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!

Live Video:: A Tour Down the Tropical Pathway

For my next Lowe's blog entry the assignment is to create a "short" video illustrating the content of the written entry. 'Short' is a key word in the assignment. My first attempt at a video was way too long. So the thought occurred to post the one that is too long here. The length is about 3:50 minutes as I take you from the circle garden down the tropical pathway. (And I tried to hurry~yikes). I apologize in advance for the jiggly camera. The video is UNSCRIPTED and completely shooting from the hip so please forgive. Again, I will NOT be using this video for my Lowe's entry next week. Although the one I am submitting is UNSCRIPTED as well. (That's what they've asked for.) But now that I've made this video and uploaded it to YouTube I'm wondering why garden bloggers don't do this??? What do you think? It seems like a good way to get to share more of our gardens in REAL time! Anyway... here it is... blemishes and all! Oh, heads up to listen for the Pileated Woodpecker at the start of the film.
While I was working on that clip I also made a short (this one really is) video of the gold finches at the feeders in the way back garden. It's rare that I have my camera while I'm working back there. Have you ever noticed, like I have, the birds are less shy when I'm plodding about the garden than when I'm edging closer to them with my camera? It dawned on me to post the short video of goldfinches here so you could see them too.
The males have molted into their bright yellow breeding plumage and I love to hear them singing away during the day. The American Goldfinch can be found throughout the state until about early May, sometimes later. They've been here since December.

I was relating to the Wild Birds Unlimited Store owner the strange way the goldfinches are AVOIDING the thistle feeders this year. And golly is that food expensive! But they ARE feeding from the feeders with black oil and striped sunflower/safflower/white millet blend. His response was that it is happening everywhere. Strange. Too bad the large bag of thistle food is going to waste. I hope you enjoyed the videos and the stroll through the garden with me. Do you think making an easy video is a good idea to share our gardens??? Meems

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

Views from a Garden Picnic

Vantage points when photographing the garden make all the difference in perspective.

We walk around our gardens upright looking out across the way or down at a particular plant or vignette.

But to photograph the scenery from that stance does not always turn out to be the most appealing view.

It isn't all that atypical actually to be found in our gardens squatting down in various contorted positions and twisted maneuvers to get to an open bloom or stationary critter.

We don't mind looking silly for that better angle trying to achieve that 'just right' vision we want to capture through our lens.

Springtime and there is so much happening all at once in the garden we don't want to miss a thing. Yes, first day lilies have flushed out.

This is the perfect time of year to enjoy the garden by just 'being' in it.
I have my 5 year old grandson to thank for helping me occasionally put down the shovel to play. Since he's with us weekly on a regular basis we spend a good deal of time together... much of it outdoors. We created a fun activity when he was a toddler to pack up our lunch, toss a blanket on the grass, plop ourselves right in the middle of the back gardens to eat and chat about discovering the habitat that surrounds us.

We've labeled it with various 'pretend' names that have morphed as he's grown older. At this stage we simply call it our 'wilderness journey' adventure. He with binoculars in hand and me with camera in hand as we discuss our favorite butterfly or bird or dragonfly or squirrel or plant or flower. We each do our best to name all that we see while we either sit or lie on the blanket.

When did you last have a seat on the ground in your garden just to see what you could see?

One of the first things I notice is the undersides of leaves.

Large, colorful leaves...

Small leaves...

Lacy leaves...

and leaves I'd never think to photograph until a future season when trumpeted flowers will be the irresistible draw.

What a splendid sight from this seated position.

Like they say... "the eye of the beholder" I suppose. Brilliant greenery of agapanthus and blackberry lily standing erect and sturdy with the promise of blooms destined to appear in the not too distant weeks.
It happens almost every time. We see something we've never seen before. A monarch sipping from a miniscule flax lily bloom? That is a first. I'm pretty sure the monarchs know when our little guy is around. Not only do they always come out to play but they put on quite a fanciful show for him.

Paying close attention is the object of this fun time as we aim to spot as many garden critters as we can. The feeders where cardinals frequent daily is a good distance away but as long as we can see them from the vantage point of the blanket they are eligible.

Perspective. What do you see at eye-level? What do you see a bit farther up and farther up still from the ground up!

Sitting anywhere for any length of time is not easy for me. One of the keys to this amusement is to linger for a goodly period of time. The depth of what we notice increases over time. That's why this little exercise in 'sitting and noticing' is eye-opening on an inspirational level and calming/relaxing all at the same time.

Perspective. Leave it to the innocence of children to teach us the best lessons in life!