Many thanks to Anna Derrick and Steve Jones for hosting Eugenia Chapter’s yard tour on August 20, 2026. They deserve additional pats on their backs for being such troopers by agreeing to “go on with the show” despite the looming weather forecast. Same goes for all our members and guests that came out to support the event.
I feel that visiting their property was a real treat since it showcased their recently installed water feature which is the stunning focal point of their backyard. This creation was inspired by the talk given by the enthusiastic folks from Florida Custom Aquatics to our chapter in January 2026. Click here to see details about the presentation. The industrious couple have gone even further to enhance the area with the addition of the beautiful flagstone patio and path areas.
Anna and Steve envisioned the water feature to provide more than visual appeal. They can also enjoy the sounds of the cascading water. With the addition of Florida’s, prolific, native mosquito fish, herons are visiting for easy meal pickings. Colorful dragonflies, and their nymphs, add to the backyard food chain. Anna is keeping her fingers crossed that she will also see bats dipping down to the water’s surface.
Visitors had the opportunity to see several species of aquatic plants that we don’t often get to see in native landscapes: golden cannas, blue flag iris, and pickerelweed. If you have sunny to partial shady areas in your yard that stay moist, you might try growing the cannas and/or the irises. Both plants readily reproduce themselves by underground rhizomes and are easily divided.
I was most fascinated to see the water-spider orchid (Habenaria repens) which I’ve never seen before. It is one of the few native aquatic orchids. Read more about this interesting orchid by clicking here. I also liked hearing from Anna that the original plant flowered, died back, only to be followed by the now-blooming plant in this picture. If you look closely, it appears that another spike is coming up too!
In this colorful picture with one of our favorite native plants, dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis) , you can see two landscaping “tools” that are noteworthy for us native plant promoters. Anna and Steve have utilized drip lines for their grow-in. These lines help conserve water by reducing evaporation and putting water where it directly needs to go. The pine straw mulch will aid in water evaporation and weed control.
Just because Fall is right around the corner, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to stop propagating native plants. Share some of your “spare” plants with friends, neighbors, and PLEASE bring some to our meetings for our native plant auction.
Thanks to Terri Privett for allowing me to use her video images for the photos in this article.
ircnativeplants.org 