I gardened!

I did it, I actually got off my butt and did something. Quite an achievement for a Sunday these days. I ripped out some more of the disgusting bushes that the previous owners of my house surrounded it with. I have no idea what they're called, though someone said to me they were elephant ears. Anyway, they send out roots from every 2 inches of the stem of the plant, so after a few years there's just this jungle of fibrous roots spreading out in every direction, and they're very tough to remove. I've now just got one left, having ripped out a good 40 feet worth of these damn things since I moved in. It's been slow going. And they don't even flower or smell nice, so there are no redeeming features as far as I can see. Except perhaps that you don't need to do any weeding, because they choke all other plants out.

So, in their place, I put Ruellia, Cuban buttercups, Golden shrimp plants, some lavender colored lillies, marigolds, and a few other things I have now forgotten the names of. But they were all classed as "Florida friendly plants" meaning that the butterflies and hummingbirds like them, and they don't suck up gallons and gallons of water just to stay alive in the heat. If I was being really good I'd put in native plants only, but they're pretty hard to find, and I've always been a sucker for flowers and butterflies. I'm going for a purple and yellow/orange flower scheme at the front of the house, because purple is my favorite color, and the house is yellow/orange, so it seems to match. I have already put in some Ruellia, a golden colored Ixora, a blue Porterweed, some scarlet Milkweed (for Monarch butterfly caterpillers to eat) and a couple of ginger plants. I want lots and lots of flowers. I hope they don't all die or that my idiot yard guys rip them out, which does sadly happen sometimes. They are only supposed to mow the lawn and trim the hedges, but plants do have a tendency to disappear around here!

Sigh, if I only I weren't such a cheapskate, and had a digital camera, I'd give you pics. Maybe you'll get some later, when the plants have grown a bit. But don't hold your breath.