Comments on Hoe and Shovel: Designing with Florida Natives and Florida-Friendl...

Your philosophy has been the same as mine, Meems, ...

2010-09-07T20:39:54.066-04:00

Your philosophy has been the same as mine, Meems, to integrate native and Florida-Friendly plants seamlessly in a suburban landscape. Your carefully planned mature garden is giving me inspirational glimpses of what our "Extreme Yard Makeover" will hopefully look like in a few years.

I'm loving the beds planted with natives and F...

2010-08-25T23:13:28.527-04:00

I'm loving the beds planted with natives and Florida friendlys -- they make it look like I'm working hard when I'm not! My front beds (where I do not spend much time) are looking pretty lush with just sweet potato vine, galliardia, pagoda and purple queen. A manicured edge establishes some faux order and all I do is weed and thin out plants, which the neighbors happily take.

Grace, No cooling trends so far... but we are used...

2010-08-19T23:22:50.145-04:00

Grace,
No cooling trends so far... but we are used to this heat. Oh, I LOVE my chipper/shredder... especially the fact that it has so much power. You might want to re-think one... it really does come in handy.

Susan,
I think our gardens are very similar. Thanks to you I've added some very fun plants to my Florida garden.

Brando,
Thanks for your kind words.

Well done...you continue to inspire me and I find ...

2010-08-16T21:35:06.102-04:00

Well done...you continue to inspire me and I find that I spend more and more time dreaming of where to place the next "find"! Just today, I dreamt of a papaya...

Lots of great advice, Meems. Your garden lovely ga...

2010-08-16T13:11:32.668-04:00

Lots of great advice, Meems. Your garden lovely garden is a testament to the fact that a mix of natives,Fla-Friendly and tropical plants spells success in Florida. Thanks for sharing so many great ideas.

Hi Meems-dear, Your photos and prose are SO inspir...

2010-08-16T08:46:40.250-04:00

Hi Meems-dear, Your photos and prose are SO inspiring and interestingly your principles apply to my garden so far away. The bounce-back and the soil amending... the naturalistic approach, yes, with the mostly-clean lines giving way to a lush cacophony of foliage and flower--so true. And the two extreme assumptions about natives, weedy versus carefree...yep. Balance is required in the garden for

Chris, Containers are definitely so much fun. They...

2010-08-15T11:53:38.102-04:00

Chris,
Containers are definitely so much fun. They DO add height, depth, and pops of color and texture in the midst of borders and beds. I could stand to do some minimizing where they are concerned ... only it seems like I'm always increasing instead. :-) I'm glad you liked this post.

Kimberly,
Working on the base of garden is elemental in my view. You are smart to

Mom aka SG, Thanks for stopping by ... and early, ...

2010-08-15T10:29:52.299-04:00

Mom aka SG,
Thanks for stopping by ... and early, too. You HAVE expanded your garden lately... a little at a time works, too. Love your new trees!

FG,
The purist come from the thinking that anything non-native displaces an otherwise useful native. I'm sticking with the common sense approach of blending both the well-behaved non-natives with as many natives as possible.

Great information for anyone. You don't have t...

2010-08-15T10:09:00.546-04:00

Great information for anyone. You don't have to live in Florida to make use of your ideas. I could rename it "Designing with South Carolina Natives and South Carolina-Friendly Plants" and add our plants in there! Some of which are on your list already!! Great post.

Patricia, The rains were wonderful but now we are ...

2010-08-15T09:45:51.304-04:00

Patricia,
The rains were wonderful but now we are as dry as we were moist... crazy patterns. Really humid and hot... blessings to you.

Lisa,
I'm always wondering how the photos actually portray the 'real' garden. I'm glad you see it the way I do... and thanks for always visiting.

Darla,
The thing about most gardens is that they do take a lot of

Thanks for sharing these pictures and all the info...

2010-08-15T08:54:34.790-04:00

Thanks for sharing these pictures and all the info about how you plant these natives and Florida-Friendly plants. The photos are beautiful as always and reading the thinking behind the plantings is so helpful. I've been a "thoughtless" gardener in the past but am trying to be more intentional. Seeing how you incorporate the tropicals and those great pots is something I love about

Meems, I'm not sure where to start! Your garde...

2010-08-15T00:38:33.121-04:00

Meems, I'm not sure where to start! Your garden is by far, amazing! Secondly, I enjoy a trimmed edge of lawn as well, even if it is dwindling. It makes everything neat and tidy. I also subscribe to your idea of native and noninvasive tropicals. Although I've turned my focus toward more natives lately. They're much easier and can provide a fantastic base to your entire garden. Finally,

Great post.Great information. Bookmark worthy. I b...

2010-08-14T20:21:25.382-04:00

Great post.Great information. Bookmark worthy.
I buy 2 of everything and see where they do the best.The one that doesn't do well gets moved.
I'll never give up on my containers.I use them for pops of color.They're hose-dragging worthy.
Thanks again for a great informative post.

Meems: Great post! As tiny as my garden is, I ha...

2010-08-14T17:01:40.440-04:00

Meems: Great post! As tiny as my garden is, I have spent lots of time to research the native and Florida friendly plants for my garden. The placement is always a big thing, and often I found I had to move the plants from their original location. Your garden looks so beautiful like always.

What is the plant that has purple striped foliage in the last two pictures? Nice texture!

meems, what a great post. things are looking won...

2010-08-14T16:04:49.368-04:00

meems,

what a great post. things are looking wonderful in your gardens. florida gardeners are sure fortunate to be able to glean off of your years of experience. i am loving the mixture of tidy and wild together.
happy august.

Your garden looks like a little bit of paradise! W...

2010-08-14T12:55:37.287-04:00

Your garden looks like a little bit of paradise! What a lovely array of plants you have, and they all look so good together.

Lots of great photos and info! I am always amaz...

2010-08-14T12:36:09.356-04:00

Lots of great photos and info!

I am always amazed to see how Florida and Hawaii (where I currently live) have such similar plants! I often use the University of Florida white paper to acquire knowledge. Sure would like to see a Hawaii Friendly landscape program...

Perfectly put, Meems. There are so many, many wel...

2010-08-14T10:09:45.470-04:00

Perfectly put, Meems. There are so many, many well-behaved non-native choices that have been grown here for decades, that there is no need for a "purist" garden. I think I would very much miss things like caladiums and amaryllis and crape myrtles in my garden were I to plant only natives. Some plants are cultivars of our own natives, like the firebush in my garden, and I think those

look at me! up early & posting too! enjoyed ...

2010-08-14T09:25:23.021-04:00

look at me! up early & posting too! enjoyed the stroll around your garden via H&S - if i can't seem to get my 'typical sheared hedged-row garden' expanded, i can always enjoy your 'native/tropical' garden pics!

Beautifully worded and imaged, Meems. I think this...

2010-08-14T08:15:28.679-04:00

Beautifully worded and imaged, Meems. I think this is a post I will share well into the future. We can all see clearly how Florida Friendly and Right Plant - Right Place works in your garden and how it can work throughout Florida. I am looking forward to seeing the comments on this post as it truly shows us how to succeed.

Very informative and timely for me. Since I have ...

2010-08-14T08:10:12.413-04:00

Very informative and timely for me. Since I have not been able to tend to my gardens this season due to surgery and planning my daughter's wedding, I have been looking at my areas quite differently. Thoughts to ponder, Thanks!

This is one reason why I like your garden so much ...

2010-08-14T07:53:06.915-04:00

This is one reason why I like your garden so much Meems. It is wild yet when you look at it it seems quite tame. One can appreciate each and every plant. There are the surprises of the tropicals and your lovely pots. I hope you never lose your addiction to them.

Wonderful post, Meems. So beautiful and informativ...

2010-08-14T06:51:21.325-04:00

Wonderful post, Meems. So beautiful and informative. I imagine the recent rains have really helped your gardens to flourish, too.

Hope all is well with you. Today is supposed to be a hot one!

Blessings!