My Woodsy Garden

I’m still here y’all! My new-to-me garden is almost 5 years old. Just popping in here with a quick video to give you a glimpse of how it’s grown. The view in the film gives you a good idea of how this garden divides from shady to sunny. Update: the video did not upload. I apologize.  Clearly I am having extreme technical difficulties.

I added a few recent photos as a consolation. 😉 I hope all my Florida friends are enjoying this amazing April weather we are having in Central Florida. Happy gardening!

Unfurling Caladium leaves - it’s that time of year.

When the trumpets and the begonias bloom together.

Woodsy pathway that leads to the fire pit and the Woodland Garden.

Spiderwort randomly pops up. They aren't a problem here though because probably not enough sun.

***** I post to my Facebook gardening page almost daily. If you'd like to join us there to keep up with Hoe and Shovel Gardening here's the link: Hoe and Shovel on Facebook or https://www.facebook.com/HoeAndShovelGarden/ if you need to copy and paste. ~~ 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) © 2007-2017 is authored by Meems for Hoe and Shovel Gardening Blog. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Bromeliads for Groundcover

Have I said it enough times yet? Florida's winter was the mildest we've had in the past 5 years. I can't help it... I'm still in awe over the spring garden without the effects from frost damage. Bromeliads in my garden started putting up their colorful bracts in December and they just keep getting bigger and brighter.
I'm growing them directly in the ground under the oak trees because they make an easy clustering ground cover. Unless they get frost damage. Which they did not this year... wait... I DID already say that.

Planting them under a tree with lots of big roots is easy. They need very little dirt to live in. Some of them can live completely without dirt. I'm experimenting with some of the epiphyte types that don't require any soil. (More on that in a later post).

The maintenance requirements for them are almost zero when placed in the right environment. In my experience they do well with well draining soil. Bromeliads multiply all on their own by making pups or offsets and spreading faster than you realize until you are reminded by a photo occasionally.
The vivid and exotic colors are eye-catching and, in this case, add some spice to the brightly lit edge of the shady areas.

I hope you are getting the most out of spring in your garden. I am in love with the Florida weather this week! Happy weekend... Meems

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!

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

Vegetable Garden::Full Spring Ahead

During this season of warmth and rapid growth gardening takes on the all consuming pose calling for even more time and energy of passionate gardeners everywhere. Not only in the landscape but especially in the vegetable garden where those annuals increase in size seemingly from each morning to each night.

Chive blooms glistening with heavy droplets of dew are just one among the many delightful discoveries on an early morning walk about.

The first dawning hours being the best time for thorough inspection and the picking off any tiny worms boldly chewing away at the greenery for their breakfast.

The watering regimen follows. It's best done by hand with the garden hose. Irrigation was installed this winter with its own separate timer and assuredly comes in handy on occasion. But it is not preferred over individualized watering for just what is thirsty at the moment.

This February when it was necessary for me to rebuild the 4 outer beds I reconstructed them in a (rectangular) box shape leaving a trench of-sorts in the middle. It occurred to me to create a place to fill with water which allows it to slowly seep into the roots of the four hilled up sides.

My amateur (veggie) gardening status gives me all kinds of lenience for trying different methods. This one is proving to make sense toward preserving the run-off from the hills as well.

When they are dry I don't mind compressing the interior soil by walking in it to inspect the plants or harvest from the inside.

Spring is the time when all living things awaken to the newness and splendor of the season. Signs of vim and vigor are everywhere we turn.

Succession harvesting of the earliest crops are well underway.

While many others are staked, bushing, or twining their way into exuberant growth with each glorious hour.

Snap peas of the blue-podded sort were planted this year for a try at a new variety.

But mostly for the interest of that adorable tiny violet flower that precedes the sweet blue pod with its little peas all huddled inside in a perfect row.

Handfuls of the most tender and tasty green beans are best gathered first thing in the day. But if it can't be helped a late evening culling works just fine for hungry tummies, too.

Already the flowers placed throughout the veggie garden are over-taking their bounds.

Naturally, that is the plan when situating them among the vegetables to draw in nectaring beneficial insects. The aesthetics they add call out to me to linger a bit longer and inspire me to pull another weed or plant another seed.

New crops of romaine lettuce have come in so fast even I'm surprised.

And small wonders! The onions planted from seed are actually looking as if they might grow ... yes, onions. It was decided in February to give one more go at planting them after two previously failed attempts. Never hurts to try again. Fingers still crossed for onions forming.

Flat leaf parsley from the fall garden is sited in between tomato plants towering to a height almost as tall as me. It's being allowed to flower for the small beneficial bugs such as the parasitic wasps who need tiny flowers for nectar. They will use other garden pests and aphids as a nursery for their young. We wouldn't want them to fly away after that for lack of nectar sources that fit their small mouthparts.

There are at least 6 miniscule flying insects on the parsley flowers. So tiny they were not even noticed until the photo was uploaded.

This is my third spring of growing warm season vegetables. Many lessons have been learned and many lessons elude me still.

Maybe just maybe enough room was provided for the enormously sprawling zucchini and summer squashes this time. It's been my repeated mistake to underestimate and forget how very much room each plant requires.

They were placed in the newest planting bed created this season. Tucked underneath the edge of the overhang from the front oak trees it is afternoon-shaded more than the rest of the garden. Which also explains the debris (from the oaks) still falling onto the wide, umbrella-style leaves.

This site gains them a much better air-flow than previous beds in the back of the garden. It seems they are happier and no signs of that pesky powdery mildew so far!

It's nice that peppers grow easily with no fuss involved. These are the successes that keep us trying! Some come easy and others... not so much.

Only five tomato bushes were planted this season and they, too, seem to be the happiest and healthiest of any other season. I wish I could pinpoint the exact reason(s). It must be the complete switch to organics using Tomato Tone and Fish Emulsion. Previous years the plants got so big, so fast and waited for the fruit to catch up. Too much nitrogen likely. I'm taking diligent notes to figure this one out and praying we don't get too much rain, too fast... or too much humidity all at once ... or the night temps don't get unbearable ... or an infestation of aphids and worms I can't keep up with...

Well, you know the drill. Tomato plants can have lots of issues in the blink of an eye without warning.

No matter. We'll not think about that until we have to. We've plenty to smile about and to keep us busy this beautiful month of April.

Happy gardening and happy spring days to each dear reader! Meems