Tuesday, May 29, 2007

UPDATE: Pool Garden




A canna leaf from the pool garden. I wish I was a better photographer who could capture how the light came through the leaf, making it glow. The leaves of this plant are just amazing.
I noticed the crepe myrtle in the back has filled out nicely. It should have a ton of hot pink blossoms in the next few weeks.

UPDATE: Corner Garden

Both sides of the corner garden. The corner of the fence looks pretty unimpressive at the moment. I've learned that I regret not taking the "before" pictures. The bed with the palm was a large compost pile this time last year. It would have been fun to have a picture of that, but I'm not big on taking pictures of compost piles. Hopefully, the above picture is a "before".

UPDATE: Butterfly Garden











The view of the butterfly garden from the trellis bench. The lizard joined me.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

5 Rules of Wicked Gardening

I’ve noticed that several blogs have listed their particular rules of gardening and it has made me think about what rules I have for myself. Here they are:

1. A garden should be interesting from when looking across the yard and when looking up close, butt in the dirt. This lily is a tiny treasure, hidden at the base of the butterfly bush in the butterfly garden. I missed it three times just walking by. It wasn’t until I sat down to weed that I noticed it. To me, that is the difference between a landscaped area and a garden. A landscaped yard looks great from the street driving by, but a garden requires you to stop and look at it. I love taking someone in the garden and showing them everything they missed at first glance: the ginger blossoms under the elephant ears, the passion flower hidden by leaves, the canna shoots just appearing up from the dirt.

2. A gardener should learn the correct Latin names of all their plants, then promptly forget them. This ain’t school, baby. Gardening should be fun. That said, I firmly believe in learning all the important things about your plants, and rarely plant anything that I haven’t collected considerable information about. Does it do well in this area? What kind of water needs does it have? Do I know of anyone who has it their yard? What do ladies at the local nursery know about it? What is the buzz about this plant on the net? I’ll learn all of the important stuff, just don’t ask me to pronounce or even remember the Latin names.

3. Plants should be durable, and come back year after year. Perhaps I’m spoiled living in Florida, but I only want plants that don’t die on me. They can die back in a frost, sure, but that sucker better have shoots coming back that following spring (that following week, ideally.) I have little patience for many annuals. A major accomplishment of mine this year was that I did my homework and all of the plants I planted in the butterfly garden came back. In my area, plants not only need to be cold hardy, they should be heat and draught tolerant too. This is where paying attention to commercial landscapes is helpful. If a plant thrives near a god-awful hot highway, chances are it will do okay in my yard.

4. Gardening is about sharing. Make cuttings and give them away. Share plants and information. Teach a future generation. Communicate with others about gardening online. This is a command to myself – I don’t do nearly enough of any of it.

5. Disregard any and all gardening rules, including the ones I make up myself. Sometimes, this is the most important rule of all.

What gardening rules, tenets, or principles do you live by?

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Blogs I've enjoyed today:

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Saturday, May 26, 2007

Mexican Petunia

Plants I Love
(AKA Plants That Don't Die on Me)

Ruellia


Mexican Petunias are considered invasive here in Florida, and in the last few years, it seems that they genuinely have been popping up everywhere; in landscape centers and nurseries, commercial landscapes, my neighbors’ yards, etc. They have tall dark purplish stems, green lance shaped leaves and dark violet flowers. In my zone 9 climate, they die back in the winter, but when the weather starts to warm, the shoots pop up from the plant’s strong root system. After several years, the plant can get down-right bushy. The web sites claim the best way to propagate the Mexican Petunia is by seed, but I have found it very easy to root from cuttings. It follows the tried and true rule: if the stem is square, it will be easy to root. I put it in a glass of water on the windowsill or put it in dirt with some toner. If fact, I don’t recommend even buying this plant. You are almost certain to find someone in the neighborhood who will gladly give you a cutting. The gardener where I work gives me her trimmings when she prunes. These cuttings have populated most of the plants in my yard. From work to my yard 10 miles away – now that’s invasive!

The Butterflies Have Arrived!

It seems that out of nowhere, the butterflies have arrived in the butterfly garden. Last year I only saw the small orange Gulf Frillaries. This week I've started seeing several larger ones, like this one which I think is a Zebra Swallowtail. He hung out on the unruly lantana I was pruning most of the afternoon. My munchkin called him my Buddy.
"Momma! Look your Buddy came back!!"

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

GARDEN UPDATES: Butterfly Garden



The Catapillars are back on the passionvine on the bench trellis. I believe they are Gulf Frillary Butterflies. I planted the passion vine because the butterflies love it, but they could do me a favor and love it a little less. They will eat it to the ground, become butterflies, then the plant comes back full force for the butterflies. Begs the question, which do I want more? Butterflies or passion vine flowers? 'Cause it is this time of year that big can of bug spray looks pretty tempting. Last year I even picked them off by hand, several dozen of them. Didn't make any difference. We'll see what they do to it this year. Hopefully some bright orange wings will be flutter around the garden soon!

Corner Garden


Update on the Corner Garden. The sweet potato vine and purple queen are finally taking off, but the butterfly ginger and the shell ginger I planted this week are suffering some transplant shock. I bought the shell ginger, but the butterfly ginger in the corners are from the same bunch that in the background of the picture. These were not doing well in another bed. Hopefully, they will do better here.

Pool Garden









Update on the Pool Garden. A hybiscus is blooming next to a canna. It is in the dead center of the picture on the left.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Ginger

Plants I Love
(AKA Plants That Don't Die on Me)
Curcuma, Hedychium coronarium, and Alpinia zerumbet

This absolutely one of my favorite plants and I hope that this picture illustrates why. This is a hidden ginger (Curcuma) and it looks so delicate and exotic. The great part about this plant is that it is hardy in this area. The plant dies back in the winter but pops back up in the spring with these gorgeous flowers. I haven’t had any problem with disease, insects or watering. They are definitely hidden however. They are planted in the Shed Garden and you really have to hunt for them in the pictures.

More prominent are the spiky butterfly gingers (Hedychium coronarium). They didn’t bloom last year, which I hear is not uncommon with this plant, but I hope to have some white orchid-like flowers this year. Shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) is a plant I’ve always wanted to try, and will probably will this year with plants behind the palm tree.

Gingers:

Hidden Ginger:

Butterfly Ginger:
Shell Ginger:

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Here's what I got for my Mama for Mother's day. Its a green glazed pot with hot pink coleus like the ones from the corner garden and purple sweet potato vine from cuttings. Tip for anyone in an especially hot climate: always get glazed pots. They retain moisture because water can not evaporate through the pot like in terra cotas. They are more expensive, but they look SO much better and in the middle of summer it is nicer to water only once a day instead of twice!!

Happy Mother's Day!

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Down My Garden Path
In My Backyard

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information.

Pictures from the Shed Garden


Current picture of the Butterfly Garden.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

The Palm Tree is Planted!

The palm tree is in! Finally. I added purple queen, sweet potato vine, and hot pink coleus. I was excited about it until I looked at the picture and it looked so plain. It needs some mid-size plants. I keep noticing the spiky butterfly ginger in the background and think I might try adding some of those. I also saw some Shell Ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) at the store, a plant I’ve always liked and would like to try. They reportedly grow to about 5 to 6 feet. It needs something. The original plan called for Canna ‘Tropicana’, but with the hot pink coleus and the orange begonia, I am beginning to think that red leaves would be too much. As for the coleus, it wasn’t what I was thinking of when I went to the store today. I was intending on some impatiens or possibly some pentas, but they really don’t hold up to full sun and this bed gets it, especially in the afternoon. Coleus isn’t a huge favorite, primarily because it dies off in the winter and it just isn’t didn’t excite me. But when I was in the corner of the nursery, scanning over all the plants, squinting for a patch of hot pink, this plant caught my eye. I mean honestly – who can resist a plant with hot pink leaves? Not I dear sir, not I.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Sweet Potato Vine

Plants I Love (AKA Plants That Don't Die on Me)

Ipomoea batatas 'Blackie’ & Ipomoea batatas ‘Margarita’

Is anything more striking than dark purple plants and lime colored sweet potato vines covering a bed or flowing out of planters? Add pink begonias you have my favorite plant combo. The lime green vine brightens any corner and is pretty hard to kill. Large tubers make it pretty draught tolerant. I suppose they are edible, but I have ornamental varieties and I don’t image they’d taste very good. They are very easy to propagate. I cut off a vine and put it water on my windowsill. After a few days they have several roots developing. They are so pretty with cut flowers. Six small plants for a $2.50 filled my whole yard and they come back year after year.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Okay Dokey, Smokey

I got the palm tree! I love it when a plan comes together! Inspired by my artistic ambitions, my honey got me a palm tree for an early Mother’s Day present, way sooner then I expected to get one. Just goes to show you that if you put your dreams out into the universe, they will come back to you. My Mr. Monster looked hard for the right tree, (a Queen Palm) and he really hustled to get it before he had a stretch of 5 16hr days at work. So sweet!! I love him!!!

I won’t be planting tonight though. Smoke from fires counties away is blanketing the area. You can see it a bit in the background, although this picture doesn’t do justice to the smell or how yellow it makes everything look. There was so much ash over my car this morning that I had to walk around the house to make sure that it wasn’t on fire. I truly expected to see flames from a neighbor’s home. Unfortunately, we are in another drought and the only thing that will help is some much need rain. Hopefully it will come soon!!

Sunday, May 6, 2007

The Plan

Here is the plan. This is for the southwest corner of the yard which has been up to this point been designed pretty half hearted. I've always wanted to do something Asian influenced, but I haven't had a clear direction. So while me and munchkin were drawing last night I decided to sketch up some plans. I'm really happy with how it turned out, especially since I'm not at all gifted at drawing. I think it clearly shows the direction I want to go with this garden.

Canna and Butterfly Bush Blooming Today



Butterfly Bush



Canna 'Tropicanna'.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Purple Queen (Purple Heart)

Plants I Love (AKA The Plants that Don’t Die on Me)

Below are helpful links to plants I’ve had success with in Central Florida and are growing in my garden currently.

Purple Queen (Purple Heart) – This plant is much maligned as an invasive. My honey hates it because it can get scraggily and finds its way into the pool. My parents have battled a patch growing in their yard for years. They finally laid brick over it as part of a patio and the purple shoots are poking through the cracks. But I love its deep purple foliage and how it takes the heat. Besides, there is absolutely no easier plant to propagate. Cut off a leaf with a good portion of stem, poke a hole in the ground with a pencil, stick the stem in it, and walk away. Done. Practically my definition of great plant.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Can't Help Myself

Okay. I can't help myself. After my manifesto, I just have to take a close up of the passion flower on the trellis bench in the back corner of the butterfly garden.

My intention for this blog has always been to be a “warts and all” depiction of a garden. So many sites and magazines have lush flowers, perfectly in bloom. Their gardens have fully matured, with not a blank spot to be seen. The only bugs are beneficial and a synthetic fertilizer is completely unheard of. You never see the weeds and the compost bins, the toys and the stray beer bottles (an essential gardener’s tool) left about. These gardens aren’t perfect. They are shot at calculated angles, cropped tight on beautiful flowers at the perfect time of year. They are beautiful, but have always felt a touch empty.
I wanted a garden that immediately provided a sense of place. You’d enter my blog and feel like you entered the garden. What is going that day is what you see. I want my pictures to be broad sweeps of the garden instead of tight shots of flowers. The problem is that the big pictures of the gardens, like this one of the butterfly garden, looks so disappointing. My fence is crooked, which I had never noticed before, and very plain. I can’t see a single flower even though I know there are azaleas and passion flowers in there. The picture doesn’t convey my feeling of the garden when I’m in it. The garden is pregnant with bud, full and right to the point of bursting with color and scent. The butterfly bush in the foreground looks raggedy, but has at least a hundred buds, just waiting burst with lilac like blooms. The lilies have sprouted, completely hidden. The lantana and the pentas obscured in the background. The picture just doesn’t show what I see, a garden full of potential.

My Little Helper

Check out my little helper. The garden is finally coming alive. The banana trees and the crepe myrtle have leafed out, both cut down considerably after the frost. The bird of paradise even has new fronds.

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