After breakfast on Saturday morning I discovered I was completely out of cereal. This meant a trip to the detestable grocery store. During winter, the population of South Florida doubles and the grocery stores are filled with sunburned people in inappropriate attire blocking access to all the food while gaping at the selection. This becomes tiresome after a few months. It is hard to decide which is worse, the attire, the people, or the gaping.
That said, feeling better now. I decided to go to the grocery next to the Thrift/Charity shop and have a look around before facing the cereal dilemma. I came across this blown glass handbag/purse/pocketbook and bought it immediately. Being quite cheered up by my new vase, I survived the grocery endeavor with style and, having purchased cereal, could once again eat breakfast.
I am please to report the Cactus Zinnias attained some height after being cut back and fertilized. Other components of the vase include: in orange and the top are Firebush (Hamelia patens); in orange and the bottom of the arrangement, Mexican Honeysuckle (Justicia spicigera); lighter purple flowers are Purple Verbena (Verbena spp.); darker blue are our Native Porterweed. The ferns are Asian Sword Ferns. There are a few native Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella) at the base.
Updating my continuing saga of the Potager, I have added two Southern Highbush Blueberries, the variety ‘Sunshine Blue’ is purported to produce fruit with 145 hours of temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. I think that will work. Strangely enough, these shrubs have set fruit since they have been in the garden. I may have four blueberries this summer! My Thai Dessert Mangoes are setting fruit as well, here they are:
Eventually the berries will drop off to two or three Mangoes and the flower will turn upside down from the weight of the fruit. Hoping for a Mango with Four Blueberry Pie this summer.
The Shrub Queen 
I have 2 blue berry bushes here in South Florida too. Not getting much berries compared to last year. Birds ate most of what I had and I only got 2 for the whole season 😦
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what a lovely surprise find – it must have made the emergency cereal shopping seen an absolute joy! I’m sure everyone who lives where there are tourists must feel just like you. The lovely bright flowers are perfect for the vase. I’m so enjoying seeing your Mango. I looked at the site you mentioned but I don’t think it would be worth while shipping to Europe, even if that were possible.
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Indeed, joy in the cereal aisle! Tourists not so much. I think you could grow the condo mangoes in your greenhouse..
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How pretty your purseful of flowers looks. So much lovely vibrant colour. What a find the glass purse is . And how exciting that your mango is fruiting so well.
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Thanks, Liz. We shall have to wait for the fruit verdict.
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What a lovely vase, and you have arranged the flowers so well!
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Thank you, stay warm.
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I love waking up to these posts on Mondays!
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Thank you and I need to rescue you from spam!
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Ha! Terrible, I know. I updated my blog using a template not realizing that all 26 temp blog posts would go out looking like mine. I’m changing them, slowly but surely.
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Indeed..will work on retrieval.😀
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That vase is so cute! I see your zinnias are still going. I just put some seeds in, so I’ll see how that goes. I thought I had just about finished with my lettuces, but enough has come back for another salad. And yes, what is with the way people dress now? I fly or go to the airport often and everyone dresses so bad. The worst is PJ bottoms.
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Thank you, I love the purse. The Zinnias are growing after I cut them and if it ever starts raining again I am going to throw out some more seed just for fun. My husband and I were out recently – he looked at me and said ‘ I am glad you would never go out looking like that..PJ bottoms and I wouldn’t.
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The bag/purse vase is wonderful indeed – who could consign that to a charity shop?! – and you have filled it with abundance that reflects the colours of the glass itself. Delightful! And what good news about your mango and blueberries too 🙂
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I agree, probably someone’s unimaginative offspring. Hoping for a wonderful fruit salad in a few years.
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Soon all of those pesky snowbirds will fly north again and the grocery store will return to normal. What a great thrift-store find. You found perfect blooms for the colors in the handbag. Is this a reminder that gardeners typically spend way too much money on their plant passion?
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Peter, what a fabulous comment and I had not considered the purse implication, though it is true.
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Such a fun vase! What a great find – your garden selection sets it off beautifully!
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Thank you, one finds amazing things here.
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How super to find such a vessel for your flowers. It looks very eye catching
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Thank you. Even my husband thought it was cute.
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I have only been to Florida once as a child but that was probably me and my family gaping in the grocery store!
Love your fun purse of flowers!
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Thank you, it is rare to encounter English tourists here, we are far off the beaten path.
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Ha! On every trip I’ve made to Hawaii, I’ve wondered if the locals are irritated by visitors like myself that swamp their grocery and book stores. Now I know…
The glass purse is a wonderful find. I’d have snapped it up too. The Zinnias and other flowers pick up the specks of color in the glass perfectly. I’m trying to grow blueberries too. Mine are in pots, which is the only way I can keep them properly irrigated without watering my less thirsty plants.
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Well, I am a Southerner and many of the tourists are what I would consider ‘ugly Americans’ Having been to Maui many times I feel their vibe is similar-but more intense as their spiritual connection to the land is vital. Floridians,meh, pollute. Are you growing the Sunshine Blue?
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Glad the Cactus Zinnias are thriving for you this time. Lovely, Great new purchase.
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Thanks, Susie.
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nice match between the serendipity purse and the flowers
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Ooh, mango and blueberry sounds like a nice combination! I really love that vase Amelia – great consolation for having to brave the supermarket! The cactus zinnia are looking really good now. Is it my imagination or are the flowers larger than ones you have used before?
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Thanks,the Zinnias are bigger, some of them. Seems weird to me to have them in February.I fertilized them and cut the smaller ones, some are bigger, some not so much. I have a pack of seeds to broadcast when it starts raining again.Dry as a bone currently.
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One mango and four blueberrries! Sounds like the name of a gardening book. But I know what you mean. Your floral arrangement is lovely — as usual. Gorgeous.
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Thank you
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