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Florida Gardening

Paths, peppers & peepers

15 years ago

..as in birdies, not pervies. Some pics from my garden, including some things I need ID'd.

The white fluffy cat is a new one for me. It dropped from a tree in front of me yesterday; looked like a down feather. Also, the purple pepper (?) plant I picked up at the flea market a couple of weeks ago. Any idea what kind?

Thanks in advance :)

Here is a link that might be useful: garden pics

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Comments (12)

cindeea
15 years ago
Really pretty, V. I love your beautiful orchids!
coffeemom
15 years ago
DON'T PET THE CAT!!!!!
Look under flannel moth cat.
(But I loved your pictures.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Bad Cats
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You making things more complicated than it is.. Remember all your doing is growing plants. Plants grow themselves.. You just need to provide the rough growing conditions to do so.. There is no need for paper towels, or expensive foxfarn potting soil, and other fertilizers.. Trust me, I have been there and done it.. Don't waste your money.. For seed starting just use some peat moss and a little bit of lime, or some compost.. Throw your seeds on top the soil and keep moist. Once they sprout, keep soil like a rung out sponge.. Water thoroughly,let soil dry, water thoroughly, let dry. Make your own compost and use that instead of expensive fertilizer.. Or buy some cheap fish emulsion... You don't need all the "specialty" products to grow ANYTHiNG.. If you have any other questions dong hesitate to ask, I'll be more then happy to help! The peppers should geminate in a few days if kept moist, most is two weeks. Joe
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I heard them last night for the first time. They were off in the distance, but I heard them. I think a few warm days and they will really turn up the volume and appear in the woods around my home. Digger., I love that you have salamanders in your house and that you go down to check for them. That's a riot. And they DO move slowly, rivalling sloths, I think. I found 2 really little ones (about 2 1/2") last year, one in the wet grass near the pond and one under a creeping juniper in a different garden. I haven't seen one of the big daddies for a couple of years now.
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john47, I feel like Cliff and Norm trying to "high-five" during a Cheers episode. I don't think we are really that much in disagreement. I agree that there is a high degree of cross-pollination possible with peppers (~30%), AND that this is predominantly due to insects. However, my initial point is still valid, MOST pollination is NOT by insects when dealing with a perfect flower. The fact that cross-pollination is not usually associated with wind "blowing the pollen" to a different pepper plant (rather it is due to mechanical "shaking/dislodging" of the pollen) would seem to confirm this. This is why bagging is a very effective (but not 100%) means of preventing cross-pollination with peppers-it keeps out the "bugs". Pollen grains are so tiny that if wind-induced cross-pollination were a major factor then bagging would be pointless as the grains of pollen could easily pass between the threads of cheesecloth or nylons. That would leave isolation as the only effective means of preventing cross-pollination, and for most home gardening enthusiasts this would be unreasonable (5oo yds between like crops). Having grown tomatoes and peppers for about 20 tears now, I can attest that with some basic precautions (bagging) a home gardening enthusiast can grow multiple varieties in close proximity and still maintain a pure stock. And for self-use, even bagging is largely unnecessary, as most (~70-90%) seeds will be of parental stock anyways. I didn't mean to start a debate. I only wanted to reassure those that are considering saving tomato/pepper seeds that it isn't that difficult to do. Tom, LOL, parthenogenesis! I think all I'll say is it is quite rare and isn't an efficient method of propagating peppers for the home enthusiast. Is the Chinense you spoke of known to be prone to parthenogenesis? -CC
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vaodiva
Original Author
15 years ago
Oh I never pet cats, as soft as they sometimes look. Thanks for the link!
wanda9fl
15 years ago
Beautiful shots, va!

I also love the stone/bamboo edging. It looks so natural.
jnemeth636
15 years ago
Love the blue jay bathing pictures, and the beautiful birdbath, did you make it? That purple pepper is very cool, never seen anything like it. Thanks for posting.
naplesgardener
15 years ago
Is that a scrub jay? or just an immature blue jay? prob. the latter.
countrynest
15 years ago
Hi,VaoDiva!
Beautiful pictures. The one of the woodpecker is great. I can see the long tongue that they use to get the insects from within the cavity of the wood. I have never seen such a beautiful caterpillar. It looks like a white downy feather.
Thanks for posting.
Felix
SaintPFLA
15 years ago
Awesome pics! You have such a beautiful yard. What part of 9a do you live in? Tampa Bay or further north?
vaodiva
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks all for the nice words!! We did even more areas this w/e.

Jen, the birdbath was made by a good friend and neighbor. She's on GW as Wild World Woman. SHe's come a long way with them too.

Naples, it's a regular jay after numerous baths. The 3 pics are from a 5 minute session in the bath ;)

SaintP, we live in the Eustis/Mt Dora area. Our zone actually depends on what map I look at. We got two freezes last year, if that is a better indication.
manature
15 years ago
Fantastic photos, Vanessa! Just gorgeous! Your orchids are to die for!

I was especially fond of the swallowtail kite, of course, and your brilliant edging, combining both rocks and bamboo. It looks TERRIFIC!

And your purple pepper is one I grew last year...I think it is called Black Pearl. Give that a Google and see if you don't find it. The more sun it gets, the blacker the foliage. I really loved mine.

Thanks for sharing!
Marcia
vaodiva
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks Marcia! Of course you'd appear with the correct answer. Did you eat the peppers at all? I read they're pretty hot. I also have the multicolor ornamental peppers and have eaten them. Nice kick!

The kites must've been a new family 'cause I've never seen so many in my immediate area. There were 2 larger birds doing circle laps, and about 4 smaller ones flitting about above my head, almost touching the treetops. Hence the graininess of the photo. Had to take it straight up, into the 2PM sun.
manature
15 years ago
Hi,V! Hahaha...there are SO many plants I know NOTHING at all about. It was my good fortune that you were asking about one I had actually tried.

Birds don't actually fly until they are fully grown, so I suspect the birds flitting about lower down were swallows, rather than kites. (Their namesakes, of course.) We have a lot of barn swallows down here, and they are shaped exactly like the kites, but smaller, and they fly lower, eating insects by the kajillions. How cool it would be to see swallows AND swallow-tailed kites, flying around together.

Of course, if the ones in the pics are the "smaller" ones you are referring to, they are DEFINITELY kites, and the higher up ones may have been something else...or maybe it was an optical illusion, as to size. But anyway, you get my drift. The adult birds should be pretty much the same size, either species.

No, I never ate the Black Pearl peppers. Most of those peppers are too hot for me, and Mark doesn't like hot food either, so I just grow them now and then because they are so pretty. I HAVE read that the Black Pearls are pretty hot, though. If you try one, let us know what you think.

Marcia

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