Need a lil assistance

This morning we yanked out the ratty looking Knock-Out Roses, and now I have a wide open bed to "decorate" -- of course, DH wants to go plant shopping this week... I told him I need time to research.... Men.

Also, what is this palmy thing on the corner? .... I'm thinking "Free to a good home"

In the middle, where there are no windows, I want a viney plant with lots of blooms that will attract butterflies and possibly humming birds. I was flipping thru this book I have, and I really like the look of the Mandevilla - but in the description in the book, it does not show that it attracts wild life... not like the Coral Honeysuckle, but that looks a lil scraggly. OH, just saw the passiflora. I told DH i want to do like a trellis, or just something to climb up on the blank wall.

Dh just wants plants with color, whether that be foliage or blooms.
I would like at least 1 rose bush though.

OH --- this bed is eastern exposure. Blazing sun about 10-1pm, otherwise shade.

The Passion vines(not the red trumpet one) are great for butterflies. There are 2 butterflies that use it as a host plant(Gulf Frittery(?) and the state butterfly the Zebra Long Wing) and I have seen a hummingbird feeding one a BUT the run underground and pop up EVERY WHERE. So the best way to have one is to put it into a large pot and put the pot on a large stepping stone. Better yet is a huge pot with no hole in the bottom!!!. I have over 20 Zebra Longwings flying around this year.
Coral Honeysuckle would be pest for the Hummingbird-just prune it and it will be more compact.
The Pipe vines are great for butterflies(not the giant one) there are 2 butterflies that us it as a host plant. The Gold Rim and the Pipevine Swallow tail. It has interesting flowers and grows fast but is much easier to keep in bounds. I have 4 different kinds of pipe vines growing in my yard.

This message was edited Oct 26, 2015 8:32 AM

Here are a couple of pictures.
first is a small passion flower this one is a native I think Corky stem.
2 is the passon vine from hell(Passiflora incarnata)- it is the one that is trying to take over the world. But it does have a great smell.
3 is a red that is ok for butterflies.
4 is the red that you should not buy as it is poison for butterflies.
5 is a nice one but I do not remember it's name

Pipe vines
1st is a small one that is great for butterflies and does not take over the world.
2 is the Giant and it does grow huge and the flowers are very large
3 I do not know the name of this one but it also is not to invasive.
4 is Sliver vine and it is very small vine that would do to grow in a pot with over plants.(that is how it grows here.
You can start most of these from seeds. I might be able to get seeds for the first one as there are a lot of seed pods on my vines.

I have both the pipe vine and the passion vine in Wrens no. 2 pic. There sprawling doesn't bother me cause they are both on pasture fence at upper end of garden. I just clip them off at the ground and they come back the following spring.

If you want some be glad to give you both as they need clipping now. D mail if you would like plenty. Your idea for using a trellis for them would be a good one.

Bonnie

dwarf banana will fit between the windows

can't recall ever seeing a dwarf... neat.

The plant in the pot looks to be a smaller philodendron, they do well in the ground too, if you want to move it somewhere else. They like shade also.

As far as a vine, the passiflora will usually freeze back in the winter leaving you a bare spot, the purple grows back the quickest. Some years mine is eaten to the stem by the caterpillars. Lady Margaret the burgundy one seems to do better with a bit of shade during hot part of day. Do not buy the red scarlet, it is invasive and not good and the butterflies nor the birds like it.

I love my coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), hummers love it! It flowers a lot in spring and sporadically through out the year, also gets pretty red berries which I guess the birds eat. It has never frozen back and fast grower, with a trellis you can easily train it to stay where you want it. Loves sun.

Cape Honeysuckle Tecomaria capensis can be trimmed to stay in one location also, it is also loved by hummers. It takes the cold pretty good up against a house. Mine blooms heavy in spring and fall, and sporadically through out the year.

I'm enjoying myself looking at images of all these plants.

Of course, DH wants this done yesterday... I told him there is no way I will complete it in one day.... I have to have time to figure out exactly what I need/want.

I do want at least 1 rose bush .... and I know I will have to research those. Sandy gave me a site/list last year... i will have to find that again.

May I add 1 caution. Do use a trellis and whatever you plant don't let it touch your house. My house needs repainting cause I planted creeping fig near foundation. It grew and grew. Around end of house even onto carport which is on back of house. I figured I had better pull it off as it went up under the eves and shingles. Now I have a house that looks like it had chicken pox. I loved the look of it all over the house but it went wild. Live and learn huh.

I have tried digging up some of the roots. That's a joke. When I drive by all these developments that have it all over their walls I just wonder. It also can grow into cement block and brick mortar lines. When I can repaint again it will take me weeks to repoint all the joints in the blocks. I did that last time and the prep time was 2 or 3 weeks. The painting was a snap. I pressure washed it 3 times. I'm older now and don't look forward to it at all.

Good luck with your plant choices.

interesting and something to definitely to consider.... and yes, I plan to use a trellis of sorts....

I'm thinking we need some Crotons -- we both love the color.

Bonny, so glad you warned her about growing something against the house. your choice of a Mandevilla vine is nice but really bad for up against a house.

some suggestions I highly recommend you stop in at your utilities company and ask about their Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design. It is a free publication to help homeowners chose plants wisely for their areas.

Jan

I'm considering a Mandevilla on the light post in the front yard.

Think DH and I are going to this place, the Yard Stop next week to see what they have. Most the neighbors go there.

This is a good website for choosing Florida Friendly plants...

http://floridayards.org/fyplants/


I didn't know about the Yard Stop, I'll have to check it out next time I'm in Mt. Dora. There is a plant sale there next weekend.

Love The Yard Stop and most of their prices are reasonable.

Also, they often have plants other nurseries don't carry. When I went last time young guy said come on I'll take you around on the cart. I must look decrepid but I certainly enjoyed the ride and he knew every plant there and info. about it. That's really helps.

that's good to know.... I think Tuesday we are heading out.... my neighbor who is a MG told us about another place up on 301 in Oxford.... Fairfield Farms.

I've been to a Fairfield Farms that was on the road to Sanford but closed down. Maybe they opened up in Oxford. Check it out and let us know please.

Bonnie

yes. that is the case. Sallie - my neighbor told me they were once in Stanford.

DH and I did go to The Yard Stop a few days ago and picked up 9 plants....
6 Crotons, Petra
1 Butterfly Bush, no idea which one - all they had was ones with purple blooms
1 Mexican Petunia
and something else, I don't recall.

Today, on a whim, we stopped in this little place on 27 in Minneola. TJ"s or J&T's Palms -- it's near Donut King but across the street. They had some great plants.

DH picked out 4 Triple Bloom Fuchsia Hibiscus
I got my Coral Honeysuckle and Mandevilla - which is a white and light pink
we have 4 more Hibiscus on order.... one he called "Tequilla" and the other was "Naples/Ft Myers"
OH, I also picked out 2 of the taller/up right Crotons.

~~ We are getting there....

I'm going to the Yard stop today, I think they have a set up at the Mt. Dora plant show too.

I went to a Lowe's yesterday in Maitland/Casselberry that had some wonderful markdowns..all nice healthy plants. Gotta love Lowe's.

Terese, you'll need to post a photo once you get all those plants in.

yes, they will be at Mt Dora today... the guy told us that.

I really did consider going to Mt Dora today... but have to admit, this heat is killing me.
I'm secretly wishing I was back home in IL with temps in the 50s.
We've been either plant shopping or working in the yard most of this week... and I just can not bear to go outside today. ~~ yea... I'm a wuss when it comes to this heat and humidity.

Terese It is getting to me also. I had to have Andre shaved down again, was way to hot for my fur baby. He is a much happy dog!!!!

Sandy

We have yet to shave Bud, but all the furkids just sleep during the day.

We did get some rain this evening, I'm hoping it will bring cooler temps for tomorrow.

Well, I went very early to the Mt. Dora plant show, it was okay, nothing really spectacular, not a whole lot of booths. I did get a beautiful bromeliad for a really decent price. Lot of beautiful orchids if you're into that. Most the plants I saw there you can buy at any nursery for a similar price.

The Yard Stop was a fun visit, not too bad of prices, I did find two plants there I liked.

I just got my dog shaved, poor thing was getting so hot, she is so much happier now. Picture before she got shaved.

tcs,
please don't buy anymore Mexican petunia. I throw them away all the time as they spread all over the place. Underground runners. I would give you all you want.

I had read they were, or could be invasive. did get a small clump .... I'll see if DH wants more, he really likes the purple blooms.

here is more information on the Mexican petunia

http://www.fleppc.org/Publications/Mexican-PetuniaInvasions-WILDLANDWEEDS-SPRING2014-A.M.SMITH_ET_AL-INCL_REFERENCES.pdf

You will most likely have to copy and past the link into a new browser in order to view the document


Yes this is a very Invasive weed and on the list of no planting it. There is however, a variety that isn't as invasive, so if you want it make sure to find out the correct botanical name of the variety that isn't invasive before planting it. And when you ask and they don't know what you are talking about, please don't purchase it from them, as most likely it is the invasive one they sell. Lowes and Home depot sell the invasive variety, so be careful.

Jan

Thanks for the link Jan. Was able to open with just a click.
we did get ours from The Yard Stop. I'm sure it's invasive. I've told DH about it, and it is in a narrow bed. We will do our best to keep it in check.

It is ironic how across the country, there are invasive lists - and as you say - the "do not plant" list... yet many nurseries still carry them. Up north it was Purple Loosestrife. Pretty blooms, yet very invasive.

Mine has popped up 25 or 30 feet away. They travel underground. Mine have completely taken over one bed and all I can do is pull them up every so often. They are pretty but a pest.

I have the one that does not go crazy, at least it has only popped up in a few places. I have had if for many years. Unlike that darn passion vine I do not have to keep pulling it up.

I have never had to pull up any of mine.

I didn't realize the Mexican petunia was on the invasive plant list. I've had a few clumps in my garden for well over ten years now and have no problems with them popping up anywhere else. Maybe I don't have the invasive kind.

Problem with nurseries and garden centers is they never put the right tags on anything, so hard to know what kind you're really getting.


The most invasive plant in my garden is the oak tree, forever pulling up sprouting seedlings of that one.

Oh Sherrie, my oak starts are all over the place. I have so many waiting to be pulled out it's awful. I love the trees but the sprouts are really a pain.

Also, since they came back and cut oak near ponds again I have quite a mess to clean up there. The small pond has sawdust in it which I need to vac. out pronto. Not sure if that will hurt the fish or not but it needs to go anyhow. My big beautiful tree is now just 1/2 and really looks butchered as do all the other trees around here for quite a few miles. Also still have some pieces that one of the guys wanted for fire wood. They had better come back and get that out of here. I can always call the power co. and get ahold of them.

Bonnie

Bonnie did the power company do that to your trees? I know they have to cut back trees but around here the new company Duke actually eradicated many that could have been trimmed instead. Trees that had to be well over fifty years old gone. A friend of mine has some in her back yard that were beautiful, and nowhere near the power lines. Florida power trimmed them on one side a little to make sure they didn't grow that direction, but Duke totally took them all down, even a sprout closer to her house that would never go neat the lines. Overkill, IMO.

I wonder sometimes why oaks are never listed as invasive, I do a lot of hiking and they are all over the forest, even more than the camphor trees they do call invasive.

we've got 5 Live Oaks... personally -- I do not like them. They make such a mess. The only bonus is the shade.

That is really horrible that the company completely removed the trees.... Did new trees get planted in their place? I'd be livid.

I recall one year, my youngest was about 8, and the tree trimmers were coming to do their seasonal "trim" job on trees.... mind you - there were no power lines in sight... but they still had to trim. It was my sons favorite tree... a nice Maple that was great for climbing -- I climbed it as a child too. Well, he "hung" in that tree all day... the workers passed our house, went all the way down the street and back on the other side... finally the workers called their "boss" and asked if they could just leave the tree.

as long as we lived there, they did not trim it... but after we moved, it got a "hair cut".

Awww...that is a great story Terese.

Apparently the electric companies are exempt from the tree replacement law...sigh.

We have 2 live oaks, one laurel oak and two turkey oaks, and I am constantly cleaning up something from them, but my DH loves the shade they provide all summer long, it can be as much as ten degrees cooler under them in the summer. I guess they keep me fit with all the cleaning work they give me.;-))

Livid sounds like a nicer word than what I have been thinking. There is now no shade on the road side of the tree. They used to L it out but this time the trimmers were sent back and took 1/2 the tree off. Made me so mad. I am trying to figure out a way to get shade on that side plus all my ruffled ferns around the smaller pond are browning cause they can't live in full sun. Was thinking of shade cloth attached to tree and then put up poles to attach other side to but that would look awful. You should see the aggressive trimming job all along our road.
One man told me today they took down to the ground some huge trees that developer planted to give houses privacy all in a beautiful row. He said they butchered his 3 oaks in his yard also. Many people around here are now happy. I could just cry but that wouldn't help. Got to think of something for shade as we have almost no space out there anymore to sit near ponds and not sweat up a puddle. Plus I don't want fried koi or algae problems in ponds. So maddening.
Bonnie

I meant to say people around here are NOT happy.

They had a bunch of protesters here with signs the day they took all the 50 plus year old oaks down in Tuskawilla, but did no good. I feel bad for the people with houses along there that had gardens growing in the filtered shade of those huge oaks and now their houses in total sun. One gentleman told me his electric bill went up fifty bucks the first month from the full sun on his house. Maybe the angle for the electric companies is higher electric bills.

Bonnie, it would be expensive but maybe build a nice gazebo. Such a shame because you have such a beautiful shady sitting area out front, or I should say, Had.