Florida Garden Iris

Many years ago I researched which Louisiana Iris might be suitable for my Florida garden. I'm sure there are more types than what I have, but this one was what I started with. I ordered 'Sinfonietta' from an online source and 6 bare root plants were mailed to me.

As I do with most brand new plants that I don't have full confidence planting, I placed them in two different locations in my old garden. When we moved to the house next door last summer of course the Louisiana Irises were among the list of plants I wanted to be sure to bring with me.

This new garden has more space in more areas with more sunshine. I just said more three times in one sentence. You get the picture right? Louisiana irises can take full sun. In my garden each patch gets between 3-6 hours. Which seems to be plenty.

To get 'Sinfonietta' started here (after digging/dividing from my old patches) I cut off all but about 4" of greenery, knocked off the soil and planted them in three different locations here. Their greenery perks up in the winter season. They have adapted well in this new garden. Blooms started right on time in mid to late March. One of the locations bloomed later than the other two and still has a few flowers while the others are finished for the year. Yes, it's a quick bloom time. But, oh, what a beautiful display while it last.


For more on irises you might also like:
Irises That Won't Shrink From Florida's Humidity
More Irises for Florida
A Must-Have Iris
The Irises Have It
Louisiana Iris

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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.

10 More Blooming Plants for Fall Color

You may recall my post a few years ago, 10 Great Plants for Fall Color. It listed mostly foliage plants with a few flowering perennials included. I've grown to love my fall garden more and more each year. That love is from a combination of the cooling weather and the fact that so many of Florida's best plants bloom in the fall. That's my observation. Here's a look at some of the flowers that are brightening up my fall garden. I'm not going to include the sunny Swamp Sunflower again. I think I have lauded those yellow flowers sufficiently already.

Queen Emma Crinum Lily ~ I transplanted 2 of these beauties from my old garden. I left 4 of them there.

You might remember that almost every single plant I've planted in my new garden was either moved as a transplant from my old garden or it was a division or root cutting from my old garden along with a few root cuttings from some friends. I wrote here about the challenge I gave myself to start all my new beds without spending any cash. Now that I've been gardening here since June, I am beginning to see some results. The rooted cuttings are growing and many of them are actually blooming.

Celosia spicata grown from seed. Sunny garden.

Fall is an exciting time in most Florida gardens. We've just passed our rainy season which causes the whole garden to explode. Celosia spicata started blooming in summer, I admit. Here we are well into fall and still it is full of magenta spikes. It is 10' tall and bushy so you need a bit of space when planted in full sun.

Cat's Whiskers (Orthosiphon aristatus) was given to me as a small cutting. I moved it as a small bush from my old garden to the new sunny garden.

Cat's Whiskers has been blooming its spiky white flowers for three months. It likes a good deal of sun, but not full sun. I've put it where it gets some shade from the small bottlebrush tree nearby in the sunny garden.

S. Mexicana I think this one is 'La Placita'

I started cuttings of Salvia Mexicana from plants I had in my old garden. These bloom somewhat all spring and summer. When fall rolls around they come into their prime covered in spikes of deep purple loveliness for bees and hummingbirds to visit.

Belinda's Dream 

I put this pretty rose in here because she deserves a mention. Belinda's Dream pretty much blooms all year. I moved her from my old garden. She recently was trimmed back to canes. It won't take her long to burst out in bloom again.

Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata)

You can't rush spotted beem balm. It definitely waits for fall to bloom. Slightly scented and unquestionably a pollinator magnet. Its pale pink flowers stack on top of each other 3 and 4 tall. If you have a sunny location you'll want to grow this Florida native.

Pentas ~ all from root cuttings.

If you've followed this blog you know I'm a huge fan of Pentas. Why? They are easy-to-grow flowers for Florida gardens that bloom all year long. I mostly plant and propagate (from cuttings) the large heirloom varieties. They are hardy in winter with the least amount of tree cover to protect from cold and extremely drought tolerant.

Marlberry

Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides) is a Florida native shrub that blooms in the fall. Insignificant flowers? Maybe. Small pollinators love them. The flowers turn to berries later in the season just in time to feed the wildlife.

Hardy Hibiscus~ Swamp Mallow

This is not the tropical variety of hibiscus. Each large pink flower of this hardy hibiscus only lasts a day and requires some moisture for best blooming. You can put these near the edge of a pond or in spot that stays moist. Mine was given to me as a cutting. I rooted it and then made more plants from that one and brought one with me from my old garden. It does not have wet feet in my garden but does get plenty of sunshine.

Firespike (Odontonema strictum) is an all-time favorite. All the ones I planted in my new garden are short and producing a few blooms as you can see above.  There are so many reasons I love this plant. You can read more about firespike here and see more photos!  It's RED!!! Okay. That's number 1. All the other reasons have to do with hummingbirds. They love them and since they flourish past fall (as long as we don't have a hard freeze~or several) the hummers will have nectar all winter.

What are your favorite fall blooming plants? There are so many to choose from in Florida.

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Swamp Sunflower

Once in a while I get so enamored with a particular plant/flower that I want to stare at it, take photos daily, talk about it and share it with anyone who will listen. Swamp Sunflower. Yes. Here we go.

My friend and fellow Hillsborough County Master Gardener, Nanette, over at Bay-Friendly Landscaping heard that I was trying to create my new sunny garden without spending any money. One day when we were volunteering together she showed up with 4 baby swamp sunflower plants and a couple of scorpion tail plants. I planted them all in June.

I gave my baby swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) plants the sunniest possible conditions because that's what they like. Wow. Did they ever grow fast and they grew tall! They were every bit of 9' (probably taller) in height by September with tiny tight buds from top to bottom. Even those were cute. I'm not kidding.

If you live in Florida, you have probably seen these sunny yellow wildflowers along the roadside this month. They don't grow as tall there, but they are full of bright yellow faces and brown buttons in the middle.  I have seen some gorgeous groupings of them on my trips over to the center of the state. We also saw them along country roads on a recent trip to North Florida. 

They are so bright and cheery, you can't miss them.  Each flower is about 3" across. They will catch your attention even if you aren't looking for them. 

Give me blue skies and swamp sunflowers any day and I'll be just as cheery as their happy faces. It's the simple things y'all!

This is the back side of my sunniest bed. Only the perennial peanut ground cover was planted here when we moved in. I'm letting that spread as it wants to.

Placed in the middle of my sunniest flower bed seems to be a good place for swamp sunflower. They are so tall I can see them as I round the corner from the central pathway. I staked the center stalks with rebar before they bloomed. I suspected they might get top heavy. I think that was wise because some of the side shoots drooped and snapped during that week of constant rain we had in late September. 

I'm going to give them a hard prune next June to try to keep each bush a little more compact, but that's not to say I mind the height they are at all. Just thinking I might not need to stake them if they are bushier.

The purple flowers you see are Celosia spicata. Don't they make a nice pairing. Native bee balm (Monarda punctata) is blooming pale pink flowers right next to both of them. There are so many pollinators buzzing around this area that you can hear their music.

My only wish is that swamp sunflower would last through spring. Alas, they are a fall flowering native plant to Florida. I've been told they will self-seed. Oh, what a glorious thought. More swamp sunflowers next year. Oh my.

I hope you're enjoying this excellent fall weather Central Florida is having this week. Pretty perfect for outdoor activities.
Meems

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Spring Transition

Camellias and blue skies go well together.

Florida is always a wee bit early to the Spring Party. Our winter is more like spring than winter. Brightness abounds through our mild winters and transition right into spring without much pomp and circumstance. 

Formosa Azaleas have been blooming since December in a stunning show of pinks, purples and whites around here.

This winter was mild and for the most part pretty perfect in my view. Much like last year and the year before.

The oaks in the back garden at Hoe and Shovel putting on new growth is a glorious sight.

Our oak leaves don't shed until late winter. They start falling off the trees in February to make way for the new light green growth that rapidly follows.

My Cilantro has already flowered. Those tiny white flowers attract our favorite pollinators.

Plentiful sunshine and mostly warm days keeps the bees around. 

Salvia 'Wendy's Wish' blooms year round. Seriously. I LOVE her!

Many of the perennials keep right on blooming through winter. 

Purple Firespike (Odontonema callistachyum) waits until late winter to blast forth with tubular spikes of pinkish-purple loveliness. 

Others wait patiently for their time to bloom. When it's their turn they don't disappoint.

Self-seeded Nasturtiums love our mild winter/early spring weather (me too ~ did I say that already?).

Annuals pop back out from seeds scattered in previous years. 

B. Nelumbifolia  ~ just the immature beginning of this beautiful show.

February and March is the cue for many of the begonias to send up their stalks of glory. For the rest of the year it is their leaves we adore. But winter/spring flowering begonias that last surprising long are a vision.

Nun's Orchid

Nun's orchids are a terrestrial plant that peak this time of year. A stunning short-lived bloom that's worth every minute of beauty.

Pink Powderpuff (Calliandra surinamensis)

Flowers come in all forms in this sub-tropical climate. Some are almost other-wordly.

Queen's Wreath (Petrea volubilis)

Ahhh, spring! All things are fresh and renewed! In Florida we cherish the mild weather while it lasts. 

This year there is so much work to be done in the garden as we transition from our mild winter. I'm still working on trimming and pruning. At least it is *growth* I'm trimming and not dead, damaged branches. 

What's going on in your garden as spring is unfolding?

Happy gardening,

Meems

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Blooming Begonias with Giant Round Leaves

Begonias are one of those exotic plants that grow easily in West Central Florida. I've been gifted with a few varieties over the years that I plant as filler among layers of Florida-Friendly foliage throughout my garden. My attention has been on the conditions they needed to thrive without giving much thought to each varieties specific identification. 

Begonias bloom luscious, long lasting flowers to rival any perennial. Most are sensitive to frost, but in my garden protection is provided by overhanging mature oak trees. I leave them to the elements all year long.

The ginormous round leaves would be sufficient reason to grow this one. The stunning white clusters of flowers borne on tall scapes above the unique foliage are show-stoppers from mid-winter through spring.

Susan, from Simply Susan gave me a single plant several years ago that I believe she called Luna Begonia. The rhizome from which it grows produced more plants each year following that I divide and transplant to increase their number. I bought another one at Just Fruits and Exotics in Tallahassee (one of my favorite garden centers ever) that was marked Begonia 'Rotundifolia' and yet looked exactly like the gift from Susan.

I'm confused. Internet research turns up images of Begonia nelumbifolia that look exactly like these. So is this Begonia rotundifolia, nelumbiifolia or something else entirely? Gosh, it's nice to know the proper name for plants in our gardens isn't it! But honestly, I get so much pleasure from these prolific bloomers and the distinct foliage I guess its proper name is secondary to the fact that it thrives happily in my garden.

Update: The really giant leaves of the begonia Susan passed along to me (shown in all these photos) has been identified (thanks to smart readers) as B. nelumbifolia and the slightly smaller (but still large and round) leaves of the one I purchased at Just Fruits & Exotics is indeed B. 'Rotundifolia'.

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January's Bright and Cheerful Flowers

Nothing signals winter in Florida like the buds and blooms on Christmas Cactus. These bright pinkish-red flowers are a cheery sight on any January day! Mine are in containers protected by the screened lanai all year long.

Here are some more of the flowers bringing a winter smile to our faces...

Powder puff shrub (Calliandra haematocephala)

Crown-of-thorns (Euphorbia milii)

False Roselle (Hibiscus acetosella)

Bleeding heart (Clerodendrum thomsoniae)

Celosia~ self seeded in pathway.

King's Mantle (Thunbergia Erecta)

Blue Sage (Eranthemum pulchellum) 

African Blue Basil

Meyer lemon blossoms

African Iris (Dietes iridioides)

Bulbine frutescens 'Yellow Rocket'

Beach Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)

Trumpet tree (Brugmansia)

You may also enjoy perusing:
Powder Puff
False Roselle
Winter's Mild Disposition
Winter's Redemption
Wintery Garden Blooms
Blue Sage

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Meems