So Far, So Good

Cordyline terminalis or Ti plants, as they're commonly called, are winter bloomers ... mine are just starting to bloom.

Ahhh... Florida winters. No need to wonder why so many folks flock to our lovely state in winter. If the calendar didn't tell me it was January, I'd think it was April! Unseasonably warm and mild weather has graced our spring-like winter so far.

Winter/spring blooming (frost-sensitive) Queen's Wreath Vine (Petrea Volubilis)
has exploded its luscious lavender cascading flower on the metal arbor in the back garden.

When I look around my garden I see signs of new life and simultaneously I see signs of winter sleep. The gardener in me wants to trim and prune back as I notice decay. Then I give myself a good lecture about the dangers of prune-promoting growth. What if we do have a frost or freeze down the road? I'll let winter take its course and we'll wait to see just how many twists and turns, ups and downs it may make.

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly on Pentas in January!

Our dancing flower-friends are delighted by the abundant sunshine to warm their wings with our mild temperatures. Plenty of leaves on their host plants keep them laying eggs and sufficient nectar from colorful flowers keep them sipping throughout this winter.

White Peacock butterfly looks especially stunning while nectaring from Cosmos 'Bright Lights'. 

Cosmos planted from seed in late spring have not broken their cycle of flowering and reseeding since.

Milkweed (Asclepias) flowers serve up nectar for Monarch butterflies while the leaves and stems host Monarch larvae. 

Florida (some central but mostly south Florida) enjoys a population of non-migratory monarchs that live here year round. It's helpful that milkweed plants re-seed randomly all over the garden. There's never a lack of food or nectar for our flying friends.

Crimson red Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)

Favored by almost every pollinator, including our year-long, resident hummingbirds the long-tubular flower clusters of crimson red Pentas are populated with winged critters throughout the day. Plentiful supply of this practical Florida-Friendly perennial is purposely planted throughout my garden. I prefer the shrub-like variety that grows 4-5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. 

Mixing up cold-hardy plants (such as liriope, cast iron, agapanthus, walking irises) with shade-protected tropicals (such as bromeliads, xanadu, dwarf schefflera, shell ginger) and rhizomes (gingers) that go to sleep in winter ensures an evergreen pallet that carries my garden through every season. This winter 'Postman Joyner' Caladium  bulbs planted in early November continue to produce their bright red foliage in January.

This view from the sunny bed with mixed flowers and edibles through to the circle garden isn't as bright and perky as it will be in summer. I'm not wishing for one, but with a frost or freeze it would look a lot more barren. 

A side view of a mixed border of parsley, bronze fennel, self-seeding milkweed, yellow-flowering bulbine, violas, nasturtium, and African blue basil juts out in front of the woody and herbaceous perennial bed (mixed with Florida natives) behind it.

A mixed group of Florida-Friendly plants crowds a rarely-seen back corner of my garden.

Cordyline plants turn from their green-pinkish variations to their most vibrant and brilliant colors as the winter wears on.

Paperwhites, nasturtium, sweet alyssum, bulbine and a few broccoli starts blend in this mixed planting bed that juts out in front of a perennial grouping.

Paperwhite bulbs are inter-planted in the same soil with caladium bulbs. Two months ago this bed was filled with the bright, colorful foliage of 'Red Flash' and 'Peppermint' caladium. When my beloved caladiums retreat until spring, paperwhites spring out of the ground with fresh white winter flowers. 

Nasturtium

Nasuturtium seeds planted randomly, sprout during cool temps, to create low-lying color among paperwhites, alyssum and yellow-flowering bulbine.

Queen Emma Crinum

Tropical lushness portrayed by the giant purple leaves of Queen Emma lily (Crinum Augustum) is prized in the winter scenery. 

We are counting our blessings as this Florida winter holds out with glorious days of splendor. We've decided to enjoy it while it lasts. Cold weather will surely cycle back around at some point and remind us of the unpredictability of life and weather, too. Happy gardening, Meems

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If you liked this article you may also enjoy perusing:

Christmas Caladiums

Turf Grass Isn't Evil

Circle Garden :: Lessons in Patience

Visions of Colorful Caladiums

Butterflies of Autumn

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Meems

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.

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.

One Year Ago Today

2010 was a bleak winter. Right in the middle of it our well was compromised and we had no choice but to replace it. You can read the low down on that project here if you don't remember it.

A brief recap: The garden was looking pretty desolate after so many days in a row of frosty/freezing temperatures. I took advantage of the very cold weather by having some sod removed (also had to have a tree removed) in three different places around the garden. I had lofty plans for redesigning this part of the back gardens. This area would become known as the circle garden.

One year later exactly.

This winter (2011) has dealt us some hard blows since early December. I'm going to say we've made progress since last year though. Progress is a comforting aspect of gardening.

With several more (in number and varieties) cold hardy plants in place things don't look as barren as last year. What do you think? You probably wouldn't tell me if you thought it looked worse or just as bad. Go ahead. I can take it. Promise.

No question I liked it better in October, too.

The circle garden has become the hub of that side of the back gardens connecting several large planting beds centrally. The ground cover and circular pine straw pathway distinguishing the space. Like spokes from a wheel there are winding pathways (some natural and some with flagstone stepping stones) leading out into the gardens in many directions from the center.

Today I was struck by the fact it had been one whole year since my edible garden was torn up from those heavy trucks plowing through it in order to dig the new well. Back then it was a little overwhelming. I wasn't sure how it would ever recover. I knew it would ... I just felt a little apprehensive about how long it might take.

There have been many hours of toil and lots of plants planted since that time. None of it in vain. Every bit inspiring me on to even more plans and more projects for the coming days. I'll give you a little hint... more lawn is coming out. :-)
Photo journals are great aren't they? If not for them I'd have a hard time remembering that just a few short months ago the garden actually was full of color and vibrancy. It's good to remember. Because I know it will only be a few short weeks and spring will be here and life in the garden will come alive once again.

Happy winter, my friends. Spring is soon to arrive. Meems

Cold Hardy Files: Leptospermum scoparium

As we continue to feature the sturdy and foundational plants of winter's garden let's have a look at Leptospermum scoparium New Zealand Tea Tree (or Rose). She's beginning to add some splashes of rosy hues among the evergreens. In order to qualify for the cold hardy files around Hoe and Shovel a specimen must also have the vital classification of being 'drought resistant'. Possessing those two qualities all at once is a huge accomplishment. A plant that does well both in our absurdly humid summers as well as maintaining form, function, and vigor in our frosty and/or below freezing winters deserves some accolades. I first introduced these shrubs (here) as I built the northside berm last Jan/Feb. We were in the middle of a brutal winter when I began digging out that area that was newly planted as the seasons began to transition. At the time I felt it was a bit of a risk to plant them. I'd never seen New Zealand tree rose before and I didn't know anyone who had any experience with them. But it's always fun to give something new a chance to show us what its got. Three of them are positioned next to the (also cold hardy) (1) Chamaerops humilis european fan palm and in front of (also cold hardy) (7) Ligustrum sinensis 'Variegata'. NZ tea rose happily fill in a layer behind the Dianella tasmanica 'Variegata' Flax Lily that serves as a border to the berm. Once established, the ultimate test was to see if they endured through our summer and give us another season of blooms. They've only just begun to pop out with with buds and a few blooms in the last few weeks. Right in the midst of our freezing temperatures. Unshaken. One year later New Zealand tree rose continues to perform as wished. I wouldn't describe her as overly showy but rather more subdued in her humble, quiet beauty. Likely she will appear in another blog post or two now that she has proven her stability and worth. I'm looking forward to seeing her when she completely flushes out in bloom but for starters she is adding some much needed color to the GREEN of winter.