look fine, except the ceiling of the cage caved inwards/down from the snow load. The side walls are still straight, so we can hopefully fix it.

Oh dear! It was quite a task clearing our long driveway this AM. The snow blower tires kept slipping on the ice under the snow and I had to shovel and help push a client's car out of the driveway just now. Lots of snow here too! Good for the skiers!

67 degrees and a crystal clear, sunny day here in Florida. I couldn't have asked for anything better. Sorry to hear about the cage ceiling, Ursula. My wife leaves for 10 days in Peru tomorrow so I am on my own. Life is good.

Jim

Ursula and Kathy,
I sure hope things let up for you guys soon. My brother lives in Northwestern Md, and they've had over 45 in. of snow since the first of the year and many sub zero nights also.

Yup, sky was that "Azure Blue" with not a cloud to be seen. Not so bad tonight but down in the upper 30's again tomorrow night. Then looks like we are on a uphill swing. Nothing in the garden in blooming. Got to get some pics of things in the greenhouse to post. Hopefully this weekend.

Warm, partly cloudy and increased humidity today with a 30 percent chance of rain tonight. It's a good day to stay home in the AC and post a few pics from the garden. I'll start with a pair of wood storks that dropped by for breakfast this morning.


I'll start with a walk through the rose garden. The second and third photos are of an Albutilon or flowering maple that is planted in the rose grden.




The tabebuia that now towers over the house is in full bloom.


The mango tree is blooming.


And so is the orchid tree.


Nice red iochroma and purple Mexican petunia.


A red blooming dwarf azalea and a hedge of purple blooming regular azaleas:


This is a big agave called a century plant:


My Asiatic lilies are blooming.


This potted bromeliad is sitting on top of one of the Washington palm stumps.


The plumbago has kept blooming right through the winter.


This begonia is about to take over one of my gardens. I'm going to have to get in there and thin it out.


I'm thinking this beats all of the snow pics??

Jim

Not only does your gorgeous garden BEAT the snow pics, it obliterated and stomped on them!
How absolutely wonderful, Jim!

That begonia is fabulous!

As usual I'm playing catchup.
Jim, gorgeous !!!!
I've been out slowly catching up on projects as the leg is finally getting better.
A short cool down the next couple nights, I hope that's the end of it !

Glad you're healing, Mj. Jim, when you thin out your magnificent begonia, remember they start really easily from cuttings! I'd be spreading that beauty all around my yard, as in fact I'm already doing with my big white one.

Great looking roses, too. I've been lurking a bit on the Roses forum and it appears they like a dose of Epsom Salts occasionally too. I'm going to try that with my few scraggly specimens out front and see if I can revive them.
My Shooting Stars are in all stages of blooming now, finally! Good thing they last a long time, as they sure do take their time getting up to speed.

Couple of begonias, the first is a very small-leafed variety 'Don Miller' that also has tiny flowers. Second is a NOID from HD that has turned into a colorful cartoon character!

The coral barleria has a flower here and there, I wonder if I prune it, maybe it will bloom more generously . . . Pentas have survived the cold and are starting up again.

Pretty! I love the Begonias!

Very nice, Elaine. What method do you use to propagate. I have a hard time using just the leaves. A little better luck with a stem or a piece of rhizome. By the way, since you seem to like Begonias, if you ever see a Begonia 'Dejah Thoris, please let me know. Had one and lost it and have been looking for a long time for a replacement.

I either root stem cuttings, or divide them Ted. That pink cartoon one was a little clump crammed in a 3in. pot from Home Depot and I divided it as soon as it came home into about a dozen small plants. There are 3 divisions in that pot which is an oval about 12in. across.

I've only once had a begonia start from laying a leaf on the medium, and it was an accident! Thinking probably it will work at certain times in the spring and fall when it's humid but not too hot or cold. Otherwise, it's my impression that method would work well in a controlled setting i.e. greenhouse conditions.

Every time I've tried with a stem cutting it has worked just fine. Why mess with success, right?

'Dejah Thoris' Huh? Will keep an eye out for it. One of my favorite nurseries here seems to have a begonia fan working there, as they get some unusual ones. I got my big 'Looking Glass' there.