Accidental Jungle part 3

One day, 15 years ago, my husband found a small green shoot in our side yard. He dug it up and said this looks like it might be something, a bird must have dropped it. He planted it in a paper cup, it was about 3 inches high. Later he transplanted into the pot you see below.
The small plant grew and grew until it needed more space, he put it in a five gallon bucket. Our dog Max tried his best to kill it by eating he leaves, but it thrived and in its bucket because we had no place to plant it. Our hibiscus bush that we named Charley Brown Christmas tree because Max had eaten everything green from its stalks, finally gave up and died completely. Bob dug it up and put the little green bush there. We had no idea what it was. One day when it became an adult bush, flowers pushed out all over it and began several years of a real Christmas tree. It blooms year round and is what we see from our bedroom window. I stand and stare at it every time I walk in our bedroom.

The flowers up close are marvelous in detail. Very small, about the size of a quarter, but blazing magenta in color.

One day we were in Jones Nursery, I was taking photos of all his flowers, yes I did have his permission. I found a plant that looked kind of sort of like the one we had at home. I said, Mr. Jones, we have one of these at home but the flower is half the size. The birds brought it to us. What is this. He said this one is a giant Powder Puff Bush, yours is a miniature.

Of course we bought it and never thought to find out if it was the flower that was giant or the bush. The flowers are 3 times the size of the gift from the bird and the Bush gets as big as a school bus. Bob spends many happy hours each summer, hacking it back so it does not come inside the house.
The picture below was taken when it was not quite grown. I have seen them at Jungle Gardens and theirs are 40 feet tall, so we keep hacking.

We have been accidentally growing our jungle for 20 years come this October. The first year in the house, Bob comes home with a dead root, with one tiny little green shoot on it. He said I think this is a seagrape, I am going to plant it and see what happens. Did we think to look around at the river and see that Seagrapes are TREES? We totally love it to death, one of our favorites. it to has to be hacked back yearly, but who cares? bob does the work, not me. After all HE planted it.

During the summer months we have beautiful green leaves, and it to is the size of a very large bus.

In the spring, no fall, the leaves turn beautiful colors and drop off and the new growth comes for the summer. From dead root to 25 foot tree and

we love every leaf that falls. Maybe NOT, on the leaf falling part.

Accidental Jungle Part 2

I have found that almost every plant, tree and bush in our jungle has a seed pod at one time or another. You will never guess what this first pod came from. The photos are the many faces of a single pod. It looks completely different in a new position and new light.

At Night

On the pink plastic chair, low light

Dangling from my finger tips in front of the sliding glass door, with pool background

These two shots were from laying it on the green canvas of our swing

Below is the plant I found the pod on. The only one I have ever seen. I am sure you have received a garden planter as a gift, you know the ones with little green plants and maybe a flower here and there. I received a garden planter and when I had no place in the house that got enough light, my husband planted the tiny little thing that looked like a palm in a bucket and now we have a 4 foot tree. he took the rest of the little green plants and stuck them in the ground, they grew and grew and grew and now the fence is covered with this green vine. It covers about 20 feet of fence. WHO KNEW? we sure did not. The vine is about 10 years old, and last year up popped the one and only pod, the subject of all these photos.

I was totally shocked when I saw this pod in below picture. Of course I picked it and took over a hundred pictures.

Guess what this is a seed from......................Bet you can not!

The answer is Bougainvillea. Our bush is a TREE, who knew it would be as big as a bus? We do now.

Above is a seed pod from a palmetto bush. They are so pretty when they are fresh, this is one I brought in and let it dry in the bottle. I found these pods because Baby came out from under the bushes with one in her mouth. they like to pull the nuts off of them,.

Since i know you will never, ever, never guess what the above pod is, I will tell you now. It is from a Schefflera Tree, it is about 40 feet tall and the pods are the beautiful purple flowers that grow at the top. Then they fall off and the dog drags it out and I have to figure out what it is. Detail on this one if you click on it will surprise you.

Happy Birthday Madeline

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MADELINE

Click on picture to SEE those HATS! Madeline and Sandra, 1962, Easter Sunday, the year before we both got married, we each in the others wedding.

Madeline came into my life in January of 1959, in Jr. High and we have been close friends since.

Seems We have HARDLY changed at ALL!

We lost touch for a few years, except for funerals, and in July of 2006, we reconnected at my Dad's funeral. With email and blogs and telephones we are once again very close to each other. Madeline is 65 today, I will be 65 on Sept. 5th. we were born the same year, married the same year and are true sisters under the skin. This photo was taken last year when I visited in Midway.



If you read my blog and the comments, you will see comment from Madeline and Snapper II. Snapper II is Pat as seen in their wedding picture in 1963. They have just celebrated their 46th Anniversary.


Thanks for the memories and have a wonderful day!