Happy Easter and Passover in the garden

Spring time is here and that means so are Passover and Easter.  The two holidays are intertwined and have much to do with food and gardening.  In spring, the popular bulb to grow in the landscape are the amaryllis.  They are carefree and multiply readily.  Below is a nice article and slide show featuring these lovely flowers.
Amaryllis announces spring in South Florida

During the Passover Seder  we eat charoses, which is made out of chopped walnuts, apples and wine, which represents mortar Jewish slaves used to build the pyramids.  The bitter herbs (horseradish) represented the hard times of enslavement.  If you ever saw Charelton Heston in the Ten Commandments  that is the story of Passover that we tell the first and second nights of the Seder meal.  When the Jewish people were finally freed, they had to leave early morning, before their bread had risen, rushing off into the desert for forty years.  Hence we do without leavened bread and eat Matzah for the week of Passover.

During Easter, lilies, tulips, hyacinths are utilized to show a new beginning.  Palms are used to make crosses.  As the people of the Jewish faith do without bread for Passover, the Catholics due without something of their choice for lent.  The communion cracker is similar to Matzah. Every Friday from Ash Wednesday until Easter, during lent, no meat is eaten on Fridays.

I wish you a wonderful spring and holiday season.  Thank you for stopping by my blog and see you again soon!

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Spring in South Florida

Growing up as a little boy in New Jersey, our spring arrived with the brilliant yellow forsythia bushes. Before the leaves started to bud, these showy bushes would burst with yellow flowers up and down the slim branches.

My pining for the northern springs is fulfilled in South Florida with the blooming Yellow Trumpet trees. Tabebula argentea or Tavebuia caraiba . This ubiquitous tree can be seen throughout South Florida as a specimen in front of private homes and hugging the sides of commercial buildings. Notice them while sitting in traffic planted in street medians plantings.

I especially like the rough texture of the bark and the crooked way the branches grow as the tree matures. We found out during the last set of hurricanes how soft the wood of the tree really is. The trees came tumbling down like dominoes.
The previous owner of my house got five of the trees for free from the city for planting in the swales of the house. They grew into the power lines and have been butchered by the FPL crews. The garbage trucks come barreling through the neighborhood, crashing into the branches, causing them to cascade into the street.
Welcome sweet springtime!