Shanin's Garden Photos and Journal

Hobbies
& Interests

Artwork

Lauren's
Page

Photo
Album

What's
New

Shanin's Garden Photos and Journal

Backyard Plant List

Front Yard Before and After Backyard Before and After See More Garden Photos

Florida Natives: American Beautyberry, American Pokeweed, Butterfly Milkweed, Cardinal Flower, Carolina Yellow Jasmine, Catchfly/Fringed Pink, Cinnamon Fern, Common Blue Violet, Coral Honeysuckle, Florida Anise, Florida Azalea, Florida Leucothoe/Hobblebush, Golden Groundsel, Indian Pink, Maidenhair Fern, Oak-leaf Hydrangea, Sweetgum, Sweet Osmanthus/Tea Olive, Trillium, Virginia Creeper, Water Oak, White Wild Indigo, Wild Blue Phlox, Wild Columbine, Wood Fern

Non-natives: Amaryllis, Angelonia, Bearded Iris, Dwarf Azalea, Flame Creeper Azalea, Confederate Jasmine, 'George Taber' Azalea, 'Hinodegiri' Azalea, Hydrangeas, Japanese Camellia, Moonflower, 'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing' Azalea, Persian ShieldPlumleaf Azalea, Plumbago, Rain Lily, Shishi Gashira, Violet Woodsorrel

Exotic Invasives and Non-desirables: Arrowleaf Elephantear, Small-leaf Spiderwort, English Ivy, Spider Plant



	Non-native Species: (Mostly azaleas, camellias and hydrangeas, and others, which, even though are not truly native, have become synonymous with the Southern landscape.)

		Amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.) - Part shade, acid soil. Drought tolerant. Bulbs can be left in ground during winter here in Florida. Showy red flowers in spring. My plants were started from seed in '98 and I had one bloom the spring 2002! These are great planted in rows and in front of taller bushes and plants. They give a good show of color in spring.
		Angelonia 'Blue Pacifica' (Angelonia angustifolia) - Full sun. Moderately drought and heat tolerant. Some people say the foliage smells like apples. The flowers are white and indigo blue and bloom over a long period in summer - from June to Fall. An evergreen with soft (not woody) stems and a bushy habit, and gets 12-18" tall.
		Bearded Iris (Iris 'Bearded Hybrids') - Full sun. Full sun, well-drained soil. Will rot if left growing in heavy, soggy soil. Blooms May-June. Grows 8-36 inches. Colors are a garnet and yellow. These were a graduation gift from my friend Lisa. I have moved these guys a couple times; however, they are currently in the area that gets stormwater runoff, thinking that they could handle the occasional wetness. I may have to move them again, we'll see.
		Dwarf Azalea (Rhododendron spp.) - Part shade to sun. Prefers acidic rich-organic soil. Flowers striped pink and white. I've had this bush growing in a pot for years before I planted in my new backyard last spring (2001).
		Flame Creeper Azalea (Rhododendron indicum) - Likes acid soil like most azaleas and part shade to shade, but needs a little sun for best blooming. Blooms early spring with intense scarlet flowers. This is a dwarf variety that forms low mounds up to 4 feet across. They are useful as ground covers. Mine has not done so well since planting an did not bloom that much this spring.
		Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) - Bright sun to part shade. Drought tolerant. This evergreen vine grows quickly to cover arbor, fence or tree. Fragrant small white flowers in spring. Native to China. I moved the one in front by the door to the back fence without any problems. This jasmine is very popular in my neighborhood as I have seen it growing on fences, lightpoles, around mailboxes and up trees.
		'George Taber' Azalea (Rhododendron 'George Taber') - Sun to shade. Loves acid, richly organic soil. Slow-grower. Grows to 8 feet. I have had trouble with all my azaleas, fighting the azalea lace bug pest. I have sprayed with a horticultural oil several times since August 2001 and that seems to have done it. The 'George Taber' lost most of its leaves, but it is doing ok now. When I planted the bush last spring I think I overfertalized (using both manure compost and a chemical azalea fertilizer), compromising the health of the plant and its susceptibility to pests. Its best to work peat into the soil upon planting (as with all the azaleas). However, if fertilizing is needed, use an acid fertilizer after bloom in spring (usually March). Fertilizing older established plants is usually not needed. Giving the plants an organic mulch will keep them much happier as their roots are usually pretty shallow.
		'Hinodegiri' Azalea (Rhododendron 'Hinodegiri') - Part sun to shade, but needs a little sun for best blooming. Profuse red flowers with small waxy leaves. Likes acid soil high in organics such as peat moss. An evergreen azalea of the Kurume variety, developed in Japan. Forms dense bushes, growing slowly up to 3 - 4 feet. I planted three of these but lost one over the winter.
		Hydrangeas (Hydrangia spp.) - Shade to part shade. Blooms in summer. Pink flowers in alkaline soil (lime) and blue in acid soil. Hydrangeas require plenty of water and they tend to wilt on a hot afternoon. These plants originate from Japan. My hydrangeas, four in total, get way too much afternoon sun and I have nowhere in the shade to move them to. I have three different varieties: a white lacey-flowered variegated hydrangea, big-leaf hydrangea (pictured here) and two common hydrangeas that came with the yard with light blue flowers.
		Hurricane Lily (Lycoris radiata) - Partial shade to full sun. Tolerant of dry periods. Each year at the height of the hurricane season (October), 18-24" tall leafless stalks topped with clusters of brilliant red flowers appear seemingly overnight and out of nowhere. Only after the flowers have withered in a week or two do the narrow, strap-like basal leaves appear. The leaves themselves deteriorate by the following summer and for several weeks there is no clue that the hurricane lily is there waiting for its time. Native to China and Japan; now widely naturalized in the southeastern United States. Hurricane lilies are easy to grow. Just plant one bulb almost anywhere in your landscape and it will come up year after year, splitting itself into additional bulbs. Plant clusters of hurricane lilies where you need fall color to replace exhausted summer flowers. You'll forget where they are until they emerge each fall!
		Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica) - Sun to part shade. Prefers moist, acid, organic well-drained soil. Mulch roots since they are not particularly deep. Native to Japan and China. Slow growth 8 - 15 feet. I have two Japanese camellias with reddish-pink blooms in fall/winter months. One I salvaged from the yard and transplanted it to a sunnier location (it is growing back nicely and even gave me a few blooms this winter) and the other I grew from a sapling.
		Moonflower (Ipomoea alba) - Sun to bright moon! Does not like rich soil. Blooms in the evening, hence the name. Moderate growth up to 20 feet on vines. Originated from Southern Florida and the tropics. I planted mine from seed. They will also reseed themselves and can resemble a weed when a sapling. Leaves are heart-shaped and the vine is delicate when young. Close cousin to the morning glory.
		'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing' Azalea (Rhododendron 'Mrs. G.G. Gerbing') - Sun to shade. Loves acid, richly organic soil. Slow-grower to 8 feet. This Southern Indica variety has huge pure white flowers. It was derived from the 'George Taber.' I just recently planted this one (March 2002) to replace the lost 'Hinodegiri.' I did not fertilize when planted and so far its doing great. I will probably wait till after next years bloom to give it a little food.
		Persian Shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus) - Partial to Full Shade. Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings. Growth is a bit slow in the beginning, but as temperature rise, growth is fast up to five feet high and three feet wide. It has excellent heat tolerance. The plant is native to Burma. Planted one in early June, 2002, as a colorful backdrop plant.
		Plumleaf Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) - Partial sun to shade. Made famous by Callaway Gardens in Georgia and is native to Southwestern Georgia. Slowly grows tall upright to 8 - 10 feet. This deciduous azalea is only one I know of that blooms in the summer.
		Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata) - Full sun. Light, slightly acidic, sandy soils with good drainage. Native to South Africa. Can withstand some frosts. Even if killed to the ground, it usually recovers quickly given favorable conditions. Popular with the butterflies. Fast growth 3-10 feet. I see these planted mostly in south Florida and thought I would give one a try. It died to the ground this winter but is coming back. Again, I don't think my yard is sunny and dry (well-drained) enough for it to take off.
		Rain Lily 'Libra' (Amaryllidaceae Zephyranthes 'Libra') - Sun to Partial Shade. Prefers rich, sandy soil. Pale pink blooms in summer. Grows slowly up to 12 inches. Inconspicuous plant that will surprise you with their blooms. Called a 'rain lily' because of its tendency in the wild to bloom after a rainfall.
		Shishi Gashira (Camellia sasanqua) - Part shade or sun. Prefers moist, well-drained acidic soils high in organic matter. Flowers in the fall to winter. Native to Japan and China. Broad-spreading, slow growing to 8 feet. My shishi has done wonderfully and even grown some over the past year. I have not had any blooms on it since planting.
		Violet Woodsorrel (Oxalis violacea) - Grows in native grasslands and openings in woodlands. Native to North Dakota. Easily grown in a moisture-retentive humus-rich soil in shade or dappled sunlight but succeeds in dry soils. This is a volunteer in my yard and it does great for groundcover and is not on the invasive list so I've left it alone. They resemble small clovers with tiny purple flowers.
		*Most photos on this page were taken from a web source and are not my own; therefore, they may not be reproduced for commercial purposes.