Bloomin' Tuesday

The heat and humidity are goin' strong here in Central Florida.
We're using the cooler hours of the morning and evenings 
to get things done.

This bamboo fence was created to add some privacy to our side yard.
The native butterfly vine had engulfed the original teepee 
it was growing on.

After toppling over, 
I was trying to think of a better way to shore up this fast grower.

The idea occurred to me to use dowels of significant width,

which would add strength and also be more appealing to the eye.

The idea was scrapped for a simpler solution.
A few pieces of pipe leftover from other projects
were inserted into the ground.
They're barely noticeable against the light grey wall.
I'll have to do a better job of keeping it pruned
so that it doesn't take over!

This lovely is a native to our area.

It is named not because it attracts butterflies,

but because the leaves resemble them.

It's probably the only time you'll see a chartreuse butterfly!

The delicate yellow blooms are vibrant and prolific.

They add a nice pop of color to the garden.

As there were a few healthy shoots,

I decided to try my hand at starting them in the back bed.

They are planted among the saltbush in the back of the planting bed.

I'm imagining them winding their way up the trunks 

and covering them with brilliant yellow blooms.

That was a lot of work!

I hope I don't jinx myself,
but the beans in the square-foot bed seem to be holding their own
with the addition of the paper cup collars.

The turtle beans as well.

Keep your fingers crossed that we don't have to wait until fall 
before we can start a new crop of beans!

The San Marzano tomato in the pot is looking good.

It's placed under the trees to provide a bit of relief from the heat.

That's how we roll 'round here.

I noticed it was leaning a little, 

so I used some leftover baling twine to rectify the situation.

There were a couple of old branches I had trimmed 
off of the saltbush,

so I used them for leverage to attach the twine.

Use whatcha got!

It's producing new leaves, so that's a good sign.

And flowers are a bonus!

There's another starter in the same area 
that'll need to be planted in the ground,
as I have no other containers large enough to house it.

There is some fruit on the Old Virginia variety.
I can't believe I am actually able to grow tomatoes in the summer!
We'll see if they make it to the table.

With the recent onset of rain, the peanuts are happy as can be.

 Seeds are poppin' up quite readily.

There's a slim chance of rain every day this week,
so we'll be hand watering most likely.

Agapanthus was a new variety to me when we moved here.

Now I can't get enough of them.

Not only are these amazing examples 
of Mother Nature's architecture,
they happen to be my favorite color, periwinkle.

God has blessed us well.

Lots of these are making a home here.

This is a different kind of cat.
We usually host monarchs, but I'm not sure what this lil' guy is.
Anyone?

There's plenty to go around.

Enjoy whatever is making a home in your garden!