Decorative ... Meet Functional

Every garden is as unique as the gardener who creates it. Mine has been lovingly planted with my own two hands and gradually designed with a few significant goals in mind. It is a peaceful place where I  toil and pause to center my soul. Most importantly, my family and friends gather here for events and holidays. Last, but not at all least, my garden provides an environmentally friendly habitat for Florida wildlife.

Bird feeding station in Central Perennial Garden

I've been feeding birds at various stations located throughout my garden for as long as I can remember. Watching them come and go to the feeders is amazingly entertaining. Hearing their sweet songs and calls is as delightful as sunshine on a cool day. Just knowing birds are happy in my garden is extremely satisfying. My family enjoys learning the names and specific antics of the birds that visit and nest among the abundant shrubs and trees at my house and surrounding conservation areas.

Bird feeder with Safflower seed next to Circle Garden.

Florida-Friendly plants blend with Florida native plants in my garden to form an ecological  habitat that supplies cover, safety, food  and water for wildlife. My style is naturalistic, yet cohesive. My garden is made up of large, sweeping beds (most under clumps of mature oak trees) connected by meandering pathways between specified garden areas with only a small patch of lawn remaining in the back garden.

One thing I had not added to my garden is yard art. I've not been much of a fan of random yard art.  At least not in my garden. Yard art in some gardens looks like it belongs, much like well appointed furniture and accessories.

In mine? Not so much.

In my mind, any notion of whimsical additions would have to be kept to a minimum and yet should be significant enough to make a statement that complements the maturity of my garden spaces. I am a big fan of seating areas and functional spaces. I've used decorative cobalt blue pottery containers with good plant combinations to dress up particular spots throughout. That's about the extent of it. Until now.

Three new birdhouses in my back garden add a bright spot of whimsy and function.

Inspiration from a fellow-gardener motivated me to envision decorative birdhouses for a spring spruce-up in my garden. I hired help to install them on 4x4x8 posts cut to different levels for my design. The birdhouses are large. Each one is at least 24" tall or more. Hopefully birds will actually use them since they are decorative and functional.

Birdhouses from the side angle.

They are situated in a curving pathway between the privacy berm and the sunny cottage border in the back garden.

Birdhouses in the morning light.

Drainage holes were drilled in the bottom and small doors on the back or side allows for clean out when necessary. The openings are the proper size for small birds to nest.

Birdhouses in the late-afternoon light.

Who knows? Next I might just break down and get one of those blue bottle-trees that are starting to appeal to me. I must be getting old. :-)

Which whimsies do you have in your garden?
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American Goldfinch

Every autumn I hear the soft tweeting of migrating American Goldfinches as they arrive and gather by the dozens in the branches of my mature live and scrub oak trees. Eventually they make their way down to eye level at the bird feeders. They are extremely people-shy, flitting away at the sight of me and my camera.

Until recent years, I put out thistle feeders just for them. A strange turn of events occurred a couple of years ago.  For some reason they weren't choosing thistle to eat. Instead, they were frequenting the bird feeders with mixed sunflowers and the safflower-only feeders.

When I asked the owner at Wild Birds Unlimited if he noticed the same pattern of Goldfinches skipping over the thistle, he confirmed my observations. He noted there wasn't a clear reason for this change in the Goldfinches' habits. Now I don't bother with thistle during the winter months while Goldfinches are visiting.

Goldfinches will hang around during Florida's mild winter and spring. Sometimes they stay through May, but usually I stop seeing them here in April when they migrate back to the north. That's also when the male plumage begins to molt into the brilliant golden color they are recognized by. I'm completely ecstatic Goldfinches have chosen to visit Hoe and Shovel each winter and spring. If I was a Goldfinch I'd rather be in a Florida garden also. :-)

Here is a link to a YouTube video of the Goldfinches in my garden in Spring 2011.
http://youtu.be/QO2cJXGBPFQ

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Meems

Benefits and Beneficials ~ A Garden Teeming with Life

Zebra Longwing (Heliconiuscharitonia) butterflies were missing from my garden last year. It was sad not to see them. They had been so abundant in years past.

You can imagine my excitement when a Zebra Longwing butterfly appeared again this spring. As a matter of fact, I remember the exact day I saw the first one.

It was Easter Sunday. The family was all here and I made a little squeal as it gently fluttered past me during our annual outdoor egg hunt. This very landing was its destination that day, too.

Since that first sighting this Chaya Spinach Tree (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) seems to be a regular hang out for them. (There are several now.)They are strongly attracted to the rather insignificant blooms that sprout up from the tippy-top of the tree.

The alternate landing zone, where they are seen most often, is on the firebush (Hamelia patens) shrubs. There are several planted throughout the garden (not pictured here). Zebra longwings living in my garden again is like receiving a hug from them.

Sharing the nectar on the Chaya is the ever-present monarch. They can be seen regularly, most any month out of the year. That does't mean I take them for granted. I delight at the lilt of every colorful flight across my garden.

I like knowing my garden is safe for every creature. I make certain of it by eliminating the use of pesticides and insecticides.

Nature has a way of balancing and taking care of unwanted critters when gardeners respect the eco-system God put in place. Even the spiders no longer feel like a threat to me. They are allowed to spin their homes and wait for prey to help with the balancing process.

Milkweed assasin is a mighty powerful worker around here. A favorite bright and eager predator of stink bugs, flies and aphids among other pesky insects. If all they ate was stink bugs that would be enough for me! What colorful attire and handsome profile they adorn to boot!

The rewards and benefits of purposeful gardening are numerous. One welcomed benefit is the discovery of caterpillars feeding off of host plants (Rue herb) installed just for them. I watch them chomp away progressing toward maturity. Butterfly caterpillars never fail to amuse. Seeing them satisfies my desire to provide a safe garden for them to reproduce.

Once in a while we actually get the privilege of noticing where they crawl to make ready for transformation. They often instinctively travel away from the host plant. This fat cat (Black Swallowtail) somehow made it to a neighboring container plant. It found the underside of a stiff bromeliad (Aechmea Blanchetiana).

Within a matter of hours its skin split down the center (I missed it) and formed its cozy home to hang. After a couple of weeks it will make its final metamorphosis into a Black Swallowtail butterfly. I hope it decides to live its short life in my garden and perhaps keep the cycle going.

I place a number of bird feeders throughout my garden. They lure the birds from the limbs of the trees down to human levels for a closer look at them.

Cardinals are plentiful here. We've counted over a dozen at once time as they swoop from limb to limb and feeder to feeder.

Small Carolina Chickadees are also numerous and play well with the wrens, Cardinals, Titmouse, and Mourning doves. They frequently gather at the feeders together.

One of my favorite bird families is the Red-bellied Woodpeckers. They have the most distinct soft,rolling call. It is easily recognized as it forages for insects among the tall oak trees.

I've observed butterflies and other pollinators in my garden over the years. I make efforts to identify which flowering plants they are most attracted to for nectaring.

If I notice they pay more attention to a particular variety such as the Florida-Friendly crimson Pentas (Pentas lanceolata) plants, I endeavor to spread that plant around the garden in numerous places.

I realize crimson-colored Pentas is a pollinator's smorgasbord when I see the sun catching the wings of all the tiny critters flying around them.

Can you see the pollen on the edges of this Tiger Swallowtail's wings? It is helping to spread goodness throughout my garden naturally.

A garden teeming with life is full with not only vegetation and but critters, too. My Florida garden has a wide variety of plant materials that attract indigenous wildlife. The benefits of organic gardening allow the beneficial insects and pollinators to live out their life-cycles fully, in freedom. If I happen to encounter some aphids on a plant, I exercise patience. I have confidence predator bugs will find them and rid the plant of pests for me. When I plant edibles I know the pollinators will transport necessary pollen for reproduction.

It's the most sensible and rewarding way to garden. What benefits have you discovered from the beneficial critters in your garden?
Happy gardening,
Meems
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You might want to click here to read my Lowe's Creative Ideas article, Attracting Pollinators, to learn more about how to attract pollinators to your garden.

Hummer Makes My Case For Crimson Pentas

Crimson pentas rank high on the 'favorite year-round perennials' list here.

For so many reasons.

They are bright and cheery and endure all kinds of ill-weather. Mine all came back from being frosted to the ground this winter. They bloom consistently all year long. Other than benefiting from deadheading occasionally (not required) pentas of all colors ask for very little from the gardener. Grown in partial shade or direct sunlight makes them suitable for just about every garden.

They are most notably a butterfly attractor!

Recently they were bumped up to an even higher position on my favorites list.

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I NEVER EVER have my camera handy when I see hummingbirds in my garden. Occasionally one will come whizzing past me while I work; sounding like an overgrown bumble bee to my ears. But it is no use trying to scramble for the camera. I'd rather just enjoy the sight of them in their lightning-fast motion.

Such was the case as Mr. Meems and I were eating brunch on the back porch the other day. Only it was Mr. Meems who spoke up saying, "I think I just saw a hummingbird on the roses." Immediately I doubted his identification as not moments prior I had watched the chickadees as they fluttered about the feeders in almost-hummbingbird-like motion. Surely he has seen the chickadees was my first thought.

Not so. He was absolutely right. Sure enough it was a hummer. (I should've known right!?).

We watched that busy hummer through the screening about 40' away for a good while. It moved from the knockout rose tree, to the crimson pentas, over to the mexican petunias and back again. Repeatedly. Hungry little hummer.

Finally I could stand it no more. We came up with a plan.

Mr. Meems scurried inside for my camera (while I kept my eye on the hummer). Then he stealthily opened the screened door for me to slip outside unnoticed in an attempt to maybe... just maybe get a photo. Oh, how I needed my monopod. I was excited and too far away ~~ my hand just couldn't get steady enough.

Still, I gave it my best effort and this is it. What a thrill to see them sipping nectar from any of my plants. It is almost always the coral honeysuckle or the fire bush that attracts them. They DO love the color RED.

One of these days I'm going to be ready and all the universe will align for that in-focus hummer photo.

One of these days...

Live Video:: A Tour Down the Tropical Pathway

For my next Lowe's blog entry the assignment is to create a "short" video illustrating the content of the written entry. 'Short' is a key word in the assignment. My first attempt at a video was way too long. So the thought occurred to post the one that is too long here. The length is about 3:50 minutes as I take you from the circle garden down the tropical pathway. (And I tried to hurry~yikes). I apologize in advance for the jiggly camera. The video is UNSCRIPTED and completely shooting from the hip so please forgive. Again, I will NOT be using this video for my Lowe's entry next week. Although the one I am submitting is UNSCRIPTED as well. (That's what they've asked for.) But now that I've made this video and uploaded it to YouTube I'm wondering why garden bloggers don't do this??? What do you think? It seems like a good way to get to share more of our gardens in REAL time! Anyway... here it is... blemishes and all! Oh, heads up to listen for the Pileated Woodpecker at the start of the film.
While I was working on that clip I also made a short (this one really is) video of the gold finches at the feeders in the way back garden. It's rare that I have my camera while I'm working back there. Have you ever noticed, like I have, the birds are less shy when I'm plodding about the garden than when I'm edging closer to them with my camera? It dawned on me to post the short video of goldfinches here so you could see them too.
The males have molted into their bright yellow breeding plumage and I love to hear them singing away during the day. The American Goldfinch can be found throughout the state until about early May, sometimes later. They've been here since December.

I was relating to the Wild Birds Unlimited Store owner the strange way the goldfinches are AVOIDING the thistle feeders this year. And golly is that food expensive! But they ARE feeding from the feeders with black oil and striped sunflower/safflower/white millet blend. His response was that it is happening everywhere. Strange. Too bad the large bag of thistle food is going to waste. I hope you enjoyed the videos and the stroll through the garden with me. Do you think making an easy video is a good idea to share our gardens??? Meems

Winter Sunshine

Sunshine on a cool winter day urges gardeners and critters alike to bask in the wondrous beauty of nature. A stellar gardening day sandwiched between some cloudy, rainy days yesterday drew me outdoors for more winter clean up. The edible garden is the place where the sun brightly illuminates unhindered for about 6 hours. Less hours during winter but when it shines the entire place is a symphony of humming and buzzing. Two red admiral butterflies adding to the brightly colored blooms flitting from place to place bring a smile to my face. Landing here and there and sipping from their choice of nectar. More sunshine means more flowering plants and since my garden is mostly shady elsewhere I take the liberty to add as many flowers between the edibles as I feel I have room to spare. Mixing them in with the edibles is especially satisfying. To my senses and to the pollinators. Close by, watching me from the perimeter, is a clever and animated mockingbird. Sitting happily atop the sprawling Trachelospermum jasminoides confederate jasmine which covers the ugly chain link fence for the longest minutes. [I'm grateful for the fence these days though as it keeps the edible garden contained and safe from walking critters that might otherwise seek to harm.] I just kept inching my way closer. In between my sly movements leaning down to pull a weed or pluck a dead flower. Probably wasn't fooling my mockingbird in the least. He was just soaking up all that beautiful sunshine and cool air just like me. Don't you love having wildlife make their home in your garden or just deem it worthy to pay a visit while passing through! Are you starting to see the sun or signs of wildlife where you are? There's always something to see in the garden. The life the critters add to the garden is just as important to me as plants and flowers. What critters are making you smile today? *** The northern mockingbird is Florida's state bird. It is also the state bird to Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, and Mississippi.