Ferns & Mosses

Ferns are just one of those elegant types of plants - simple yet very artistic, especially when a new frond unfurls. This particular fern is from the Black Hammock in Oviedo, supposedly one of the few places that it grows in the world.

Here's a close up shot at the frond. We've had it in a pot for 19 years and it has only produced one other plant which is unusual for ferns.

It doesn't usually take ferns very long to fill in a bare spot in a shady garden. I purchased this silvery fern at Bok Tower Gardens in Winter Haven. I love the color of it and the long slender leaves, as well.

One of my favorite ferns is the Holly fern. It has beautiful glossy leaves and a nice round growth habit. And best of all it doesn't intrude on its neighbors by spreading uncontrollably.

This fishtail fern was a gift and we keep it potted because it does spread uncontrollably! But it is a lovely large fern.

Most ferns in my garden have just suddenly appeared on their own volition, like this unknown one that popped up among the bromeliads. I suppose having blown in on the wind from a neighboring yard. I have a hard time keeping "unknown" ferns out of my potted plants, in fact it's almost downright impossible.

The Resurrection Fern blankets the arm of a large Live oak in our backyard. This fern appears on its own and can be found in most oaks in Florida. It is truly a "magical" plant. When the weather is dry this fern is completely brown and all dried up, but following a rainshower it "magically" springs back to life, looking lush and green once again. I never cease to be amazed by the resiliency of this fern.

Ferns have a habit of showing up in very unusual places like between the pool tile, and

the outside stucco wall of our pool area. They are so pretty that I have a hard time plucking them out. I remember when we toured Volcano National Park in Hawaii sometime back, they told us the first plant to return to an area after an eruption is ferns.

They are so delicate and lacy, but they can also be bold and large here in Florida. This staghorn fern dangling from an elm tree is quite old and has survived many mornings as the temperatures hovered around the 32 degree mark. To protect our staghorn ferns from freezing, we wrap old sheets and blankets around them. In the dark they look like large ghosts swinging from the trees.

This particular one has very long slender leaves,
while its neighbor, a shorter but more stalky variety

has thick, bulky leaves. Keeping Spanish moss and live oak seedlings out of them can become a challenge, and it's hard to water them without the wind blowing a spray of water back into your face. But they do look beautiful swinging 'neath the large oaks and elm tree.

And, speaking of Spanish Moss, it is one of my favorite plants. You can't have a Live oak without Spanish moss draped across its branches. It's what creates that timeless, romantic and quiet dusty backroads feeling of the "Old South."

I know of lot of people have it removed or sprayed which I think is dreadful. It's so otherworldly looking and unique to the South. And, yes we do have to pick it up off the ground frequently as it is blown down by thunderstorms and wind. And, no I've never gotten "red bug" a/k/a chiggers or no-see-ums bites from picking it up. It does, however, make a great mulch that keeps weeds from penetrating its dense surface when wet and packed down on the ground.

With our frequent showers and high humidity, green moss grows with ease on outdoor pots, patios, bricks - you name it, it grows there. And, it is most welcome in my yard. This little bit of moss is finding a home on a brick walkway. My mother has a small patio tucked into a shady corner of her garden and it is completely covered by the mossy green growth. It is absolutely beautiful and looks right out of a fairy tale.

I placed this piece of moss (actually glued it) on this chair in the hopes that it would begin to cover it. I found it growing on the surface of some potted purslane. Ferns and mosses are two carefree plants that add a lot of interest and texture to a shady garden.

A Bird's Eye View

One nice thing about living in a two-story house is that you can look down on your garden for a whole different perspective. From this bird's eye view I can see how my color combinations are working, and where I need to place another plant. You know, I'm always looking for where another plant might fit! :-)

This area is my most favorite spot in the yard. There's usually a nice breeze coming off the lake as I sit on this deck shaded by several live oaks. That old chartreuse colored adirondak chair is just for looks these days. It is slowly rotting away but I just love the color it adds to the garden, so I'm sure to warn any visitors not to sit in it. A friend just recently suggested covering it with bromeliads which I thought was a great idea.
That large plant was here when we arrived. I have no idea what it is but I love it. It weathered temps down into the upper 2o's this past winter as did the bromeliads. This area seems to have a special micro-climate that protects my tropical beauties.

The top portion of this section belongs to my neighbor. We share a joint flowerbed. He knows how to landscape with ti plants. Usually people have one here and one there but this large bed of them is stunning. And, those lady palms just love the shade!
So now, I know what the birds see from their perch high up in the old oak tree.

Queen of the Dark

My neighbor, Nancy, called me at 9 pm last night and invited me over to look at her cactus flower. Well, I already had my p.j.'s on and was hesitant about changing and going out in the 84 degree still-heat of the night, but I said I'd be right over. And boy, am I ever glad I did. It was no ordinary "cactus flower." This giant, night-blooming cactus is astonishingly beautiful and awesome!
I took a photo on the top of my cooktop so that you get an idea of the size of this beauty. I'll be quiet now, so that you can admire this stunning flower in all its glory, whose beauty is reserved only for creatures of the night.

This cactus is a vine that sprawls high up in her Live oak trees. It begins to open around 9 pm and closes prior to dawn. What a shame that this magnificent flower is missed by humans.

Whew, It's HOT!

It was soooo HOT this weekend, I had to work in shifts. The temperatures were tickling the 100 degree mark, and at the end of the day, I felt like this coleus - wilted! Fortunately, the weather forecasters are calling for rain Tuesday and Wednesday and a return to our normal weather pattern.

A New Favorite

This Indian Blanket flower is one of my favorite new plants. I planted one plant last summer and it has bloomed continuously since then, only slightly slowing down periodically to produce a new batch of stunning blooms.

It made it unscathed through the winter months with lows in the upper 20's, and the patch has spread to be about 2' x 2'. The eye-catching vibrant bold blooms cover the entire plant and can be seen from anywhere in the front yard, including the road. It does not spread by rooting in but instead just lays on the surface of the ground like a blanket would - perhaps that's where the name comes from. Now with all that being said, it is definitely a keeper.

I have been in search for more of these plants this summer and just recently found some at a local nursery and also at Wally World. My mom and sister did find another variety (Torch Blanket) pictured below at a nursery in their area. When all of the tiny little flowers open on this variety it looks like a ruffly mum. It also is very pretty but not quite as vibrant as the Indian Blanket. I would definitely rate this plant as a "10" for Florida gardens!

A Small Space

There's a 3' x 16' space between our screen enclosure and an outside deck that has always been a problem to landscape. This space is mostly shady so I started by planting some impatiens. They did well and soon spread to encompass the entire bed. After looking at them for awhile I got bored with only having impatiens.

So, I pulled some out, added some Aztec grass and caladium bulbs. You can't beat caladium bulbs for summer. Their colorful foliage adds a real spark of color in the shade garden. As I pruned a potted wandering jew (the bluish purple plant above) on the second floor balcony Iwould toss the clippings over the railing and soon noticed they had taken root in this small space. As luck would have it, it looked great with the pink & purple impatiens, the green & white Aztec grass and the pink caladiums. I added the hot pink bromeliad later to finish off this section.

Another volunteer showed up as well. A potted spider plant (above) sitting on the deck had a couple of its babies take hold in the soil. They looked great so I left them, too. I later added the Chocolate Mint coleus in the upper right hand corner to finish off this section.

And, I added another coleus (variety ?) in this section for that chartreuse green color. So far things are shaping up pretty good for this small space.

Two years ago I added the orange crossandra. I mentioned before that orange and purple are one of my favorite color combinations in the garden. It's an odd match but for some reason it works for me. Some might think it garish but I find it cheerful.

Here's a photo that gives you a good view of the size of this small space. With a little help from Mother Nature and the volunteer plants this small space finally came together, and for the first time in 7 years I am very happy with the end result. Gardening is definitely NOT for the impatient!

Chirp

Four weeks ago our neighbor’s dog found a baby Blue Jay, who apparently had fallen out of the nest, sitting in the middle of our backyard. I quickly grabbed an old cat carrier, and placed her inside. She did not look injured and fortunately had not been discovered by a cat, snake or hawk. I made a quick telephone call to my sister (who works for a vet) to find out what to feed her, and the next thing we knew we were off on a 4-week bird-rearing adventure.

And, what a wonderful adventure it has been. We got the same reaction every time we approached her cage. She would stand on her toes, wings outstretched, beak wide open and squawk a continuous command to feed her. So down the hatch we placed dry cat food soaked in water. Next came some droplets of water. We repeated these feedings every couple of hours (except at night -I figured her mother doesn't go out for food after dark!) because she's always hungry.

Five days later she was flourishing and had changed dramatically in size. Her blue feathers had come in around her rump and the fuzzy feathers around her neck were replaced by flat gray and blue feathers. We expanded her diet to include mealworms and pieces of crickets -canned of course! I bet you didn't know you can purchase a Can-O-Crickets at the pet store. I know I didn't but I'm sure glad it's possible, since I did not want to go digging for worms in the yard.

She grew steadily, and each evening we would place her cage on the coffee table while we watched television. My husband would take her out, hold her in his hand and stroke the back of her head. She sat perfectly still, making soft churping sounds and eventually would tuck her head beneath her wing. It was so adorable. When he would try to place her back in the cage she would start squawking quite loudly.

It was a true delight to be this close to a wild bird, and to see her grow and flourish. She became a beloved member of our family. My daughter named her "Chirp" and we all fell in love with her. We dreaded the day we would have to set her free. But we hoped and prayed that this beautiful creature could somehow survive despite having had "weird parents" and no official outdoor training.

Our two indoor cats would sit by her cage for hours watching every move she made. They were thoroughly entranced by this little bit of the wild that somehow found its way into their home. When they got too close, Chirp would squawk a warning sign and they would back off.

Friends were amazed at the news that we were able to keep the bird alive. She took weekend trips with us to our other house, attended our Mother's Day celebration and even visited with the children in my daughter's class at school. They were smitten with her and asked 101 questions about her.

On Memorial Day at noon we set her free with our best advice and well wishes. She fluttered around the tree tops and seemed extremely happy and at home in her new environment. Everytime we called her name she chirped back in response.
Around 5 that evening she flew down to the deck and ate Cheez-its with my husband. Later at 7 she flew down and sat on the balcony railing and chatted with my daughter and me. The next morning we couldn't see her and she didn't answer when we called her name. But at noontime when I walked out on to the balcony she squawked at me, flew to the railing, spread her wings, opened her mouth and squawked for food. I told her that it wasn't my job anymore to stuff goodies down her throat. I laid a piece of bread on the railing, she grabbed it and flew to a branch to eat it. That was the last time I saw her.

I find myself worring constantly about her, especially when the rain showers roll in. I step outside often and call her name hoping that she'll fly in and squawk at me one more time. There was another Blue Jay fluttering around her, so perhaps she has gone with him - at least, that will be the ending that I choose for this adventure. I hope so, but I also hope that I see her one more time so that I know she has made it in the wild.

Anyone have an Ark?

If the rain keeps up we're going to need an ark to get around. The last 5 days have been one rainshower after another. We've received about 7 inches, while other areas in Florida have received much more.

Our neighbor called yesterday evening to tell us that one of the trees in our backyard just tumbled into the lake.

Sure enough, the roots of one of the oaks on the hillside snapped right off. We need the rain, just wish we could have spread it out over a period of weeks. Oh well, my yard and I are both extremely grateful for this timely deluge!

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

It finally happened! Following our unusually cold and dry winter we finally got our first thunderstorm of the summer season, and not any too soon. You could just hear the shriveled up dry grass and plants sighing with relief as their thirst was quenched. As the rain ended a beautiful double rainbow could be seen sprawled across the evening sky. The perfect ending to the day! In this photo you can just barely see the second rainbow perched atop the brighter bottom one.

Hopefully, the rains will continue to come and our dried up grass will repair itself.

My Favorite Color Combination

I love soft muted pinks and whites in the garden but I have to say that my very favorite color combination is cherry red, purple and yellow. They're a bold combination of colors that grab your attention, and it works well in our large front yard.


The cooler color (bluish purple) is up front while the vibrant red Knock-out roses and yellow daylilies command you to look deeper into the garden. Orange is also a great color with yellow and purple. I discovered that once when a Mexican petunia came up next to an orange lantana. That was a very eye-pleasing combination.
Even from a distance the roses and daylilies refuse to go unnoticed. For summer purple color I'm going to add some pentas and maybe some lantana.