Thank you to Marc Spiess for leading a yard visit at the Environmental Learning Center on Thursday, May 18. The Bahama wild coffee (Psychotria ligustifolia) planted last year along Live Oak Drive was full of flowers and was abuzz with…
ircnativeplants
Carol is President of the Eugenia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.
Showy Standing Cypress
Standing cypress (Ipomopsis rubra) is.a biennial wildflower with striking spikes of red tubular flowers. Marc Speiss & Kei Andrews grew it from seed and planted it in different locations in their yard to find out where it would grow best.…
Lovely Lignum Vitae
Jim Dryby shared photos of his flowering lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum). This endangered plant is native to the Florida Keys. It is slow-growing and spectacular. Check out the beautiful blue flowers.
Atalas Abound
The atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala), once thought to be extinct, has expanded its range likely due the increased use/transport of its larval host plant, coontie (Zamia integrifolia), in landscaping, rearing/releases at Disney Wabasso Beach, and warming temperatures. The photo above…
Terrific teabush
Teabush (Melochia tomentosa) also is called woolly pyramidflowerand broomweed. It caught the attention of everyone who visited the yard of Tom Brown on June 18, 2021. Tom reported that it attracts a bevy of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators including…
Yard of Tom Brown 2021
Not long before we visited the yard of Tom Brown on June 18, 2021, a gopher tortoise had built a burrow in the sandy soil among the native wildflowers in this un-irrigated yard. Plant it, and they will come. Tom…
May 2021: Yard of Fran Robinson
Fran Robinson, pictured above in a vintage FNPS t-shirt, is an avid gardener, and her garden continues to grow beautifully. She graciously has hosted us on 7/27/2017, 5/16/2019, and most recently on 5/20/2021.What a transformation! A pretty privacy hedge of…
Native yellow lantana: Not likely
Many native plant nurseries supposedly sell the low growing native pineland lantana (Lantana depressa var. depressa). According to botanical expert Roger Hammer, it is unlikely to be the native pineland lantana due to hybridization -- even if sold by a…
Nifty Native Front Dooryard Planting
Lori & Terry Greene recently re-did their front dooryard bed. The photo above was taken when we visited on 4/25/21, and the very top photo was taken and shared on 6/17/21 by Terry. Check out how this garden has grown.…
Diversity, diversity, diversity …
The yard of Lori & Terry Greene, visited by folks from the Eugenia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society on May 25, 2021, demonstrates dramatically how you can use native plants to create beauty and privacy within the confines…
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