Bountiful bromeliads abound in garden

The joy of growing bromeliads in South Florida is that there is always a species in bloom year round.  The vast array of color, size and texture of the bloom adds distinction to any landscape design in South Florida.

A large group of bromeliads utilized as a ground cover produces stunning blooms.  Alas, this gorgeous display is short lived.  Some bromeliads last months while others last just a week or two.

Sometimes a large bromeliad has great impact if utilized as an accent plant among greenery.  The gray color of the leaves below also add a contrast to the surrounding plants.

Broward county has a bromeliad society that meets monthly.  Click on the hyperlink above for more information.  Years ago I was a regular member.   I really want to go back to a meeting now and then.   They used to have great raffles and you can win wonderful plants.  Members would donate plants each month for the raffle.
For northerners bromeliads make wonderful houseplants as well.  Check your local nurseries for the best selection.   I recommend Aechmeas, Guzmanias, and Cryptanthus to start your collection.  Happy gardening and see you again soon!

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Election Results: Re landscaping an established garden

There comes a time in every garden when you have to have an election, and vote in new plants and remove incumbents that have worn out their welcome.  Some plants in the garden have outgrown their usefulness and have to go.  New plants get voted in to enliven and invigorate the garden.

Shrubs I started from cuttings from other areas of the garden were planted in my side yard by the street, voted in due to their beautiful foliage and ability to fill in  blank spaces between two Tabubia street trees.  Within several years, their original promises were indeed fulfilled and they looked marvelous.  However the maintenance to keep them properly pruned became overwhelming.  They were up for reelection  and they were voted out of office.  The short video below is how they were forced out.

Certain plants looked great in three gallon pots at the nursery and got voted in.  I have a lovely fishtail palm that I used as a screen to block the view of the street and home across the street.  Over time as other plants grew up and matured, the sprinkler became partially blocked and the fishtail was not getting enough water.  The tips of the leaves always were browning and affected the aesthetics of the palm.  Over the years it became too tall and was inching its way up to the power lines.  It was voted out of office via chainsaw.  Video below demonstrates the process.

Beautiful new plants were needed to fill in all the empty spaces of the plants removed.  Voted in were bromeliads.  I planted a single bromeliad in a pot and  itmultiplied and needed to be divided anyway.  They would unify the area and add a  bit of formality to the jungle.  Another plant got voted in, a wonderful phildondron native to Brazil.  This plant is wonderful and I also use it for hydroponics class in nursing homes.  This is how it was done.

Whatever you feel about the election and who wins and who loses, mother nature takes care of us all and we need to all get along in the garden of Eden.  Thank you for visiting my blog and see you again soon.

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Newspaper and mulch trick reappears in the garden

My baby sitter was way ahead of her time. She was an organic gardener when the term was not even invented yet. Her entire backyard was a vegetable garden loaded with healthy vegetables, some of which I had never eaten or heard of as a little boy.
One of her tricks she taught us was to save time and work by not digging up the lawn to expand the garden.


She liked laying down five to six layers of newspaper and planting threw it later on after the grass had died. She was already elderly and it was an easy method for her.
There are a multitude of other benefits to the newspaper and mulch method of planting. The grass breaks down and adds organic matter to the soil. The weeds stay out. The ground stays moist longer so watering time is cut down.
With the invasion on chinch bugs and grubs into my lawn, combined with our lack of rain, I decided to reduce my lawn even further this spring.

My bromeliads were in need of dividing, so they provided the low ground cover needed to fill in the bare spots in the landscape. By low, I mean two feet and under, some of my bromeliads are rather large. Sometimes I like to group the same bromeliads together for uniformity, while other times I like to vary them in a landscape bed.