I find something of interest every week in my garden and share it with others gardeners via Six on Saturday. To see more interesting items from other gardens, visit Jon at http://www.thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com.
Above is a Gopher Tortoise, ambling down my shell driveway. These tortoises are endemic to Florida, large – this one is probably 18 inches long and long lived, 50 to 60 years. They are known for making gigantic burrows and sharing them with all sorts of other animals, rattlesnakes included. I am not sure where this one lives. They are not known to travel very far from home and shouldn’t be moved unless necessary. He turned and went back up my driveway and continued down the street.
This morning I noticed the scents of summer are coming on. Several of my neighbors have large Arabian Jasmine shrubs and they are at their sweetest in the moonlight and early in the morning. I don’t have one, don’t need one! In my garden the Tropical Gardenia (Tabernaemontana diviricata) – above and Sweet Almond Bush (Aloysia virgata) – below are flowering and there are buds on the Moonvine.
I planted my summer veg – edible Hibiscus. These are called Roselles (Hibiscus sabdariffa). The leaves and flowers are edible. These grow to about four feet and the flowers are harvested in the fall. The calyx of the flower is harvested and used to make tea, jam and jelly – tastes a bit like cranberries. Young leaves may be used in salad similar to Arugula.
I have harvested and eaten my first Glenn Mango. These are good, low in fiber and have a coconut mango flavor.
This is a Pickering Mango. It is still ripening on the counter. I had these last year and they are yummy.
That’s all from my garden this week.
Happy Gardening…
The Shrub Queen 
I have also had a turtle sighting and will be posting it in the future. I’ll bet your garden does smell great and it is nice when your neighbors provide some scent. Most people around me only do bushes. You certainly have a nice selection of exotic fruit. My kids got me a guava that I don’t think will ever make any fruit.
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Good we can compare turtles! I have an oddly shaped hole I have been trying to decide if it could be a burrow-saw a younger tortoise nearby. I did not know guava grew that far north?
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That is the problem. I had to put it in the garage for the winter and it promptly dropped its leaves. My kids thought they were getting me something special, so I’m trying to keep it alive.
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Interesting, oddly I associate guavas with Hawaii though they grow around here. Another one of those tropical fruits I haven’t embraced..good luck with it.
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Love, love, love the tortoise! What a treat to see that little chap wandering down your drive. The mangoes look delicious and the sounds jasmine wonderful. Do you ever think smelli-vision will be invented?
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we need SmellPress or would ScentPress be better?
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SmellPress is funnier!
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That’s the second tortoise in an SoS I’ve seen this week! Amazing creatures. I’ve been imagining the fragrance of jasmine mixed with fresh mangos as I read your post. Lovely.
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I enjoy the turtles and have a family of box turtles in the garden. The ripening mangos smell wonderful in the kitchen.
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How amazing to have tortoises and mangoes in your garden – seems very exotic!
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Alliums and Roses seem exotic to me!!
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How lovely to be able to grow mangoes!
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I love the mangos, no comparison to store bought. Usually Tommy variety, blah.
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it’s good to see what the hibiscus sabdariffa looks like! I just sowed my seeds yesterday. Have you sown yours? Did you scarify and soak the seeds? I remember drinking karkade tea in Cairo years ago … a great memory
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I planted the seed in 4 inch pots in April. Transplanted them into the garden this week. It takes until October here to harvest the flowers. Did not soak or scarify, I collected seed from the garden last fall. They are worth having in the garden just for the flowers and foliage, I ate a little of the new growth but never tried cooking the older leaves – I gave a friend some seed who is going to make jam for champagne. I have to look up karkade tea, I still have some flowers in the freezer and was unsure about making the tea.
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These seeds come from a NC Twitter friend. I will see how they work… 🤞
Thanks for you experience. I soaked ans scarified 2 , and nothing for the 2 others. We’ll see.
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The tortoise is cute, and it must be a thrill to have such a creature visit. I hope he or she isn’t sharing a burrow with a rattlesnake, though! I love the gardenia with its pure white petals. The mangoes look delicious.
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I haven’t seen a rattlesnake, so I hope they live elsewhere!
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Impressive for Arabian jasmine! That is one plant that dislike the aridity here. Isn’t it from an arid climate? Anyway, I never see the flowers open fully. They open part way, and then get all gnarly. They are grown for their fragrance anyway.
Mangoes look good also. I have not seen one in many years. They do not grow here, but there are a few in the Los Angles Region.
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Tony..I will see if I can get a picture of the Jasmine..it looks like mini Banksia rose to me. The Mangos are good ☺️
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Oh, that is your tropical gardenia! That is why it looks so impressive. Yes, the Arabian jasmine here looks like a small Banksia rose, but not very pretty.
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Very cool that you have a tortoise visiting, and the box turtles in your garden, too. I don’t see turtles all that often. When I see one trying to cross a road during breeding season, I always stop and help them across. I hate seeing them hit by cars. 😦
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My husband does the same and was nearly arrested by the wildlife guys. There is a nearby vacant lot..I think they live there. Almost everyone stops for turtles around here. I love to see them.
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Tortoise are revered on Skidaway Island. There is a team that dig up the eggs of the diamondback turtles on the golf courses and incubate them until hatching..otherwise the raccoons and fox dig them up for a midnight snack!
I envy the guava and mango!
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There are turtle patrols here. Do I remember you have citrus? If so what kind and where did you get them? My brother is on Hilton Head and wants some.
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I am growing a Satsuma orange. I believe I purchased it originally from Herb Creek.2 locations in Savannah, one on Victory Drive (big) and one in Sandfly (small). I would also try Hester and Zipperer on Skidaway Road. The Important thing with citrus is not to buy citrus raised in FL…they are having a serious problem.
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Thanks Jayne
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