Happiness Farms Spreads Much Happiness

One morning, a little over a month ago, a very interesting box appeared at my door.

Oh look!  It's from Happiness Farms.  It must be the order I placed using the gift certificate I won from the drawing held by Central Florida Gardener.

I love the warning on the box.  I don't think "keep  from cold"  will be a problem.

My church has a school for grades K-12 associated with it.  Both church and school share the same campus which means some of the open areas are quite well-worn from the foot traffic of exuberant youngsters.  

In an effort to spruce things up a bit, I planted the caladium bulbs I got from Happiness Farms beneath the ligustrum hedges.  There they add lots of color  to the area without being in danger of being trampled underfoot. (I'm still considering just what to do with these old ligustrums.  Maybe trimming them into trees...)

Even the downspouts look better with these colorful leaves.  The area is not irrigated (other than by me and my trusty hose) so using the rain is an important component of success.

I went with the mixed colors because I was able to get more bulbs for the money that way.  I think it turned out to be a good decision.  I can't pick a favorite though.  These leaves are just beginning to unfurl, in fact, some are just beginning to poke their way through the soil.  The best is yet to come.  

It's really amazing what large, colorful leaves, some mulch, mowing and weeding can do to transform a spot that was not very inviting into a place with potential.  There's already talk of putting some picnic benches in this area for the school children to use on nice days.

These caladiums have drawn a lot of attention to this area and show how just a little care can make a big difference in the overall appearance of our church property. Different groups within the church and school have been inspired to adopt areas all over the campus to care for and landscape.  

Thanks Happiness Farms and Central Florida Gardener for giving me the material I needed to have so much fun and share so much beauty.

A Morning Look at the Garden

Lately there has been little time to spend in the garden.  What time has been available has been spent watering drought thirsty plants.  This morning I took some time to observe my garden in anticipation of having an entire day tomorrow to spend caring for my favorite place to be.

The crinum 'Ellen Bosanquet' has sent up a scape of beautiful pink flowers.  There are three of these planted at the foot of the Raja Puri banana tree.  (Note for tomorrow:  The bamboo could use a little trim to keep it from covering up the banana tree.)
 

Oh my goodness!  There are bananas!  These are the first bananas ever at My Garden Path! 

A quick walk over to the circular path around the oak tree allows for a beautiful view of morning sunlight shining through all the colorful foliage of coleus and caladiums.

This is a really tropical looking spot along the path.  The pinecone gingers have grown quite tall and are already forming pinecones. 

Over in a sunny area the white guara is putting on quite a show.  I've never seen it so thick before.  Usually it is quite spindly and thin.  I like this new look.

Little green bees with loaded pollen pockets are enjoying the guara too.  This morning there are many of them and some honey bees too enjoying all the flowers.

One of my favorite things about walking through the garden in the morning is the way the slanting eastern light backlights the normally dark, shady corner. 

I'm looking forward to spending tomorrow outside for the day.  There is much tidying to be done and fertilizing with fish emulsion and compost.  The roses need their monthly Mills Magic application.  A passing rain shower would be a nice occurrence. 

Whatever your weekend plans may be, I hope they include some time in your garden. 

A New Trend

I'm not known as a trend-setter, a trend-spotter or even a trend-follower. There is a definite trend, however, in my choice of color within my garden this year.

Ever since I chose 'Chinese Red' for my front door color, the color red has been my choice in foliage and flowers as well.  Red Flash caladiums were added to the White Christmas caladiums in the front entry-way bed. 

My view when I open my front door is full of  beautiful color as the sun shines through the heart-shaped leaves. 

It seems like I'm spotting the color red everywhere I look.  This angel-wing begonia's profuse red blooms really brighten up a shady corner at the top of  the drive-way.

Another group of red caladiums, Freida Hemple this time, are located to the right of the drive-way.  Some of the bromeliads sport red fingernails while others will have bright red cone-shaped blooms later in the summer.

Even the geraniums I'm babysitting for vacationing friends fit in with the new trend.  This red color is all over the place.

The back gardens are filling up with the new red color trend.  My new love, blood leaf irisine, lights up the dark shady corner in four or five spots now.

You don't think it's possible to have too many red caladiums do you?  I may be pushing it this year.  Honestly, I didn't realize that all the new bulbs I planted were red.  These Freida Hemples snuggle up nicely with the dwarf chenille.

In the new bed under the big oak tree, a native rouge plant is sporting cute little white blooms that turn into red berries.  Depending on how large this plant gets and how it does in winter, I'm thinking of adding some more of these.  Anyone growing this please share your experiences with it.  So far, I really like it a lot.

The new trend for my garden is the color red.  Do you have a trend going in your garden?

Colorful Leaves

Sometimes a leaf can be just as eye-catching as a bloom.  Different varieties of coleus are planted each year as annuals throughout the garden.  Some are pass-alongs from other's gardens, some are over-wintered from cuttings placed in water and brought into the house and some are purchased new each spring.

Most come without any identification.  That's fine with me, I wouldn't remember their names anyway.  The colors reflect the caladium colors and provide a nice contrast of leaf shape.  With similar light and water needs, these two plants make a good pairing.

Frilly leaves of bright chartreuse, purple, pink, and cream all create a bright spot in the shade gardens.  There are some coleus that can take quite a lot of sun but all of mine are planted in dappled shade.  They seem less thirsty with more shade. 

The variegated cast-iron plant which is another plant that was passed-along to me, is really starting to settle into its spot and put out more of those lovely leaves.  The cast-iron plant is an old Southern shade garden staple that is not that easy to find for sale at garden centers.  Aren't gardening friends the best?

Last May, this curcuma was blooming.  Not this May.  But, I love the leaves with that burgundy mid-rib and count on their appearing each year.  They show up by April and last through November.  The beautiful fuschia bloom is a bonus I hope to get soon.

Lots of caladiums were planted beneath the big oak tree this spring and they haven't disappointed me a bit.  My new favorite foliage plant, blood leaf irisine, shines in the slanting rays of the afternoon sun.  It is an eye-catcher for sure.   Irisine is another plant that is easy to propagate from cuttings.  I had a few small cuttings that were planted last fall that weren't fazed by the cold weather.  I'm hoping that the ones I've spread around in other areas will be as hardy.

I love having interesting foliage plants as much as I do the flowering plants.  They all have their unique charms.

Oak Tree Circle Re-Do

While enjoying the wafting scent of the tea-olives, my youngest garden helper and I began pulling out Wedelia trilobata from the circular bed surrounding the big oak tree in the back garden. 

This ground cover is now considered a category II invasive for the central Florida area.  Even though I've always liked the cheery yellow flowers, I decided it was time for this pest plant to go. 

Since the Wedelia was brown and crispy after our winter freezes, it was pretty easy to pull up. This job needed to be done before warm temperatures and spring rains brought it back to life. Even so, I'm sure I'll be pulling sprigs out all through the spring and summer.

When the Wedelia was originally planted, it was not considered an invasive. In fact, it was recommended to me by a landscaper. Part of the problem with this plant is the ease with which any part of it will root. So, as I was keeping my patch trimmed up and disposing of the trimmings in the yard waste, I was contributing to the spread of a pest plant. All the ground cover we pulled up this time was disposed of in the trash not the recycled yard waste.

The now blank area was filled with a few newly purchased plants such as Holly Fern and Indian Hawthorn.  These particular plants were chosen for their cold hardiness.  Other plants were divided from existing clumps growing in other areas around My Garden Path.  The pink edging will be pulled out as it is no longer needed to contain the Wedelia.

Bromeliads, Flax Lily, and Flowering Maple were some of the plants added from existing sources in other parts of the garden.  Caladium bulbs will be planted later this month to fill out the area. 

(The plants which are designated as invasive in Florida can be found here.  This is an ever changing list so it is a good place to check periodically.)

In The Pink

Pink is my favorite color.....

.....from a barely there baby pink like on Sunshine Mimosa, Mimosa strigillosa,

used as a groundcover in the butterfly garden.....

......to  a little deeper pink on these stems of Alocasia 'Aurora'.

Of course, I think Rosa, Belinda's Dream has the perfect shade of pink!

The fuzzy and soft blooms of the Dwarf Chenille plant, Acalypha reptans, are a dark pink. 

The grandkids love to "pet" these flowers. 

This Angel Wing Begonia, Begonia coccinea, is a very subtle shade of pink.

Labeled as cranberry, this Pentas lanceolata sure looks pink to me.

My favorite Caladium 'Carolyn Wharton' is covered in pink.

"In the pink," is an idiom meaning "at the peak of health." 

I sincerely hope that this day finds both you and your garden IN THE PINK!

Growing in the Rain

It was mid-May when a new entry-way garden was started.  All the rain we have been getting this week has enlivened the new plantings.  After a very dry time this past month, rain has fallen every day for the last week.  It has been gentle and just the perfect thing for plants and gardens. 

The pink impatiens are bordering the new pathway using the pot-in-pot method.  When these flowers need to be protected from cold weather, I can just pop them out of the ground still in their pots and replace them with new pots of  annuals that will be more cold hardy.

Lots of caladium bulbs were planted to border the area and to add color in front of the azaleas when they are not blooming.  The red ones with the freckles are Red Flash and the white ones are White Christmas.

Four Mona Lavender plants were placed within the caladiums fronting the azaleas.  This past winter, Mona Lavender planted in the back garden made it through the record-breaking cold just fine.  The hope is these will be able to hold the area after the caladiums go to sleep for the winter.

The little gardenia tree hasn't bloomed again but it is putting out new leaves and seems happy in its spot.

To the right of the driveway huge azaleas and yellow walking iris have been spruced up a bit with a new border of liriope and caladiums.  These caladiums are Frieda Hemple. 

Earlier this spring I found boxes of caladium bulbs for sale at one of the warehouse clubs.  I just love going food shopping and coming home with something for the garden.

In fact, I was able to buy three native coonties at my local produce stand.  Food and garden shopping all in one spot is my new favorite way to shop. 

The area to the right of my front door was looking a little plain and left out of all the new plantings, so I planted the three new coonties and some pale pink pentas in front of the existing virburnum hedge.  Of course, I had already spread some caladium bulbs this spring .  The caladiums add some color to the existing liriope border. 

The rain has helped the struggling grass look better so for now there will be a small area of grass left.  But, I do have more grass elimination plans to be implemented when cooler weather comes along.