The gang comes inside

It's cold and quiet outside in the Canadian Zone 6 garden.  A number of plants have come inside for the winter.  Some are doing beautifully well and others...well, they've been happier.

The hibiscus is looking good in our kitchen, and even graced us with some beautiful blossoms before it settled in to just shining and smiling.  (On the floor beside it are my gladiolus corms drying out)

The geraniums are hardy souls and barely skipped a beat coming inside.  beside it is lemon thyme...lovely on fish!

More geraniums (just awaiting cuttings being taken!) and dusty miller (ditto)

The dipladenia didn't climb outside all summer (I thought it was a mandevilla) but now that it's inside, it's sending out these weird long shoots.  I've taken a bunch of them off and am hoping they'll root.

The palm is happy, happy, happy inside.  It's called a bunch of friends out to play!  I have no idea what these alien shoots are, but I'll take some cuttings and see what develops.

Anyone recognize this?

Oh, the bougainvillea.  Poor, sad soul.  It protested coming inside by dropping most of its leaves and all of its flowers.  Then one brave stem made a break for it!  I'm not sure where it's going, but it's doubled in height.  I plan to trim this dude back and hope the more tender stems will root for me.

Just where do you think YOU'RE going???

Tubers, beautiful tubers!

These lovely little gems presented themselves to me in a pot I was cleaning out for the winter.  The plants growing in the pot had long since stopped looking like anything plant-like, and I didn't even notice them as I ripped them out.  BUT!  When I went to empty the soil, these beauties made their presence known. 

My husband pronounced them "gross" but I think they are lovely.

I have a sneaking suspicion I know what they'll grow for me, but does anyone want to hazard a guess???

Can you tell what this is?

This is a tree (really!) that was planted on our property.  Can anyone identify it?  It's the one on the lower left in this photo.

My start...

I am so fortunate to have a wonderful mother-in-law and her three sisters living in our soon-to-be homeland!  They have graciously allowed me to invade their own garden and plant stuff!  Some of it is for their enjoyment, and some will go with us to our new home. 

On our last visit there, I bought these:

My lovely bougainvillea nestled in nicely in the Aunties' garden, and they tell me they are doing wonderfully well since.  I hope by the time we move there, these beauties are ready to transplant into our yard.

Perennial? Annual?

In Canada, where I am gardening now, perennials come up every Spring, die down in the Fall, and resurface in the Spring again.  Annuals bloom and look beautiful from the time they are sown or planted in the Spring, and die in the Fall. 

Apparently, in the Caribbean, Canadian perennials become annuals and annuals become perennials!

Since perennials need the cold winter, they die off when they're finished blooming and don't come back.  Annuals are typically done in by the cold weather, which doesn't occur in the tropics.

It's a challenge, for sure!

This is part of our Canadian garden.  I wonder if any of these flowers will transfer to our new home.

The Vegetable Garden

Prior to our house being built, my wonderful mother-in-law created a vegetable garden on the lot.  The garden has produced an abundance of vegetables already, but is now in the germinating phase.

She harvested a special product of our pre-garden - a lovely pumpkin that actually has a smile!  I put the banana in front of it to show the size of it.  This pumpkin is being saved for a special Christmas pumpkin soup.

Maranatha Gardens

We visited an exquisite garden in the south of St. Lucia near Soufriere - Maranatha Gardens.  I was so happy to see the wonderful work they're doing there, and the gardener, Paul, was most helpful and friendly!  The gardens are beautiful, and from there you can see the Pitons and the Sulphur Springs.  If you are in St. Lucia and love gardens, for sure you must see this one!

The Hedge

On one of our visits to St. Lucia, we planted a hedge.  This was in September 2010...and I have to admit, I am disappointed with how these plants have progressed!  I thought they'd be growing and flourishing, but after a year, they're about the same size as when we put them in.

This is where we start!

This is our lot, newly cleared.  It's hard to imagine a house and a garden on the site, but I am excited about seeing it all come together.