Celebrating 4th of July, 2013

  Greetings all and hope everyone had a fun 4th of July this week, in between rain showers.

Mother Nature sure has blessed the Green Earth in our area lately, and we know that sometimes that blessing can be a curse for some, what with flooding, or wind damage, but we hope that everyone is safe and sound.

It's amazing how plants respond so much better to rain water than to just ordinary hand/sprinkler watering.  We have seen amazing growth of plants, not to mention, when walking around the garden and nursery, how you can see and feel the "verdancy" (is that a word?!)..okay, it's just plane Verdant out there !

Last Saturday, we got rained out around Noon at the downtown St. Pete market but thanks to the hardy customers who still came out early to get their goodies and gave us enough business to put some groceries in the fridge this past week.  This Saturday, the winds are changing and it is forecasted that Market day will be sunny, so we will be there with bells, or clippers, on.

Williams Park Saturday Morning Market, downtown St. Pete
Located around 1st avenue north and 3rd and 4th streets. Plenty of parking all around.
Free entry, live music, and livelier vendors

PLANT OF THE WEEK !
Maybe we should say, "months",as these beauties have been thriving for some time now and will only get more beautiful and bloom even more as summer rolls into Fall.  We are talking about the
Popcorn Cassia Bush ( Cassia didymobotrya)

Mitch has been growing these for a while and they are one of his favorite plants.

An evergreen bush from Africa, the blooms are quite distinct, having an almost black outer kernel that opens up into a deep yellow bloom.

Disease and pest resistant (and if you have Deer in your hood, they don't want to eat them either), it's an EZ plant to grow and love.

What's really cool about this plant is the scent that is put off by it's leaves and blooms..

This baby is thriving in our front yard, full western sun exposure. She is about 5 ft tall and putting out many stalks of blooms.

We have some in more shade and they are thriving too.
  The butterflies love, love, love them !

 When you stroke the leaves, the plant has a yummy aroma of  Buttered Popcorn (thus the name), and it makes you feel immediately like you are in a movie theatre.  Some people think the aroma reminds them of "peanut butter"...guess it's up to the nose you were born with....Either way, yum yum yum.


This is a plant that is widely grown around the US, but not commonly found, but guess who has it? Yup, we do, and if you come to market, you can see, and smell for yourself, this very cool plant, and maybe even want to take one home for your own garden.




Will close out this post with a pic of one of Mitch's oldest Tillandsias...the Mother plant is probably 25 plus years old and these are the great, great, great grandbabies of that original plant. We are always trying to describe to customer how these Air Plants will thrive for years as they keep producing offspring.

This clump is about 12-14 inches around in diameter and there are multi blooms on all 4 sides, with deep pink blooms

(Tillandsia victoriana)