Ornamental Grass

Ornamental Grasses For Florida.

With more and more people looking to rid their property of turf grass and replace is with ornamental grasses, the question comes up as to which ones to plant.

Well lucky for you I have some answers! 

If you are looking for something to line the back property to hide neighbors or something unsightly then I recommend some Pampas Grass. Now you may think i'm crazy because some people tend to not like this grass. When planted correctly in the right area it can be a blessing. Growing up to 6 feet, then when it makes its beautiful puffs of "flowers" its about 9 feet tall. Plant it in full sun, and very good drought specimen.  I had these at my old house to give me some privacy and I loved them. So hardy and heat loving. I didnt give it any love and it couldnt care less. Just kept on growing strong! Blooming late summer and putting on a good show. When I would go look at it closely I saw it harboring lots of native tree frogs, I assume the saw like blades protect them from predators. I wish I had the room to put it in my new home. I strongly suggest this plant if you have the space. Even planting it as a single specimen is wonderful, or placed a bit back from a bench or pond. Also comes in a dwarf variety. 

If you are looking for something a bit smaller than I suggest a Native grass, Fakahatchee grass. It's one of my favorites. Perfectly green and graceful in the wind. I love planting this grass behind ponds, it really ads that "meadow" affect. It gets about 4-5 feet tall, likes rich soil, full sun, grows very fast, and can tolerate periods of drought. Most plant this under cypress trees, and around ponds. You can plant this with palmetto and pine trees to give a natural look. They are perfect for stabilizing erosion areas, they have deep dense roots that works really well and holding the soil together. Also comes in a dwarf variety.

Here is a picture in the link http://www.selandscapefl.com/images/fakahatchee_large.jpg

Fountain grass is also really beautiful and one of the easiest grasses to grow, it looks perfect along sidewalks and in mass plantings. Plant with caution and ask friends and neighbors if they have some. In the right environment it can be pretty invasive and obnoxious to get rid of. California for example is over run with it. I did not have this issue when I had it, but i have read and heard some stories. Anyways it is a great drought plant, will do fine with too much water as well. Full sun is a must, Looks great with flowers and around water features like bird baths and ponds. Gets about 3-4 feet tall.  Here's a picture I took while in California. Also comes in a Dwarf variety.

How you can help frogs.

Do your part to help out your native frogs! Here in Florida we have so many invasive species that just devastate our local wildlife. One of the worst in my book is the Cuban Tree frog. They are White, unnaturally large, and are everywhere! As much as I don't believe in killing anything, sometimes it is for the better good. I had a pond at my old house where I had catfish, Every morning I would go out into my yard, looking inside the elephant ears, gutters, and bromliads and snatch up the little devils and feed them to my catfish.

Over about two years I stopped seeing them in my yard! I started to see Native Tree frogs instead. It was wonderful. I hadnt seen any green frogs in a good 5-6 years. I was so happy to hear the noise of green frogs and bull frogs. I even started seeing a wider variety of insects which suprised me to be honest, I didnt expect that. I saw more moths than ever before. The papyrus around my ponds were packed with green frogs. This seemed an issue so heres my idea.

To give frogs places to hide, along places such as fences, and walls where you commonly see frogs, plant tall grasses! I did this and they loved it! The tall grass harbors insects and at night the bugs come out and the frogs are there to eat them. These grasses seemed to attract the most frogs

Pampas Grass: The sharp blades deter most animals but for the frogs it makes a perfect place to hide, it resembles sawgrass blades.

Fakahatchee Grass: This native grass has thick tall green lovely blades. It attracts insects with its thick growing style and frogs flock- hop, to it.

:::: These non-grass plants

White Bird of Paradise: The large green leaves give good coverage from bugs, and the flowers attract insects with all the nectar.

Canna Lilly: Plant these along ponds and it makes a perfect roost for frogs when calling for mates near water.

Bromiliads: These tropical plants hold water so the humidity helps keep frogs moist in hot sun, plant these under trees or if you can, stick them to the trees for a great look.


The best thing for frogs is to not use pesticide or fertilizer, they breath through their skin so they absorb all those nasty toxins. Let your bushes get a little crazy before you trim them, put those oak leaves under your bushes and plant to give insects places to live. Itl act as fertilizer too! If you have fruit that you dont fully eat hide it in your shrubs, your neighbors wont see it but the nats will feed the frogs. Frog populations are declining world wide so do your part to keep these cute critters around!

For more information check out this awesome website http://www.savethefrogs.com/actions/sharp-park/index.html

What I've been up to.

The main purpose of gardening for me is solely to help out the wildlife. Sure I get creative and make it beautiful, but the core of every plant I plant is for the bugs and everything else.
Today I was delighted to see some birds hoping around the ground eating some bugs that have found their way to my garden in the making. I've been throwing strawberries outside and they seem to relish them.
The soil in my area isnt so great for I spent a good time loosening up the soil so it will drain better and it seems to have been working for my Lavendula that doesn't like its feet wet. As for the pentas near by well, it may have been too late for them.
In spring I think i'll dig the entire area up and raise the soil adding lots of compost and rich soil. Then replant everything and hope for the best.

I have run out of funding for my plants because I don't yet have a job so i'm glad I thought ahead and bought seeds that im sowing at the moment. Two weeks from now i'll plant my Sunflowers that I plant on lining the back yard with so I dont have to stare at my odd neighbors. These things get 12-15 feet! Do you agree that's insane??? I cant wait to see the bees that it brings in then the birds that will come to eat the seeds!

Tell me what you have been up to! Do you have these sunflowers? Any garden adventures you want to share?

Save money on rose gardening!

I decided to trim my rose bush this afternoon.
After exactly 2 snips I got too nervous to continue trimming. It's my first time owning roses so until I get more confident trimming will be a nerve wrecking procedure.
Well I thought i'd try to do something I read online once.

Rooting roses in potatoes! Who would have ever thought of such a thing?
 They apparently have just enough moisture and nutrients for the cuttings to root.
So I got some old potatoes and stuck them in there!

So Here is what you do:

1. Poke a hole in the potato, I used a fork.

2. Stick the fresh rose cutting into a bottle of rooting powder then put the cutting into the potato.

3. Burry the potato with the rose cutting in a pot with soil. Fill enough to just cover the Potato.

4. Place out of direct sunlight.

5. Keep the soil moist and see what happens is all that's left. If it works you and I will have free roses!

I'l keep up to date on this but here are pics for now.

Freshly cut rose stems stuck into the potato.

Added the soil and now I wait.

Have you done any projects similar to this? Have any helpful hints? Questions? Feel free to ask/tell below!

Roses

The only time I will ever be okay with fungicide is early spring when roses are putting out their new growth. Using an organic fungicide I allow my roses to get a few sprits which secures them the rest of the year. It's an early preventative, the rest of the year it just needs proper watering and mulching.
When watering be sure to just wet the ground and not the leaves, wet leaves are what cause fungus and disease to grow.
It's also very important to plant them in full sun where there is good air circulation.

To keep them blooming longer, cut off the spent flowers. I leave them on in fall so the animals can eat the "berries" the roses make.
In spring don't throw away your cut stems, you can root those to make more roses! If you add rooting powder to the ends of them stem after you cut them, then stick them in potatoes they can actually root that way. So don't waste money on new plants!

Throughout the year you can throw your banana peels around them along with coffee grinds. They provide some natural nutrients to the plant. The coffee grinds also help fend off slugs and some other pests. Coffee grinds also ad some acid to the soil the roses love.

Here's are some pictures of my roses.

More Fruits and Vegies.

Veggies not fruiting? Or not fruiting enough?
Maybe the issue you don't have plants that attract the essential pollinators you need for a good fruiting.
The honeybee is the most common thought of for pollinating your fruits/vegetables. When you plant flowers that attract beneficial insects you not only get honeybees but also bumblebees, wasps (yes they pollinate too) and other insects that pollinate.
One plant you can add to your garden is Aster. Its a beautifully simple flower. They grow along ditches in some places, or in my case along our ponds. They bloom in fall when most flowers have stopped blooming, which makes them a critical source of pollen for our little pollinator insects. Plant these in full sun near your veggies and they are sure to  be pollinated with all the insects around.

Check out my past post on African Blue Basil for more plants to attract the good insects.

Ferns

Your shade garden is never complete without some ferns, but there is a fern that you can keep in a basket that really sets your garden off.
It's called a rabbit foot fern. They make spider like legs that the ferns then grow on and they are pretty care free other than the occasional watering.
Only flaw is they are not the fastest growing plants. If you have one long enough so that it envelops the basket its growing in, its really a beautiful sight to see hanging from your trees. Especially if you catch it in morning sun with some dew. I hang mine from Oak Trees, the falling leaves from the tree sit on top of the basket to help keep it moist.

You can also grow these guys indoors, its recommended to buy a spray bottle and mist the leaves in the morning before you head to work. Place in indirect sunlight or a filtered light area.

Where to buy:
I never see them sold as large specimens at the major department stores such as HomeDepot, or Lowes. So I suggest calling up some local nurseries and seeing if they have it because I guarantee it will be cheaper and much larger. You will also be supporting a local business.

If you happen to live in Florida I suggest visiting http://www.duncheons.com It is a fantastic plant nursery that I wish I could spend all day at.

Online you can buy them here http://rabbitsfootfern.com

Also try checking Ebay, and Amazon.

Pink Flowered Strawberry Plant

Have you ever heard of such a thing? Pink flowered strawberry plants? Well I certainly had not until an adventure to Home Depot last week. They had the cutest little strawberry plants.. with pink flowers.
Well ofcourse I purchased some!
Not only are they ornamentally appealing, they are everbearing! Which means Fruit all year, because who wants to wait season after season for more strawberries. I certainly don't.
With strawberry plants you want to mound the soil, add alot of compost, and then mulch so that the berries dont touch the soil, its easier for insects to get to them and burrow into the berry when they touch soil.
I add coffee grinds to make the soil a tad bit more acidic because I read strawberry and blueberry plants like it. I also planted lots of flowers to attract honey bees because with strawberries you need something to actually pollinate the flower, wind and water wont do it.

You are going to want to plant these in Full Sun 6+ hours of sunlight a day with good drainage.

Where to buy:
At HomeDepot ofcourse. You can about 6 small ones for about $5 which is a deal to me!

Online you can buy them here:
http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/veggies/strawberry_alpine.html#gsc.tab=0

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/29214-product.html

Plants for Ponds!

Nothing is more relaxing than having a beautiful Koi Pond or something similar in your yard, I once had 3 actually! It was so relaxing to hear the waterfalls during the day and the frogs at night.
When I started these ponds I was faced with what to put in them, I wanted something that would come back every year, flowered, and wouldnt be eaten by fish.
So I walked around my neighborhood and realized it was infront of me the entire time, growing around the lakes  and ponds.
ArrowHead! It's a neat little plant that grows pretty large so you would need to put it in the back of your pond. I just love it, every so often I would see some butterflies fluttering on it. It's native and just is super easy to grow, and it grows pretty fast. Just put it in a large enough pond pot and set it on a shelf in the pond, if your pond has shelves. Be sure to put this guy in Full Sun so that's 6+ Hours of sun a day. It will help filter some of the water and shelter any tiny fish you have like minnows since they like the shallow water it creates between the pot and water surface. It also creates a home for frogs and the tadpoles they lay. It also makes the perfect perch for and dragonflies.

This is the butterfly I had seen on the ArrowHead. Just wasnt quick enough to snag a picture.

Instagram and Twitter!

Just made an instagram! and if you didnt know already check out my Twitter

Instagram: ChrisDolphin20

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisDolphin20

Keep pesky bugs away

We all know we shouldn't be using pesticide, especially if we are organic gardening.
Well then the issue is, What do we use? There are many things! From insects to plants.
This post is going to focus on plants, they look nice and keep bugs away. A win win in my book.

First on the list is a well known plant, the Marigold.
It has attractive orange flowers and is easy to care for, making a great border plant along gardens. They produce nectar that attract beneficial insects to help keep things like aphids away and the aroma of the leaves and flower help keep many harmful insects at bay. Easy to care for, just needs full sun and water. Plant these in your vegetable garden!

Second on my list is a lesser known plant, Fever Few.
Its a european flower with cute little white flowers on it. Extremely easy to care for with an herby/earthy smell to its foliage. I planted these in all my vegetable pots to keep bugs away. They HATE it. I could easily cut and root this plant so I only needed to buy one and it made many many more. My old neighbors took some and said it worked like a charm. Just needs full sun and regular water!
It also many medical benefits! Check out this link for more info http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/feverfew

Third and last on my list is not a plant at all but a way to help prevent fungus growing on your vegies.
Simply spreading a two inch layer of mulch will help keep the soil from splashing up on the leaves while watering. Soil splashing is a big cause of fungus on plants.

I hope this helps while gardening, I know it helps me out!

Lollipop Verbena

One plant I really like is the Lollipop Verbena.
I first saw this lovely little ball of purple while in London. I was estactic when I got home and a few weeks later the local Lowes was selling them. It turns out they make an excellent addition to the garden.  Only getting about 2-3 feet tall. Attracting hummingbirds (so i've read) and honey bees which i've seen. They are super hardy going down to about 10 degrees, which it never gets here in Florida so it seems a perfect fit for me.
I planted some Blueberry bushes behind it and it really seems to pop. I then added some strawberry plants lining the front of them. It really turneed out nice, I'd have a picture but everything is currently covered due to frost. The berries and verbena love full sun and I layered them so they are not competing for sun light. I also made sure to add plenty of compost and rich soil to make sure it drains properly.

Here is the Verbena I saw while in London at Hyde Park.

Bad Bugs!

     I planted a patch of milkweed plants not too long ago so that the Monarch Butterflies would have a place to lay their eggs. It worked and I have many caterpillars and butterflies around my yard but once the butterflies moved on some bugs showed up. I thought them harmless little beetle looking creatures with some unique patterning. So I left them be for a bit until i noticed they we spreading and multiplying like rabbits! They were actually draining the top part of my milkweed plants where the flower buds are. They were killing my plants at a rate that surprised me.


    To make it worse not too long after they showed up, another little bug made its way to my garden. Oleander Aphids! Now those are some bad bugs! I can easily pick the aphids off by squishing them on the splant. I've read you can spray them off or spray the plant but I dont want to use any sprays. I also read if you can get lady bugs into your yard that that will do the trick but I know lady bugs eat the caterpillars as well and I would rather just rub them off the plants than to deal with no butterflies. So squishing will do for now.

As for the Milkweed Bugs I have been able to grab all the baby beetles and chuck them across the street. Seems to be working so far!

Heres a link for pictures of the milkweed bug:
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/insects/plant-bugs/milkweed-bugs.aspx

and then the horrid aphids!http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/hemipt/OleanderAphid.htm

Here are some pics of my Milkweed

Anise Hyssop and Mintleaf BeeBalm

Oh my it such a beautiful day outside today. It's 50, no clouds, and just wonderful. My seedlings are coming up that I sowed a few weeks ago so that they would be ready to be planted for spring. I used a simple tray I bought from Lowes. Simply fill the dried soil pods with warm water and plant your seeds. It keeps the perfect amount of moisture so you dont have to worry!
I wanted to create a backyard for the bees, the butterflies, and the hummingbirds.After many many hours of research I found the plants I need, Anise Hyssop, and Mintleaf BeeBalm. Both attract beneficial insects to the garden but most importantly they attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds! I have many other plants on my list but these needed to be sown earlier than all the others.
The Anise Hyssop gets about 3-5 feet depending on how its taken care of, I dont expect it to exceed 4 feet since I wont be using any fertilizers on it unless I can find some good ole worms.  I have had this once before and I couldnt even plant it in the ground before I had all sorts of butterflies fluttering around on it. I was amazed. And then flood killed it all shortly after :( But it was a must have for my new garden!

The beebalm on the other hand I have never planted or even seen in person. I've only read about its amazing ability to attract hummingbirds and bees to your garden so im crossing my fingers hoping I can take care of it properly until spring when I'll plant it in the backyard.

Bee Crack: AKA African Blue Basil.

BEES! My back yard is buzzing with the wonderful hum of bees! I planted some African Blue Basil that I had purchased from Home Depot and it flourished. I've never seen so many honey bees since I planted it. Well with all great thing comes an end.. if not always on its own. My step father ripped it out of the ground once before so I frantically scrambled around to get cuttings of them in an attempt to salvage what was left.

Thank goodness it was easy to root, simply stuck it in a pot and tuhdaw! 3 new plants! If you love the little honey bees i strongly suggest planting this beautiful plant. It does not make seeds so it just continually blooms with its beautiful purple spikes of flowers. With most basil plants you are told to cut of the flowers but with the African Blue you are encouraged to let it bush out and flower. It will make more leaves and flowers at the same time. It's very hardy and it forgives you if you neglect it. Although it does not like being cold or wet. When winter comes around simply snip a few branches off (It's going to die anyway) and try rooting it indoors. It does not make seeds so it's important to get those cuttings!
It blooms well into fall until it has been frozen over basically. Since it is such a long and consistent bloomer it becomes a valuable source of food for the bees. Very few flowers are blooming late fall and this really helps the honey bees build up a food source to survive winter.

I also planted this around my vegetables and fruits to ensure the bees would come visit the garden to pollinate everything.  Also I hear you can eat it! I have not tried this yet because I am no chef, but if any of you out there are please try it and let me know!

Hello and Welcome!

I realize this is my first post so naturally it will be in the deep space of future blog post's but i'd like to say Welcome! Thank you for stopping by, even if it was an accident...

If you couldn't tell by the background and link, this is a blog on the wonderful things we waste (sorry for the harsh words) so much money on. Plants! Also my fails and success with them. 

A bit of background info on me:

- I'm 20 years old and have been fascinated by plants since I learned lettuce does not actually grow on trees. 

- I spend too much time on the internet.

- I like pictures so brace yourself for many of those. Good and bad. 

Whelp I hope you enjoy reading and I look forward to comments and feedback. Stay classy not sassy. 

I can not wait to look back on this and be completely embarrassed.