Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Trees, bushes, plants and bud vases

I wanted to show you photos of some of my favorite plants and trees in the area I live, which was built in the early 1960's as a retirement area.  There are still lots of retired people here, but more and more we are having younger people moving in.  I've lived here almost six years now.

This is the lake, with the fountain they've put in to aerate the water:


You can rent little boats, and the condos and homes on the lake can have private docks and keep their own boats.  One couple has pedal boats, and sometimes when Katie and I are walking along the accessible part of the lake, I'll see them pedaling from their condo across the lake, over to the side I'm on, where the pools, restaurant, meeting rooms, etc. are.  I see people fishing, too, but I think it's catch and release.

The gardeners in this area do a fantastic job.  Each homeowners association has their own gardener(s) on staff, and ours is great.  When I first drove around here, I kept noticing these Pyracantha bushes growing up walls, and I thought they were trying to shape them into words.  I couldn't figure out what they said.  Well...they aren't letters, they are just trimming them the way they are growing.  But I think it's very cool.

Katie and I usually go to the lake on our walks.  We pass these bushes growing on the walls on our way to and from the lake:


A couple of the homes up the street from us have these plants, Yucca?, that are flowering now:


This spider spun a web in the Oleanders down the street at the corner.  I also have a huge spider like this right outside my front door.  Every year at this time, these spiders are in the area, and they are huge. 


Every day to and from work, I drive by these trees a block from my condo.  We have a lot of trees in the area that are trimmed into a half circle like this:



or flat and round like this:


I just love walking around the area and looking at all the beautiful trees, bushes and flowering plants.

These Bougainvilleas are in my little grass/patio area in the back of my condo:



I have a rose garden in front of my condo, but it isn't at it's best now.  Also lots of bulbs and a lavender plant, among others.  I cut them all and bring them into the house when they are blooming.

I have some hanging vases that I bought with the intention of bringing them with me RVing.  They are small, lightweight, and some of them hang, so I can always have a flower or rooting stem, even on the road.

This photo is from Pottery Barn, where I got mine.  If you look closely, you can see a wire around the top that extends so you can hang them.  There are a lot of different hanging bud vases here. I will probably get different kinds and colors for my RV, since they are cute, colorful, and easy to keep filled.

From Me and My Dog, Katie, have a nice evening, everyone! : )

3 comments:

  1. Really nice shots of the trees, bushes & flowers. Is pyracantha a native plant here? It is considered an invasive in NC and there is an effort to declare it not available for use in crafts. I always called it "bittersweet" and thought it was beautiful, but I much prefer native plants wherever I am, and the invasives take over. Having lived in the southeast I saw the horrible results of that with kudzu!

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  2. For whatever reason the spiders are really active in the fall months. We have found that to be the case when we lived in CA and in WA equally.

    I enjoyed the tour of your area and the wide variety of plant life you have to see. Thanks.

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  3. I love the hanging vases! Gonna get me some...

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