This December has been usually wet. So far we have had almost 7 inches of rain in the first two weeks of the month. The temperature seems normal, lows in the 40s and highs in the 60s. We had a light frost on December 17, and a few of the summer annuals were killed. Fortunately, a few of the impatients under the live oak trees survived. We started pulling up the summer plants the first week of December and replacing them with pansies, kale, Swiss chard and mustard. We also have been setting out foxglove, Canterbury bells and hollyhocks, tulips, and anemones for spring bloom. In 2010 our garden theme is ‘shades of purple’. Last year we did hibiscus and Hawaiian plants and we have gathered these plants up and put them in the green house for the winter. We have 15 pineapple plants started for next year. Yes, they do have purple flowers! For the past 10 years , I have placed a pineapple plant at our entrance gate and 2 in front of the gift shop. I always grow back up plants because our pineapples are often stolen. ( I will admit there is nothing more tasty than a home grown pineapple. )If you would like to learn how to grow one, check out my October blog post.
– Paperwhite narcissus , Camellias, pansies, encore azaleas and tea olives.
Just found these old photos of Cypress Gardens on the web please take a look
http://fansinaflashbulb.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/girls-in-swamps/#comment-174
