Winter Morning

A quick turn around the garden in the morning light with my camera.

I'm not sure it really is winter.

It doesn't FEEL like winter.

It doesn't LOOK like winter.

January will nod goodbye tonight.

February will say hello.

Oh, has it been a winter to love!

More like a magical spring.

Florida!


















I sorta hate to rub it in. Sorta.

Winter's Mild Disposition

This winter reminds me of Florida winters of long ago. Winter has been kind to us. No significant damage in the garden from freeze or frost. In keeping with Winter's mild temperament and ample sunshine the garden calls for attention during this season.

I love the constant quest for placing the right plant in the right place always keeping in mind the specific microclimates within the microclimate that is my garden. These things fuel the creative me.

One of the downsides about transitioning my garden into a more naturalistic style is the tendency this style can have to get cluttered. Untidy happens when sections run together without some delineation. It might be caused when branches intermingle excessively or fall over onto one another creating confusion to the eye, or when seedlings drop where they will to impede a walkway or seating arrangement.

I don't like messy. That's just me. If you like messy don't hate me. I'm good with your messy. It's just not me.

The challenge to mix in Florida-Friendly plants with natives and tropicals in a pleasing arrangement for my eyes AND to also benefit wildlife is both satisfying and inspiring.

In any intensely planted areas messy can happen. Which takes us back to right plant, right place. When planning these crowded spaces it's even more important to take into consideration the mature size of the choices we make. We want to minimize the burden of increased maintenance when the goal is to keep that foresty, tropical-ish, naturalistic look without constant pruning.

Occasionally it is necessary to purge these crowded conditions along the narrow places. Otherwise all sight of navigating abilities through the central garden is lost. As you can see from the above before and after photos, it was mostly self-sown impatiens impeding the route.

Love seeing the rocks on the side of the pathway now that most of those impatiens were extracted.

With all that 'messy' out of the way the mondo grass that is slowly crawling its way around the flagstones is visible. I adore those indestructible tufted mounds of deep green.

The tropical plants are showing little sign of retreating this winter. I'm happy they are hanging around this winter.

Taking a look down the tropical pathway it is difficult to discern that we are in the middle of winter. I'd like to give a big hug to winter for gifting us with so many beautiful days. Fingers are crossed for Florida's winter splendor to remain.

Happy gardening... Meems

Blue Sage

This is the first winter in three we've gone this long without freeze or frost damage. I know some of my Florida friends took some hard hits in the beginning of the month with temperatures in the twenties.

Again, the canopy of oak trees in my garden protected my shrubs, tropicals, and perennials. I lost some coleus, impatiens, colocasia, and sweet potato vines that were exposed out in the open. No big deal.

This is also the first winter my blue sage (Eranthemum Nervosumor Eranthemum Pulchellum) shrub (above) didn't get knocked back before coming into full bloom with its true-blue clusters of loveliness. It sits on the perimeter of the central pathway and the circle garden in the back yard.
You won't find blue sage in a garden center. Susan from Simply Susan gave me my first cutting. {I've made many additional ones from this shrub since then~~they root easily.} I knew blue sage preferred partial light so I placed it on the edge of the west side of the oak canopy in the back garden. I soft pruned this one back at least 3 times this summer. It made it thicker and bushier than the others I didn't trim. It was an experiment as much as necessity to keep it a proper size for this spot. The latest prune was in September and it still bloomed. You know what that means? I'll be trimming all the others as well this year even though they are more inconspicuously planted among the deeper shade plants.
I made mention of the first Red Admiral to be seen this year on my Hoe and Shovel Facebook page this week (If you haven't visited there yet~~hit the LIKE button to join the conversation). The pretty little thing was happily skipping around from flower cluster to flower cluster.

The large, veined leaves are deeply hued of almost blue-green. In summertime the foliage is all that graces the garden. As autumn nears the end and winter begins this shrub takes on another dimension. Do you see the veined green and white bracts on the ends of the clusters that form prior to the flowers? I just love them. And they will remain even after the flowers fade.

Do you have this Florida old timer in your garden? Happy gardening, Meems

No Help From Me

Do you happen to remember the little issue this summer in the tropical pathway. Nothing serious. The impatiens decided to seed themselves all around the seating area and then they grew up and kinda-sorta took over the seating area.

I didn't have the heart to clear them away even when they began to block the passageway. They were just so easy and I figured who was I to get in the way of volunteers that meant no harm? Eventually much later in the season I did pull them all out by the roots. I know. It pains me to say it but they got leggy and well, there was just no pathway left for passage until they were gone.

I was just saying this week how very much I appreciated all the impatien volunteers that are taking over the front area. I removed the last of the lawn there last spring and replaced it with Florida native mimosa strigillosa. Only I think it isn't getting enough sun so I'm not totally satisfied with its appearance. But that's another story.

Impatiens have randomly plopped into that spotty area with no help from me. My have they made a nice interim show through fall and winter. You might not be able to tell in the above photo but there is plenty of room in the pathway between these impatiens and the seating area.

After the freezing temperatures expected tonight I am fairly certain they will turn to mush by morning.

I will miss their cheeriness and their hardy ability to survive all on their own. Unless it freezes of course. They just can't take low temperatures.

Clean Slate :: Gardening Goals

Few places can boast of the superb weather December brought to Central Florida. It has been delightful to spend as much time outdoors as possible in between the hustle and bustle of holiday activities. Truly. Where else can you still watch the butterflies fluttering about while grilling your dinner and then eating on the back lanai in shorts and flip-flops? It's a wonderful place to be in the wintertime!

And on top of that it's a New Year! Happy New Year by the way. Why don't we think about some New Year's goals together. Oh, not the personal kind. Those are so tiresome. I'm kidding about that. You go ahead. Reasonable personal goals are a must also.

I'm thinking about goals for the garden. Not just goals but ways to acheive them. I kind of like to think of the new year as a clean slate. A blank canvas. Empty pages waiting for adventures to be journaled.

Let's think of the garden as a brand new OPPORTUNITY this year! Let's look at it with our glass-half-full smiley faces on. It's our own place to make things happen. No matter the size of it. It is our chance to grow a million-bazillion plants we love. Okay. Maybe not that many but you get the idea.

Look around. Which plants do you love that are suitable for your climate? I'm guessing you can find a place for them in your own garden.

Here are a few goals to get us started.



1. When I make plans for creating any new areas for planting I'm going to think more about building the soil first before I plant the plants. If we take the time to add purchased soil or amend our own dirt with compost, leaf mold, peat moss, and other organic materials we will improve the soil to hold nutrients and feed the roots for better growth. Training our plants to become more drought tolerant means less water is necessary after they are established.

2. Choose plants that are suitable for my climate. If you garden in Florida you have so many options. We can pick from a long list of Florida-Friendly plants as well as many fabulous natives that are well-suited for the home garden. Combining them together will create an attractive blend that is pleasing to the eye and the environment.

3. Create more and fuss less. No question it takes time and energy to design and maintain any garden ~~ large or small. A less fussy garden has a more naturalistic appeal. Choose shrubs that don't need constant pruning like Walter's Viburnum. Or allow your blue plumbago to sprawl rather than shear it evenly (keeping in mind it will need plenty of room when initially planted). I'm learning better all the time how to let each garden area look more natural by 'not' keeping everything so orderly. The definition of orderly likely varies from gardener to gardener. My definition is to let each group of like-plants have their own space while blending in with its neighbors but not 'invading' its neighbors.

By making it your goal to accomplish # 1 & #2 you can have more plants and larger areas without so much tedious maintenance. This really matters if you have other things to do besides spending all day in the garden several times a week. Me? I would spend all day, every day if I could, because I love it that much. Then there's life. It just isn't possible (or realistic) to give all my attention to the garden. So I'm finding more ways to create what I love without being a slave to it.



Your turn.

I'd love for you to share a gardening goal and how you will achieve it this year. Exchanging ideas helps all of us! Meems

**Click on any photo for captions and details.