Passion Flower Vine Rate of Growth

The Passion Flower Vine became longer than the house in just under a year, so I just had to cut it back. Below is the photo after 1 month of regrowth. I chopped it down to 24 inches about a month ago because it's tendrils began splitting the screen in the porch and the vines began creeping into the cracks and crevaces in the soffets. We have other vines in the neighborhood which have split fences and cracked stucco. Creeping fig is especially damaging to fences, stucco, painted concrete, and trees. Even the jasmine splits apart our South Florida wooden privacy fences when the vines get too large.


Here's (below) a photo of the vine about three months ago. It needs no support or guidance...it just climbs right up the walls.



Here's a photo of the passion flower vine a few months after it was planted. It faces South and receives regular irrigation twice weekly for 15 minutes. We're in zone 10.

Mature Queen Palm Fronds

The baby queen palm finally produced it's first two mature fronds. It's taken a few years to get to this point, so this is exciting.

This little palm sprouted after the huge palm in the back yard dropped hundreds of little seeds which began to germinate.

Different Color Flower on Same Plant

Last year I did a lot of research trying to figure out why my angel trumpet plants produce two different color flowers. I have two plants that do this. I grew both from cuttings from a white plant. I can only assume this is because many times baby plants do not retain the characteristics of the parent plants...but these are cuttings...not grown from seed.


Here are some more photos of this same plant a few years ago. It's so weird.

Aloe Hair Treatment

Here is my recipe for a homemade deep conditioning hair treatment made with fresh aloe, fresh rosemary, and olive oil. I whip up this mixture when I have time, let it sit on my hair for an hour, then rinse, shampoo, and condition. It makes my hair less frizzy and make the dead ends look new again. It's nearly free too.


Daniele's Hair Treatment Recipe

flesh of an aloe leaf
sprig of rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions: To a food processor, add the flesh of an aloe leaf, the green part of a sprig of rosemary, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Whip up for 2-3 mins and apply to scalp and hair. Place shower cap over hair and allow mixture to soak in for a hour. Rinse, shampoo, the condition.



I add one extra step in to my regimen. Before applying the olive oil-aloe mixture, I always coat my hair with coconut milk...a half can. And since I don't have a box of shower caps (who does?...), I use a crockpot liners and a pony tail holder.


What other remedies can the garden be used for?

Aloe Will Cure my Sunburn

I use aloe every summer to sooth sunburns. Today on the boat my knees got sun burned. My rememdy was to get an aloe "leaf" from the garden, slice it open and rub the inner gelatenous part over my sunburn. I'm running an expermint this year...I only applied the aloe to one leg. This way I will be able to tell how effacious the aloe really was because I have a control leg that received no treatment.

Next, I'm going to use aloe in a deep conditioning hair treatment. I have so much aloe.


Here's the video of the application