Garden Dirt Diary
May 25, 2026
Memorial Day
We hope you had a long weekend and the chance to get out and love on your green just a little. While you might expect us to talk about the importance of the Holiday, honoring, grief, sadness, and remembering are unique things, completely individual to the person experiencing them. So, as a person who has lost their special veteran, I’ll admit if I wanted to honor My Daddy, I’d go fishing. But I also try to practice joyful remembrance, it isn’t for everyone. You be you. Growing green things are our focus here. And, Memorial Day is traditionally an outdoor holiday where people often spend time in their gardens, with guests. More often than not, thinking about what needs to be done. LOL!
We absolutely spent some time in Our Garden this weekend both working and relaxing. In fact, we opened up the pool fully last week. While this might surprise some, it does get too chilly to actually swim here in the winter. But, a cool little swim after some hot work is delightful. My Mom and I spent some time finishing up the new concrete pavers walking path, and it was hot heavy work. The relaxing soak was almost a necessity or a celebration. Take your pick. The problem with projects this time of year for us is the blazing Tropical Growing Zone sun. Early is better, but sometimes the path you’re working on is in the blazing sun, no matter what. Dang.
If you spent some time distracted during your outdoor festivities this weekend, either wanting an outdoor space like the one you visited or by something amiss with your own green space, we have lots of ideas and help. Tropical Growers, like us, have to scale back construction projects and really focus on planting and heavy growth this time of year. Woo-Hoo! New planties! But, growers more north can focus on both. Either way, dream big.
Around Our Garden
As mentioned, we did finish our final walking path. Woo-Hoo! We now host a full walking loop around Our Garden. Woot-Woot! It’s always good to celebrate the wins. I’m not going to lie, it was some work. The rock and mulch portions not nearly as much as the pavers. The final stretch was in the full blazing sun, and we had to bring in some clean Yard Sand to level it properly. Yup, hauling sand. Then, we had to bring in more to level and drain everything around them properly. Dang. Did I mention we were in direct hard-core sun? LOL!
Part of the problem was the raccoon had dug under all the log boarders in the adjacent beds, displacing lots of soil. Since this is the area where water drains into our new dry detention, it couldn’t be a lumpy mess. The water needs to flow slow and smooth. So, add sand, level with a slope, compact, and finish mulch. The walking path with pavers and mulch will help keep everything in place. Perfect for this area by design.
Then, there was all the hard freeze die-off in the beds. Luckily, in this area, the plants just died back to the ground. I say lucky because this area had no plant deaths, just die-back. Not great, but not devastating, either. Don’t forget we are heading into our crazy tropical growth time, lots of water and sun. We’re interested to see how quickly the well-established root systems recover. Sometimes it can feel like magic. Fingers-crossed.
More Fun Stuff
While the walking path was a big project, spanning a few weeks, because we made the pavers, the finish leveling only took a couple of days, mostly because of the sun delays. LOL! We also started trimming-up and weaving the Cage Match. Well, we only got to the pool entrance and right tunnel over-hang, but that’s a ton. LOL! The right over-hang was starting to droop, and everyone but me and My Mom had to duck to get under it. Yup, got a little crooked grin of amusement thinking about it. It’s pushed back up now, but for a moment we had our own secret entrance to the back. Nice and fun to think about until the person mowing needs to get back there. Dang.
The pole cutter had to be pulled out to rip at the material like stuff around the top of the Coconut tree, again. Coconut leaf fronds are held onto the trunk by this thick heavy organic matting that looks like material, fabric. As the fronds die, the material breaks down and the whole palm frond falls from the tree leaving a clean trunk. The problem is the hard freeze killed what would have been living fronds, but the material holding them to the truck has not broken down. So, the new fronds are being strangled and broken trying to emerge out of this tight material wrapped around the top of the tree. Dang. We’re trying to rip a little room for them to come out without damage, not remove them. That could kill the tree.
We also spent some time walking around and pruning with the big clippers. The Frangipangi or Pulmeria plants did not fare well in the freeze. While we thought the 2 big ones were coming back fine, nope. Some of the end branches started new plants with the main trunks dead almost to the ground. Those were cut-back and the sprouted ends planted for new trees. Good and bad. There was also weeding. It will be a heavy battle for the next several months. Not that it ever ends.
Harvest
We’re trying very hard to bring in the remaining Veggie crop a little at a time. We do not want so much produce it will go bad before we eat it. It’s also preferable to eat it fresh. So many criteria. LOL! I am sad to report we did not get to the shade cloths which makes things even more critical. Veggies do not particularly like the Rainy Season. While things like the Sweet Potato Vines grow crazy, most everything else rots or dries up. We’re watching the Cabbage and Broccoli for standing water. The Carrots will be fine one day but rot within a few more from too much water. It’s that time, and I’m always glad we get the heavy tropical growth about the same time as the Veggie die-off. We don’t like it. Boo-Hiss!
It should be no surprise we got a big Harvest last week. Not only did we bring in the normal contenders Cabbage, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Lima Bean and Turnips, but we also got Peppers. There were several of the Orange Bell Peppers, a few Cayenne and a Banana Pepper. I’m not going to lie, it was the smallest Banana Pepper I remember growing. LOL! They’re usually the length of an actual Banana. We‘re in a severe drought. And, more Peaches I’m happy to report that were not chewed on. Woo-Hoo! There’s still more on the tree.
Flowers
In a surprise appearance, our Gladiolus bloomed and captured the Feature. While we have planted over 30 bulbs across the last 3 years, only one constantly blooms. It was planted 3 years ago in the Bulb Garden along with 5 other Bulbs. From the next 2 batches planted, both in the Bulb Garden and elsewhere, another 2 bulbs sent up green leaves this year, no blooms. While Gladiolus is supposed to grow great here, that has not been our experience. Or, we just haven’t figured out the trick. So you can imagine how we rejoice when this one, the only one, blooms.
The sparkling white petals are brushed at the tips with a purple-pink like watercolor, and the bright magenta/dark purple centers appear splashed into place. So unusual. They start blooming at the bottom with each flower opening as they build to the top. Usually between 7 and 10 blooms in all. Woo-Hoo! It takes a bit, thankfully.
With the rains came the Pink Rain Lilies. Double Woo-Hoo! The Zinnias and all the wildflowers look amazing, attracting the prettiest and most fun pollinators. We spent some time in Our Garden last week just enjoying the butterflies and dragonflies. We love it when they come to visit. So many. Again by design. We don’t just like to look at the blooms. Some of them are planted specifically to attract their pretty friends, and it’s a wonderland of blooms out there. Enjoy!
May 18, 2026
It Has Begun
While I had originally predicted Sunday, the Rains actually started Saturday. One minute my app said clear, hot afternoons, and the next, it showed dark clouds with little lightening bolts, everyday. But, the app didn’t actually catch-up until after the Rains had started on Saturday. LOL! The plants are relieved and a little tattered in places. They haven’t started their extra hearty growth and weren’t quite prepared for the beating. It’s okay, they will get there.
We are, of course, excited and resigned. We grow for this time, when exotic tropicals get happy. Nurturing things outside, like Amaryllis, others only dream about. We know, that was once our dream. Shrubs become trees you can cut tunnels through. Philodendrons that climb trunks into the sky with leaves the size of umbrellas. Whole beds filled with Bromeliads. Coconuts, Bananas and Dragon Fruit, there in the landscaping for eating. It’s still exciting and fun after all these years.
And wet, and oppressively hot. So much so many flee north for cooler climates. Or used to. We’re adjusting to earlier mornings with shorter blocks of time in Our Garden. Boo-Hiss. It didn’t help that we were trying to lay the new concrete paver path last week in an area that gets direct sunlight, most of the day. It was hot and water was thick in the air.
Around Our Garden
We did indeed work on the new concrete paver path last week. The new pavers we poured set nicely. They were ready to dig-up and place. Since we were looking for an organic design mixing the very geometric square ones, My Mom’s rustic ones, and my more detailed ones, we spent an entire morning puzzling them into a pleasing order. We had more time, but the sun was not our friend. Blazing down.
The next morning we moved the pavers and bed borders, raked the area level (draining into the dry detention), and removed a trench of dirt where we set the pavers. Now, we’re working on finish-leveling each paver. We want a smooth walk. If My Mom can trip over it, she will. So, we’re spending some time to make sure that’s correct. Falling would be bad.
There was also weeding, of course. That never ends. Since we took out the grass to mulch new areas and paths, we have to spot-treat any new seeds that sprout or planties coming back from the roots. There’s lots of new areas. More chopping of stuff that died in the hard freeze, finally labeled as ‘not coming back’, and we did a spruce-up of the slopes and mulch in the new dry detention and berm. Lots of water is coming its way. And, we cleaned-up the fountain. The Pickerelweed had lots of spent flower spikes. That meant seeds.
Harvest
So, you guessed it. We Harvested Pickerelweed seed last week to eat. After cutting all the dying stalks from the fountain, we removed the whole seed heads before dumping the rest into compost. Then, we removed the seeds from the buds to dry. They are currently sitting in a brown paper bag. Once they turn brown, we’ll lightly roast them. You can eat them dried, but they have a nuttier flavor roasted. Yum.
We also pulled in more Tomatoes, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, and Leaks. We’ve noticed the remaining Cabbage has some leaf eaters munching on them. Dang. It’s about time to pull everything, anyway. In the next couple of weeks, the Veggies will mostly choke. Too much water and heat. We’re going to add some shade cloth which blocks both, but it’s only a matter of time. Dang.
Flowers
The Zinnias got the Feature because they were awesome last week. The plants finally have enough girth for the bigger flowers, and I couldn’t stop snapping pics of them. There was a big selection. LOL! The Butterflies and Bees thought so too. I’m pretty sure I befriended a Gulf Fritillary. LOL! Let me have my joys. Hopefully, we’ll have the lovelies, both kinds, through most of the summer. Can’t wait.
The Zinnia’s were not the only wildflowers going crazy. Both the Orange Cosmos and Lanceleaf Coreopsis looked fantastic with large overgrown plants in pots and beds throughout the yard. There was a significant amount of dead-heading the spent flowers to keep the seeds down last week. We also moved several of the Yellow Cosmos plants, not blooming, into the bed in the back. They were blocking the irrigation. Hopefully, they’ll go to bloom back there. Check out: How to Grow Wildflowers in Your Yard . Also looking fabulous, the new Orange Canna’s My Son and Hannah brought for Mother’s Day and all the Dendrobium Orchids. Woo-Hoo! Enjoy!
May 11, 2026
All Hail Mothers!
We hope all you mothers out there had a moment of special, all to yourself. It’s such a thankless job. If things go right, nothing, but if things go wrong, All Your Fault. LOL! Oh yeah, there’s some joy in there too. Parenting.
The good news, if you teach them, they can probably learn how to cook, and you get to trade-in your surprise marshmallow toast on actual food for Mother’s Day. My Son and Hannah made brunch, by hand. There were donuts, actually fried in our kitchen. And Crepes, filled with a yummy cheesecake goo and fresh strawberries and/or blueberries finished with a drizzle of chocolate sauce. Eggs and bacon. It was all delicious. And we’re getting pedicures on Wednesday. Woo-Hoo! It does get better.
Sunday was also a day for us to show off all the new improvements to Our Garden. My Son climbed through the tunnels I’d just cut in our undeveloped lot up front with me. He thought the same thing I did. It’s really cool in there. Both in temperature and environment. The kids also got a look at the ⅓ of the Shell Circle, completely refurbished, with mortar and the new concrete pavers My Mom and I made last week. Super fun.
Around Our Garden
Indeed, it’s been a race to finish the last of the improvements needing dry days to set. While I wish we could have gotten more of the Shell Circle finished, I doubt we’ll get a chance. Identifying 2 dry days in a row correctly is almost impossible, and we’re not big gamblers. Just saying. But, we did completely finish a ⅓ of it, mortar and all. That means we can sweep, keep the shells from being kicked around, and, hopefully block any future weeds in the area. Woo-Hoo! Time well spent. And, it looks fantastic, the ⅓ of it finished.
We also finished making the concrete pavers for the new path. Yes, absolutely, this needs an actual post, hopefully soon. Making concrete pavers is easy if you have yard sand. It only costs time and the number of bags of concrete you’ll need, maybe a bag of grass seed, for after. That’s a huge savings if you’ve ever priced pavers from the store, even the less expensive concrete ones. And, you can make them any size or shape you want, completely custom. Since we inherited about ½ of what we needed for our new path, we put it on the project list. Last week, it came up, to beat the rains.
My Mom worked on her molds for 2 days. The fact she did it at all was pretty amazing, cutting shapes into the sand. The trick is you have to wet the sand, and not just the top. It requires very wet shapeable sand, and you have to keep lightly wetting it, just like the master sandcastle builders. I took the heavy lifting, taking the 5, 50 pound concrete bags to the back and mixing them a half bag at time. Not going to lie, the last bag was difficult to lift, the bucket with the wet mix even more so, but we got it. My Mom patterned her pavers more rustic with deep impressions where I went light details. They’re dried and cured, waiting to be lifted from the sand and set in place. Woo-Hoo!
Harvest
We took more Peaches! Woo-Hoo! My Mom put the 1st batch, ripening in the window, in the fridge this morning, claiming they are soft. We’ll see. The remaining Peaches are staying where they are, and we’re going to try to tree ripen. I don’t have much hope the birds will leave them alone. The fishing line works pretty well to deter, but we’ve had a couple of pecks. I get it, they’re hard to leave alone once they turn their bright peachy color.
We also got our 1st Cheyenne Pepper, pretty and bright red. Woo-Hoo! The Orange Bells are right there, getting ready to get their color. You have to watch them because while the birds don’t like them, they will taste them. Then, the bugs can get in. Dang.
The rest of the Veggies are coming in regularly. We got more Broccoli, Tomatoes, Cabbage, Lettuce, and some Swiss Chard. Unfortunately, most of the Arugula followed the Buttercrunch and has gone to seed. Dang. Heat and Drought are never good for Veggies.
Flowers
We’re featuring the Purple Dendrobium Orchids from last week. These little beauties blasted up the fences and pergola wall last week. One day, nothing, the next, flower spikes everywhere. We have several baskets, in different locations, and they all bloomed at the same time. Woo-Hoo! Guess they liked the weather. LOL! Few Orchids match the number and longevity of the Dendrobiums. The little Purple ones are slightly sheer, sparkling purple tips in the sun. Just Gorgeous.
Few flowers are so different and changing as the Indian Blanket Flower. We have big patches of it, all different, all beautiful. The Zinnias, gaining their summer girth, are in heavy competition with it for the most flowers in Our Garden. LOL! Try: How to Grow Wildflowers in Your Yard And, the Double Lancaster Tiger Lilies, while only so far throwing a couple of flower spikes, with magnificent flowers, just sent up a mess of spikes. They’re coming. If you don’t grow bulbs, you’re missing out on easy blooms. Check out: How to Grow Bulbs and Rhizomes . Enjoy!
Check out the What’s Bloomn’ slideshow for more flowers or visit Garden Dirt for the latest around Our Garden.