This is our driveway. If you parked your car in the
back, you would walk this way to get to the front terrace and the front
door. The overhanging tree on the left is a white-blooming Plumeria sp.
This is also along the driveway, looking to our acacia tree.
There is a Ravenalas madagascariensis or traveler’s palm behind it. (June)
The planting beds in this area end in acute angles, so we
finished them off with stone paving. (June)
Another view of the acacia tree, which now has orchids
growing between its branches. (April)
Yellow-blooming orchids in the acacia tree. (November)
Turning to the left from the last photo, this is the
entrance to the terrace and the house. Sadly, the crape myrtle on the
left side has never thrived (powdery mildew), and I think I will take it out
and move the small palm tree between the pots (in the center) to that spot.
The upper lawn in front of the terrace. When we
arrived in 2011, there were 3’ – 4’ clipped hedges on either side of this
space, with just a 3’ wide grass path down the center. The columns were
covered with vines. The arrangement made the terrace feel claustrophobic
and obscured the wonderful view. (July)
There are two retaining walls (3’-4’ high) between the upper
lawn and the lower lawn, with a planting bed between them. In this
picture, from the right: an orange-blooming tropical hibiscus, orange Kniphofia
uvaria, blue Evolvulus ‘Blue Sapphire,’ Graptopelum in pots, and yellow
daylilies. (August)
Turning around from the last photo – in the lower left
corner: variegated ornamental ginger; and, in the middle: a large Croton bush
(both growing in the middle planting bed between the two retaining walls.
The grey-blue succulent is Kalanchoe, possibly “mother of millions,” K.
daigremontiana. There is a very large red-flowering Mussaenda erythrophylla
vine (aka “Ashanti blood”) growing up into the acacia tree. Its leaves
and bracts look very much like a poinsettia. The acacia also had small
white blooms in this photo. (April)
The pink flowers on the left are Clerodendron thomsoniae
var. delectum. It is a vine, which I have growing on 4’ high supports. (April)
An unidentified small shrub rose in the same area. (April)
This is the space at the other end of the front
terrace. Another Mussaenda is on the right. (June)
The view
from the center of the terrace in late afternoon. (June)
Descending the center steps and looking to the right: beside
the handrail are purple-blue blooming Stachytarpheta. Beyond them are
blue Eranthemum nervosum shrubs and orange lantana to the left. (June)
Detail of the same area: to the lower right are blue Evolvulus
with Stachytarpheta to its left. (June)
Cobalt blue
Eranthemum nervosum shrub. (April)
At the
bottom of the steps, looking to the right: the yellow flowers are double Rudbeckia
laciniata or double cutleaf coneflowers, and the red blooms in the center –
cascading down from the planting bed at the top of the retaining wall -- are
red and cream Russelia equisetiformis.
Closeup of Rudbeckia laciniata.(August)
Red Epidendrum ibaguense orchids on the left. (April)
Closeups of Russelia equisetiformis and Stachytarpheta. (August)
Looking back toward the center steps: a large kale plant at
the bottom left. (June)
Looking down the lower lawn from the north end. (August)
Looking down the lower lawn from the north. We put two
large clay pots among the tall pines at the other end. (August)
In the previous photo, on the left, there is dark blue Salvia
guartanitica or black and blue sage and a peach-blooming abutilon. (August)
and, on the
right, purple coneflowers, which I grew from seed. (August).