The Softer Side Garden

The garden on the east side of my house is finally starting to come together. Four years of growth has helped...the trees look like real trees and the bushes are filling in.

I've long admired photos in magazines of gardens that have a soft, fluffy look like the one below, and wanted to see if I could create one with plants that work in a Florida garden. 

All these textures just seem to blur the edges. It has a relaxed and romantic feel to me.

So, 4 years ago these cypress trees on the left were planted to enclose the area and give it a private feeling. Their foliage definitely has a soft and fluffy look. This spring I added 'Little Gem' magnolias( not pictured in this photo) in between them...another definitely romantic plant...don't you think?

 This side garden is planted in burgundy to pinkish red, varying shades of green, white and a touch of soft, soft silver. Oh yea, and a bit of yellow thrown in here and there because I like it and to add some sunny brightness. 

This is one of my favorite areas in this garden. The Louis Philippe rose is now a good size. Nothing adds a more romantic feel to the garden than roses.  Then there's that bit of yellow...a milkweed plant tucked beneath bird feeder from my mom's garden.

And, in summer there's quite a bit more yellow when the thryallis (behind the bird feeder) adds it golden yellow spikes.

From the corner of the house you can glimpse a view of Louis Philippe's flowers there beyond the Knock-out roses in the front yard. The thryallis separates the two.

Soft yellow 'Holy Spirit' daylilies were added last spring to this area and this year I decided to experiment with the soft gray foliage of Dusty Miller. It's been a long time since I planted one and I'm really wondering why.

Rosemary is one of my favorite plants...carefree...easy maintenance...and a wonderful relaxed and natural look. And, oh yea, I almost forgot...fabulous fragrance!

Here's the chrysanthemums I've blogged about before. Another easy going plant that gives back ten-fold. They're definitely not stingy with their blooms. 

A few clumps of flax lily add a spark of brightness among the green foliage and I like it next to silver, too.

The deep plum color of lorapetlum and the lacy foliage of the elm tree work pretty good to create that soft fluffy look. And, that lemon tree planted to the right adds that bit of yellow I was looking for.

This side garden is still very much a work in progress as I wait for it to mature and continue to play with it. But, then again, "playing with plants" is one of my favorite things to do. How about you...do you like to play with your plants?

So Long April...

I'm always sad to see April end because the days are so pleasant and the garden is filled with flowers.

Here's a look at what's blooming in the island bed.

Vintage seafoam rose and daylily from my aunt.

From the rear forward: Mexican bush sage with kaleidoscope abelia, Indian blanket flower and milkweed.

Love the soft purple blossoms of Mexican bush sage contrasted with the yellow dill blooms.

Here's a close-up of the dill covered in yellow flowers. It's been in full bloom for two months now and bees of all kind are lovin' it as much as I do.

This puff of white...Diamond Frost Euphorbia...is devouring some daylilies and amaryllis.

My step-dad's daylilies are blooming away. They obviously love April, too!

I planted bulbine for the first time last autumn based on recommendations from other Florida gardeners and I haven't been disappointed. After planting them...I watered them well and haven't watered them since. The only water they get is from the irrigation system...honestly! They looked great with the blue flag iris in early spring and now they look equally as nice with the orange flowers of the Tropicana canna. I, too, am a BIG fan of bulbine!

And, now the Agapanthus a/k/a lily of the Nile are adding some more needed bluish purple to the front garden. 

The side-garden is looking colorful, too, this April.

The caladiums are coming up nicely and blend well with the red leaves of the Lorapetlum.

This spring I decided to add some Dusty Miller to the side garden and I must say that I'm quite pleased with the color combo. It's been a long time since I planted this plant. The blue and silver are so pretty together and the soft yellow 'Holy Spirit' daylily adds a spark of brightness.

The chrysanthemums are blooming again. You get a lot of bang for your buck with these plants as they bloom several times a year. So, if you buy them in autumn stick them in your garden when they're finished blooming.

The Turk's Cap is blooming early this year since it didn't freeze back and the blackberry plants are in bloom.

I'm really liking this plant combo - fern, pink pentas and Miss Muffet caladiums. I think I've mentioned before that pink and green is one of my favorite color combinations. :-)

And, here's some more pink and green...Ti plants, Louis Philippe and a native fern that planted itself.

Sombreuil (pronounced: som-bray-el) is a highly fragrant vintage rose. This particular plant has spent time in 3 different yards in the past 16 years. I planted her in 1996...moved her with us in 2001 and then moved her again in 2007 when we built a new house. That's one of the great things about roses...they don't seem to mind moving so long as you do it during winter.

Here's another combo I really like in the foliage garden. I'm a flower person...but I have a garden bed that is predominantly foliage - various shades of green, burgundy and white and a tad bit of yellow. It's a new experience for me and I'm enjoying playing with textures and colors. This burgundy colored grass is pleasing to me paired up with the variegated privet and leopard plant.

In the same bed...looking through the variegated privet I can see the English dogwood in bloom. It doesn't bloom very long but it's a real eye-grabber when it does. 

Here's a continuation of that same foliage bed...ferns, variegated cast iron and caladiums.

Summer is right around the corner and hopefully more rain is, too!

Spring Comes in all Colors

In my garden Spring is all about flowers...in all colors!

Predominantly my frontyard is composed of three main colors: purple, yellow and orangey-red.

But, an occasional pink flower and definitely some white flowers can be found.

These colors were chosen because of their boldness. You see I have a pretty large frontyard and if the colors weren't bold they'd be barely noticeable from the street.

Purple...orange...yellow - such an eye-pleasing combo to me!

The local garden club in our area surprised me with this. It was very sweet of them to bestow this honor on my hardworking garden. I do the planting and weeding...but the plants create all the beauty!

I've never seen a group of the green grasshoppers...Lubbers, yes. They look like little plastic soldiers all perched on these liriope leaves.

And, this butter yellow dragonfly adds a little more sunshine to the garden.

But what about this fella...brown is not my favorite color in the garden but he is part of the habitat. He is a brown water snake and not a water mocassin...don't you think?

Oh, How I LOVE Pink!

Pink and green are one of my favorite color combinations, so when I see pink flowers my heart skips a little beat. This double pink Knock-out rose is a fabulous bloomer.

Not only do they bloom well and sport blooms 12 months out of the year...their foliage is also disease resistant in Florida...and that's not an easy achievement in our heat and humidity. You're probably thinking that the Knock-out rose folks are paying me to praise their roses...but that's not so. I'm just a girl who loves roses (and pink ones at that) and these carefree beauties make it easy for me to fill my front cottagey garden with lots of rose blossoms with minimum care and without the need to battle diseases with toxic chemicals.

Aside from the Knock-out roses the only other ones in my garden are the carefree modern shrub or vintage varieties...again because they require minimum care and no chemical sprays. Belinda's Dream is definitely a dream rose. Looks at her large soft pink blossoms...who can resist such a beauty. Right beneath her grows a baby blue native petunia. Two beauties that paint a pretty pastel picture in the garden.

The Bold and the Beautiful

Oh, YES, the orginal Knock-out Roses 'Radrazz' are BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL! And, I can't stop looking at them...admiring them and loving them...especially in spring.

After a later winter haircut...a tasty organic cocktail and lots of Florida sunshine...six weeks later they are showering me with an abundance of flowers that are simply...knocking me out!

Love their bold red color with yellow flowers...simply stunning!

And, now another fantastic rose from the same maker of the Knock-out line. These miniature...yes, they're small little bushes (12" x 12") are small but mighty. This orange variety looks nice paired up with the Florida-Friendly sedum that's blooming in the background.

And, for a few other blooming beauties in the garden. The amaryllis are just now coming into bloom. I'm trying to stay ahead of the little lubbers that love to devour their foliage. Periwinkles are reseeding throughout the garden. They reseed as freely as impatiens. Once you buy one you'll never need to purchase another.

Lastly, my bi-color African Iris are blooming early this year thanks to a mild winter. In fact, even the caladiums are waking up early.

North Florida Wildflowers

On a recent road trip through north Florida I thoroughly enjoyed the abundance of spring wildflowers. It's so nice to have something to look at on a long drive.

I'm always amazed at how different north Florida is from the central portion where I live. It definitely looks more like Georgia and Alabama...not tropical in nature at all.

This natural woodland scene was sporting lots of rain lilies after a previous day's rainshowers. They seemed to have naturalized and were popping up among the ferns.

The park ranger at the Florida Caverns was kind enough to give me the names of the wildflowers in bloom. Here is an  Atamasco Lily a/k/a rain lily, Zephry lily or wild easter lily. I've never heard it referred to as a 'wild easter lily' before.

Purple phlox

Southern Dewberry 

I was lucky to see one of the last of the Trilliums  also known as purple toadshade or sweet betsy.

 Carolina Silver Bells 

 It's tough to get a Florida Dogwood to grow here but in the northern region they appear to be growing wild in the woodlands that run alongside the interstate.

The native Red Buckeyes are another tree that is plentiful. It took a complete year for a seed that I planted from my sister's tree to sprout. Talk about patience. I was so close to giving up when 'lo and behold I noticed a green sprout. So, if you grow this tree from seed you'll need to be extra patient.

Here's a close up of the beautiful flowers.

Yellowtop Butterweed (aster family)

And this unusual red flower for which I don't have a name...was growing in thick patches alongside and in medians all along Interstate 10. It was a beautiful sight!

Aside from a great trip it was especially nice to enjoy a second wave of spring wildflowers just a bit north of home.