My New Mauritius Lychee Tree

For Christmas, my brother got me a Lychee tree. We finally planted it (in a not-so optimal location). We have very limited room in the yard for trees.

Since this is our first lychee tree, I had to do some research. I started by figuring out where it should be planted based upon its expected height, sun, and water requirements. Then I looked up some info about the different types of lychee tree. I guess there are two main varities here in South Florida. Since Joey got mine from a local grower called Lychee Farms, I figured this was perfect for our area.

• The second most common commercially produced lychee in South Florida is the Mauritius variety. The first is Brewster and the third is Hak ip Lychee.
• Mauritius fruit typically ripens several weeks earlier than the Brewster and is easily distinguished from it's counterpart by the pinkish green skin coloration characteristic of ripe fruit.
• The flavor of Mauritius fruit is distinctly different and spicier than the Brewster and is quite delicious.
• Another favorable characteristic of the Mauritius is the higher percentage of small ("chicken tongue") seeds within a given batch of fruit, although the Mauritius lychee tends to be smaller than the Brewster.
• The sub-acid sweet aril of ripe Mauritius fruit is slightly tart and as the fruit ages on the tree the flesh becomes firmer and less juicy.
• Overripe Mauritius fruit develop a noticeable membrane around the flesh and the skin of the fruit frequently gets fungal discoloration.
• Once you have developed a familiarity with lychee trees it is fairly easy to distinguish a Mauritius from a Brewster and a Ha Kip.
• The Mauritius has a somewhat lateral habit of growth whereas the Brewster develops a hemispherical shape as it ages.
• Wildlife is always a problem around fruit groves and lychee fruit are enjoyed by a wide variety of native animals. This wouldn't be so bad except that Mauritius trees have branches that are significantly weaker than Brewsters and an attack by foraging raccoons can leave a mass of broken branches. High winds, such as hurricanes, can inflict considerable damage on Mauritius trees.
• The Mauritius variety of lychee was named after the African island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar, where the seedling originated.

This information comes courtesy Lycheesonline.com.

Here is the new tree after we watered it.



I'm so looking forward to a lychee martini!

Too much Rosemary

I have way too much rosemary and I just don't know what to do with it.


Here's the two rosemary bushes on the north side of the house. I prune them with electric sheers every other month and they just keep growing! There's a drip irrigation system on the base of the plants that's on a twice daily timer for 2 minutes.

Mystery Plant

I've never seen a plant like this! It's a mystery and I can't figure out what this could be.

It was likely dropped here by a bird or carried by a squirrel. It's certainly awfully small to have already flowered. Usually plants have to get large and mature to flower (that means it might be a weed).

It's really cute and whatever it is, I'm letting it grow a bit more. If you have any ideas, let me know...I'm in zone 10 in S. Florida.

Red Shouldered Hawk in Palm City

Yesterday, I noticed a red shouldered hawk sitting on the fence. These photos were taken through a screen porch wall, so that's why they are grainy.

He (or she) was definitely the largest rsh I've seen here in my yard. As soon as he thought I was too close, he took off.If you're interested in reacdin up about these birds, check out this link. Make sure you click on the "typical voice." If you have a dog, watch his reaction. My yorkie flipped when I hit the button. :)

Selling miracle fruit on ebay

Every time i blog about miracle fruit, i get dozens of comments about selling them. so here they are...on ebay...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Miracle-Fruit-Fresh-Seeds-/130618914916?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e697e7864#ht_500wt_1203

So Many Miracle Fruit!!!

Our Miracle fruit bush is loaded with berries right now!

More Container Plants at Johns Hopkins Hospital

I've been up at Johns Hopkins again recently for my bothers spine issues. I snapped this shot at the main entrance while I was getting some air. These are giant planters and I just love that they use tall, upright plants in the center, then lower plants, then hanging plants on the edges. I also like how they used contrasting colors and contrasting textures.



I wish it wasnt so hot in South FL. I usually do this exact set up in two planters in front of the house. The sweet potato vines wilt each day though down in FL.

Gardens at Universal Studios

We were in Orlando this weekend at the [pet-friendly] Royal Pacific Resort. It was a nice time and I was happy to snap this photo

Planted Straight Eight Cucumber

Today I planted this.

Sprinkler Repair Day

John spent a few minutes today repairing a broken sprinkler head. This is something we have to do down here in FL all the time.

It's very easy to do this...it's just not any fun.

How to Replace a sprinkler Head
You dig all around the sprinkler head about 8-12 inches deep and 5-6 inches wide. Then you turn the spinkler head counterclockwise until it comes off. Then you put on the new sprinkler head by turning it clockwise until tight.

You could always avoid having to replace the head by fixing it. They are pretty basic...nothing is electronic and it's not rocket science. It's just so much easier to just replace the head.

Note: You want to make sure to replace the old head with the same type of head. Don't upgrade or downgrade...when the irrigation company installed the system, they spread out the heads into different zones to make the system balanced. You can't overload or underload any of the zones.

Palm Tree Weeds

This time of year, the queen palms, drop their seeds. Many of the seeds germinate and begin to form little baby palm trees. Sometimes I let them grow, then replant them somewhere else. Today, I just threw them in the weed pile.


You can see how the tree grows...the seed doesn't even burry itself in the ground, it just lays on top of the ground, send a root down, and a stalk up.

Bugs in My Peaches - Part 2

For the past three seasons, bugs have ruined our entire peach crop. I still don't know exactly what the bugs are...so many people have told me different things, I don't know what to believe.


Photo above: April 2011.  UF Sun Peach Tree in Zone 10 East Coast FL

Everything I've read says I need to prevent infestation versus treat bugs once they arrive. I feel like I've done everything. So, short of ripping out the tree and starting fresh, here's what I resorted to...

I mixed 2 teaspoons of malathion liquid concentrate into a gallon sprayer. I added 2 tablespoons of sevin concentrate from Home Depot. I waited until dusk, and I sprayed the foliage and trunk of the tree with about a half gallon of the mixture. I'm going to wait a week and possibly spray the tree again with the spray after I dilute it a bit more.

I have a feeling, the mixture is going to burn the leaves. I also have a feeling, I'm going to harm and possibly kill bees...which is BAD for all the other garden items I want the bees to pollinate. I tried very hard not to let the spray get onto anything else or to travel very far. I hate putting this stuff on my plants, but this is the last resort for this peach tree. As the Smiths would say, "We'll see."

Want to see the bugs? Check out this video.


Here's the excerpt of the article I found on EDIS which gave me the recipe for the concoction.

Insect Control in Dooryard Peaches

For dooryard peaches (also see 2006 Southeastern Peach, Nectarine and Plum Pest Management and Culture Guide (http://entomology. ent.uga.edu/peach/peach_guide/title.htm)), use a mixture of Malathion plus Sevin or Methoxychlor. Mix 4 tablespoons of 25% malathion wettable powder or 2 teaspoons of 57% malathion liquid concentrate per gal of water. Then add 3 tablespoons of 50% methoxychlor wettable powder or 2 tablespoons of 50% Sevin wettable powder. Do not apply malathion within 7 days or methoxychlor within 21 days or Sevin within 1 day of harvest.

Container Plants in Baltimore

The Baltimore container plants were sagging a bit each day from about 12-4pm. The sweet potato vines love full sun, but they will definitely weep if they get a bit too much direct sun or receive too much heat. Other than that, these container plants are doing great and I can't wait to plant up mine like this in another month.


We were in Baltimore at John's Hopkins for my brother's spine surgery. Everything went really well and he will be released today...only 6 days after his surgery.

The bugs of my Oleander

Let's take a close look at all the pests on the oleander during this muggy summer day.

First, I see tons of yellow aphids. Black ants are eating the yellow aphids and the white things are aphid eggs. What a mess. This called for a systemic treatment.


Here's a ladybug...which is great because they eat aphids.


Here's the oleander caterpillar. It only eats dessert rose, oleander and mandevilla. They eat the leafy green part of the leaves and don't touch the veins.

Lemon-Orange Gelato Recipe

I made the lemon-orange gelator recipe from the Kitchenaid recipe book a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. I slightly modified it. My recipe is below.


Lemon-Orange Gelato by Danielle Copeland

Ingredients
2 cups reduced-fat (2%) milk
5 egg yolks
.75 cups sugar
4 strips orange peel
4 strips lemon peel
zest from one orange
dash homemade vanilla extract

Preparation
1. Scald milk with orange peel and lemon peel in heavy, medium saucepan.
2. Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk half of milk mixture into yolks. Return yolks to saucepan with remaining milk. Stir over low heat until mixture thickens slightly and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 8 minutes; do not boil. Strain into medium bowl. Refrigerate until well chilled.
3. Assemble and attach the KitchenAid® Ice Cream attachment to the Stand Mixer. Turn to STIR Speed. Using a container with a spout, pour mixture into freeze bowl. Continue on STIR Speed for 15 to 20 minutes or until desired consistency.
4. Transfer gelato to airtight container and freeze several hours to allow flavors to ripen. Can be prepared up to 4 days ahead. If frozen solid, soften slightly in refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving.

Instead of pouring the gelato into a container, I poured it into halved oranges that I had previously juiced. I topped them with mint and orange supremes and it made a wonderful presentation.