It’s time, once again, for SOS – sharing six items of interest from my South Florida garden with gardeners from around the world. Follow the link to visit Jim and see his garden and many others –http://gardenruminations.co.uk
The garden and the weather has had its ups and downs this week. It has been cold (for South Florida – temperatures in the 40s F, 4 C) so the locals are freezing, but the garden is enjoying it for the most part.
Winter is citrus season and I finally have some fruit on my Rangpur lime tree. My neighbor grew the tree from a seed and gave it to me about 7 years ago. It has 5 ! limes. I was thrilled to cut the first one, beautiful and fully ripe.
And then, I turned it over.
Something, or someone had beaten me to it and sucked all the juice out. Vampire rats? Arghh.
Not to worry, there are a few left. Rangpur limes are not actually limes, but sour oranges, probably a cross between lemons and mandarin oranges. They make great pies and are the basis for mojo marinades in Cuban cuisine. Here’s one still ripening. Fingers crossed.
I started tomatoes from seeds in October. As soon as I planted the seedlings the weather was cold and damp. These plants have had everything tomatoes get, I think. I finally have my first fruit. I think it is a Lost Marbles cherry tomato.
Long Island Mammoth dill is the recommended variety for Florida as it goes to seed more slowly than others. I have had it for a few years and concur. These plants have been enjoying the weather and I have enjoyed the dill.
I did my first late fall Chelsea chop this year and the perennials have bounced back beautifully. This Mystic Spires Salvia is just starting to flower again.
That is all from my garden this year!
Happy New Year to all and thank you to Jim for hosting Six on Saturday this year.
The Shrub Queen 
Sorry to see that Rangpur lime destroyed, nature can be a challenge.
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It is always something! Happy New Year..
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I always enjoy your little garden tours. Love how your salvia responded to being cut back. I need to be more ruthless when it comes to that garden task.
Had to chuckle at your comment about the South Floridian locals freezing at 40 degrees. When we Wisconsinites hit 40 degrees this week, I saw several joggers in my neighborhood trading their sweats for shorts. We’re in the mid 30-s today, so I plan to venture outdoors to refill my birdfeeders, but I won’t be donning shorts. Ha!
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Thank you. I always fear cutting perennials back hard, though it is a good thing. No shorts for me for a few days now and at 40 degrees never. Hardy souls those Wisconsinites. We laugh at Floridians wearing flannel at 75 degrees.
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Fingers crossed the rest of the limes survive, after you’ve spent so many years growing it! I’m sure I wouldn’t have the patience:-)
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Mine are crossed as well. Fruit trees take a long time especially from seed. A friend gave me an avocado she grew from seed about the same time as the lime. No avocados yet, but I have a pretty big tree.
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An incredible 4°C, it’s even warmer here with 13°C (which is 5° warmer than other years nonetheless). Interested in the Rangpur this week. Is it juicy or is it only used for peeling ??
Otherwise very pretty blue salvia. I’m going to start sowing tomatoes in 1 month and peppers/chillies in 1 week… We’re finally on the other side of the tunnel!
A Happy New Year to you and yours.
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Weird weather. The limes are for juicing. They are usually really juicy. Yay for the other side of the tunnel. I always celebrate the winter solstice. Happy New Year.
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Looks like you will have fresh produce this winter. Happy New Year!
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herbs, anyway! Happy New Year.
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Everything is looking great… too bad about the lime. Do you think it was a bird? Do you have to net the fruit to protect it?
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I also wanted to comment that FL and TX had the same temps as we did. That doesn’t happen all that often, esp. this time of year! After a week of highs in the 40s, we’re heading back to 30s, still above average, but 10º above average seems to be the new norm.
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That is weird and creepy. It is El Nino?
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Probably, but the whole country seems to have unusual weather. 40s, raining in the Midwest at Christmas? Not common, I’d say.
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I don’t know. This is not a sweet fruit, it seems odd.The only fruit I have experience with is mangoes and you just have to beat the animals to them.
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Wow, that’s cold for your part of America. We have 11 degrees Celsius today but strong winds with another storm in our midst. Fingers crossed for the tomatoes and the limes.
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It is. Also funny to see the natives dressed like it is Siberia. My fingers are also crossed!
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Rangpur limes are sour mandarin oranges, so are different from sour oranges. Of the forty or so cultivars of citrus that I grew in the early 1990s, they were one of my favorites. They are one of the pretties, with all their fruit on the exterior of their canopy.
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This tree isn’t very pretty! I need to prune it – a hurricane bent it and its is kind of a zig zag.
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Oh, that is unfortunate. They are typically nicely rounded. I worked with one that was up on unappealingly lanky trunks because of shade below, but the canopy was still nicely rounded where it got sufficiently sunlight above.
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The salvia is lovely, and flowering again already! I envy you that fresh dill – I crave fresh herbs at this time of year but at least my parsley seems to have survived the snow so far. Having citrus fruits in your garden sounds so decadent to me as it would mean a heated greenhouse in our climate, but seeing them grow where they thrive outdoors reminds me they are probably as common as apple trees in some parts of the world. I do hope those vampires leave the limes alone for you to harvest them!😉
Happy New Year!
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Thanks, Cathy. I always want your dill in the summer. It lasts until maybe June here. There really isn’t that much citrus around as there is a disease that has taken a lot of it out. This particular lime is possibly resistant. Time will tell. Happy New Year to you.
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Oh, I hope you get to enjoy your other limes. That bite does look like a vampire!
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