There Were No Fences

Wetland Deciduous woodland Wildflower Garden                                                                                                                                       It has been several months now since I began work on my landscape - five months to be exact. When I moved here in mid-October, there was virtually nothing here to interest any form of wildlife. The front yard was a monoculture of turfgrass with a large camphor tree near the driveway. The back was also a sea of turf and a tangle on non-native morning glory and balsam pear covered nearly every square inch of fenceline. I saw my first bee - a southern blueberry bee after about 6 weeks, but that was about all I saw. Even honeybees were rare. Butterflies, except a rare gulf fritillary, were absent. Since that time, I have been carefully planning my new landscape, purchasing plants, adding plants that I have grown myself, and watching for results.  At this time, life has made an appearance. This

Non-native tropical milkweed Monarch caterpillar feasting on non-native milkweed I have been a staunch supporter of the native plant movement for more than 30 years in Florida. I believe my credentials in that regard are unquestioned, but I am constantly dismayed by comments I see posted in social media primarily that seem to miss the point about why native plants are important in our developed landscapes. The controversy surrounding the use of native vs non-native milkweeds is at the center of much of this. Let me state that I have planted 4 native milkweed species in my own landscape. I created a wetland setting (which I've written about) in my backyard so I could grow two of them - pink swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata ) and swamp white milkweed ( Asclepias perennis ). The other two - butterflyweed ( Asclepias tuberosa ) and whorled milkweed ( Asclepias verticillata ) are in my developing wildflower garden in the front. I treasure my native milkweeds for both their

Cockspur Haw - Crataegus crus-galli Flyr's Nemesis - Brickellia cordifolia Over the nearly 35 years that I have been actively promoting native plants and landscaping with them in Florida, I have come to love a great many species that are not, or were not, propagated routinely in the trade. Species, like the two pictured above, that to me are exceptional native plants with exceptional wildlife value often don't have the demand that other species have and they are largely ignored, therefore, by the growers who have to make a living growing plants that they can actually sell. Whether it's widgets or native plants, the concept of supply and demand comes into play. Because of this, I started growing some of these myself. With a checklist in hand of those species I most wanted to add to my own landscape, I would keep an eye out for them as I traveled and hiked throughout the state. Slowly, but surely, I found many of them in seed and I then collected a little for my exp

I am not a patient person. If my mother were still alive, she'd tell you as much. My best friends would tell you the same. It seems like I've been practicing patience my whole life, and generally failing at it. As I was reminded a great many times in my life - "Rome wasn't built in a day."  I write this as I grapple with my desire to finish my landscape (is a landscape ever truly "finished"?) and my inner comprehension that to do so will take more time and planning. You see, landscapes are not built in a day either. The other day, a person who posted a comment to something I had written asked me if I was rich.......... Seemingly, the fact that I was not simply letting the "native" weeds take over my landscape and actually planting real plants seemed to be a pastime for the truly wealthy.  So, for all of you that might also wonder, I am not rich. I have become more patient. It may not be apparent to some of my friends, but I actually am

A Natural Wildflower "Meadow" - Apalachicola National Forest I grew up in the prairie Midwest and was fortunate to have been caught up in the prairie restoration movement that blazed brightly in the last few decades of this past century. Very little of our original prairie ecosystems remain as the rich prairie soils were quickly converted to agricultural uses as European settlers swarmed their way over the continent.  These ecosystems are extremely diverse, regardless of where they occur. From the tall-grass prairies of the Midwest to the rockland prairies of the Mid-South and the true dry prairie systems here in Florida where I now reside, there are several universal characteristics - they are some of the most species diverse systems in the world and they are dominated by grasses. Grasses, in all their many shapes and forms, are what form the foundation of any "meadow." That must also be true for all the "wildflower meadows" I see extolled on s

Every gardener is confronted with the same question - Do I start my landscape with seeds or with established plants in pots? It is a very legitimate question and it has bearing on a number of very important future results. Both approaches have merit and both have limitations. I've been gardening all my life it would seem - at least since I was able to toddle about, and I've used both with great success at times. It just depends on the setting and the goals you've set for your landscape. Seeds can be a very economical approach if you are limited in budget; if - and that is the operative word - you can find a reliable seed source for the plant species you wish to add. You can often purchase a relatively large number of them at a reasonable cost. Every week (daily at times) I see posts to social media of people looking for seed to start their wildflower garden. I understand and sympathize with their desire, however, it is often poorly directed. Starting a landscape p

Coreopsis auriculata As I continue to plan and plant my native plant landscape, I find myself especially diligent about the plants I add. The tendency is to want everything that is both beautiful and useful ecologically. It is a mistake to try to add everything and to get sidetracked adding things that somehow appear out of nowhere and that were not part of the original plan. Though it is always good to remain flexible, new additions must meet your criteria and be real additions to what you've already planted. Some of this is further compounded by the fact that there is a debate about what constitutes being native. For the past several years, I have watched my small population of eared tickseed ( Coreopsis auriculata ) slowly multiply and I transplanted them into pots prior to my move to my new home in Holiday. I love this diminutive coreopsis. Its foliage remains green throughout the winter here and stands only several inches above the soil surface - making it a wonderful g

Florida Flame Azaleas - Rhododendron austrinum I've been reading quite a bit of writing lately about the use of "cultivars" in the realm of native-plant landscaping. A good number express their opinion that cultivars are worse than "natives" - that they won't provide the same benefits and/or that they won't perform in the same manner. The truth is not that simple, of course, and may be completely opposite of what this "collective wisdom" seems so eager to espouse. I have posted four photos above of Florida flame azaleas ( Rhododendron austrinum ) that I recently purchased for my landscape. Three are "native" and one is a cultivar. I challenge you to pick the cultivar. Truth is that there is great diversity in natural populations - everything from foliage, mature height, flower color, fragrance, and blooming time. Since the dawn of civilization, humans have selected those individuals within a population that best fit their

Finished Wetland Boundaries of my Front Yard Wildflower Garden I am currently a member of several groups on Facebook that promote the use of native plants. These are good sites for those still relatively new to this way of thinking and for help in identifying plants that are unfamiliar. Many of the discussions, however, are a bit alarming to me as they seem to ignore the real reason why landscaping with native plants is inherently a better approach than the more-traditional one - Native plants, when chosen thoughtfully, are best at creating living landscapes. Plain and simple. There is no magic bullet associated with a plant simply because it is native. That attribute does not confer to them something special that will somehow transform a landscape from traditional lifelessness to a new energy. It is not that simple. A few days ago, I weighed in on a thread that I've been seeing far too often; the question on Facebook is "Is this native?, followed by a great sigh