By Georgia Osten
This time of year, the Starlight Jasmine literally takes over the house. It doesn’t matter that I’ve planted it everywhere! There’s a huge growth of it at a piling at the front of the house, not to mention the light pole out front that looks like a Christmas tree. Last summer, I planted a bush at each of the pilings at the front of the house. Oh yes, there’s another growth on one of the back pilings that’s growing up onto the back deck. The smell this time of the year is overpowering! This morning, we discovered the hummingbirds darting in and out of the blossoms, so when I got home from work, I set out the hummingbird feeders. One part sugar to four parts water.
The jasmine in the front has completely covered our address and the name of the house – “Sea Moon.” That’s okay, I’ll trim it after it quits blooming.
We lost several hibiscus with the freeze. They were too big to pull out, so we just cut them off at the ground and covered the entire garden in mulch. The seagrape is coming back. The roses survived, thank goodness. We were sweating the Queen Palm. It’s almost as tall as the house. We lost its sister several years ago to a freeze. It was just a baby and easy to pull out. The remaining Queenie struggled from the freeze, then we had a windstorm and I think hail one night. Poor thing was broken and drooping, so we cut all the excess fronds off. A week later, lo and behold, the top has poked out and greened up!
We marvel at the Mexican Fans in the yard. They began six years ago as little foot-high twigs. Bought at Houston Garden at 70% off for only $10 each, all six of them are so high now, we can’t trim them ourselves. We chuckle when we see one of the full grown 20’ trees people have paid an arm and a leg for. Heck, it’s only 6 years, save a buck, they’ll grow quick enough.
GO’s Sand Bucket is only one beach bum’s journal of life at the beach, probably something each of you can relate to. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts, visions and/or feelings of just exactly what the beach means to you. Email: [email protected]
[4-9-2018]
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