Fragrance in White

Take a seat on the edge of my Circle Garden and sip a slow cup of coffee or your drink of preference. It's the perfect spot to pause and take in a peaceful cool morning or find shade-relief from a sunny afternoon or rest in the evening from the toils of the day.

This time of year Gardenias are blooming on the 'Miami Supreme' standard shrub nearby. A few more feet away Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) clambers up and over the arbor that leads to the butterfly garden. Providing shade all year long is the sweet almond bush (Aloysia virgata) trained to a multi-trunked tree that now towers 15 feet above.

Across the way the mature Southern Magnolia Grandiflora is refreshing the air with its giant lemony scented luscious flowers.

Spring is here and with it comes abundant white blooms and fragrance. Drink it in and don't miss a minute!
Meems
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Florida-Friendly Plant Choices

Being in the garden this week with Easter activities was especially nice. Taking a look back at last year's photos from April there is no question the garden is much further along THIS April. Probably due to our 'early' freezes in December and then a steady warm-up in February recovery was quicker and earlier.
Choosing the best plants for our own specific climate (or micro-climate)becomes even more crucial in these times of unpredictable weather patterns. In my garden I've found I'm leaning more and more towards designing with the endurable characteristics of each plant in mind.

Florida-Friendly Dietes iridioides 'Arican Iris' blooms repeatedly all spring (and sporadically throughout summer)with each rainy day being the encouragement it needs to open a new flush of pristine white flowers.

In my zone 9 garden it is also:
~cold hardy
~drought resistant
~divides easily for transplanting
~maintenance needs are limited (pruning dead/dried foliage)once established
~grows in sunny situations or shifting shade

A dapple here and a dapple there of sunshine that shifts and moves around during the course of the day proves to be a challenge for "just the right plants" in "just the right place". But don't be discouraged. In Florida I've found these conditions to be an advantage. Our full spring/summer sun can prove to be brutal on certain plants. High shifting shade from mature oaks offers a great opportunity for tropicals and Florida-Friendly plants that thrive in humid conditions.

Just a few ideas for plants I've found that cherish these conditions and don't require additional water or maintenance:
~Begonias (heracleifolia and rotundifolia)
~Stromanthe sanguinea
~Impatiens (will wilt in the evening sun but perk up by next morning)
~'Variegated' Shell Ginger Alpinia zerumbet (often you'll see this one planted in too much exposure ~~I find they flourish best with shifting shade)
~Variegated Arboricola (Scefflera)(same scenario as shell ginger)
~Blackberry lily
~Queen Emma Crinum
~Buddha Belly (jatropha podagrica)
~Blood Leaf (Iresine)(sited on the edges of shade to receive some late afternoon sun)
~Spathiphyllum
~Lemon lime dracaena
~Cordylines
~Selloum
~Xanadu philodendron
~Coleus
~Apostle's Iris Neomarica caerulea 'Regina'(also can take more sun)
~Bird's Nest Fern
~Caladiums
~Fox tail fern (also performs well in lots of sun)
~Alocasia (Polly & Plumbea)
~Flax lily Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata'(also performs well in lots of sun)
~Variegated Aztec Grass
~Rojo congo philodendron
~Artillery Fern Pilea microphylla
~Holly Fern Cyrtomium Falcatum

Closely observing the specific hour(s) of the day and length of time the sun's rays peek through the branches of trees in each area is invaluable for correct placement. With each season the angle of the sun can also change.

Placing containers of favorite combinations on the outer edges of my tropical pathway adds focal points of brightness where 'pockets' of sunshine are adequate for growth. One of the beauties of contained plants is the flexibility they offer to move them around if needed.
Above photo:
~Macho fern (keep contained or it will be everywhere)
~Coleus 'rose kong'
~Lysimachia 'Golden Globe'

There are a few 'corners' of my garden that receive a full 4-5 hours of beaming sunlight. In these situations I've purposely chosen to group species of plants that prefer dry, hot sunshine. I view these rare places as an opportunity for plants that otherwise won't do well elsewhere in my shady garden.

The damsel fly above is resting on a thin blade of purple muhly grass. Muhly grass REQUIRES a goodly amount of sunshine to thrive. Next to it is white yarrow. Its bright green foliage resembles an airy fern. This yarrow (not sure its name) has a much different foliage than Achillea millefolium. After transplanting divisions of it to several partially sunny locations this site next to the street in the front garden seems to make it the happiest. It's blooming! That makes me happy.

One of the thrilling aspects of healthy gardening that allows predator bugs to eliminate harmful bugs is finding all kinds of new critters that haven't been seen before. I'm thinking this caterpillar is some sort of moth. Anyone know???

The new and exciting compared to the very familiar in an established garden. My garden wouldn't be the same without the dozen or so cardinals that freely flit to and fro from morning until night.

The archway on the perimeter of the circle garden is laden with profuse blooms of Confederate Jasmine.

They only last about 6 weeks so I'm savoring drifts from their sweet fragrance daily.

Below the blooming ligustrum and next to the archway is the grafted Miami Supreme Gardenia. A grafted specimen will have better chances to avoid the nematode problems our Florida soils are often rife with. Intensely fragrant flowers of gardenias are a classic symbol of springtime.

Creating an inviting environment in our garden contributes to the ease in which we make the most of our outdoor life around here. This week we colored eggs on the back lanai with the little ones.

And then while playing in the garden the youngest one discovered a newly emerged monarch. While drying its wings before flight it was willing to sit on our little guy's finger much to his utter delight.

Not the same monarch but another one resting in the dappled sunlight of an Oakleaf hydrangea leaf.

The blooms of the native Oakleaf hydrangea are large and brilliantly white this month. Another shifting-shade-loving plant that requires no additional attention once established.

I'm not sure if bromeliads are officially considered Florida-Friendly.

But my UN-official determination is they are SUPER Florida-Friendly in my garden. I've been using them as easy-to-care-for container plants since they require very little irrigation and they don't shed messy flower petals.

Satisfying the conditions a plant requires will always, in turn, satisfy the gardener. There are many areas of my garden that are nearly self-sufficient after getting fully established.

Sure there is weeding, some soft-pruning, and occasional fertilizing. In general, it's remarkable how much easier life in the garden becomes when we master "right plant, right place" in any given area.

For more ideas on Florida-Friendly plant choices check out Riverview Flower Farms' plant database and the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods' database.

And don't forget to have fun! A most essential ingredient to choosing the right plant for the right place!

The More the Better

Typically I'm a 'less is more' gal. But not when it comes to plants!

The lemony-fresh fragrance of Trachelospermum jasminoides Confederate jasmine is steadily wafting through the air commanding notice from all passersby. Those tiny white flowers emit some powerful sweetness. There are things I did in the garden long before I had any good sense about gardening at all. Some of them worked out by sheer mishap. Covering the chain-link fence was one of them. Originally erected to contain our family dog many years ago it now serves as the perimeter to the edible garden protecting it from winds and wandering critters. Covering a spans of 50 feet by 30 feet allows for oodles of those intensely aromatic white flowers to emanate a goodly portion of loveliness during spring. The more the better in this case. Ahhh, SPRING! The garden is teeming with life. So much to see and love. So much to thrill the soul and warm the heart. Colors and textures and growth and blooms. Stromanthe is blooming for the first time. 'Triostar' has become one of my recent favorite foliage plants for the shady garden. Since it didn't freeze back this year blooms are rising above the plant adding to their already beautifully hued foliage. Caladiums in containers are sprouting as April's sunshine warms the soil. We better watch where we step or we could easily crush the tiny sprouts of caladiums as they push their way up out of the warm earth. Want to see what that adorable spotted foliage is next to Miss Muffet? That is the African Squill I stumbled upon at Green Fest a few weeks ago. It is doing well behind the retaining wall in the tropical garden along with the Silver Squill and the African hosta purchases.

These are some really cool & unusual plants I didn't even know about but had to have when I saw them at Geoff Denny's booth. Geoff has a horticulture brain I wish I could borrow when it comes to the science-side of plants. Check out his website if you get a chance. Speaking of hostas ... don't these peacock gingers remind you of hostas as they are just emerging from their winter's sleep. I do love how their low habit covers the ground in so many places in the garden.

So happy everyone's gardens are waking up ... even for my northern friends. Drink it in and don't forget to pause in gratefulness for the beauty that surrounds. I certainly am (grateful) for every dear reader of this blog. Happy gardening and don't be shy... go ahead and say hi to let me know you're here. Meems

Spiderwort and Spider Webs

Tradescontia ohiensis spiderwort, Native to Florida

A gardener never knows what unexpected beauties await as we take a stroll around our beloved plots of earth.

Every time of day offers its own unique ambience and surprises. It would seem the delicate spider webs are bracing the spiderwort. First streams of light radiate here and there through the tree limbs to disclose fresh scenery only morning's sun can provide. In the native garden it is the white blooms of Oakleaf Hydrangea that are highlighted for these few moments. Clear and crisp. Brilliant brightness illuminates dew drops, petals, and foliage, and showcases characteristics of the garden that must be discovered during this short window of time. This is the view that drew me out this morning. In the distance this is what I see directly through my kitchen window. All that shimmering and glimmering from the soft rays of morning streaming into the tropical pathway and the circle garden. Can you see the spider's web on the Cordyline 'Red Star' in its small orbed pattern?

There we go... now it's visible. Elsewhere in the garden I'm drawn from place to place and met with unexpected garden gifts. Keeping an eye on the bud for the amaryllis just outside the pool cage... Today it has burst open in red flames of color. For some unknown reason (to me anyway) only this plant sends up buds and blooms each year. There are several more in the garden that don't bloom. Ever. Trachelospermum jasminoides Confederate jasmine is sending out its sweet fragrance to greet my senses. This care free vine covers the entire fencing surrounding the edible garden. It doubles as a wind break and privacy screen. The fresh earthy smell of edibles mixed with the lemony-clean aroma of jasmine all at once carries with it the power to cause a girl to swoon. Confederate jasmine wraps its strong roots and twines its foliage over the arbor that connects the perennial garden and the wildflower garden. A pretty moth I've not noticed in the past is nectaring from the sweet flowers. Juxtaposed to the arbor is the more than 20' single trunk Ligustrum japonicum tree. It is loaded with white buds and blooms for spring... and the pollinators. A quick peek in the edible garden and the Black Swallowtails are seen laying eggs on the parsley. There should be plenty for the instars to eat. This year flat leaf parsley sprouted all over the garden from seeds dropped by last year's parsley. Just one more unexpected but welcomed surprise on this bright and beautiful spring morning.
Happy gardening,
Meems

Fully Fragrant Spring Garden

Undoubtedly this is the best season for the most remarkable fragrances wafting through the air of the garden. The most outstanding scent has to be the Gardenia jasminoides oraugusta. They really do permeate the air in a lovely lemony-flowery sort of way.
Grafted gardenias will thrive in the garden for many happy years when given the correct environment. They like lots of organic material, a mostly sunny spot, and require fertilization with minor elements as they are heavy feeders. The Miami Supreme has flower sizes of 3-5" and this one is a single-trunked specimen sited on the perimeter of the circle garden.

The powerful scent of the Jasminum nitidum, Angelwing jasmine draws my attention towards the back side of the tropical pathway. These are potent and profuse little bloomers all the way through summer.

Even though the southern magnolia tree has gotten so big the blooms are difficult to see (or photograph)there is no mistaking it is blooming. A walk near the north side of the back garden will fill up your senses with the mixture of magnolias and confederate jasmine nearby. Just bring one magnolia bloom indoors and you will instantly refresh the room it resides.

My favorite time to peruse the veggie garden is as the new day dawns. Just before the sun crests through the trees.Early mornings and late evenings the sweet fragrances are more prevalent.

I just love how a soft breeze will pick up the scent of the fragrant plants and gently carry it to me as I work. It is a sweet reminder that good planning for fragrance throughout the garden pays off for years to come.

Thankful for the maturity of the Trachelospermum jasminoides Confederate jasmine that clambers both sides of the otherwise undesirable look of the chain-link fence that surrounds the veggie garden. It also serves as protection against strong winds and many damaging critters.
I'm not sure if the Ligustrum japonicum tree has ever blossomed out quite like it has this spring. I've noticed others all over town billowing with white blooms just like mine. Though the scent is subtle it is noticeable during peak flowering. The bees favor visiting also.

Our ligustrum shades the south end of one of the first planting beds I ever created (in 1998) in the back gardens on the border of our property line. A wrought iron arbor drenched in confederate jasmine connects it to the wildflower garden and creates a walk-way opening up to the circle garden.

We are savoring all this intoxicating fragrance while it last. There won't be another time in the year when it is as profound as now. Interesting how all these plants have white blossoms.

Happy gardening. It is hard to believe May is half-way over. Meems