| Some April flowers
Looking into the garden as I write I can see that it is a delicate site, filled with miniature daffodils, clouds of spotted pulmonaria topped with blue, pale primroses and the beginnings of the perennials just starting to push up their shoots. Then I spot the euphorbias, big and bold, with tough evergreen leaves and vibrant lime flowers. They are far from delicate looking but what a contrast to the rest of the garden and they have been there all year, the stems made last summer slowly maturing and developing in the cold. The best for flowers at the moment in our garden are Humpty Dumpty, with soft mid green leaves and pale lime flowers, E.xmartinii, with darker foliage and red centred flowers, and E.wulfenii, with bluish foliage and long flowerheads. A mature specimen of this latter plant can be magnificent, especially when grown in a sunny spot by a warm wall.
Florida sunshine brings out our love of art
The main reason most of us live and work here is the fantastic climate we have in Florida. You can enjoy the great outdoors and fabulous weather we're having Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., with a garden tour sponsored by the Winter Park Historical Association. You'll tour eight gorgeous gardens located at eight historic homes, get to speak with landscape architects and enjoy watching members of the Central Florida Plein Air Artists group painting the various flora, etc. This will be a most enjoyable event. Tickets should be bought in advance ($12) at several locations, including Apenberry's and the Winter Park Historical Museum. Call 407-647-2330 for details, or e-mail: wphistory@aol.com.
Body of work
Loch Haven Park in Orlando is a wonderful place to enjoy our climate and some great art, too.
Avoid Spring Cleaning Orthopaedic Injuries
As the weather becomes warmer, people start preparing their homes and yards for the spring and summer seasons. Projects such as yard work, cleaning and painting become priorities on the to-do list. However, thousands of orthopaedic injuries occur each year as a result of mishaps around the house. That is why the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons urges people to take the proper safety precautions to reduce the number of spring cleaning-related accidents.
More than 530,000 ladder injuries, nearly 72,000 garden tool-related injuries and approximately 239,000 lawn mowing injuries were treated in hospital emergency rooms, doctors' offices and clinics in 2005, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
"Many spring cleaning injuries occur when people rush or do not follow the proper safety precautions," explained Stephen Hurst, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and Fellow of the Academy.
Protect the garden lawn with home insurance
Green-fingered Britons are being advised to make sure their home insurance extends to the garden to protect high value items such as lawnmowers and garden furniture.According to the Daily Mail, the value of many gardens now amounts to thousands rather than hundreds of pounds, with burgled items ranging from decorative pots to entire lawns.The publication states that garden furniture and equipment should fall under home insurance policies, however some will not cover plants and others will have strict limits on how much they will pay out.In order to avoid having to claim on a home insurance policy at all, the publication suggests that statues, pots and urns are secured with chains, while planting thorny shrubs around the garden's perimeter should help to deter thieves.Sheds should be kept padlocked and secure and tools should not be left on show, it adds.Co-operative Insurance recently urged householders to make sure their home insurance covers the garden as summertime nears and rises in crime are predicted.Householders receive up to £500 contents cover for their garden as part of their home insurance policy with Kwik-Fit Insurance.© Adfero Ltd
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