What's Growing in December South Florida Style

Hey Ya'll...Happy holidays!!!
Hope everyone is enjoying this ah-mazing South Florida weather...if you are visiting, then welcome and if you live here be grateful it's not snowing, lol.   We have had low 40's to the 60's for about a week, whoo hoo!  Though like all good things, that didn't last long enough, so now we are 60's at night and 80's in the day...yeash it's hot.  What's the weather like in your area during the end of December?   Our winter is such a lovely time of year where we could literally sleep outside it's so nice.  No mosquitoes (or not as many depending on where you live), nice cool breeze off the Atlantic ocean, the sun has shifted south making the day's heat less intense and people become nicer.  Yes it's true, weather has a way of changing people's frame of mind and when it starts to cool off with the holiday's here, I think it gives people something to be happy about.

Everything is growing great here in South Florida even after hurricane Irma tore things up.  Our red navel orange tree is growing new flowers everyday like crazy.  It already has lots of small fruit clusters on it.   The sweet yet tart smell of those yummy citrus flowers brings back such great memories of growing up down in the deep south of Palmetto Bay/Miami.  The smell is so intoxicating that I have to fight for nose space with the honey bees.

Our red navel orange in bloom and fruit

The vegetable and herb garden is just starting out with a new batch of goodies...
like these cherry heirloom tomatoes 'chocolate sprinkles'.

Heirloom cherry tomatoes 'chocolate sprinkles'

The seasonal cilantro is popping up all throughout the garden
(three years running now).

The broccoli and rosemary are filling out nicely.

Broccoli in the front, rosemary in the background and in the top left corner is something
I picked up at a local nursery with no tag...looks like some type of bok choi I think.

This is something new I picked up at a local nursery.  Along with the rest of their entire vegetable stock, it had no tag and no sign to say what it is.  Who does that?   You literally are a plant nursery, duh.  So I asked one of the employee's who said lettuce...the look I gave her must have indicated my suspicion cause she just shrugged her shoulders like, "I don't know lady, don't ask me then."  Gotta love a disorganized nursery...uhm no, that was sarcasm by the way.   Wait to see what is turns out to be, it's starting to look more like a bok choi.   There is actually a blush of purple in the white stalk and veining...anyone know?

Here is the funky bok choi'ishy / lettucey plant up close.

The marigolds and chive just love each other so much.

Marigold 'Fantastic Yellow Gold' from Baker Creek Seeds

The vanilla is growing like a weed all by itself, all I had to do was ignore it...ok you know I couldn't do that, I still keep my eye on it but I definitely leave it to it's own accord.  The less I mess with it the happier it is.

Our vanilla bean vine doing it's vanilla bean thang'

The arroz con pollo pepper plants are struggling a bit since they were just babies when they went through the hurricane, as well as the Thai Thai bird's eye pepper plants that regrew from seed. 

The two bananas and the cotton candy berry tree have made a comeback from the hurricanes as well.

One of the bananas and the cotton candy berry tree

Some kind of squash popped up out of the ground from my direct composting method but it's struggling from the powdery mildew due to the cool nights and warm days, not sure what how I can help it, any suggestions ya'll?

I think this is a squash but it's struggling from powdery mildew.

Some other randoms around here...

Our beautiful bay rum, pimenta racemosa

My Christmas presents, the three orchids in pots, waiting to be mounted on wood pieces.

Our Banana shrub, michelia figo, is finally blooming in spades...smells intense!

The nepenthes pitcher plant surprisingly held up during our cold days.

My dragon fern grew about an inch in five days!

My dragon fern, an alocasia hybrid, alocasia borneo giant, some ferns and anthuriums.

Anthurium 'Faustino's Giant' with maiden hair fern

I am surprised this hydrangea is still going strong...my Dad gave this to me about 3 yrs ago for
my birthday.  It died back and has been steadily growing ever since. 
Not too many blooms but I'm glad it's doing really well.

That's it for now, hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, Chanuka and/or the holiday that you may celebrate.  Wishing you all a very happy new year!

Happy Gardening and Sending you all lots of holiday cheer,

Sheri B.

xoxo