Shade Gardens ~ Central Florida

Hot, humid, sunny, and miserable will best describe Florida's weather this week.  Staying indoors all day is not an option for me, so I'm thankful for my shade gardens under the Live Oaks.  The largest of my shade gardens is filled with gingers, cordylines, hostas, caladiums and a variety of elephant ears.

This border is somewhat subdued in color compared to my other shady areas.  I've used mostly 'Miss Muffet' caladiums in here to keep it restful to the eye.

'Gold Dust' Ginger bloomed before it's leaves came out as it's part of the family of  'hidden gingers'.

The flower that preceded the leaves a few weeks ago...

Curcumas are also part of the 'hidden ginger' family, but they bloom after they leaf out.

Curcumas with this garnet striped leaf will have a deep purple bloom in a few weeks...something I'm look forward to.

A Peacock Ginger in front of the border and 'Pink China' Colocasia, with the red stems...one of my favorite elephant ears.

A variegated ginger lily with 'Costus Spicatus', or Indiandhead Ginger behind it.

'Freida Hemple' Caladiums, sharing a barrel with a 'Devil's Backbone' plant.

'Mojito' Colocasia, a dwarf Split-Leaf Philodendron,  Tibouchina, and a deep purple Cordyline.

As we leave this border and go to the other side of the yard, there's lots of 'Dark Heart' Coleus planted as a ground cover.

Tractor Seat, or 'Farfugium japonica' is between blooms now, but the big, bold leaves are still beautiful.

Around this Bleeding Heart Vine is where the color really begins.  There's a rainbow of coleuses and caladiums mixed with hostas, toad lilies, and curcumas.

   Coleuses come in a vast array of colors and shapes and if they reseed they're usually something altogether different from anything you initially planted.  In my zone 9 garden, they behave as an annual and have to be replaced each year.  They root easily in water or soil, so you can make many plants from one.

  

Caladium bulbs can remain in the ground year round in Florida, returning faithfully each spring.  Too many varieties to name, but that is 'Kathleen' planted in the pot.

  

I think my favorite caladiums are the ones edged with a contrasting border, like this group behind a toad lily.

The shade gardens seemed to get off to a slow start this year, or maybe I'm not as patient as I once was.  Before summers gone, most caladiums will be knee high. 

One last look at 'Pink Lady' in morning's first light.

Thanks for visiting.

Shade And Sun Gardens

This is my first post on my new blog, Garden On Fourth Street.  I was able to import most of my first garden blog, Gardening Outside The Lines, so all is not lost.  If you're reading this, you've found me...yay!  My last few posts have been focused on my full sun gardens in front of the house, because Spring is all about blooms.  Today we're also going to visit my shade gardens under the oaks, around back. Caladiums have returned faithfully, as they do each year.  Along with them, toad lilies, cordylines, hostas, gingers of all kinds, and hydrangeas.

You simply can't beat caladiums for color in the shade, and I love to mix a bunch together for large barrels.

Toad Lilies just beginning to bloom in this border...

Across the yard, this shade garden is planted with a variety of gingers, colocasias, and cordylines.  The large plant to the right, Costus spicatus, Indianhead Ginger.

Indianhead Gingers flowers, with a variegated Ginger Lily in foreground.

One of my favorite Colocasias, 'Mojito'.

First of many Curcuma Ginger blooms...

A lacecap hydrangea that I've had a long time.

And a new one, unnamed, that I found on the clearance rack this year.

Now, back to full sun blooms!  Just as the 'Lemon' daylilies begin to slow down, the orange 'Kwanso' and 'Ditch'  daylilies  join in the parade.  Oranges are my favorite!  Agapanthus and Gaura lindheimeri are still going strong. 

 Gerbera Daisy, in front of  hydrangeas which are beginning to fade to mauve.

Zinnias are still standing, in spite of winds and driving rains a couple days ago...

First Mexican Tithonia bloom.

Hoping your gardens are filled with blooms!  Until next time...

A Few Of My Favorite Things...

The gardens were completely refreshed by the beautiful deluge from the skies yesterday.  I took this photo of a Hyacinth Bean flower with storm clouds as a background.  I planted the inside of my vegetable garden with a variety of summer vines this spring and some are just beginning to show color...

Besides a quite pretty bloom, this vine will produce attractive purple beans later on.

Morning Glory vines are in the mix, and this is the first bloom.  I'm still waiting on Cardinal Climber and Moonflower vines to bloom.

It was a great day to get a photo of the 'Iceberg' rose out front as white  pops when it's nearly dark outside.

'Louis Philippe' rose in the background.

Gaura lindheimeri,  daylilies and agapanthus...my three favorite plants for my full sun gardens.

Other daylilies earlier in the day...

This 'Red Hot' Hibiscus, which is grown more for the foliage than the flower, is blooming.

Another first bloom for this season, a wild hibiscus...

Just some pretty out front, then I've got a couple things to share in the shade garden.

My 3 favorite plants for my full sun garden...daylilies, agapanthus, and gaura lindheimeri.

The agapanthus are providing a lot of blue for the garden, even though very few of the flowers have actually opened completely.  They have a long way to go, so I'll just enjoy.

Back in the shade gardens my 'Gold Dust' ginger is blooming...without leaves, but that's not unusual for some gingers.

The other surprise is 'Silver Diamonds' Ginger is doing the same thing...probably the closest I'll get to having an orchid.

Shade garden...

I have 3 Tibouchinas...they all came off the clearance rack at Lowe's the same day, a couple years ago.  One gets full sun, the other half day sun, and this one gets only a whisper of sun, but they all bloom.  You can't complain about a shrub that performs like that.

Thanks for visiting...have a great day.