Spring Break

Taking spring break with Ms. Fatma is turning out to be a lot of work.

Today, we took on a large, oft neglected section of the front yard. Ripped out a bunch [seven 42-gallon trash bags] of jungle, re-potted a few things, planted one of those ligustrum patio trees [one we raised ourselves from a cutting, starting, maybe, 4 years ago], and got another tropical fruit tree ready to plant. Have to admit, the tropical fruit tree, raised by us from seed, is an unknown brand--the tag long since gone. Got no idea what it is. Maybe once it's planted, it will fruit, then I'll be able to figure out what it is or get it ID'd.

There is another ligustrum tree in this area that has so grown through the holes in its pot and into the ground, that to move it would be to kill it. So the plan is to cut the pot [3-gallon plastic] off, build a raised planter bed around the ligustrum, and fill in the bed and plant plants [perhaps xmas cactus] around the base of the ligustrum. If you can't beat them....

This is going to be a nice area when it's finished, I think. Lots of shade; in addition to the ligustrum trees and tropical fruit tree, there is a giant bird of paradise, a Jamaican cherry, a silver dollar eucalyptus, an orange jasmine, and a shrubby meyer lemon. Still-small stuff includes a bismarckia palm and a dioon. Flowering shrubs include Turk's caps, allamandas, hibiscus, bougainvillea. There are spots of ferns and caladiums along some of the edges.

The center piece is Ms Fatma's reading room--a hammock nestled between the lemon and the jasmine.

Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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