I thought my shell ginger was in full bloom before, but like the old saying goes you ain't seen nothin' yet. Each shell opens and forms a flower much like a miniature bearded iris. It is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so pleased I was finally able to watch this blooming process unfold. Happy Florida Gardening.

As promised, here's a pic of the bloom on my variegated ginger. Each petal has a wax-like feel and no fragrance, but it sure is pretty. Happy Florida Gardening.

I'm so proud! In all the time I've lived in Florida I've never actually experienced a ginger bloom. This is a variegated shell ginger or Alpinia Zerumbet. It's a rhizome that grows best in partial shade but will tolerate full sun. I've placed all my gingers in partial shade and they all same to be growing like crazy. There aren't blossoms on any of the others yet, but hopefully there will be more over the next weeks. The flower is supposed to be white and pink and looks much like layered shells. I'm excited and can't wait to see it in full bloom. I'll share the picture as it continues to open. Happy Florida Gardening.

I mentioned in my last article about the black racer snake sleeping in the mulch pile. Well, I think this guy has a crush on me. I was in the garden this morning planting some daylillies and oleander. I had just put away all my tools (yes, I am a neat freak when it comes to my garden implements), walked around the front bed and was just placing my foot on the bottom stair when there it was. Mr. Black Snake decided he was going to wander around the staircase. I believe he was just as startled as I was when I came into view and he dove (or it sure looked like it) under the stairs so I could pass. I ran up the stairs and told my husband the story and, as we looked down from the front porch there was Mr. Snake sticking his head out sunning himself. A very healthy specimen indeed but I'm not ready to begin a close relationship with him. We'll just wave once in awhile as we pass each other in the yard. Happy Florida Gardening.

Free mulch anyone? Our tree folks, Westenberger Tree Service, provide free mulch just for the asking. And I'm not just talking about a wheelbarrow-full or two. When Loren came out to review our trees last year he told us that if we ever needed mulch all we had to do was call and they would deliver it. When we started cleaning out the gardens and putting in new plantings, we decided to take advantage of the offer and I'm glad we did. Westenberger brought us a full truck load and put it on our tarp on the driveway, as requested.

I have to admit the pile was very slowly whittled down and finally, about a week ago I placed the last of it. As happy as we were to get the mulch, that's how much we groaned about having to put it in the gardens. We also thought that for every pitchfork full we removed, the pile grew by two or so it felt anyway. So, the last of the mulch is spread and we haven't even gotten half of the gardens covered. Next week we'll call again and start on the other side of the house. Oh - here's the moral of the story. How do you know when you've taken too long to spread your mulch? When you find a black racer snake making a comfy home there! We won't be so slow on the next load. Happy Florida Gardening and watch out for those snakes.