If you are in Florida you can walk outside and feel that summer is truly here. I am sure some of you are happy about it, but I’m not. I already have a ton of Mosquito bites, it has already been in the upper 80’s to low 90’s, the humidity is driving me crazy and it is so dry. I am one who wishes it was over already, I was fine with the 60’s and 70’s of spring and my plants were content to grow in that too. Anyway, enough of my whining and onto the post.
In the past week I have been busy. I have been working on the gate entrance in the front yard that do to putting a gate up the irrigation does not water it. The grass there died last year after the gate went up and now all the sand just gets splattered on the house and fence due to the water falling from the roof. I have a before picture, but it has the stepping stones already in place, I was trying to see how to lay them out. I ended up planting 10 Dwarf Mondo Grass ‘Nana’, they should form a nice mat of low growing grass in the area. I planted another one of my Hibiscus cannabinus, and two Black Mondo Grass. I also planted the seedling of the Lirope I was use to in Kentucky, I got some seeds in TN this past winter and they have been growing really easily from seed. The last two plants are Daylillies called Ditch Lillies, becasue they grow along roadsides and fields around the country. I’m not sure if Florida has them, I didn’t see any last year. I know Kentucky and Tennessee does, Georgia perhaps. I planted these in various spots and I will show you tht in a later post. Overall, I love the way this project turned out and hope it grows well.
-
- Hemerocallis fulva- Ditch Lily
-
- Hibiscus cannabinus
-
- Black Mondo Grass
-
- Dwarf Mondo Grass ‘Nana’
-
- Before Overview
-
- After Overview
-
- 5″ Bloom
-
- Kentucky Daylily
-
- Hibiscus ‘Ft. Meyer’
-
- Frontyard Chinese Fans
-
- Backyard Chinese Fans
My other project was planting a group of Chinses Fan Palms that I got at Lowe’s. It was $12.99 for a clump 8 Palms, they are small, but I like this palm as a smaller species. I planted a group of four in a ara in the backyard where it neede some stuff badly, belwo the Live Oak in the frontyard and behind the bushes where you can see it from the front porch, and one in a pot out back on the lanai. The pictures I show the sun has bleached them out a bit, but the new fornds should be okay.
Frontyard Chinese Fans
Backyard Chinese Fans
Those of you reading in colder zones this palm can be grown and left in the ground atleast to zone 6. Any temperatures lower than like 15F kills the fronds, but just mulch it and it should grow back, it will probably never get much taller though. I know someone in Cincinatti, Ohio has had luck just muching over the plant in autumn.
Now just to other delights in the yard! I have a new Hibiscus Trained Tree in a container on the lanai called “Ft. Meyers”, it has a beautiful bloom and is doing well. My Daylily from Kentucky opened up with it’s bright yellow and huge bloom. There is a story behind that one and I will tell it tomorrow. I didn’t think the one I had already posted looked like I remembered the blooms looking.
Hibiscus 'Ft. Meyer'
Kentucky Daylily
5" Bloom
It is ironic that it opened up the Monday after the Kentucky Derby! I hope you enjoyed this post as I am enjoying all of yours!
Have A Great Day,
Jake
Northeast Florida Paradise 