Week of March 31

Spring comes on fast in Florida, with the danger of frost gone after March 10 or so.  After the stone and citrus trees, aloes, and dickias have made an early entrance, other flowers add to the color and to the nectar collected by the bees.  The goal of my Florida garden is to have something blooming all year round.  A very early bloomer is the redbud.  Three came as little seedlings from the Arbor Society and have their first sizable purple blooms this year.  Another surprise was a large red amaryllis that I was given to us as a Christmases gift years ago.  It disappeared for a while but this year has four large ruby red blossoms each on one stalk.  Several of our neighbors have beds full of them, so we might want to get more.  A white indigo also came up with large, bushy foliage and several clusters of little pea-like white flowers.  Apparently, this plant is native to Florida.  Several of my canna lilies are blooming, with bright red flowers.  Finally, our 50’ hedge along the house is made up of a guava shrub which will  soon be covered by little jewel-like red and white flowers.  All these need add to our Gainesville spring.