How Does Your Garden Grow?
How is your garden growing? I’m LITERALLY knee deep around our home. It’s that time of year, right?
The planning. The trimming (always LOTS of trimming here where we live in Florida). The planting. The SPRUCING!
I have to say…this time of year, I love every bit of it. The weather is perfect. Not too hot yet. Not too buggy yet. Every plant is loving life and so am I!
What are you growing in your garden this year? I’d love for you to leave a comment. All tips/tricks welcome too!
Jasmine {photo: spruce-us.com}
Our Jasmine is already starting to bloom (a wee bit)…which is one of my all time favorites! The aroma is breathtaking (in a REALLY good way). My only complaint about Jasmine…it doesn’t bloom nearly long enough for me but the vine stays pretty & green year around and it gives me something to look forward to each year.
Our Jasmine vines were planted over 20 years ago so they are AMAZING! They grow fairly fast so if you don’t already have Jasmine, I highly recommend it (double check your zone of course first before planting).
Amazing on a fence (where most of ours is). Beautiful on an arbor (my next garden goal). The 3 B’s love it: birds, butterflies & bees. All great for a healthy & lovely garden, right? YES!
Hydrangeas {photo: spruce-us.com}
An all time favorite of mine is…The Hydrangea. We had them at my childhood home, my grandparents had TONS of them too. Come to think of it, they were literally everywhere. All over my area. They just seemed to love the Southern soil & weather. Here in Florida…they are a bit (okay, A LOT) more of a challenge. Our sandy soil. Our coastal weather. Our extreme heat. All adds to the challenge I think.
I love them SO much that I “work with them” and allow them to stay in our yard. Most plants that are too finicky or labor intensive for my patience…get the boot (or shovel as it is). Hydrangeas are such a part of me, I just can’t turn my back on them (even in Florida).
Azaleas {spruce-us.com}
We also have very well established Conversation Piece Azaleas! Ours have multiple shades of pink blooms and are very fast growing and super easy. Just trim/shape, fertilize & enjoy! They aren’t bothered by pests, disease or deer. They can withhold cold snaps too that other types of Azaleas can’t. Again…check your zone but I love ours! They are such a bright light in our garden.
Lantana {spruce-us.com}
I also LOVE Lantana! For our garden palette, I prefer white lantana. It adds a spot light (so to speak) in the flower beds without taking away from other plants.
I think all gardens need a bit of white here and there. Lantana grows really well here in Florida and the 3 B’s (mentioned above) love this plant as well.
I cut ours back (way back) about once a year and it grows back fuller & better than ever. Ours gets enormous if we let it so we normally cut it back in late February or early March (remember I’m in Florida so no cold snaps here to wait out). Lantana is a fast growing, easy plant that adds so much to a garden. Check your zone for best results. Lantana is an amazing container plant too!
Added bonus…it smells amazing. AWWWWW….
So…there you have it, a few of my garden favorites. I’ve listed items below that work for me in our garden but just know that you need to know your soil, your zone and lots of times just simply try things out. I’ve planted and then relocated more than my fair share of plants over the years (no shame in The Garden Game)! Keep in mind shade plants verses sun plants and which color palette you want for your garden.
Read lots of magazine articles. My new favorite is ‘In Her Garden’ & my ALL time favorite is ‘Southern Living’. Check out various gardening books & blogs for gardening tips too!
Don’t forget to ask your local garden center for suggestions. I’ve never been to a garden center that doesn’t have someone on hand that is THE onsite “garden guru”. They LOVE talking plants. Soak it in & ask questions regarding your specific area and what will do well for your garden situation.
Next up….Let’s talk Organic Veggie Gardening. I just “revamped” our raised organic veggie beds. I’m also trying for the first time a ‘Patio Party Plant’. Sounds like fun, right?
Happy (gardening) Sprucing!
~Scarlett
A Few of my Garden Tried & Trues (I rotate these depending on what’s needed at any given time):