Tropical Nursery is Paradise For Gardeners



What a gardner's treasure trove! The Community Garden Center is a must visit and visit often resource. Marvin and Terri Pinder, 2nd generation growers just don't sell perennials, ornamental shrubs, tropical fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables, the Pinder's educate by example, living and growing everything they would love to have in their landscape. Visit Pinder's Nursery at 5500 Sw Martin Hwy, Palm City  (772) 781-8085.

 

Pennisetum purpurea 'Princess Caroline'

Sun-loving bromeliad hanging basket.

Coleus 'Redhead'

Succulent Container Garden

Plant-filled Victorian Terrarium keeps caterpillars happy.

Plants from the ground to the sky.

Thousands of plants, flowers, herbs, fruit trees, and garden accessories.

Floriferous front entry.

I can't believe how wonderful the ambiance was at Pinder's Nursery! Marvin and Terry and their staff are enthusiastic and gardening experts to help anyone who wants to create their own outdoor living room or edible Paradise. If you're in the area, please stop by. I guarantee that you'll leave with a wonderful plant or two.

They even have fairies wandering among the plants.  Will post those photos as soon as I'm sure the fairies don't mind. Click to see all of the Pinder Nursery photographs.

Cast Irons Not In A Good Light

Driving in Winter Park, I noticed a sad situation.  These cast iron plants, Aspidistra elatior, were burning up with the heat.  They were not new plants and I wondered why they were scorched.  I stopped my car to try and solve the mystery. 

 

The garden bed was filled with mondo grass, cast irons, and bromeliads, all shade loving plants.  With the heat of the summer sun, the future does not bode well for these easy-care groundcovers for areas that don't get sunlight.

 

 

Turning to view the sidewalk and entire front yard, the answer was right there.  A live oak, obviously an older tree, rotting and in danger of falling onto cars or the sidewalk had been removed. 

 

 

Although the bromeliads are a variety that can with time adjust to sunlight, for the landscape's health, low water use, and continued easy maintenance, the mondo grass and cast irons should be removed from the area and replaced with either turf, sun-loving shrubs, or groundcovers. Mystery solved but will the plants survive?  I'll check on them in a few weeks to see what happens.

Landscaping Eye Candy For Ideas

I'm passionate about gardening catalogs which I use to find new plants and inspiration. I recently discovered a wonderful California nursery from Annie's Annuals. Annie Hayes's nursery sells California wildflowers, annuals and perennials. And you can take it from me, she delivers inspiration. The twenty-year old nursery shares our gardening Zones 8 - 10 although its considerably less humid than Florida climates. That difference aside, Annie's Annuals landscape displays offer lush ideas for drought-tolerant garden beds and containers.


This weekend, Annie's newsletter highlights a variety of succulents with one of my favorite garden themes, English cottage gardens. The garden designer is superstar David Feix. Take a peek!

Click here to order a free Annie's Annuals catalog.