Yellow things here and there....

Last Friday after I stopped to pluck my new-found Kalanchoe Serrata succulent from the ground by the side of the road I dropped by my grandmother's house to give her a few pieces to plant and to check out her yard. One of her ground orchids is in full bloom and it is absolutely stunning! Its yellow flowers are so vibrant and precious.....

My grandmother proudly insisted that I photograph this plant below because she says my aunt bought it and it died up on her balcony in the full sun and there was absolutely NOTHING in the pot, but she nurtured it and look at it now! In this picture she is hilariously (if only you could hear her cursing in Spanish) digging through the soil trying to fish out the snails that she knows are eating it because she spotted the holes in the leaves! My grandmother is the real green thumb around this family.... :)

And last, I spotted this beautiful chick yellow McCoy looking ceramic planter turned upside down in her bushes. When I asked her what it was she said it belonged to my great grandmother (on my grandfather's side) and that I could have it... She washed and scrubbed it for me and voila.... I LOVE IT!!!! It has no hole so I'm filling the bottom with rocks and adding in some charcoal to help battle organic decay and I'm hoping for the best. I am anxious to get home today and plant some of my succulents in it now that I finally replenished my supply of soil and rocks, stay tuned for the results!

My Grandmother's Garden

The other day on my way home I stopped to visit my abuela (my grandmother), I figured she was probably lonely since my aunt has been in Germany on business for a few weeks now. While I was there I snapped a bunch of quick shots of the many blooming flowers, plants and succulents throughout their yard. You see, this yard goes way back to when my great grandparents bought the house, my great grandmother (on my mother's side) loved to be in the garden planting, pruning and propagating nature! I can only imagine that it was her who influenced and inspired my grandmother in that same department following her marriage to my grandfather. After my great grandmother passed away my aunt bought the house from the family and continued living there with my grandmother, who continued caring for the yard and all of its beautiful and diverse array of plants. Today, my aunt has restored the house and made many improvements, but my grandmother is still the master gardener on premises! There are a few pictures of the front of the house where my aunt has had beautiful large rocks brought in and my grandmother has worked her magic getting a bunch of Bromeliads to grow from all of their cracks and crevices! Over the years this yard has no doubt gone through a multitude of changes, yet it always thrives due to the love with which the women in my family have cared for it.... See for yourself....

Here is my grandmother, excitedly pointing out the blooming flowers on this plant that my cousin gave her many years ago. She is quite proud of the fact that she grew it from a small piece into this large beauty! :)

This is another shot of the stunning flower of the Frangipani tree/plant....
(also pictured above at a different angle)

I love the way the sun is changing her Donkey/Burro's Tail succulent vine all sorts of pinka nd purple!

As I mentioned in my previous post on my mother's garden, the tile border around the doors was my aunt's idea for a bunch of gorgeous tiles that were being thrown out when we worked for the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line design department. It turned out to be a great outdoor decorative statement!

As you can see here my aunt has worked her design magic at the back door entrance to the house with this beautiful stone plaque that could be hooked up as a fountain... The best part is the planter hanging under it which is burgeoning with hen and chick succulents blooming flowers! Love it!

Hen and Chicks Echeveria succulents.... growing like WILD FIRE in every corner of her yard! *swoon*

Large Snow Bush.....

Fuchsia purple Bougainvillea bush ....

Ground orchid just like the one out on my mother's pool deck....

Get a load of this wild rosemary bush!!!! This thing grows so happily in her yard, she always tells me that it's mine because she planted it from a small Rosemary plant that I bought when I lived with her and my aunt a few years ago, WOW!....

This gorgeous flower is from the Jolla plant/vine.... simply perfection!

.... the picture really doesn't do it justice, it's so precious it almost looks fake!....

Her collection of pretty bird feeders....