Wednesday, August 4, 2010

What's New - August

July was extremely hot and dry in my part of Florida.  Many days set record highs in the upper 90's and most days the heat index was between 100° and 110°.  Rainfall for July was the lowest since 1955.  Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled out and didn't bring us the rain we were hoping for.  In spite of the weather, the summer fruits are at their peak (although smaller in size than usual)!  The above photo is a sampling of what I'm picking now:  Cattley Guava, Persian Lime, Banana flower bud, White Sapote, Jaboticaba, and Macadamia nuts.
Gingers of all types are putting on a nice display.
Curcuma alismatifolia
Butterflies don't seem to mind the heat as long as there is nectar to drink!
A potted Dracaena massangeana that froze last winter and was given up for dead has now started sending out new shoots from ground level.  Patience pays!
And it won't be long until the pineapples are ready to pick!
What's New is featured here on the first Wednesday of every month.  This month it's also part of the Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.

7 comments:

Catharine Howard's Garden Blog said...

Grower Jim that Draceana looks massive. Here we can grow it as a tender plant and so it must spend winter inside

Kimberly said...

Jim, your harvest is fantastic! I still don't have bananas...mine are very slow growing right now?!
Your garden is beautiful...signs of good gardening!

Melinda said...

Wow! Growing your own pineapple is an amazing concept for me! They are a delicacy here and an occassional special treat.

Steve Asbell said...

Love the white sapote! The banana flower bud makes a great veggie for a Vietnamese salad.

Athena at Minerva's Garden said...

Your pictures are just fascinating, at least to someone who gardens in a very different climate from your own! Everything looks lovely.

NanaK said...

Great harvest for a hot summer. I have to admit to just a little jealousy over the banana bloom and the pineapples. My pineapples froze this winter and my bananas haven't put out any blooms.

Jami @An Oregon Cottage said...

Jim, I just love seeing what you've got growing down there! It's almost like magic for me because it's so unusual for the States. I bet the fresh pineapple is incredible! Thanks for sharing at the Tuesday Garden Party.