We are starting something new on this web site. I've been asked to write a blog. The blog will be an opportunity to pass along information about plants in the garden, special areas of the garden, some inside information about the projects staff members of the Living Collections and Garden Landscapes and other departments are working on and a chance for you to make comments and ask questions. I will also talk about our staff and what they do to create and maintain Fairchild.
I have worked at Fairchild since 1973, first as plant recorder, then horticulturist in charge of our three annual plant sales, the intern program, and various other duties. I am now still working on the plant sales and manage our plant records with the very able assistance of Marilyn Griffiths. I hope you will find the blog an opportunity to learn more about our plants and the beautiful Eden we call Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden.
- Mary Collins, Senior Horticulturist
Text and photos by Mary Collins
A "New" Plant for South Florida Bird Lovers
Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 05:46:40 AM
I am so excited that we will be offering a plant which has proven to be a wonderful source of food for migrating songbirds. Colubrina elliptica, soldierwood, is native to the Florida Keys, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Venezuela. It is a shrub to small tree, from 10 feet up to 30 feet tall with an open branching habit. The trunks have flaking orange to brown bark which adds to its character. We are offering this plant because it has proven to be a bird magnet! During last fall expert birders surveyed Fairchild for migrating songbirds. Soldierwood in plot 164 attracted more species by far, than any other plant. Among the birds seen visiting soldierwood were: Tennessee Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Blue-winged Warblers, Blackburnian Warblers, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager and Baltimore Orioles. Most of the birds were feeding on tiny insects that were attracted to the small flowers of soldierwood. We are delighted to offer this plant to FTBG members. Let's try to keep in mind providing food for wildlife when we plant our home landscapes. Bring nature to your own yard – plant a soldierwood and keep your binoculars handy! These plants will be available to members of Fairchild at the Members' Day Plant Sale on Saturday, October 2. The sale opens at 9:00. Come early for the best selection!
Photo by Roger Hammer
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My Meadow Garden - Two Months Later
Tue, Jul 20, 2010 at 06:26:29 AM
It has been just over two months since I planted a small meadow garden in my front yard. The summer rains are enough that my hand watering is finished. The plants are establishing very well and I am really pleased with the results. Here are some photos I took last weekend:
Click on images to enlarge
In the photo above, the Croton linearis has grown so that it is almost completely hiding the limestone rock. The blue-green form of Elliott's lovegrass, Eragrostis elliottii, have also grown enough that their leaves are just beginning to touch their neighbor's leaf tips.
Between the croton and the Elliott's lovegrass is Jacquemontia curtisii, a wonderful white flowering clustervine. Right now it is getting established and spreading in the garden. I expect that very soon, the plant will be covered with lovely white blossoms.
I will fill in some of the empty spots with wildflowers. I planted some seeds of our native tickseed, Coreopsis leavenworthii and a few have begun to bloom. It is a work in progress. I love watching this little garden on a windy day. The movement of the grass leaves in the wind is wonderful.
I pull the weeds in this area about once a month. Eventually the grasses should cover most of the area to help prevent unwanted weeds from growing.
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An Amazing Plant is Blooming on the Vine Pergola
Wed, May 12, 2010 at 07:37:49 AM
Tecomanthe dendrophila, also known as New Guinea trumpet creeper, is in full bloom on Fairchild's vine pergola. To see it, walk to the southern end of the pergola and you will see this amazing plant.
One of the Fairchild Plants of the year in 2006, this vigorous woody twiner (liana) could simply be grown for its deep green foliage, but it is the large pendant clusters of trumpet shaped flowers that steal the show. Rosy-pink colored at the base and fading to paler rose, the flowers open to reveal creamy white throats. Blooms appear intermittently between September and May. The mature stems wind around each other creating an entanglement on which the clusters of flowers are curiously borne. Tecomanthe dendrophila requires a pergola, fence, or other strong support.
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A week later, my meadow is blooming!
Sat, May 08, 2010 at 10:18:06 AM
This morning I saw that two of my Elliott's love grass are beginning to bloom. Some of you may wonder about my interest in this new type of gardening. It actually began during the coldest weekend last January, when I was curled up under a warm blanket with my two dogs at my side. I had recently purchased a book titled: "The American Meadow Garden, Creating a Natural Alternative to the Traditional Lawn" by John Greenlee. After 37 years of working in horticulture in South Florida and gardening since the age of seven, a whole new way of gardening has become a new interest of mine. I quote from Greenlee's preface: "Why create meadows? For me, the reasons are many. Meadows are far more satisfying than either a lawn or traditional border, combining the best attributes of both: like a lawn, a calming place for the eye to rest, yet with the richness and complexity of a border. Unlike lawns, meadows are better for the environment, a safe habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators, a place where native ecology can thrive. Meadows, by attracting a diverstiy of "life," are animated, alive with rhythmic movement, catching both wind and light. No lawn can do that. And - properly designed - meadows require less maintenance and consume significantly less resources than lawn or border."
I've loaned this book to a couple friends and dicussed the idea of meadow gardens with knowledgeable gardeners. I've met some resistance to the idea - weeds might be a major problem, our subtropical climate is different than where most of the meadow gardens in Greenlee's book are located. So, I am in the process of trying to do it myself, in my own yard. It is a bit of an experiment and I am looking forward to the days and weeks ahead as my own plantings get established and perhaps weeds do too!
I've already seen the "movement" in my meadow garden with the breezes blowing the blue-green leaves of the love grass. I love it! A new dimension in gardening - color, smell, textures, and now movement. I planted the grasses a bit closer that normal to get maximum coverage and hopefully shade out and cover areas where weeds might try to grow. I still need to transplant some other wildflowers from other parts of my yard, including Crotalaria pumila and Ocimum campechianum (wild basil), both natives to South Florida pine rocklands. My newly planted meadow garden is still getting established and nearly every afternoon, I've been watering the plants with my irrigation system - me holding a hose! I am amazed at how fast the grasses have grown and it won't be long before they are on the own - our summer rains will begin soon and the roots of the plants in my garden will have grown into the surrounding soil enough to not need 'manmade' irrigation.
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My Meadow Garden Has Been Planted
Wed, May 05, 2010 at 08:03:34 AM
Well, I took last Thursday and Friday off and worked in my own yard. The day before, I had purchased some Elliott's lovegrass (Eragrostis elliottii), native plumbago (Plumbago scandens), Havana skullcap (Scuttelaria havanensis), gama grass (Tripsacum floridanum) and forked blue curls (Trichostema dichotomum). Wednesday night I weeded the planting beds and bright and early I started on the meadow garden area. First I arranged the plants still in their pots where I wanted to plant them.
This was the fun part. Now the work began. Fortunately nearly all the plants were small and in one gallon sized containers. My soil is mostly limestone rock, a shovel is not necessary. In fact no shovel was used during this process! I used a small mini pick ax while I sat on a stool. Some grasses were divided into clumps with a handsaw prior to planting.
As soon as the plants were planted I watered each one thoroughly and must do so every day for the next several days and gradually lessen the watering frequency once the roots of the new plants have begun growing into the surrounding "soil". My watering consists of me holding a hose! It is a fun way to relax after I get home from work. Here is my newly planted, very small meadow garden. In addition to the plants you see, I also scattered seeds of our native coreopsis (Coreopsis leavenworthii). They will have beautiful yellow flowers.
After this area was planted, I moved on to other beds in my front yard. In three days, I dug 54 holes! This is the perfect time to plant, but you must commit to watering new plants on a regular basis until they get established. This is so important! I like to use some of our native, large rocks in planting areas as well. Here is a pineland croton (Croton linearis) planted next to some rocks with three Elliott's lovegrass planted nearby.
I planted in other areas of my front yard. Here are some photos. Remember, these plants were just planted! They are small, but as I write this six days later, I know that they have grown. Below is a photo of our native plumbago (Plumbago scandens).
Both the forked blue curls and Havana skullcap add blue to the color scheme.
I really love the blue-green color of the Elliott's lovegrass!
As plants get more established, I will take more photos and update the progress. One thing I noticed immediately - motion! When breezes blow, the blades of grass move in such a graceful way.
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It is time to start planting my meadow garden
Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 05:10:25 PM
As some of you may remember, if you read my article that appeared in the Miami Herald, I said that my next gardening project will be a meadow garden. Well, I purchased some meadow plants at last weekend's Spring Plant Sale, the ground is nice and wet from 3 1/2 inches of rain today, and I plan to start planting soon. Here are some of the plants I will be using:
Scutellaria havanensis (Havana scullcap) - 1 (may divide this)
Heliotropium polyphyllum (pineland heliotrope) - 2
Croton linearis (pineland croton) - 1 (a female so I can get seedlings)
Glandularia maritima (beach verbena) - 1
Sorghastrum secundum (lopsided Indiangrass) - 5
Schizachyrium rhizomatum (rhizomatus bluestem) - 3 large ones to be divided into many
I will also dig some divisions of my Pityopsis graminifolia (silkgrass) and some Crotalaria pumila that is growing in my palm and grass savannah. I just found a source of Eragrostis elliottii (Elliott's lovegrass) and plan on using lots of this shorter grass.
I have two planting beds in which I will be placing the plants. One is a circular shaped bed with a Guaiacum sanctum (lignum vitae) in the center. I want to plant mostly Elliott's lovegrass in this area. The other bed is larger and more amenable to have more variety of plants. I will take photos of each step of the planning and planting process and post the progress on this blog. My one fear is that of invading weeds, especially during our warm wet summers. I hope that my experiences will encourage others to make their own meadow gardens, replacing some of their lawns and providing butterfly plants to encourage and sustain our wildlife.
Speaking of sustaining wildlife, earlier this year I read the book "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy. I really enjoyed and learned a lot about the importance of using native plants within your landscape in order to provide food and shelter for a whole host of organisms (butterfles, birds, other insects, etc.) that are dependent on the native plants for their very survival. It is an amazing web of "life" that develops within a native ecosystem - plants are "controlled" by the insects to prevent overwhelming the habitat, while the birds and other predators feed on the native insects that are feeding (not destructively) on the native plants. It is perfection - the plants stay under control and so do the predators.
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A glorious time of year!
Wed, Apr 07, 2010 at 01:24:01 PM
I did go hiking in the Everglades last weekend and saw lots of wildflowers in bloom. I drove down to Flamingo and walked to the shoreline of Florida Bay. The soft breezes and warm sunshine was a welcome relief to the long "cold" winter we had.
I then drove north and stopped at Mahogany Hammock. I parked my car along the road and enjoyed the vista of a "sea of grass" with cypress domes in the distance.
My next stop was Long Pine Key, one of the largest remaining pine rocklands in South Florida. I hiked along some of the "fire roads" which are used by ENP staff and researchers. The fragrance of pineland Acacia (Acacia pinetorum) wafted in the warm air, mixed with the wonderful aroma of crushed pine needles as I took my walk.
Asclepias longifolia with aphids
I am developing a keen interest in using native grasses in our home landscapes and could not help but see the beauty in the grasses which were growing in the middle of the unpaved roadway through the pines.
Perhaps it is difficult to see in this photo, but there are perfectly round specimens of muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) growing in the middle of the roadway. In late summer, early fall, these will have purple to pinkish inflorescences.
I enjoy hiking in natural places where I am inspired with ideas for landscaping in my own, "cultivated" world!
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Spring is coming...finally!
Thu, Apr 01, 2010 at 09:38:00 AM
It has been an interesting winter to say the least! In my 37 years in South Florida, I've not experienced a winter so cool for so long. Many plants lost their leaves due to the extreme cold temperatures in January and have been in "hibernation mode" ever since. In the last few days, warmer temperatures and some warm showers are helping the sleeping trees and shrubs to wake up slowly and start producing new leaves.
Propagating for our plant sales has been almost totally collecting, cleaning, and planting seeds. This fall and winter I have been refrigerating some of our native grass seeds and wildflower species for a few weeks prior to planting. Refrigeration of seeds has proven to be helpful in getting good germination from some of our native species. Some of our native grasses grow into beautiful, round clumps.
I hope to do some hiking in the Everglades this weekend. Springtime in the glades prairies is a beautiful time with many plants in bloom and mosquitos still not bothersome.
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We have lots of birds in Fairchild!
Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 11:43:48 AM
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We've had very cold temperatures from January 7 through January 12. This meant that the temperature of our lakes has also cooled. Certain exotic (bad) species of fish, such as tilapia, have been killed by the cold water. Well, wading birds such as Ibis, Egrets, and a very special visitor, a Wood Stork, are feeding on the fish! Come to our lowlands and see the birds taking advantage of a "buffet" of tilapia.
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| Wood Stork grooming himself (or herself) in front of a bench |
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It was “snowing” in the lowlands this morning…..
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 01:09:06 PM
Early this morning, I was collecting seeds of our pineland crotons to grow on for sales and special projects. As I was walking from our pineland back to my office, I noticed that the sign for Mark di Suvero’s ‘She’ had “snow” on it. I also saw that the grass in the area had “snow” as well. I looked up, up, up, into the crown of the nearest royal palm and saw that it was flowering. The huge inflorescence of the palm was a creamy white hue, buzzing with bees which were knocking off pollen in the process of moving from one flower to another. The “snow” was royal palm pollen! No snow in August in Miami, just palm pollen!
I took these photos about 7:30 this morning, during the time when the first touch of the sun casts a golden glow. The royal palm inflorescence is actually much whiter than it appears in the photo.
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| royal palm inflorescence full of pollen and bees! |
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| The pollen drifting upon the sign looked like snow |
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