The Maple Hill Hop 34

Welcome back to
The Maple Hill Hop,
where we share our outdoor posts.
Grab the button above and join in!

Summer has officially hit here in Central Florida,
with temperatures daily reaching the low 90's.

The tomatoes aren't complaining.
We have three varieties growing,
and were gifted with a fourth type at last night's ROC meeting.

We're having success with two varieties of heat-resistant lettuce.
Some of the New Red Fire and Red Sails
will be moved to a shady part of the backyard bed.
The rest will remain on the patio, 
and we'll see how they compare.
It's so great to have fresh lettuce at this time of year.

The Calabaza pumpkin continues to flower,
but we haven't seen any fruit yet.

The basil loves the heat
and we're making pesto nearly every week.

This old metal pot is planted with
coneflower, native petunias, zinnnias
and teeny sunflowers.

The daisies are starting to pop.
They are a delight to behold.

Any day now,
these gloriosa daisies will be blooming.
These are real stunners and the flowers are prolific.
Hopefully, by next week's hop,
I'll have some to show you.

Our agapanthus are later than some of our neighbors to bloom.
But so worth the wait.

The banana tree we were gifted with
is gaining in size.
Several times a week I see new leaves opening.

This plumbego is pruned about twice a month.
It does a good job of hiding two rain barrels.

We had some much-needed rain 
along with fierce winds on Sunday,
and it toppled one of our thryallis plants.
I think the rosemary broke its fall,
so we were able to shore it back up.

This is such an easy-care plant,
that we have it all along our eastern bed.
The blooms just keep coming,
and most of the year, it adds color and cheer.

I spotted this yesterday when I was making rounds.
We have a mockingbird nest nearby
and fledglings have been observed recently.
Hoping for the best for all concerned.

With just a few crops growing at this time of year,
we focus on adding ornamentals to our landscape.
As soon as our rainy summer pattern begins in earnest,
more sunflowers will be going in.
I have a plan to seed them all along our side
of the neighbor's fence.

Mornings and early evenings are enjoyed outside,
appreciating all that has been given us.


What's going on outside where you are?
HOP to it!

 

An InLinkz Link-up