Welcome to my zone 9 garden. My roots are deeply planted in the sandy soil of sub-tropical central Florida, where the summers are long and hot, but the rest of the year is paradise!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Nancy's Garden

My neighbor Nancy has an incredible garden. When you first see it your jaw drops open and you just can't quit saying "your garden is beautiful!" Her property backs up to a lake which previously was a phosphate pit about 100 years ago. The land has reclaimed itself beautifully as a lake surrounded by a forest of large live oak trees. Nancy has a mound in her backyard which is the result of the debris (sand, clay, peat) leftover once the phosphate was removed.

She has created a stunning garden on this mound and surrounding property that includes tons of rock, brick from old roads, and a multitude of plants. She gardens mostly in shade and tends to be drawn toward bromeliads, ferns, caladiums, ginger and a host of many unusual plants. It's hard to find a plant in your own yard to passalong to Nancy because she more than likely already has one. She is a very generous gardener who loves to share clippings or volunteer plants when you visit.

From my visit I got lots of ideas to use in my own garden which re-invigorated my interest in gardening following the hot summer months. It also set me off on a mini-shopping spree for summer clearance items!








7 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I can see why you were inspired here Susan. It is a gorgeous place. I wish I could grow some more tropicals. They just don't live here unless they are under glass during winter. I do so admire them.

Meems said...

Susan, So good to see you back in the blog world. I was fixin' to send you an e-mail to be sure you were okay.

Okay, your neighbor has done what I WISH I could do with the hills and hardscaping. does she have help? Please tell me yes, that several strong backs have helped her create this tropical paradise. Nancy's garden is beautiful. Tell her all the Florida gardeners are studying the photos and dreaming!
Meems @Hoe&Shovel

Susan said...

Lisa, Tropical plants are real beauties - really strong and bold. I am lucky to be able to grow them without having to bring them indoors.

Meems...Thanks for the welcome back. I just lose interest in the garden in August but this year it carried over to September. Nancy, has given me that little kick in the rear and along with the milder temps I'm back at it. Believe it or not, she and her husband did all the stone and brick work themselves. They are retired and have the time but, oh, what a back-breaking job. They've been working on this garden for 14 years. It is really beautiful. I watered her potted plants while she was away on vacation, and enjoyed sitting at the table drinking my cup of coffee, taking pics and making notes. She really ought to be in a magazine.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see that you are back--I just found your blog in mid-September and keep checking back every once in a while. What a beautiful space! Feel relaxed just looking at the photos....

Susan said...

Hi Susan...It's always nice to find another Susan. Welcome and please do visit again! Do you have a blog?

Laura said...

That´s a very nice garden indeed. The mixture of plants is great. I hope you can go "check" your neighboors garden as often as you like because it looks very relaxing. :)

Anonymous said...

I love this garden...sometimes I wish I lived in a warmer zone so I could have this look all year long. I'm still trying to get used to the cooler zone I live in now ;)

Popular Posts


Related Posts with Thumbnails