This is a mixture of plants commonly found in our pinelands. They include: Southern Slash Pine, Dahoon Holly, Myrsine, Marlberry, Winged Sumac and Coralbean.
The wildflowers and grasses include: Dune Sunflower, Little Bluestem, Sand Cordgrass, , Beardtongue, Porterweed and Seaside Goldenrod. Bloodberry and Lantana involucrata were added to attract butterflies yet occur in the Florida Keys coastline.
This is a well maintained butterfly garden. For a couple of months weeds overtook the planting, yet due to the hard work of volunteers it became this beautiful garden. Monthly hand pulling of weeds and additions of mulch have kept this looking great.
The plants include: Hercules Club, Redbay, Blackbead, Passion Vines, Chapman’s Cassia, Sea lavender, Inkwood, Bloodberry, Salvia, Beach Verbena, Gaillardia, Beardtongue, Fogfruit, Twinflower and Seaside Goldenrod.
This is a very visible planting on the corner of a main and side road. It took months of herbiciding and hand pulling the existing Mexican Petunia before starting to plant.
There is Sea Lavender on the right, Blackbead, Torchwood, Mexican Alvaradoa, Bahama Strongbark and Locustberry. The wildflowers include: Gaillardia, Seaside Morningglory, Beach Verbena, Salvia and Sunshine Mimosa.
This is the start of the Florida Scrub planting. The sand is “Clean Fill” from a local garden center which matches our local scrub sand perfectly.
This is a mix of plants from both local and Central Florida scrub. They include Wild Coffee, Hercules Club, Chapman’s, Myrtle and Scrub Live Oak, Southern Slash Pine, Hog Plum, Tough Bumelia, Scrub Redbay, Pineland Croton and Sabal etonia. The Necklacepod comes from the scrub portion of Juno Hills Preserve where scrub and coastal hammock blend together. Snowberry is also found in the scrub.
Wildflowers include: Beardtongue, Silkgrass, Spiderwort, Chapman’s Goldenrod, Bluecurls and Pineland Dropseed.
This started with Live Oaks and some Wild Coffee. Plants added include: Satinleaf, Redbay, Marlberry, Myrsine, Snowberry, Crabwood, Bahama Wild Coffee, Hercules Club, Simpson Stopper from Broward County, Redberry Stopper, Spanish Stopper and Beauty Berry.
Wildflowers included: Seaside Goldenrod, Spiderwort, Ironweed, Bear’s Foot, Pineland Petunia, Basketgrass and Coastal Foxtail.
I stretched the range of a few of these, but most occur naturally in our local inland hammocks.
This wetland forest includes an oval marsh dug 18 inches deep, lined with a 45 mil rubber liner and backfilled with soil to within six inches of the surrounding ground.
The top edge of the plastic is hidden by seashells, but be careful, if they touch the water they will wick it out of the marsh.
A deeper circle was dug in the marsh to plant Water Lilies in and Prairie Iris, Florida Lily, Pond Apple and other wetland species were added. The surrounding area includes native Royal Palm, Everglades Palm, Swamp Rose, Marsh and Swamp Fern, Sweetbay Magnolia, Grasses and Wildflowers.
A quarter inch tube is connected to a timer attached to a faucet. This comes on for more or less a half hour each day to keep the water level up.
At 11 years this planting has really grown in. This is a privacy screen of Lignum Vitae, Black Torch, Marlberry, Crabwood, Satinleaf, Paradise Tree, Firebush, Coontie and Key Lily. It provides color and food for wildlife all year.
This is the new All American Look with very little grass.
At 11 years, this planting provides privacy and wildlife to view. The tall Florida Elm, just left of center, had to be removed because of the leaves it drops in the fall. A screen enclosure would solve that problem and keep out raccoons and iguanas but block the view.
Firebush, Beach Cocoplum and Key Thatch stop debris from blowing into the pool. Behind them is a mixture of Randia, Pineland Privet, Redberry Stopper and others.
At two years the Firebush, Bloodberry, Coontie, Marlberry, Scrub Redbay and others are growing in nicely. The Southern Red Cedar on the right center grew into the power lines six years later and had to be removed.
This planting now has hummingbirds, painted buntings and other migratory birds as well as local bluejays, cardinals and mockingbirds.
This wet swale started with three gallon size Pond Cypress, Red Maple, Sand Cordgrass, Fakahatchee Grass, Pond Apple, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Yellow Canna, American Crinum Lily, Muhly Grass and Prairie Iris.
I got permission from the Palm Beach County Roads Dept and politely shooed off an obnoxious neighbor who thought these were all weeds. The trees are now 30 feet tall and provide shade and beauty to walkers. I just wish that I could plant the whole roadway.