tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86294099585074513712024-11-01T01:24:41.202-07:00Porch PansyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-53348395120735934822014-10-16T17:11:00.001-07:002014-10-16T17:11:29.550-07:00The 50th Post
Wow, this is a definite milestone for Porch Pansy! I started
this blog over a year ago as a tool to learn how to create content and explore
one of my favorite topics gardening. It has been a lot of work and well worth
it. Unfortunately, my workload has increased and I don’t have the proper amount
of time needed to commit to Porch Pansy. I do hope to return when things slow
down and maybe by thenAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-7329272635463364402014-10-01T10:36:00.000-07:002014-10-01T10:36:41.904-07:00Mable Ringling’s Secret Garden
Florida is populated with a long fascinating history. One
such place is the Ringling Estate in Sarasota, Florida. John and Mable Ringling built their Venetian Gothic mansion,
Ca’ d’Zan, on 66 acres of the Sarasota Bay. John Ringling, with his brothers, were the
entrepreneurs of the highly successful Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey
Circus that reigned as the quintessential entertainmentAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-61624192149639566162014-09-15T15:46:00.005-07:002014-09-16T13:11:26.420-07:00Butterflies: Part II - Swallowtails and Cloudless Sulphur
In Butterflies: Part I, we explored two of the butterflies
that took up residence in the garden center I work in: the monarch and Gulf
fritillary. This time around there were three more to explore: giant swallowtail,
polydamas swallowtail and cloudless sulphur.
Giant Swallow Tail
The giant swallowtail is a beautiful butterfly. I had never
seen one before and was astounded by its size. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-11959991171597568332014-08-31T10:29:00.001-07:002014-08-31T10:30:07.349-07:00Butterflies: Part I - Monarch and Gulf Fritillary<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-66204596109501581072014-08-15T17:19:00.000-07:002014-08-17T14:44:57.171-07:00Park of Palms: Part III
Last time we continued the adventure looking at some common
palms and some uncommon ones in Park of Palms: Part II. This park is located in
downtown Fort Myers, Florida, also known as the City of Palms. There are some
37 palms in the park, and this time around we encounter some even more
interesting palms. Unfortunately, this park is only about a quarter of a city
block, the city blocks here areAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-26321735612020122792014-07-31T16:39:00.000-07:002014-08-17T14:42:24.567-07:00Park of Palms: Part II
Last time we explored the Park of Palms in downtown Fort
Myers, Florida, in Park of Palms: Part I. There are at least 37 palms and many
are familiar landscaping palms, like this Washingtonian palm. Though it isn’t
as common here as in Southern California.
Washingtonian Palm
European Fan Palm
This fan palm, also known scientifically as Chamaerops
humilis, is a very popular Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-84923881474703032792014-07-15T18:05:00.001-07:002014-07-16T14:52:50.802-07:00Park of Palms: Part I
Fort Myers, Florida, known as the City of Palms, has an old park dedicated to them in downtown, the Park of Palms. Unfortunately there isn’t
much information about this park, expect this plaque and the 37 different palms in this small park. In
this post we’ll look at some of the more common ones used in SW Florida as landscape
palms.
Sabal Palm
The state tree of Florida, also known Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-21459356191229044172014-06-30T14:51:00.000-07:002014-07-16T14:52:00.367-07:00Edison & Ford Winter Estates: Part II
In Edison & Ford Winter Estates: Part I we explored some of the many plants Thomas Edison and his wife Mina planted at their winter home, Seminole Lodge, in Fort Myers, FL. His good friend Henry Ford would often visit and in 1916 purchased the property next door, The Mangoes, named after the many mango trees on the property.
Here is a statue of Ford in front of shell Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-77069505831373497102014-06-15T13:19:00.000-07:002014-06-16T12:20:04.336-07:00Edison & Ford Winter Estates: Part I
Southwest Florida has a
long history of harboring people from cold northern winters. Thomas
Edison, the famed inventor, found his way to Fort Myers where he bought property along
the bank of the Caloosahatchee River in 1885, the same year the city was
incorporated. Edison and his wife Mina built a home together to share with
family and friends.
This statue of Edison
stands in front of a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-71777830661459212062014-06-01T06:17:00.003-07:002014-06-01T06:17:41.241-07:00Desert Botanical Garden: Part II
As I made my way east
through the Arizona desert I stopped at the Desert Botanical Garden full of
wonderful spiky creatures like this classic looking saguaro.
You can see the first part
of my visit at Desert Botanical Garden: Part I. This is an amazing garden with
the added bonus of Chihuly glass art, Chihuly
in the Garden, which adds beautiful form
throughout like these red glass Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-89990950979427560372014-04-29T15:58:00.003-07:002014-05-31T09:03:35.246-07:00Desert Botanical Gardens: Part I
As I made my way east through Arizona I stopped
at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix. This is an amazing garden and a must see for
spiky plant enthusiasts. An added bonus was Chihuly in the Garden, an exhibit
of Dale Chihuly’s work, staged throughout the gardens adding visual candy to these already stunning desert dwellers.
These green glass forms greet you as you enter the gardens; Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-83647028327264775972014-04-07T15:36:00.002-07:002014-04-28T15:40:50.705-07:00San Francisco Botanical Gardens
I left Oregon after the
holidays to start a new life in Southwest Florida and on my way I stopped
at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Unfortunately bad weather had swept the country and Southern California wasn't spared. I knew I wanted to visit the Mediterranean climate habitats which feature plants from Australia, Chile, California and South Africa. The Australia exhibit was Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-16522675923932237652014-03-01T12:47:00.002-08:002014-03-03T14:40:20.296-08:00Neill’s Garden: Part V
Last time my friend John
and I worked on Neill's Garden we completed the rock garden and planted the rest of the softscape. This time I finished planting the pots that frame
the entrance to Neill’s home, completing his new garden.
This is the entrance before the installed hardscape and planted pots.
The sun even came out on this day to light the subjects.
Neill requested hardy Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-73754961769768522352014-02-16T07:58:00.004-08:002014-02-16T07:58:53.082-08:00Neill’s Garden: Part IV
Last time when my friend John
and I visited Neill’s Garden we completed the hardscape leading to the entrance of his
home.
This time we planted the remaining softscape and John created a
unique rock garden on the corner of the property.
To create the rock
garden John used three boulders, rock and four plants. For the foundation he mixed 3/4” clean crushed rock with the dirt Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-25479931398411257072014-01-29T14:58:00.001-08:002014-01-30T13:10:37.822-08:00Neill’s Garden: Part III
In Neill’s Garden: Part I and Part II my friend John and I
assessed Neill’s corner lot, we designed a hardscape to support pots by the
entrance, started to plant the softscape and dug out an area by the entrance to
place the hardscape in.
On our next visit we picked up materials to contain the
hardscape and prevent weeds form growing including: weed barrier fabric, fabric
pegs, terrace Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-41677954241271938232014-01-18T08:19:00.001-08:002014-02-13T14:17:27.158-08:00Neill’s Garden: Part II
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-42082246635138664462013-12-29T08:47:00.001-08:002014-01-18T08:24:00.883-08:00Neill’s Garden: Part I
As I continue my
adventures in gardening I find there are two things that challenge the
gardener. The first is to understand the plants needs and matching it to the
right environment so it will thrive. The second, is blending color, form and
texture to create a visually and aesthetically pleasing environment you enjoy.
My friend Neill tried his
hand at gardening this past season, but had Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-87019191228161908742013-11-28T10:58:00.001-08:002013-11-28T10:58:12.206-08:00Lan Su Chinese Gardens
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06258025161118007319noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8629409958507451371.post-51825936101956125522013-11-15T18:11:00.002-08:002013-11-15T18:11:58.851-08:00Portland Fall
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