tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31607173113760744002026-02-20T19:36:14.958-05:00A Central Florida Gardening BlogMeemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.comBlogger657125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-78290957850559839502019-04-23T13:53:00.001-04:002019-04-24T19:56:35.443-04:00

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

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-42495672710697505522017-02-26T15:52:00.002-05:002017-02-26T19:31:37.452-05:00

I'm certain all my Florida gardening friends remember that awful winter of 2010 when we experienced an out-of-the-ordinary winter.  If you don't remember, state wide there were several back-to-back below-freezing days/nights. I think we all vowed to give up tropical plants and only replant with cold hardy evergreens after that winter.  Seven winters later it's hard to remember how we

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-973423667793137312016-10-31T20:47:00.000-04:002016-10-31T20:47:35.896-04:00

I planted all this Celosia 'Intenz' as 4" single stalk seedlings in the back garden this spring. They self-seed year to year. I literally gathered them from the paver cracks (that's how persistent they are) to make this border. All summer long I cut them back to encourage shorter, multiple-branching bushes.  Left alone they want to grow straight to heaven on a single stalk. I'm telling

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-48563685664452480942016-04-21T18:30:00.000-04:002016-04-21T18:30:24.266-04:00

When you feel like going out on a limb, taking a risk or just having some fun, one quick and easy idea is to add unexpected color to the garden. In my case it's unexpected because I generally lean toward the subtle side when it comes to decor. Photo from 2012: Black Adirondack chairs on the perimeter of the Circle Garden in my previous garden.You can see/read more on this article here. I

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-91161708956719630292016-03-23T08:44:00.001-04:002016-03-23T08:44:08.118-04:00

You thought I didn't realize it was the first week of spring with my title. Truth is, I admit, I started writing this blog several weeks ago. It WAS a wonderful winter and I also realize I have been absent from this blog. Not at all absent from gardening. Honestly, could Floridians have asked for a more beautiful winter season?  Winter is probably the time of year I love most. It's so

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-57662055670261439342015-12-02T06:42:00.000-05:002015-12-02T06:42:00.927-05:00

I've been switching out the plants in my low bowls with each change of season. Since they are very visible when we walk into the back garden it's been fun to have seasonal flowering plants in them. They are close to a water source, but even the largest bowls have fairly shallow soil. I've done something super low-maintenance for fall/winter. A mix of succulents and bromeliads mostly.&nbsp

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-10614126562700286612015-12-01T09:43:00.000-05:002015-12-01T09:43:22.898-05:00

Morning light is so magical and changes by the moment as well as the season. It's impossible to capture the essence of its ethereal glow in a still photo.  This time last year our pavers and pergola were being installed.  You can see photos and read about the install here.  Brrrr... that reminds me it was a much colder start to December in 2014 than it is today. Since it

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-31123104820495326862015-09-22T06:00:00.000-04:002015-09-22T22:19:41.981-04:00

Yes, it seems endless.  In Florida you never know exactly how many months summer will occupy. It begins too early and wanes too slowly and always too late for my liking. This week the calendar indicates the return of one of my favorite seasons. September 2015; Part of the back garden from the pergola If only Florida got the memo. Florida doesn't seem to read calendars. Especially when

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-53277429901467338522015-08-16T06:30:00.000-04:002015-08-16T06:30:00.272-04:00

'Puppy Love' It is so very tempting to jump the gun and plant Caladium bulbs in springtime when the soil and air first begin to warm. New shoots of Caladiums from the year(s) before respond to the seasonal transition and lingering sunshine. Out they come, slowly unfurling into glorious shocks of brilliant color. Fingers itch to put more of them in the ground right away. '

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-2670612132702438402015-07-05T21:30:00.001-04:002015-07-07T08:13:48.128-04:00

Do you make promises to yourself about your garden that are difficult to keep? When you get the chance to start a new garden after being in the same one for 30 years there are certain promises you might make to yourself.  Mostly promises about what you will or won't repeat in the new garden. You know what I mean? Some promises have to do with lessons learned from all those years of

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-82317342702307592092015-06-27T07:27:00.001-04:002015-06-27T15:33:17.158-04:00

Pinch me. I think I blinked and an entire year has passed.  June marks a year since I've been gardening in my new garden. What a year of gardening it has been! Grass has diminished, gardens have increased, root cuttings became plants, transplants settled in, divisions have grown, structures have been built, and newly purchased plants continue to find their way to this new garden. This was

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-61700015032762561012015-06-24T17:47:00.004-04:002015-06-24T17:47:59.418-04:00

That's my affectionate name for Agapanthus Orientalis. My love affair with these plants is a long running one. I've sung their praises and extolled their easy-growing characteristics numerous ways on this blog over the years.  I put some of them in the back garden also! As with so many of the plants in my garden, my sweet elderly neighbor gave me my first one. That one plant

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-37130503749650949992015-06-16T07:20:00.001-04:002015-06-23T18:11:54.279-04:00

When it came right down to it, I found myself questioning whether I really needed one. I had lived without one for so many years. Gardening for over 30 years without a potting bench is akin to lacking sufficient counter space in the kitchen. You make do. You improvise. You adjust. And you stay grateful for what you have. Somehow everything turns out for holidays and dinner parties anyway. The

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-64629513237394656592015-05-24T11:22:00.001-04:002015-06-24T18:10:16.946-04:00

So what's the best thing about ample Florida sunshine in the garden? Flowers. Yes, enough light to grow a variety of flowers. I refuse to grow fussy flowers though. The plants (trees, perennials, shrubs) in my sunny garden that produce flowers absolutely must survive on mostly rainfall. Daylilies adore sunshine During the driest season (spring for us;some winters), once in a great while, I

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-82076081492819242952015-05-21T13:28:00.000-04:002015-05-21T13:28:35.763-04:00

Recently I had the joy of visiting a private garden in Plant City with my fellow Hillsborough County Master Gardeners. The owners have created a remarkably extensive wildflower garden in the area surrounding the house on their 8+ acres of open woodland. It was one of the most unique gardens I've ever had the pleasure of walking through. Patches of golden yellow and bright lavender

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-25459389345979719882015-04-12T15:43:00.000-04:002015-04-12T15:43:17.993-04:00

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

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-63561967615482606312015-03-15T15:55:00.002-04:002015-06-24T18:10:37.813-04:00

Dreams for the garden. We all like to dream. Dreams really do come true. Sometimes. If you wait long enough. In my story, I just couldn't seem to let go of my idea of adding a potting bench to my garden. A potting bench never really seemed practical or possible in my old garden. Not the bench I wanted anyway. I looked at so many styles and configurations over the years. None really suited what I

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-8225155854744989722015-02-19T13:05:00.002-05:002015-02-19T13:05:32.424-05:00

Camellia japonica Who can complain about Florida's winter weather? Not me. It's my favorite season of the year. This winter, like so many others before this, we have had gloriously mild weather. Just the right amount of rain when needed, abundant sunshine and perfectly cool but not cold has been our daily report. Until now. A view across the top half of the back garden. February 2015

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-54025631676313380512015-01-02T08:51:00.001-05:002015-06-24T18:11:02.148-04:00

The Bird House Garden January 1, 2015 You can see before and after photos of the Birdhouse Garden here. I like the way 2015 is looking already. The turn of the calendar to 2015 gives us a chance to reflect. As far as the garden goes, I find it fun to look back at my photo archives because they tell the story. 2014 will forever be etched in my memory as the year we left behind my garden of

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-71444708278640696892014-12-30T09:31:00.003-05:002015-06-24T18:11:24.867-04:00

Believe me when I say it has been a VERY long time that I've wanted a pergola in my garden. I can't even pinpoint for how long I've seen visions of dappled shade from wooden rafters overhead. It was a dream that never came to fruition in my OLD garden. I'm happy to announce that we just finished having one built in the back yard of my NEW garden. I'll detail the process of building the pergola in

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-32528044804144803172014-11-24T04:45:00.000-05:002014-12-30T08:58:39.520-05:00

When we moved to this new garden I inherited a few jewels hidden here and there in the garden. Gardens that have been around for a while are like that. I didn't pay too much attention to any of them until we made the decision to make this our permanent home. Each treasure has become more highly appreciated as time and perspective reveal its worth. Sometimes the scales of indifference, or maybe

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-105557603554616852014-11-15T11:45:00.002-05:002015-01-02T08:57:52.724-05:00

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

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-9338611454169342182014-10-30T05:30:00.000-04:002014-10-30T07:31:18.614-04:00

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

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-71466943286932761112014-10-22T17:20:00.001-04:002014-10-22T17:20:04.619-04:00

A cross view of the front garden. Sidewalk leads to the front door (to the right). I've made very few changes to the front so far.  Yes, I'm embracing my new garden fully after these few months of working in it and learning to love it. I purposely didn't get attached to this new garden initially because our plan was to resell quickly once our primary house was remodeled. For that reason I

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3160717311376074400.post-56402986714630971532014-08-31T22:59:00.005-04:002015-06-24T18:11:52.827-04:00

I find myself prefacing every new garden story I tell lately with "one of the first things I did in the new garden..." Truth is, I worked so fast and so steadily for an intense 10 weeks starting June 1. It seems like everything all together at once was "one of the first things I did in the new garden." lol "Before" the seating area was added. Truly though "one of the first things I did"

Meemshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.com8