The current issue of Best of Country Gardens magazine features an article about Pamela Crawford’s work with easy, edible container gardens.  Pamela has recently joined the team at Botanical Visions and brings her experience and creativity with plant combinations and containers to our ever-growing palette of available products and services!

These containers can be filled with a variety of edible plants such as cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, leafy greens, tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.  These edibles can also be mixed with flowering annuals or succulents depending on their light and water requirements.

The containers themselves are now available in the largest assortment ever, from short bowls to tall cylinders in every texture, finish, or color imaginable.  Containers are a great way to add a focal point or accent to any area of a garden either on the ground, on a wall, or on a pedestal in the air.  If you would like to incorporate them into your own South Florida landscape, please give us a call at 561-361-6677.

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Angelina Lopez Catledge has been a Landscape Architect with Botanical Visions since 2006.  Since the day we met her, she has constantly revealed more artistic talents!  Some of them we stumble upon by accident such as this Target commercial for Spring which features a song about springtime by her band Hola Hi.  The commercial presently can be seen on Univision and Telemundo.  Her band wrote the song over a year ago and a friend said “That song ‘Aire de Primavera’ would be perfect for a Target ad.”  Shortly thereafter, Target happened to contact an ad agency who had previously worked with their friend because they were seeking a Latin song with a spring theme and things began to fall into place!  The Hola Hi duo, Angelina and Paul, met at Louisiana State University where they were both students.  They now tour throughout the United States when she isn’t designing and illustrating beautiful gardens for fortunate clients in South Florida! You can watch the commercial here: Hola Hi Spring Target Commercial.

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Positivity has a power of perpetuation.  A good deed, a pretty object, a kind word, an exciting idea, a thoughtful gift are all offerings of goodness.  When they happen, they don’t just exist for a moment never to be thought of again; they often lead to a never ending chain of more goodness, simply by being inspiring.  Plants embody this concept by being en ever changing source of constant miracles as they evoke admiration, awe and wonder in their offerings of flowers, fruit, colors, textures, sounds and fragrances.  Artists often harvest the beauty offered by plants and recreate it in a new way which often inspires others to feel joy, peace, gratitude and happiness.  When an artist paints a flower, it reminds me of a person who takes an event and turns it into a story which can be recorded and retold.  The temporary beauty of a flower offered by a plant can only amuse and inspire a few individuals who take notice for only as long as the flower lives but when an artist depicts a flower, its beauty can be spread to more people for a much longer period of time, magnifying the positive power of the plant.

We are fortunate to have a local artist in Miami who is a master of the ability to magnify the power and beauty from plants to inspire others.  Her name is Maria Soto Robbins and her goal is to spread the joy she feels when painting, to people who see her art.  She features plants and landscapes of South Florida as well as from her native Cuba.  Her work is bold and vibrant with bright colors and the flowers in particular can pull me in to stare at them all day!  Her work is available on Etsy as well as Fine Art America if you’d like to add a bit of joy to your home or work space and of course, spreading this joy as a gift is also a nice idea.  Do good.  Be good.  Promote good.  Feel good!

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Extend your living space- add an Outdoor Room!

There’s something magical about a makeover where you can witness a huge improvement in a short time frame.  The transformation of  something from blah to spectacular starts with inspiration and ideas and ends with an enormous feeling of accomplishment and pride.

Add color and interest to a driveway island!

If you have a space in your yard that is begging for a new purpose or look or just isn’t being used to its full potential, this event is for you!  Pamela Crawford will be hosting this free workshop and will be supplying the inspiration and ideas for your garden on February 24th at the Wellington Community Center at 12165 Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington at 1:00pm.

Add a path & enjoy your side yard!

All you have to do is show up and bring some printed photos of an area of your yard that you want to beautify and she will spend five minutes providing ideas as conceptual sketches which you can bring home.  If you lack the time or ability to put the ideas into action, then Botanical Visions is happy to help.  Our professional team will take her ideas and install them using top quality materials so you can get outside more and enjoy your garden!  For more information on the workshop, you can call Pamela at 561-371-2719.

Pamela Crawford is an award-winning writer and designer and author of ten gardening books, four of which are specific to South Florida.  Her work has been featured on the cover of Better Homes & Gardens publications as well as in numerous editions of Southern Living, HGTV Magazine, Fine Gardening, Country Gardens, Country Almanac, Small Gardens, and over 2500 newspapers.  As an expert in her field, she has appeared on GardenSmart TV, the Fine Living Network, gardenloverstv.com, and numerous local television shows.  She has a Masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Florida International University and is joining the Botanical Visions team!

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South Florida is home to World’s Largest Street Painting Festival!  Every year, the streets of downtown Lake Worth come alive with art by more than 600 amateur and professional artists of all ages and skill levels as the pavement gets coated in chalk masterpieces until it rains.  The event takes place February 23rd and 24th on Lake and Lucerne Avenues, between Dixie Highway and Federal Highway and will also feature live music, street performers and food.  This is the 19th year that Lake Worth has hosted the event and it has been gaining popularity every year.  The event officially starts on Saturday at 10:00am but if you can’t wait that long, you can join the pre-party in downtown Lake Worth the night before to enjoy a “Taste of Lake Worth” Block Party with food, drinks, music and other activities.

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Have you ever seen orchids that look like they are naturally growing on trees?  Well, this is what they do in the wild but humans have decided to pot them up and bring them indoors.  Get them back outside and you will be amazed at how much happier they look!  This is a fun project that you can do in your garden and it can be completed quickly and is great for kids as well.

Step 1: Find some dreaded panty hose.  I assure you, this is the only good use for these uncomfortable things, especially here in South Florida.  The nude color blends in the most and knee-highs are easier to work with than the kind that swallows up the entire lower half of your body.  If you only have the latter type, you can cut off the leg portions to make your own knee-highs; just don’t attempt to actually wear these as knee highs or you will be very disappointed.

Step 2: Get some orchids and keep in mind, not any orchid will do, you will want to be selective and contemplate the location a bit.  Most orchids are happier when they are attached to trees rather than when they are stuffed into pots.  Our South Florida climate is very conducive for growing them year-round outdoors but in very cold winters, you may see some cold damage.   Dendrobiums, Phalaenopsis, Oncidiums, Vandas and Cattleyas usually do very well. A local source for Orchids and knowledge is Mickey’s Orchids in Fort Lauderdale.

Step 3:  Purchase some sphagnum moss if necessary, but if your orchid is presently potted, it may have moss already in the pot around the roots which can be re-used.

Step 4: Location! Location! Location!  Most orchids like filtered light, not too shady and not too sunny.  Palms with “boots” (bases of old fronds that are still stuck to the trunk) have ready-made pockets, just make sure the boots are secure.  Sometimes, boots that are lower on the trunk will fall off and take the orchids with them.  If you are tying them around the trunk of a self-heading palm (where the fronds fall off without having to be cut), make sure you don’t tie an orchid around the top of the palm containing the sheath of the next frond to fall off.  Canopy trees like Oaks and Mahoganies make great orchid supports as well.

Step 5: Cut a hole in the middle of the knee-high and put most of the root system inside with a little bit of moss to help retain moisture.  The open hole should face the trunk so that the panty hose side faces outward.  This will allow the roots to make contact with the trunk so they can attach.  Once they attach, the panty hose can be cut off or they may have disintegrated by this time.

Step 6: Take the legs and wrap them tightly around the trunk and tie them in a knot to secure the orchid to the trunk or branch. If the plant is top-heavy, you can tie a second band loosely around the upper part of the plant or bloom spike.

Step 7: Water them.  You can run spaghetti tube irrigation up the trunks with small emitters to water them with your existing sprinkler system or you can hope for rain or water them by hand with a mister, watering can or light spray from a hose.  The amount of water will depend on the location and weather.  Orchid fertilizer is often not necessary but may be helpful if they aren’t blooming or if they look chlorotic (off-color).

BONUS:  This procedure also works with many types of Bromeliads!

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Bill Reeve, President and owner of Botanical Visions, will be giving a presentation on using Florida native plants on Wednesday, October 10 at 7:00pm at the Broward Chapter meeting of the Florida Native Plant Society.  The meeting will be held at Secret Woods Nature Center on State Road 84 in Ft. Lauderdale.   These meetings are held monthly and are a great place to meet fellow gardeners who are experts in Florida native plants as well as people who are new to using natives and are looking to learn more.   They have a free give away table and a raffle as well as light refreshments.  The plant auction held at the end of the meeting is a great opportunity to bring home a new plant for very little money.

The group will meet again on Saturday, October 20 for a field trip at Sandy Ridge Sanctuary in Coral Springs.  There will be a two hour guided tour through the 38 acre nature preserve to look for wildlife and native plants.  Some of the wildlife spotted in this ecosystem include foxes,  gopher tortoises, ducks, osprey, and many other birds.

My favorite benefit of incorporating Florida native plants in a landscape is the  increased wildlife that happens almost immediately.  Butterflies, birds and many fascinating pollinators find their way to the flowers and add a whole new dimension of interest and activity to the garden.  You will also notice a reduced need for water and pesticides.  Lower maintenance means a healthier planet and more time to relax and enjoy life.

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Hurricane Season is the time of year that most South Floridians dread the most, but there are things you can do to help prevent some of the damage and destruction that we all fear.   The hurricanes of 2004: Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne caused over $42 billion dollars in damage and woke up a lot of people who were starting to forget what hurricanes were like.  These storms, along with other historical data, have taught South Florida many lessons regarding landscape design and maintenance for our unique peninsula.   There are some species which hold up to wind and heavy rains better than others and species selection and location can make an enormous difference in the amount of damage experienced.   Some species have stronger root systems than others so if you are pondering adding trees, you may want to make sure you like the underground part as much as you like the canopy or you might be looking at the roots one day after a storm!  Trees with shallow root systems and brittle wood often fare poorly in storms.   Most palm trees tolerate wind better than most shade trees so if you need shade close to your home, you might be better off with palms and locate the canopy trees further away from buildings and power lines.  There is also safety in numbers; groups of trees are stronger than one tree will be standing alone.  Aside from initial design choices, maintenance also matters, especially for tree trimming.  Trees should be pruned routinely and by licensed and insured arborists to ensure the canopies are open enough to allow wind to pass through and to make sure dead or weak branches are removed as well as potential projectiles such as Coconuts.  Qualified arborists can be found through the International Society of Arboriculture web site.   For more Stormscaping information customized for South Florida Landscapes, we highly recommend Stormscaping by Pamela Crawford.  She featured some of our “storm-proof” designs in her book and we would love the opportunity to create more stormscaping for you!

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If you haven’t met the Aroids, now is the perfect time!  Step away from your own dysfunctional family and go to Miami to meet this one!  The Aroid Family has a big reunion every year at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and you’re invited to the festivities on Saturday and Sunday, September 15 & 16 from 9:30am-4:30pm.  The event is presented by the International Aroid Society and the Aroid plants and society members will be on display and for sale (well, the human members aren’t for sale, just the plants).  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some serious Aroid collectors in my time and these people mean business and they’re on to something.  These plants are gorgeous, striking, fascinating and unique and have freakish tendencies which other plant families lack.  They grow up trees, they hang from trees, they scale walls, they can smell horrible, they can grow huge or be really tiny- the varieties are endless.   Many of them have giant leaves which you can cut and place in big glass vases in your home and they last for months.  The Monstera or Swiss Cheese Plant even produces an edible fruit.  You may have read about Fairchild’s “Mr. Stinky” in the newspaper; he is a Corpse Flower also known as Amorphophallus titanum and he has an enormous and very smelly flower.  If you’re lucky, you can meet him.   I highly recommend that you visit this show to tour the garden and purchase some Aroids for your own garden.  I think you’ll be impressed with the drama they add to your landscape!

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The Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital is having a Trash to Treasure fundraiser sale on Saturday and Sunday, September 1st and 2nd!  This huge, multi-family garage sale will be held indoors from 9:00am to 3:00pm at the Coco Gate Plaza in Margate on the corner of 441 (Sate Road 7) and Coconut Creek Parkway.   Items available for purchase include antiques and collectibles,  garden supplies, home decor and household items, toys, books, clothes and sporting goods.  All proceeds will benefit the center and help them to fulfill their mission to rehabilitate injured or orphaned animals and to educate people about our environment and the species who share it with us.  This is a fantastic opportunity to help a great community non-profit resource and purchase items at discount prices.   If you live near Coral Springs, there are other ways to get involved with the center through memberships, volunteering, participating in other events, or donating toward their wishlist.

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