Saturday morning has rolled around once again. Maybe this is the post snap post? The garden has improved since last week. The cold snap broke. We are back to clear, blue sky Florida days. Daytime temps are in the high 70s. Tomatoes are setting fruit and flowering and seedlings are emerging. This is called false spring in Florida, as another cold snap is inevitable. It usually occurs at the greatest moment of anticipation for fresh tomatoes and they stay green for another week.
Follow this link to Jim’s blog and join other gardeners posting six items of interest from their gardens. GardenRuminations
The Billbergia bromeliad “wethinkiscalledRainbow’ has opened. These remind me of curling ribbon.
Two of my favorite herbs, ‘Giant of Italy’ Parsley and Genovese Basil are up and asking for thinning.
French Dressing Radishes and Heirloom Arugula asking for the same thing. I grow these in a tall container for rabbit abatement.
I am happy to see some Brad’s Atomic Grape tomatoes on the way. The Yellow Pear tomatoes have also set fruit. I covered the tomatoes during the cold snap. I’m planning to trim off the cold damage this afternoon when the leaves are dry.
I cleaned up the ‘Jill’ Neoregelia bromeliads climbing the palm trunks.
Some flowers for a warm up at Number Six. These are Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis) Totally indestructible here.
Bonus photo of my new gardening assistant, Handsome Rob. He is great at digging holes. For this reason, he has to stay on his side of the fence. Chasing greyhounds is always a futile effort and another reason he stays inside the fence! And, yes, this is the “soil” in my garden. It never fails to amaze me that anything grows in it.
Sending sunshine and warmth your way from my garden.
The Shrub Queen 
Handsome Rob asked me to let you know that he is ready and willing to do all your digging for you, if you moved his enclosure around. The soil or is it sand must be very free draining.
LikeLike
LOL, Rob is probably safer set loose digging than my husband. It’s sand and it doesn’t really hold water.
LikeLike
Hi Mr. Handsome! What a great buddy to have around. I cannot believe that is the soil you are dealing with, and yet your garden is abundant. I love the bromeliads climbing the palm tree.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He is a good garden buddy, but needs dog space for destruction! The sand is nasty but surprisingly grows a lot of things.
LikeLike
Billbergia has cultivars?! I thought that they are just simple species. Billbergia nutans has followed me since college in the late 1980s. I only recently encountered the species that looks like a larger version of it, but whose name I can not remember. They grow on charred redwood stumps splendidly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A zillion cultivars..weird flower foliage combos.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, are there cultivars of Billbergia nutans? It is already to distinctive for that, but I suppose that it is possible.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh my! I just Googled it! There are SEVERAL cultivars of Billbergia, although not specifically Billbergia nutans, . . . or any specific species, . . . just cultivars.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My Billbergia just put out some flower spikes. Oh my gosh, I thought your dog was at the beach. How do you grow anything?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great, I hope to see yours. There’s really not soil here, so it’s an adjustment for sure. Different plants and lots of pots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your gardening assistant is a sweetheart. ❤ And your weather sounds perfect; I’m very jealous right now. Love the Billbergia…it’s gorgeous!
Beth @ PlantPostings
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, he is a good dog. Winter is when you want to be in South Florida, so it is packed here. The Billbergias are just so weird to me I have one more that hasn’t flowered yet.
LikeLike
Thanks for the sunshine and warmth, 70º sounds wonderful! -3F is predicted tonight, ugh. The temps have been rising and falling in a dizzying way. 48F predicted for Monday. Boing!
LikeLike
Do you have red ant hills too? I adored Plant City and cared for greyhounds needing new homes after no longer racing. They were covered in ticks, and I had to make sure to keep them away from the nasty ants.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No fire ants here. We have other kinds of ants, but they don’t bite. Very rare to see ticks. I’m South of Plant City.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great they are miserable.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tomatoes!? I’m flabbergasted! Wonderful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you don’t have too much damage to your tomatoes, because the cold is something you don’t know much about where you are… About the basil and radish seedlings, they’ve started well! Rob looks very well behaved in the photo : I’m sure it’s a quiet moment, because he must have his crazy moments regularly! 🤪
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Billbergia bromeliad is beautiful. You are right it is like a curling ribbon
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice to meet Rob. Your soil does look just like sand! You work wonders with it though Amelia. The Billbergia Bromeliad flower is so pretty, and quite mesmerizing. Yellow pear tomatoes are one of my favourites. I might start sowing mine when you get your first ripe ones!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rob says hi. That soil is sand. It is nasty, grey sand with black clay dust, and the dust sticks to the dog. I want tomatoes now!
LikeLiked by 1 person