It’s the end of summer hot in South Florida. We had a cold front (ha!) come through with Hurricane Ernesto passing by – bringing the daily high down to a bone chilling 88 degrees F/ 31C. I cut flowers early Sunday morning taking advantage of a brief respite from humidity while simultaneously importing a number of green garden spiders into the house. I enjoyed watching the spiders go up and down the sides of the flowers like tiny window washers on a high rise. I am hoping these spiders eat ants as they have tired of the heat as well and are coming inside.
Spider hanging on for dear life.
My Zin Master Zinnias are still going great guns; sadly brown spots are setting in on the foliage. I think this is Mother Nature’s way of telling me to start some new seeds. Now is when seeds are started for winter herbs and veg. After jealously looking at summer tomatoes on other blogs I am looking forward to fresh herbs and vegetables. My favorite parsley collapsed last week.
Survivors of the summer – Zin Master Zinnias and Beach Daisies (Helianthus debilis).
More heat lovers. Red bells are Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis); white daisies, Bidens alba; Asian Sword Ferns and a few sprigs of white native salvia (Salvia coccinea). The extremely rustic blue mug has the handle glued on – it’s one of those things I wonder why I keep, then I fill it with flowers and spiders and enjoy the color.
Thanks to Cathy for hosting. To see more vases follow the link RamblingintheGarden and check out the comments.
Happy Gardening!!
The Shrub Queen 
Lovely and showy colors that exemplify your hot weather. I don’t know how you can stand the heat and humidity, I wilt just thinking of an entire summer of it! I heard a weather forecasting prediction of 10 named storms in Sept, oh dear. Praying none go near you. 🙏🏼
Spiders are very welcome in my garden. Looks like yours is an orb weaver, whose abdomens are ornate and rather large. In the past, I used to get yellow garden spiders and ones like yours the size of quarters, but not the past couple years. Perhaps I have too many birds eating them up?
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Russelia equisetiformis looks like a species or a cultivar of a species that I noticed in a completely different climate in Arizona. Southern Arizona is so arid, while southern Florida is so humid. Even if it likes warmth, it should like either humidity or aridity, but not likely both. Of course, I could have noticed a different species.
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Another wonderful bouquet, Amelia! I love your description of the spiders as “window washers on a high rise.” It’s spider season here too – I walk into webs even when I think I’m being vigilant and I bring them inside with every cut flower. No ant invasions yet this year – and I hope I haven’t just jinxed myself by saying that!
https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/
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Thanks, Kris. I hope the ants stay away.
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You might well admire my dahlias but in turn I admire your zinnias – mine have been rubbish this year – and I have not long remembered they don’t like to be overshadowed…sadly this year I planted cosmos on one side and scabious on the other, so I need to remember that for next year… 🤞 Yours make a wonderful display with the sword fern and your other fillers
Elder Daughter and family are in Florida just now and she has said how hot and humid it has been 🥵
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thank you. I need some of the zinnias that look more like dahlias! I hope your daughter is indoors.
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Haha – that could be a solution! 😉 And no, they were mostly outdoors as they were at Disney World Resort, so felt the brunt of the heat and humidity – and a deluge on one of their last evenings!
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ugh, best in winter IMO.
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Or through other people’s photos…?
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LOL!! yes, I think I have been there once despite living about two hours away.
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Those darn cold fronts. I can’t believe here in the South they even call them cold fronts. I would love a temperature of 88 as we are going over 100 with heat alert until 10pm. Crazy! I recognized every flower this week and I can grow them all here. My zinnias have started to bloom again.
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Whoohoo! it is too hot when 88 sounds good. These are the summer stalwarts. Zinnias are amazing.
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Ha, yes 88 in August doesn’t feel too bad really. Your zinnias are so bold and summery, lovely!
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thank you
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Your zinnias are stalwarts, beautiful!
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Thanks, Susie.
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Those zinnias are still looking fabulous. Definitely a good variety! And I love that blue jug filled to the brim with lovely flowers. 😃 We will all be enying your tomatoes in January! LOL!
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thank you, dreaming of fresh dill now!
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Love what those ferns do to your arrangement and the blue jug is a keeper, handle or not! I always feel we get a new lease of life at the end of the summer – we can breathe again and so can the plants.
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Things pause here when it’s really hot. I’m seeing signs of growth now and pups on the bromeliads. Fall is around the corner.
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