Members of the Home and Garden Club drive through our community in hopes of finding that unique residence worthy of being designated The Landscape View. They look carefully for a beautiful array of flowers, well-kept shrubs, healthy and pruned trees, and the overall pristine maintenance of the property when making their selection. We are pleased to announce that The Landscape View for May 2020 goes to:
Aty Kazran at 7911 Vineyard Lake Road North
Aty discovered that she found solace in bringing life to her yard after the passing of her mother. It was a form of therapy that she was unable to find elsewhere.
Her home has a varied and colorful array of shrubs, trees, and flowering plants. The centerpiece of this beautiful yard is the Mysty Blue Salvia that borders the driveway. In addition to providing a burst of year-round color, it is also the perfect background to a bed of yellow Lantana.
As you take the path from the driveway to the front door, a variety of texture and color greets you, including various shades of Lantana, Sunshine Ligustrum, North Star Boxwood, Pygmy Date Palm, and more. As you approach the front porch, which is flanked by urns of Ti plants, you will find a fountain, which brings the soothing sounds of trickling water.
Aty has provided information for those Deercreek neighbors who may want to find some comfort and respite in gardening.
Congratulations!
- The Mysty Blue Salvia (its common name is Sage) is what I call the perfect perennial that every Florida home should have. It attracts Bees, Hummingbirds, Butterflies- it is drought and heat tolerant and deer resistant. Although they bloom in Spring and Summer, mine never stop blooming. They even flourished during winter (maybe because we had a very mild winter last year). The most important thing for this beautiful perennial is planting somewhere where it gets at least 6 hours of sun and it fertilizing once a month.
- The Lantanas are a very popular perennial. I have a variety of colors in the landscape because they are not only beautiful but also deer resistant. I spray them with Neem Oil a couple of times a year to protect them against disease. It’s essential to spray either early in the morning or early evening to avoid sunburn on the leaves.
- The Sunshine Ligustrum is ideal as a hedge in the landscape as it offers year-round golden foliage that flourishes in full sun. Its non-invasive cultivar will not re-seed into the landscape. It doesn’t bloom at all, which is good news for allergy sufferers! It’s an evergreen and hardy to -10 degree F. This plant, like its nickname, loves the sun if you want to enjoy its true golden-yellow foliage otherwise, if planted in the shade, it will turn to lime green color. Of course, I have planted mine in both sunny and shaded areas so we can enjoy its beauty in both golden-yellow and lime green colors.
- The amazing Dwarf Umbrella Tree, Botanical Name: Schefflera Arboricola Trinelle is a beautiful no-fuss easy-going plant that loves the partial sun and partial shade. Pruning it is as simple as just cutting the overgrown areas to a desired size and shape. I fertilize mine every three months. I am not aware of any disease except for spider mites, but that is if the plant is indoors. Again, I spray my lawn twice a year with Neem Oil to protect it from any insect or disease.
- North Star Boxwood are a cold, hardy, dense globe that requires little if any pruning to form a low, dense, thick hedge. Shiny dark green leaves maintain good winter color. Use North Star as a low-growing hedge, or even to create the borders of a formal herb garden. It’s a beautiful evergreen that will provide four seasons of enjoyment in the landscape. It can be grown in partial sun or partial shade and prefers moist well-drained soil.
- Dwarf arborvitae ‘Holmstrup,’ Botanical name: Thuja occidentalis ‘Holmstrup’ (my favorite) is a compact, slow-growing, upright, soft-needled green evergreen with a pyramidal habit. ‘Holmstrup’ is a variety of a U.S. native evergreen. Size: 8-10 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide in 15 years. I planted a few of them last year because they have a mixture of soft yellow and lime green color and can easily shape a globe or a pyramid. I plan on keeping mine small to 3 feet. The flashy colors are best seen if they receive lots of sunshine.
- Cordyline Fruticosa, also is known as the Ti plant, complements any garden with its vivid, pinkish-red leaves; it can be planted in partial sun or shade, but the colors are brighter in sunnier spots. This plant does NOT like overhead watering. This plant requires a lot of care to avoid bacterial infection and leaf spots- if this plant gets sick, then there’s not much to do to save it.
- The Loropetalum, also known as Chinese witch hazel or Chinese fringe flower, puts on a beautiful show in spring with small, frilly flowers, typically pink. It is generally free of pests and diseases and will grow best in full sun, but can also be grown in partial shade. They can be planted in the garden at any time of the year. This eye-catching shrub prefers acidic and well-drained soils, as alkaline or wet conditions can cause problems for these plants.
- The Pygmy Date Palm is a beautiful accent in any garden that requires significant irrigation and fertile organic soil to flourish truly. Pygmy palms have moderate drought tolerance and are mostly resistant to disease and pests; however, leaf spot and bud rot may afflict this type of palm. It loves sandy, well-drained soil in an area of the sun to full shade.