Winter Wonderful

You thought I didn't realize it was the first week of spring with my title. Truth is, I admit, I started writing this blog several weeks ago.

It WAS a wonderful winter and I also realize I have been absent from this blog. Not at all absent from gardening. Honestly, could Floridians have asked for a more beautiful winter season?  Winter is probably the time of year I love most. It's so refreshing when the temperatures drop into the 40's at night and the daytime temps rise to high 60's. Dream weather for me.

Although there isn't nearly the maintenance to keep up with in the garden during winter there are still plenty of gardening days to keep a Florida gardener busy. The weather is so inviting with all that beautiful sunshine and less humidity, it makes you want to find ways to be outside,

This year I sprinkled baking soda on some of the winter weeds growing within the lawn and discovered it killed them without killing the grass. It mostly worked on the one pictured and the Oxalis that invades during winter.
FYI: It didn't faze the more difficult weeds like dollar weed. I know. That would have been too good to be true. 

Weeds and more weeds right? Weeds you don't even see during the other seasons. They pop out because it's also their favorite weather. Cool nights, warm days. Rather than let weeds go all winter and collect them all at once when it warms up, I feel so far ahead of the seed heads that can spread the weeds when I'm diligent to pull them along and along. You will love your garden much more when it's time to trim back in spring if you aren't scurrying around also managing winter weed control. It's so much easier to pull weeds when it's cool anyway.

Florida has so many months of hot, sweltering heat that the cooler months inspire me to get in gear on new projects. I wait for a cold winter day to start new planting beds. This year that meant a mid-January weekend. I watched the weather and in anticipation of a day staying in the 50's F (no sweating on that day) I had potting soil and mulch delivered to be ready for my project.

The southwest end of the front garden. It needed a bit of a balancing refresh. The northwest end (next to the driveway) is all plants. I've been thinking since we moved in here that this end needed plants instead of grass.

For over a year I've been mulling over a solution for this corner of the front garden. The grass needed to go, but there are two pine trees that shed badly above this space. If you have pine trees you know how messy they are. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the needles for mulch. But those same needles get caught in every branch of every shrub and literally layer on top and through the branches of underplantings beneath the trees. It's a catch-22. Love the pine needles to collect for mulch; dislike them hanging in the Azalea shrubs and drowning out the smaller ground covers. In the end I've decided to keep the pine trees and make the best of it.

This photo is taken from the opposite view as the one above. The end of my property line is a couple of feet beyond the cardboard. A strip wide enough for one mower swipe.

First I put a layer of thick cardboard/newspaper over the grass, then a layer of approximately 10-12 inches of potting soil (not top soil which is too heavy), then a layer of 2-3 inches of mulch. This combination will smother/kill the grass in 8-10 weeks (quicker in summer with heat and rain.)

In this photo (taken from the street) it isn't finished, but a good start with perennials and low-lying shrubs.

You know I was chopping at the bit to plant it, but I wanted to make sure the grass and weeds were DEAD before I broke through the cardboard with my shovel. It saves me lots of heartache over the long haul when I wait long enough for the smothering to do its duty.

Making decisions about what to plant in this spot has been interesting. I knew for certain I wanted to add Agapanthus. My elderly neighbor supplies me with an extremely hardy and vigorous variety that we haven't been able to find in garden centers. There is a good number of these beautiful lilies planted at the northwest end opposite of this. It should look pretty great when they all bloom at once. That probably won't happen this year. For some reason Agapanthus like to hold out on me for a good year after being transplanted. I dug up about 20 of them from my neighbor's yard to transplant here and so far they all seem to be adjusting pretty well. I just cut off the leaves that yellow from the shock of dividing the bulbous roots.

This was the best BEFORE photo I could find taken in early January.
From the street you can see the entire corner is entirely lawn. It has a gentle slope toward the street/rocks.

From the street you can see the entire southwest corner of my front yard is entirely lawn. It has a gentle slope toward the street/rocks. You can also see the two 50' pine trees on either side of this space. Again, pine needles make beautiful mulch, messy plants.

Photo taken the first day of spring, 2016,  from the street. See, I really do know it's not still winter in spite of my title.

I'm not quite finished with it because, of course, there will be Caladiums.  So far, Agapanthus, 'Little John' bottlebrush shrubs, Coonties, Dystilium 'Blue Cascade' (a new shrub for Florida/me), Foxtail ferns, Giant Apostle's Iris and bromeliads. Every plant choice is low growing (below 4'), drought tolerant, cold hardy, Florida Friendly or Florida native and they all do well in high-shifting shade. Low maintenance was the primary goal!

Another view of the front garden this week with some of the Azaleas deciding to peak for spring's arrival. We like this patch of lawn that breaks the expanse and gives the eye a rest between gardening beds.

I've removed a lot of grass in this new garden already, but mostly in the back yard. I don't have plans to remove anymore in the front after this. Do you remember my front yard projects from my old garden? There wasn't a blade of grass left in that front yard by the time I took out one section at a time. 

The weather this week in West Central Florida? A surprisingly cool front came through making the beginning of spring feel a bit more like Florida's winter wonderful! I'm loving every minute of it. Happy spring.

Happy gardening,
Meems


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*If you've just arrived to this page as a new gardening friend or perhaps missed the back story about how we moved from our home and garden of 30 years to the house next door you can catch up here. 

All material (text and photos) © 2007-2016 is authored by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Why I Wait to Plant Caladium Bulbs

'Puppy Love'

It is so very tempting to jump the gun and plant Caladium bulbs in springtime when the soil and air first begin to warm. New shoots of Caladiums from the year(s) before respond to the seasonal transition and lingering sunshine. Out they come, slowly unfurling into glorious shocks of brilliant color. Fingers itch to put more of them in the ground right away.

'Burning Heart' is the larger, background Caladium with 'Tiki Torch' bordering.

It's perfectly acceptable to plant Caladium bulbs anytime after your last frost date and when the temperatures warm to above 65F (or so) consistently. But, I like to wait. Caladiums respond best to warm, moist soil, and humid air. These are the conditions that make them best suited for summer foliage plants. As my Florida gardening friends are well aware, our spring season is typically very dry.

'Classic Pink' in the front garden.

I don't know about you, but I tire of dragging hoses around to my newly installed plants in the spring. Caladiums do not tolerate drought conditions for any enduring length of time. As a matter of course, they prefer our summer rainy season. Happy they are to receive a good daily downpour as long as the soil they're planted in drains well. You don't want to put them where water collects.

'Puppy Love' in the front garden.

As difficult as it may be to wait past spring to plant, I do. My bulbs are ordered early from Classic Caladiums for the best selection. I don't actually have them delivered to my doorstep until June and often don't get the last of them planted until July (or later). At that point the soil is warm (day and night) and our summer rainy season has kicked in full force. New sprouts from bulbs rocket out of the ground in a matter of days and colorful foliage unfolds in what seems like time-lapsed speed.

'Celebration' under the blue bottle tree and 'Radiance' on the right in the back garden.

Happy heart-shaped faces of reds, greens, pinks, white, and even salmon colors shine for the entirety of summer, and often into fall, when planted later. The general life-span of Caladium plants each year when they sprout or re-sprout is about 150 days.

'Tiki Torch' mixed with 'Desert Sunset' in pots.

I prefer my annually planted bulbs, with their dazzling foliage show, to peak mid-August into September when many of the spring blooming flowers have faded.

'Lemon Blush' and 'Desert Sunset'

Summer is Caladium season. They thrive with very little attention once the rainy season begins and provides them with plenty of nutritious water from heaven.

'Classic Pink' to the left and 'Lemon Blush' to the right.

My garden is chocked full of Florida-Friendly and Florida native plants, but Caladiums are the stars of my summer garden. Waiting to plant them until after the spring dry season is well worth the patience required.  Especially when August rolls around and there is still ample color gleaming in my garden from their easy-care foliage.

*** All Caladiums shown are varieties from and sold by Classic Caladiums.

*** Other articles I've written on Caladiums.

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If you've just arrived to this page as a new gardening friend or perhaps missed the back story about how we moved from our home and garden of 30 years to the house next door you can catch up here.



All material © 2007-2015 by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Aggies Light Up Spring/Summer Garden

That's my affectionate name for Agapanthus Orientalis. My love affair with these plants is a long running one. I've sung their praises and extolled their easy-growing characteristics numerous ways on this blog over the years. 

I put some of them in the back garden also!

As with so many of the plants in my garden, my sweet elderly neighbor gave me my first one. That one plant multiplied on its own rhizome and I divided it and transplanted it. But that was in my old garden. In my new garden there is another similar story to tell. 

The same elderly neighbor who gave me my first Aggie also gave the previous owner/gardener that lived in this house before me her first one. Only the previous owner NEVER divided hers. When I moved in here there was a ginormous clump of them in the front garden. 

Prior to our decision to stay in this home/garden permanently I dug up that gargantuan clump and divided it into about 40 individual plants. In an effort to help beautify the curb appeal here (because we were planning to sell this house). I filled in an empty spot by the street with some of those divisions. They looked downright awful for about 6 months. It was hard to look at those pitiful plants every time I pulled into the driveway.  Gradually they started putting out new leaves and looking like they weren't mad at me anymore for taking them out of their cozy corner. 

Phone photo

Even before the individual flowers open up, those tight buds are adorable. They will keep you in a state of anticipation for weeks prior to their full-blown flowering. From tight buds to open flowers the display lasts a solid 8 weeks. I even let mine go to seed to enjoy the dried heads in late summer/fall.

Phone photo: One Aggie stem mixed with devil's backbone, purple queen, cast iron leaves, bird of paradise leaves and coleus in a tall cut glass vase.

Cut stems make a nice statement in mixed fresh arrangements. I never want to cut too many though. I like them best out in the garden. *smile*.

I just HAD to get out my ruler to see exactly how wide those big flowers are.

The giant umbels of glorious color atop slender stalks rise 4-5 feet above the foliage. Wherever they are growing they create a dramatic flare. 

My excitement over Agapanthus plants intensifies at this thought. In Florida we just don't have many options for this type of showy perennial. 

Full with buds of promise in mid-May.

This cultivar that my neighbor shared with me is unlike any others I've seen elsewhere. The strappy, leathery leaves are thick, shiny, and wide. In the winter the foliage sails through our harshest weather. Gotta love that.

The green stems with purply-blue trumpets at each end are a magical duo.

A tiny pollen-covered bee the same size as the stamen .

Pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds are frequent visitors.

I grow mine in partial sun and partial shade. Partial sun means they get morning sun, filtered sun, then full on sun for a brief part of the day. Partial shade means they are never in full on sun, but lots of high filtered sunlight most of the day. I haven't tried fertilizing them although I've read reliable information that suggests they don't mind some extra nutrients. After they bloom their foliage won't look quite as robust as it does while blooming. That isn't really very noticeable except to the most observant onlooker. Overall this plant is a must-have for a Florida garden. It's one of my favorites EVER in case you hadn't already figured that out. 

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If you've just arrived to this page as a new gardening friend or perhaps missed the back story about how we moved from our home and garden of 30 years to the house next door you can catch up here... http://www.hoeandshovel.com/2014/07/a-new-journey-bitter-and-sweet.html

All material © 2007-2015 by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Hidden Treasures

When we moved to this new garden I inherited a few jewels hidden here and there in the garden. Gardens that have been around for a while are like that. I didn't pay too much attention to any of them until we made the decision to make this our permanent home. Each treasure has become more highly appreciated as time and perspective reveal its worth. Sometimes the scales of indifference, or maybe resistance is a better word in this case, have to fall off in order to clearly see the true gifts right in front of you. Clear sight is a true gift in itself ... right!

You can see the staghorn in the center of the photo (taken June 1, 2014) prior to me starting to cultivate
this area with my own design.

The ancient (and ginormous) stag horn fern hanging heavy and low on a 40' red maple tree is one of the treasures left here by my former neighbor.  I don't recall the exact history surrounding it, but I think it belonged to her parents or grandparents. I do vividly recall my neighbors painstakingly wrapping it with several quilts close-pinned together at the threat of every frost each winter season.  Although I think this particular variety is probably hardy to around 25°F. This enormously wide specimen has begun to wrap itself around the trunk with its thick basal fronds clinging to the maple tree.

Surprisingly, this staghorn fern receives a good deal more sunshine than is generally recommended for shade-loving staghorns. A side-note tidbit about this new garden: the backyard used to be filled with pine trees, sweet gum trees and citrus trees. The former owner/neighbor had to remove most of them one by one as they got too old or in the case of pine trees were hit by lightning. It appears the fern has adapted to the changing sunlight conditions as those conditions have evolved over time.

Once I started putting my own plants in this garden I designed around the fern (it would take a crane to move it.)  The staghorn became the centerpiece to the main pathway that leads to the back garden. It also serves as a lush tropical, welcoming marker on the left side of one of the entrances to the open fire pit seating area. I moved some holly ferns from my old garden and a cobalt blue container planting to mark the right side of the entrance. 

Upright portion of the basal frond.

Staghorn ferns are among the group of plants called epiphytes. Meaning they thrive on nutrients from the air and rain. Surrounding plant debris and fallen leaves collect in the upright part of the basal fronds. As the collection breaks down it provides additional nourishment. In other words they are mostly self sufficient when placed in the correct environment.

The underside of the big fern at the base of the tree.

You can see the sterile basal fronds overlapping as they attach to the tree and to each other. A beautiful and unique structure creates a bowl shape underneath.

Foliar fronds are the lobed pieces coming out of the base to create the beautiful shape and texture of these amazing wonders.

I brought two other staghorn ferns from my old garden. They are large, but not close in size to this mammoth treasure that wasn't so hidden after all.

Do you grow staghorn ferns in your garden?


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All material © 2007-2014 by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

The Summer of Change

I purposed not to get connected with this new garden because our sincere plan was to resell this house quickly once our primary house was finished with the intended remodel. I didn't make too many changes here nor did I let my mind wander with gardening dreams for that reason.  ***If you are just arriving here and need to catch up on why we moved to the house next door you can catch up here for the back story and here with all the post entries regarding this new garden so far.

This is the closest photo I have to a BEFORE shot. It's taken from the open back deck.
It dawned on me after we got started that I should be documenting this transformation process.

The very day (June 1, 2014) we made the decision to sell our primary home and garden of 30 years my mind kicked into overdrive. It was time to pay attention to the conditions of this garden. The first and practically only thing I could think about was how in the world was I going to transfer my old garden to make a new garden in such a short period of time. There were so many plants I wanted to keep from my old garden. I would need to move them or take cuttings from them in order to preserve them.

June 6, 2014
Time to remove some lawn between some scrubby Swamp Bay trees and a Red Maple on one side and
one Drake Elm next to the open deck.

You would think I would have been consumed with figuring out how I was going to pack up the three rooms and full closets I needed to move from the original house to the new house. I sensed a huge garage sale was looming in my near future along with everything else that needed attention.

June 11, 2014
After all the grass was removed up to the curvy line on the left, I brought in a yard of potting soil to cover the pile of grass. It help create a a small hill between me and my south neighbor.
I had privacy in mind with all the plants I chose for this new location.

When we moved to the house next door 7 months prior I had taken only the furniture and goods we needed for everyday living. Was that ever a lesson in how much extra *stuff* we have! If I didn't need it or use it more often why did I still have it? I had a whole lot of purging to do. :-)

June 11, 2014
I purchased the Sweet Almond Bush at the garden center where I picked up the potting soil. It is the *only plant I purchased* for this entire area. All the rest came from my old garden. 

The usable areas (the beds that had open space for plants) in my new-to-me back garden are mostly sunny. In my old garden I had created a very shady oasis in the back garden and the front garden was also mostly shady. For appropriate conditions and enough space to transplant my shade-loving plants it was necessary to dig some grass in the shadiest spot available in the back garden. I had to make the most of that sliver of shade.

June 6, 2014
The same shady area from the angle looking south (deck is to the right).

I was in a hurry. I hired some help. Two strong boys (brothers) that regularly help my elderly neighbor. Their schedules were busy with summer activities and other jobs so it was a little frustrating only being able to grab them for a few hours at a time. I honestly couldn't have made so many quick changes without them. They did the digging and heavy lifting while I designed and planted. They worked hard right in the middle of Florida's hottest summer humidity.

June 25, 2014
June 22 we started moving some of the bigger accessories.
The birdhouses and the fire pit (not visible, but behind the birdhouses) made a big difference
in the look and feel of the new garden.

I had made a list 3 legal pages long of plants to either move or to make cuttings from. There were plants from neighbors, friends and family I couldn't bear to leave behind. Some of the plants I needed to move because of their mature status. For instance, I divided/transplanted my own plentiful shell gingers rather than buy new ones. Moving my mature plants means larger plants from the start.

June 29, 2014
The background transplants were settling in nicely and for the most part June blessed me
with sufficient rainfall to save me time watering them each day. 

It was one thing to move plants and cuttings. When the process of moving accessories from one garden to the other began it made me feel like this whirlwind move was really truly happening. My emotions were pretty raw about leaving my old garden. But there was no time to lollygag nor did I have extra energy to waste on sadness. It was taking every minute of every day to tackle the garden move and packing.

[Side note: I'm so very grateful to all my family and friends who helped out with packing/sorting/moving/garage-saling (I'm sure that's not a word). They were amazing! Each one with a gift for efficiency. My poor mom had to practically drag me out of the garden (many times) into the house for me to finish inside when I wanted only to be outside.]

June 30, 2014

In my old garden the birdhouses were the focal point in a partially sunny area. Their surroundings were much different there. I decided to change it up a bit here and moved them into the new shade bed. At their feet are Florida-Friendly tropicals, perennials and newly rooted coleus (all from my old garden).

July 1, 2014
Photos create an amazing visual journal that can't be duplicated with words or memory. I planted 'Creamsickle' Caladium bulbs on June 13. In each photo you can see the progression of their growth which would otherwise have been missed.

At the same time I was working on this shady part of the garden I was creating the fire pit area.  The boys (my helpers) were digging out grass in the blazing sun to make room for more plants in the existing sunny area and also digging out another large area of grass for part-sun/part-shade plants.  I would follow them with plants and mulch. I will update on those spaces in the future.

July 1, 2014

The existing *island* made up of the tall Red Maple (to the left), scrubby trees and palmettos curved in a pleasing fashion to create a natural screen. It made the perfect natural divider between the new shaded Birdhouse Garden and the fire pit. All I had to do was deepen it on both sides with suitable plants which elevated the design in each area with depth and intensity.

July 8, 2014

July 8, 2014

I had three objectives prior to turning over my garden to the new owner.
1) To dig up all the plants on my long list and find suitable new homes for them.
2) To put any plants I didn't have room for at the time into grow pots for future planting.
3) To make cuttings of plants too large to move and/or plants I knew I would want more of later on.

July 11, 2014

We closed on the sale of the old house on July 9, 2014. I spent the entire last day in the garden. It was the final time to be in my own garden. I started very early and didn't stop until dark. It meant the world to me to be there one last time without interruption. I can tell you, it was a most memorable day of gardening.  It was the day I checked off the last of the 3 page legal sheet of plants and cuttings. I felt quite satisfied about what I was able to transfer to this new garden.

July 18, 2014
The angle looking directly south. The large banana trees in the background belong to my south neighbor. It's nice for me that both properties flow visually together nicely.

The new shade garden connects my south side into one continuous series of varying sized planting beds. There's a large area at the SE corner that is full with overgrown vines, ferns and weeds. I've not been able to do anything there yet. Eventually it will become another shade garden. Lots of work still to do in that far-back section (it's beyond the fire pit).

July 20, 2014

If you look to the top left of the above photo you might notice there is mulch where the other photos still have grass.  I'll update on that later as well.

July 25, 2014

The view from our open deck has changed quite a bit. We've already removed a lot of grass and replaced it with winding pathways and suitable plants, grasses and shrubs.

August 17, 2014

It's been an insanely busy summer of change! The difference in the way I feel about this garden now and the way I felt on June 1 has completely changed. I'm not gonna lie. It's still hard to think about my old garden and to realize it isn't mine anymore. But it's a lot less hard each day. I'm still finding the blessings at every turn. This garden is feeling more and more like it's mine and more and more like I belong here.

Sometimes the opportunity for change sneaks up on you. That's when we have to decide how we will respond.

"We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better." ~ C. JoyBell C.

Happy gardening,
Meems

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All material © 2007-2014 by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.