Sunday, January 3, 2010

Winter in Miami


It's always odd to see Miamians wrapped up against the winter cold, and it must be a real shock for tourists expecting to prostrate themselves before a hot sun on the beach, but it is cold today and will be colder tonight with a freeze warning for interior regions of Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) and north. It's been more than 20 years since downtown Miami had a frost; I remember ice on the bird bath. It killed so many precious plants.


Today, it's grey, matched by the oak and Spanish moss above, but I came across one glorious bright spot out on my bike ride with Sparky the dog. It's one of the most colorful crotons I've seen, beautifully framed by the silver grey leaves of a young Bismarckia noblis palm.

6 comments:

MrBrownThumb said...

I alway's get a kick out of seeing pics of souther gardens. Especially when I see Spanish moss. Crazy that you all have it growing in tree like that and where I live we have to buy it at craft stores.

MrBrownThumb said...

I forgot to mention that whatever that is blooming in your header is AMAZING! I want one of those.

Terra Mirabilis said...

Ha! And thanks! You're probably better off getting Spanish moss from a craft store because in much of the South, it holds chiggers. For some reason, they're not a problem in South Florida, so it can be handled safely.

The tree is the royal poinciana, aka flamboyant, aka flame tree, aka a bunch of other names. Botanically: Delonix regia. It won't grow much further north, but it's common in the tropics and is truly one of the most spectacular flowering trees. This one lives one block away.

MrBrownThumb said...

Thanks for the info, I'm going to go Google and fall down the rabbit hole of image search.

btw, saw your comment about picking up an Adenium in the trash. I'm going to have to go and vacation in Florida one of these days!

James David said...

How I wish I could gather those spanish moss that are freely available in your place. These are difficult to cultivate in my place, somehow I manage to keep them going for years.

Thanks for your comment & adding me in your followers list. Appreciate your comments very much. Have a nice wonderful New Year ahead.

Penny McCrea said...

Thanks, James. We grow a lot of the same plants, particularly orchids. Feel free to become a follower! :-)

Happy New Year to you, too.