Saturday is upon us once again and I have taken a tour of my garden to see what’s new. I have some new and some old friends. First up, Fiona the greyhound, sitting in the so called dirt in my garden. Fiona likes to keep me company by sunning in the native sand in the garden. It amazes me that anything will grow in this stuff, yet it does.
Mrs. Cardinal’s eggs hatched this week, there are 3 chicks. Mr. Cardinal has been observed helping out by guarding the nest.
I have been observing the smaller lizards in the garden eating bad bugs! This one had a palmetto bug (gigantic Florida cockroach) in its mouth earlier in the day. Now he or she is hanging around on an orchid leaf. This is a brown anole.
The butterflies are coming out in droves. I put together a butterfly feeding plate and put it in the garden area I am reworking. The idea behind this is to put very ripe fruit in the plate and it will attract groups of butterflies to sip the nectar. I tried this with (I think) too ripe fruit and only got fruit flies. Sigh.
A new friend I am hoping hangs around. The ‘Gartenmeister’ Fuchsia is flowering. Wow! I think it needs to be potted up. I am planning on bringing this inside when the summer heat sets in.
People ask me from time to time if I have house plants, since my garden is full of house plants! This is my only one and at this point, an old friend – it has survived for over a year, for me this is amazing. It is a Pink Star Calathea or Prayer Plant and it does pray! The stems go straight up at night.
That is all from South Florida this Saturday. To take more garden tours follow the link to garden ruminations
Happy Spring!!
The Shrub Queen 
How unusual that the leaves on the Pink Star Calathea hang down during the day and are straight up in the evening.
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This surprised me, The plant really does pray.
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Looks like you have a beach in your yard just for Fiona. 🙂
Exciting about the cardinal’s growing family… I wish them a happy fledging!
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It is a combination beach and greyhound running track. She tracks a lot of sand.
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It is something that plants have to go inside when it gets too hot. Just the opposite of most of the country. Most of my houseplants live outside, except for the coldest weeks of winter.
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Yes, this is a first for me, though I don’t think I have ever seen a fuchsia here.
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Lovely to see and hear about all the wildlife in your garden, I’d like to say that Mr Cardinal needs to put in more of an equal share in helping to raise his chicks, but what do I know?
Great that the lizard is eating the bad bugs.
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I am not sure how often Mr. Cardinal is around, he doesn’t like to be seen and flies away if he sees me.
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Fiona seems to be satisfied with that sandy soil. It really does look difficultly inert though, like it is on a beach.
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Fiona likes the sand when the weather is in the 70s. It is basically beach sand and yes, terribly inert.
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Hello Fiona! I love the lizard. I do not like the sound of anything involving the words “giant” and “cockroach” together!
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Fiona says woof to the Under gardener. The roaches are frightening!
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Your soil looks like a sandy soil seeing Fiona lying there. Love the fuchsia. Are they pollinated by hummingbirds?
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It’s pure sand..I think they are pollinated by hummingbirds..we rarely see them here, two or three a year. They go down the west Coast of Florida.
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Don’t you just love having a pet pup beside you when working in the garden? My two are never far from my side when I’m gardening, in fact I trip over them sometimes! I have a potted plant indoors, a gift from my son, and on my kitchen window sill I have a potted chain of hearts. Both seem to be surviving, although I have far better luck with plants growing outdoors.
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Yes, I do love having a dog in the garden, except when they start digging holes! I am terrible with houseplants.
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I tend to either over, or under water my house plants! 😅
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Or something 😂
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😂
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It is a comfort to know I am not the only one who is hopeless with houseplants, but your prayer plant is really intriguing. The garden friends are all lovely Amelia. I do hope some butterflies visit your butterfly bar. It looks so pretty!
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Thanks, Cathy. You would think we could grow houseplants?! The butterflies are still not eating, I tried pineapple.
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Love those lizards, so great to have in the garden. I’m curious if your butterfly feeding station will work out, please let us know! Sweet Amelia, what a good buddy.
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I tried fresh pineapple for the butterflies, no go! Strawberries are next.
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