[1oxbowgirl]

My favorite hobby is gardening. I like planting bushes and flowers around my yard that attract birds and butterflies and honey bees. I like planting native Florida plants in with the plants and bushes I buy in town. I have orchids, different kinds of bromiliads, pineapple plants, hybicus bushes, a shaving-brush tree, banana trees, loquat trees, guava trees, orange trees, and many others dot my landscape. When I am outside pulling weeds or sitting on my garden bench, I find it to be relaxing, kind of like my own piece of heaven.
If you like gardening too, please tell me about your garden and plants.

i just finished up in my yard.........i put down a fall seed mixture in the barespots caused by my dog!..lol........i love gardening......i live in upstate ny....this time of year is glorious!..i put in sping bulbs.....tulips and daffodils......this week and i also found great deal on hostas so i got 4....lol....if there is an empty space i can fill..........i will!

[SeptemberMorn]

I LOVE gardening! It's my brand of therapy! You might say I have a slight problem because I live in a mobile home park and the lots aren't very big at all but I've got practically every inch that can be covered... covered! LOL

All my flowers and plants are in pots (because of the freakin' gophers!) but I have an orange, peach and apricot tree planted in the ground and the Cana Lillies are in the ground, too, only orange ones with the multicolored leaves. I've got roses coming out my ears, too, in the front. Those are in the ground, too. Really looking forward to spring so I can amend the ground to my heart's content. All we have is sand because this area used to be ocean at one time. It's NASTY ground!

In the back of my carport, I have rhododendron; split leaf and elephant ears, a fern that I've forgotten the name of and three different kinds of begonias; hydengias and two kinds of raspberry bushes along the property line where the sun shines a bit better. I've also got a fiddle leaf tree, a spider plant and some New Zealand Impatients.

On the other side of the house, I have a Confederate Jasmine growing up one of the braces of the awning, different colors and kinds of the little begonias, another hydengia, Leather Leaf fern, a baby pink bouganvillia growing up the end brace of the awning and a bunch of different looking flowers that I don't know the name of. LOL Towards the back, I have several Calla Lily plants of different colors and just a mess of little flowers growing around the pond... and then one lonely Ficus Benjamina growing in a pot that I've had for 10 yrs.

There's a good variety of bulbs but most of them are hibernating right now. There are tulips, glads, paper whites, daffodils, frezias, etc.

I'm not sure, but there might still be some pictures of my yard in the photo gallery, but I'm not swearing to it. I might have deleted them to make room for some family pictures... that I grew myself, too.

In the back of the house I've got two bunny rabbits that take care of the worm population and the worm population takes care of the compost. Those are left overs from my life on "the farm." I miss my "goat berries" terribly, though! But then, I miss "my ladies" just about as bad. The berries are usable right away just like the bunny pellets but they're bigger and there's more of them.

I'm not a 100% organic gardener, though. I lean heavily on Miracle Grow and other chemicals when bugs get the better of my plants. Whatever works, right?

[1oxbowgirl]

Gosh, thanks for sharing. I came up with an idea for planting water-loving plants like wild water iris and elephant leaf plants. Florida, planting soil is sand as well, and water drains away too fast. So I bought little plastic swimming pools, poked a few holes in the bottom, dig a hole and set it in the ground, then added gravel or stones in the bottom and topped with soil. I then planted the wild water iris bulbs and they bloomed beautiful early this Spring and then in Summer too. The flower is a very pretty blue. I used the same idea for the elephant leaf plants and they are growing well inspite of our drier than normal weather. By setting them down in the ground the roots or bulbs stay cooler, thus can survive longer than if planted in a pot or just in the ground. I also don't overwater my plants, that way they can handle hot weather and lack of rain better than a plant that is watered every day.

[kebsfroggy]

Can't say as I garden or that I'm a gardner but I have a great crop of weeds.

I'm redoing my entire landscape. The back yard was almost completely whiped out by Wilma. Had to have trees cut down and the fence rebuilt. What fun.

Hate summer here in FL (I grew up in San Diego, CA). Between the heat, humidity and mosquitos yuck! And weeds everywhere.

Need to find plants survive in So. FL without too much effort.
Places like Home Depot and Lowes, etc have a nice selection of plants but what they have won't necessarily survive in FL.

Nice to find others interested in gardening.

[1oxbowgirl]

Just wanted to say most of the plants I get are from friends who in weeding out their plants save them for me, and also I use some wild plants as well. The hardest part of gardening in Florida, for me has been warding off the bugs and the critters. Raccoons ate all my tomatoes, that is the ones the slugs didn't get. Then there was the squirrals and the birds. By the time they got done you would never know I had a vegetable garden. I put up fences and build cages, used bug killer and flapping tin in the wind. Nothing worked and so I decided to stick with native plants and trees and flowering bushes. Lot less work and worry. But I really wanted a vegetable garden, sigh.

[kebsfroggy]

I want to try an herb garden. According to what I read I can put it in a container. I use a lot of herbs when cooking and prefer fresh over dried.

What are considered native plants in FL?

[Ginny111]

Hi oxbow, I have talk with u some on chat. U have inspired me to get back out in the garden and yard. I love to get my hands in the soil. Its great therapy. Being out there in nature. I live in TN where we have abundant selection of plants. I will get back to you on some of the names. I have a small rose garden. I planted a variety of different sort of flowers in the spring, They didnt do very well this yr due to such a hot summer we had. Right now, they are doing a lot better, till the cold comes in and gets em.I recently bought some fall mums. I enjoy their beautiful colors. I am going to get some pumpkins and gourds, with some hay and my mums. It makes a nice fall decoration in the front yard. We also have many many trees and wildlife. I enjoy watching the deers and birds as well. Thank you for inspiring me. I have felt much better going out in it. Take Care and Have a good day.

Ginny111

[Perna]

Does anyone want to come and clean up my little 4' x 6' veggie plot? You can have all the rotting vegetables, some of the beefsteak tomatoes are still good and the banana peppers are huge and yellow (I didn't know I was supposed to wait until they turned yellow, I thought they got their name from their shape only! Duh!). I have to tie back the espaliaded pyracantha and get the weeds, etc. bagged for pick up. Why did I do this to myself and/or why did my arm pick this summer to die? I'm so overgrown already and I just started this season!

[1oxbowgirl]

kebsfroggy, Growing herbs is easy. Put stones in bottom, then add potting soil, then add herb plants or seeds. Set in a sunny location and keep watered, but don't over water. Should grow just fine. Most of the wild native plants I have in my yard you wouldn't want as some like to take over. But Lantana is one that is seen in Home Depot a lot but is wild flowering plant. I will make you a list of some that I have that you might like in your yard.

Ginny111, I am so glad your back doing gardening. In Tenn., you can enjoy many plants and bushes that in Florida, it is to hot for them to grow. I look forward to hearing more about your garden.

Perna, I would love to help you with your garden, but alas, Maryland, is a long ways from Florida. Sounds like you grew some really nice tomatoes and peppers. Maybe you can find some one who would help with the garden in exchange for some good veggies. Where there is a will there is a way for those who enjoy the sight of flowers and vegetables, growing in the garden. Just do it in any fashion possible like switching to container gardening or a few violets or herbs growing in pots on a sunny windowsill can brighten your mood when depressed. Scratch up the soil and throw in some flower seeds, sprinkle with water and see what happens. When I became disabled I had to throw perfect everything out the window, and just do everything the easiest way possible. Try it and let me know how your garden grows.

[Perna]

Mine is a little "container" actually that I had special built in the front of my townhouse. It's a riot of stuff now and I'm looking forward to finding some Spanish onions under all the marigolds :-) and herbs. I planted the herbs in small flues http://www.enonhall.com/images/11062005/flues.jpg so they couldn't "get out" and take over the rest of the garden.

I was late planting because I had landscapers come do the whole front and back of my house we just moved into a couple summers ago; there was nothing but grass mostly and a huge hill under our deck that I needed planted so it wouldn't have to be mowed, etc. I had medium-large grass plants planted in back on one side where the neighbor dog jumps the fence :-)

But back in May my arm started having a nerve problem that I'm just getting over so I haven't been able to weed or anything! I've barely been able to water enough. Our construction (new porch, balcony, deck) didn't get finished until late so the landscapers didn't get in and out until the beginning of June so I was late planting the vegetables and kept it pretty simple, just did an "Italian" garden with 1 Roma tomato plant, 1 Better Boy and 1 Beefsteak; a banana pepper, 3-4 kinds of herbs in 6 flues -- oregano (my favorite), basil, parsley, and garlic chives (which ended up being disappointing because they didn't "grow", didn't even try to take over but the basil made up for them :-) 6(?) marigolds and several Spanish onions to "fill in". They didn't do too well since I didn't buy individual bulbs but the thin clumps I had to try and pull apart and separate, etc. and I haven't the patience for that :-) So, I might have 3-4 onions and, since I didn't water very well recently and the marigolds and herb (tops :-) overran and "shaded" them I don't even know how they're doing; I'll have to uncover to see. But the other day I went to pick a couple tomatoes and they were white fly city where one that was overripe had open.

My neighbor weeded the hillside under the deck which got overrun with thistle! I couldn't do much in the vegetable garden much less the hill so most of my lovely blueberry bushes died :-( from not enough water. Everything else was okay though and flourished but with the thistles and other weeds all throughout them. But my neighbor and her girlfriend liked to sunbathe but got bored after a bit so she asked could they weed, would I mind! She did a huge pile and made it look much better. . . for awhile. The landscaper is supposed to call me this month about coming out and getting the place winterized and put to bed, etc. It was a weird summer and I'm not sure they put the plants/beds in "right" to begin with but they certainly weren't easy care. But today I'll get out there and do something with the veggies or at least get a start.

[kebsfroggy]

Thanks for the offer of a list. It helps to have a starting point. I like the annuals for color but want to keep them to a minimum.

I've tried finding information on the web but most information is for places that have a real change in seasons.

[kebsfroggy]

When you said flues....I went flues???????
Then I saw the picture and went oh flues.

I wonder where I could find them. It sounds like a great idea for an herb garden.

[1oxbowgirl]

I did a little web search and came up with a great link for you kebsfroggy. By using this link to go to the websites you will discover many links to learn about native plants and also sources of them. So here goes: Go to Florida Native Plant Society at: http://www.fnps.org Then once there go to left side of page and click Florida Native Plants, this gives you choices to pick from, so click on Enjoy and Learn. Once page opens scroll down to the link called; University of South Florida Altas of Florida Plants, and click on this. It takes you to a site called, http://www.plantaltas.usf.edu/ this site has many choices in lists of native plants or native plants by the county in which you live. That way you get to see what ones grow best in your area. Hope this helps you in your gardening.

[Perna]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
kebsfroggy said:
When you said flues....I went flues???????
Then I saw the picture and went oh flues.

I wonder where I could find them. It sounds like a great idea for an herb garden.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

Hardware and building supply stores have them? Home Depot? I just got mine at my local old fashioned hardware store. The owner claimed he didn't have anything like that (I forgot their name so just described them) so I'm asking about cinder blocks, etc. anything open on two ends that I could "bury" and he had cinder blocks I think so we go outside and look and there he has all three sizes of flue and I said "Hey!" and he looked ashamed :-) and I teased him that here he could have been selling flues for herb gardens and he didn't think of it. . . I got the idea because Home Depot or Hechinger's or some such building supply place had interesting, open, ceramic/masonite "tiles" one year for making walkways or walls or something in the garden and had a zillion different "patterns" and colors, etc. ("open" bricks?) You could use clay pots too and just figure out how to break out the bottoms. . .

I once had a fantasy of opening a "used" container shop and having weird "containers" for planting plants in like shoes :-) and old buckets, etc. LOL I had a collection of coffee mugs I was going to have to throw out and figured one could plant tiny plants in those and sell them at flea markets for a couple bucks instead (I had like 20+ mugs); you could buy the mugs for $0.10-.25 each and plant herbs or beginning plants, cactus, etc. and resell for a couple bucks! Don't get me started about my "mobile" garden idea where you make a child's wagon a garden bed so you can move it around to follow the sun and have it look "interesting" sitting in the yard (and you could bring it up on the porch/under cover in bad weather/at night/when you're not home so it doesn't get wrecked, eaten or stolen, etc.).

[kebsfroggy]

Thanks so much.

One more thing to add to my "To Do" list.

Now all I need is to find some magic potion or male volunteer to take care of the weeding.

[kebsfroggy]

The odd container store sounds like fun.

I'll have to check home depot. Really like the idea of cylinders of various sizes grouped together.

Another "To Do" list addition.

Thanks

[1oxbowgirl]

Sorry, I spelled a link wrong and it won't let me edit it so I hope I can tell it again. http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/

[1oxbowgirl]

Today, is such a beautiful day that after church I came home and changed clothes and went to work outside. In another post I mentioned about tearing down my dog pen. Over the years we had piled all kinds of cement blocks and misc., logs and what not, around the backside of the pen to keep my dog from digging out. So today, we tackled that part of the clean up. Hauled away 3 loads of misc.. and 2 loads of broken cement blocks. With that done I was thinking about planting some Hibiscus bushes, big bright red flowered ones, in that spot. Often times friends give me plants that I don't really know where I want to plant them, so I dig them in somewheres until the thought hits me as to where I want them growing around the yard. So I only have to look around to find something to fill another spot. So I plant and water when it don't rain and in the mean time let nature take it's course.
Yesterday, natures course was having my lawnmower refuse to run. Good and trusty and dependable for 6 years, but yesterday it retired for good. The tall grass and growing weeds gave a hearty round of applause.

[1oxbowgirl]

Have you ever wanted to put up a fence, but had nobody around to help you? Well, I have the perfect fence project for us woman. Supplies needed: 1 small hand-held sledgehammer, presure treated stakes (like tomoto stakes) or whatever size and height stake you can pound into the ground with ease. My stakes were about 4 feet high and 2 inches wide, with one end of stake sharpen to a point. The stakes can be bought or cut at most lumber supply stores like Home Depot. And you will need a bag of wire ties or cable ties, which are made from nylon, white in color, pick size that will easily go around your stake with room to spare. And a roll of three or four foot high mesh wire. And leather work gloves to wear while handling the wire.
Pick your spot where you want your fence. Pound your stakes in about four feet apart. Roll out your wire and using the wire ties attach the fence to the stake. The end of the wire tie is pushed into the flat side of head of tie, then pulled through until tight against stake. Use two or three ties per stake, one at top, middle, and bottom. Be sure to pull your wire tight as you move from the first stake and on to the next one until your done. The nylon wire ties make a previous hard job simple and easy enough for any woman or man to do. I have used them for compost piles and for containment for yard waste, as well as, a fence to protect plants from wildlife. Very easy, almost makes fence building fun.

[1oxbowgirl]

Perna, I wanted to tell you how interesting the idea of using a child's wagon to put a garden. One time when I first moved here, my friend had a old trailer with high sides, that the bottom had partially rotted away. I covered the holes with pieces of tin, added a layer of small gravel, and then soil. I put it in the sun and grew a fine crop of tomatoes and cucumbers, onions and squash. Of course letting the squash vines grow down the sides of the trailer. But the tires went flat and so the trailer could not be moved as easy and is now used for storeage. I also attempted to grow strawberry plants. I build a three tiered tower from a length of rubber curbing and built up the layers dirt and planted 25 plants. I did everything right, but lost them over the summer due to to much rain. So for every five plants that grow there are always going to be some you lose. Some you try to grow are ones that are not suitable for the area of the country in which you live. Like I was determined I was going to grow a fruit tree that the nursery told me would not grow in southern FL., they grow in Georgia. But I bought them anyways and they grew all winter long and come summer with our humid weather and constant rain and they died. So of course always listen when you are told something won't grow in your area, but don't always believe them when they say it will. The best chart is by following the growing zone numbers when in doubt. For me it is a 10 or 11. Going north of me is a 9, and so forth. The charts can be found on most any seed catalog. Oh, and that is my favorite thing, receiving those seed catalogs every Spring. Of course I cannot grow most of whats in the catalogs, but I can look page by page and I can dream.

[1oxbowgirl]

We bought a new lawnmower as the old one had kicked the bucket. I wanted a push mower, you know the kind where you push-the-mower. I find them to be easier to handle then the self-propelled ones which race you around the yard or drag you around depending on your pace. Also, the push mowers are lighter in weight. Another thing to remember if you are disabled or just have a hard time pushing, raise the height of the mower by adjusting the levers by the wheels. It makes it much easier going and who cares if the grass is a bit higher than normal. You can do a good job, plus your lawn won't look like a hayfield. Plus, push mowers are good exercise, and we all need a little bit of that.

[Perna]

I had the hill under our deck professionally landscaped this Spring/early Summer and had 3 blueberry plants put in :-) My neighbors teased me that the birds would eat them and s#*t blue all over their nice white decks :-) and 2 of the plants died because I wasn't able to water/tend them because my arm "died" (arthritis, nerve, and muscle tear problem in my neck/shoulder) and it took 3+ months to get that straightened out.

I'm still "getting ready" to put my beds to sleep for the Fall/Winter, have all the veggies still rotting, etc. Oh well, eventually it will get done; hopefully by Thanksgiving LOL

[1oxbowgirl]

Perna, When you put your beds to sleep for the winter, do you cover them with straw? Or do you have another method??
Of course in Florida, we don't have the harsh winters that folks north of us do, but we do have frosts when the weather gets cold. We generally water down all the plants that might freeze and cover them if it is going to get below 30 degrees. It seemed stange at first to water down plants and then see them in the morning covered with ice, and yet thaw out and be just fine. I guess it is the northern spirit in me that remembers winters in PA, and all the frosts and snow and ice, which takes a bit of getting used to the changes in the seasons down here. Nature does not shout out loud the change of seasons, it just quietly turns from bright green to drab brown without the northern fanfair. Mostly everyone I meet that come to FL, to live miss the snow at Christmas time. Yes, we hang our lights and decorate the yard and have some sort of Christmas Tree, but that warmth excitement of seeing snow on Christmas morn never quite leaves your memories alone.

[1oxbowgirl]

For the past week or so I have been trying to write down all the trees and bushes and plants I have growing in my yard, so I could share that with you. So here goes: Have 4 huge old live oak trees, 4 orange, 4 mango, 2 lemon, 10 banana, 1 fig, 5 guava, 1 avacodo, 5 pond apple trees, lots of sabel palm trees. Other plants include, croton bushes in many colors, hibiscus bushes, yellow and peach, red and pink. And 2 azalea bushes, many spider lily plants, ferns, cactus, elephant leaf plants, wild water lilies, ginger plants, such as pinecone and shell and torch. pineapple plants, and honeysuckle vine. Also 2 amaryllis, lantana, moonflower vine, shimp plant, many bromeliads, many kinds and different colored flowers. And orchids, 2 butterfly bushes, coral berry plants, beauty berry plants, flaming nettle plants, wild morning glories, periwinkles, hosta and a shaving brush tree. I will add the rest in my next posts. I would love to hear about the plants you have in your yard or neighborhood.