Backbone Plants for the White Garden

September 4, 2009 by Rick

Variegated Flax Lily

Variegated Devils Backbone

Jewels of Opar

The White Garden is popular for many folks who want to enjoy their garden in the twilight and evening hours. This is especially needed in the shorter days of fall, winter and spring when the weather here in paradise is why we live in Florida and enjoy it so much .Variegated Flax Lily, Devils Backbone and Jewels of Opar are three of the most dependable Florida Friendly Plants you can use in your garden. They live from year to year with few pests. Use them with repetition in your design. Plant individual plants, clumps of the same white plant or drifts of the same if you have a large area. The white areas will glow in the twilight as you stroll from patch to patch when colorful flowers in between will not show up.

White and Ivory Fountain Grass also add movement, height and bright flowers to the white garden.

Livingstone Daisy Mezoo Red works as a drought tolerant groundcover to give you the white garden effect.

White Pentas standout in the twilight in the White Garden and do double duty as perennial favorites in the Butterfly garden.

White flowering annuals like impatiens, begonias, petunias, vinca and others can be used for the same effect. If you spend most of your time enjoying your garden in the evening then white plants and flowers may be just the ticket.

Ray White Petunias. The best petunia for Florida. Read more here.

Cora White Vinca. Disease resistant variety that made growing Vinca in Florida possible again.

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The Dirt on St Bernard's Lily

June 21, 2009 by Rick

Penny Carnathan from the Tampa Tribune posted on her Blog, The Dirt, comments and pictures from her recent visit to our farm to view new and current production items. Here is a picture of St. Bernard's Lily that will give you a good look at why I like this plant so much and promoted it to Penny.

Saint Bernard's Lily - Anthericum saundersiae. This grass-like plant has long, narrow leaves that are dark green forming a clump with upright arching leaves. Showy white flowers with yellow stamens are produced throughout the year. Give it well drained soil and it grows to 3 feet. We have found that if you cut it to the ground every other year it sprouts back rejuvenated and to a similar size quickly. Use it as a 'THRILLER' in the center of a large combination planter for a long lived and trouble free focal plant. Mass plantings are very attractive especially when they are flowering heavily. You can check out a beautiful mass planting at The Bette S. Walker Discovery Garden that has been in place since the garden was first planted.

Livingstone Daisy 'Mezoo Trailing Red' - a great new plant

March 14, 2009 by Rick

Mezoo Trailing Red is a new plant introduction that trails and is often used in combinations as a replacement for variegated vinca vine, a plant typically used in planters with geraniums and spikes in states north of Florida. Mezoo Trailing Red performs well in Florida all year, flowers are small and red but the foliage is the attraction. Use it as a 'SPILLER' in combinations to echo white in other components. Combine it with other succulents for a low water use, long lived planting. We see this plant becoming very popular as a Florida Friendly Plant. As a ground cover it will brighten your sunny garden with very little water or care. The prominent variegation makes it glow in the twilight hour making it suitable for 'White Gardens'. Euphorbia Diamond Frost is another drought tolerant perennial to combine with Mezoo Trailing Red in plantings with Pentas or red or pink mound Lantana. Mezoo Trailing Red in plantings with Euphorbia Diamond Frost and Knockout Roses accent the roses give the bed a bouquet look of baby's breath and bright foliage. You will find many uses for this wonderful new plant that thrives in Florida's hot sun and even grows well in bright shade. There are lots of right places for this right plant!

Stardust glows in the garden

February 16, 2009 by Rick

Stardust Shasta daisy is unusual because it blooms every month of the year in Florida unlike other Shasta’s that are limited to late Spring bloomers. Grow Stardust as an annual in South Florida and as a perennial in North Florida.

FloridaFriendlyPlants

Florida Gardening Success

Backbone Plants for the White Garden

The Dirt on St Bernard's Lily

Livingstone Daisy 'Mezoo Trailing Red' - a great new plant

Stardust glows in the garden