Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Annual Yard Update

Well, I seem to have a habit of missing April's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, as I did once again this year.  I wonder what's up with that?  It's also sort of become a tradition for me to take stock of my yard every April.  Mostly, this had to do with seeing the progress of my lime tree each year, but now I include most of the rest of the yard too.  I think everything has matured to a point where there's not too much difference in growth from year-to-year, but I still like to see what, if anything, has changed.  So, this probably won't be too exciting for anyone else, but you're all welcome to come along with me!

April, 2010

April, 2011-Not much has changed here except that my Puakenikeni (the tree in the foreground) has put on some new growth.


April, 2010

April, 2011-Not much has changed here either except that I've added a few pots, my red ti is coming up nicely next to my orange pot, and I haven't yet trimmed back my Euphorbia leucocephala (in the center, behind the blue flowers).  Maybe I won't this year, and we'll just see what happens.  It's a huge job--it's not that I mind the pruning, but they are full of that white sticky sap which makes it much more of a chore since I do my best to crawl around in the bushes without getting covered in sap.     


No before and after here, just a lizard saying, "Hello?" before he ran away screaming, "My eyes!  MY EYES!"  I probably should have turned the flash off.  Sorry, lizard dude.


April, 2010

April, 2011--My Monstera deliciosa (Swiss Cheese Plant) has gotten a little bit taller, Mocha has moved, and my patio is considerably more full of weeds, but luckily you can't tell that from this picture!

FYI, the Monstera make for very dramatic arrangements--with or without flowers! (That's a standard-sized vase, about 12" tall.)


April, 2010

April, 2011-Wow, all of my palms have grown up quite a bit--you can hardly see the variegated hau that is growing along the top of the rock wall.  Also, my palms have started fruiting--I'm not sure what they are, but you know I'm documenting the progression!


April, 2010

April, 2011--The biggest change here is the addition of my Big Orange Pot.  The scale is hard to get in the picture, but it's about thigh-high...if it were a pair of stockings, it would be really sexy.  Anyway, since I got it from Tropical Garden Accents, I've liked it, but I haven't been sure it was the right choice. (It was on sale, so that helped...)  Now, being able to see the before and after, I really like it!  It makes the whole yard seem so much more vibrant...or that could just be my camera.  Nah, I'm gonna go ahead and credit the pot--that just adds to my conviction that it was the right choice.  The two oranges that are growing the pot are a nice touch as well.


April, 2010

April, 2011--Yay!  I love my new pot!


April, 2010--Finally, my lime tree.  Huh.  Seems like I could have taken a better picture last year.
April, 2011--Not much difference in my lime tree, but my Monstera is almost hiding our neighbors' house.  Wow!  I didn't realize how overgrown that has become.  See?  That's why it's good for me to do these comparisons every year.

Well, the transformation from 2010 to 2011 hasn't been all that exciting; 2009 to 2010 was a lot more dramatic.  Be sure to come back next year--by then maybe my Monstera can do its own write-up!
  

4 comments:

Thomas Hogglestock said...

How fun keeping track of your garden this way. My husband has the greem thumbs in our house, and he is the better photographer, but I think he needs to choose specific locations to chart progress from year to year. Currently he just looks for pretty shots. Then again I could use my more rudimentary skills for documentation purposes.

Dreamybee said...

Rudimentary skills are excellent for documentation purposes! No macro shots with super-fine focus, just stand in the same spot as last time and shoot. I don't know how I'll line up my front yard shots when I can no longer see the house across the street!

Wendy said...

I love plants with apt names like monstera! Everything looks beautiful. Didn't see one weed. Looking forward to seeing the palm fruits!

Dreamybee said...

Haha-I left out the pictures of my rock garden that borders my driveway because ALL you would have seen is weeds!