I’m still here y’all! My new-to-me garden is almost 5 years old. Just popping in here with a quick video to give you a glimpse of how it’s grown. The view in the film gives you a good idea ...
I'm certain all my Florida gardening friends remember that awful winter of 2010 when we experienced an out-of-the-ordinary winter. If you don't remember, state wide there were several back-...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2017/02/they-say-its-winter.html
I planted all this Celosia 'Intenz' as 4" single stalk seedlings in the back garden this spring. They self-seed year to year. I literally gathered them from the paver cracks (that's how persisten...
When you feel like going out on a limb, taking a risk or just having some fun, one quick and easy idea is to add unexpected color to the garden. In my case it's unexpected because I generally lea...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2016/04/quick-and-easy-remodel.html
You thought I didn't realize it was the first week of spring with my title. Truth is, I admit, I started writing this blog several weeks ago. It WAS a wonderful winter and I also realize I have b...
I've been switching out the plants in my low bowls with each change of season. Since they are very visible when we walk into the back garden it's been fun to have seasonal flowering plants in the...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/12/easy-maintenance-low-bowl-containers.html
Morning light is so magical and changes by the moment as well as the season. It's impossible to capture the essence of its ethereal glow in a still photo. This time last year our pavers and...
Yes, it seems endless. In Florida you never know exactly how many months summer will occupy. It begins too early and wanes too slowly and always too late for my liking. This week the calend...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/09/florida-summer-gardening.html
'Puppy Love' It is so very tempting to jump the gun and plant Caladium bulbs in springtime when the soil and air first begin to warm. New shoots of Caladiums from the year(s) before respond to th...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/08/why-i-wait-to-plant-caladium-bulbs.html
Do you make promises to yourself about your garden that are difficult to keep? When you get the chance to start a new garden after being in the same one for 30 years there are certain promises yo...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/07/promises-we-make-to-ourselves.html
Pinch me. I think I blinked and an entire year has passed. June marks a year since I've been gardening in my new garden. What a year of gardening it has been! Grass has diminished, gardens ...
That's my affectionate name for Agapanthus Orientalis. My love affair with these plants is a long running one. I've sung their praises and extolled their easy-growing characteristics numerous way...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/06/aggies-light-up-springsummer-garden.html
When it came right down to it, I found myself questioning whether I really needed one. I had lived without one for so many years. Gardening for over 30 years without a potting bench is akin to la...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/06/the-long-awaited-potting-bench.html
So what's the best thing about ample Florida sunshine in the garden? Flowers. Yes, enough light to grow a variety of flowers. I refuse to grow fussy flowers though. The plants (trees, perennials,...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/05/sunshine-on-my-garden.html
Recently I had the joy of visiting a private garden in Plant City with my fellow Hillsborough County Master Gardeners. The owners have created a remarkably extensive wildflower garden in the...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/05/a-florida-wildflower-garden.html
Many years ago I researched which Louisiana Iris might be suitable for my Florida garden. I'm sure there are more types than what I have, but this one was what I started with. I ordered 'Sinfonie...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/04/florida-garden-iris.html
Dreams for the garden. We all like to dream. Dreams really do come true. Sometimes. If you wait long enough. In my story, I just couldn't seem to let go of my idea of adding a potting bench to my...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/03/structure-in-garden-pergola-dreams.html
Camellia japonica Who can complain about Florida's winter weather? Not me. It's my favorite season of the year. This winter, like so many others before this, we have had gloriously mild weather. ...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2015/02/winter-is-arriving-little-late.html
The Bird House Garden January 1, 2015 You can see before and after photos of the Birdhouse Garden here. I like the way 2015 is looking already. The turn of the calendar to 2015 gives us a chance ...
Believe me when I say it has been a VERY long time that I've wanted a pergola in my garden. I can't even pinpoint for how long I've seen visions of dappled shade from wooden rafters overhead. It ...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2014/12/a-quick-weekend-project-repurposed.html
When we moved to this new garden I inherited a few jewels hidden here and there in the garden. Gardens that have been around for a while are like that. I didn't pay too much attention to any of t...
You may recall my post a few years ago, 10 Great Plants for Fall Color. It listed mostly foliage plants with a few flowering perennials included. I've grown to love my fall garden more and more e...
https://www.hoeandshovel.com/2014/11/10-more-blooming-plants-for-fall-color.html
Once in a while I get so enamored with a particular plant/flower that I want to stare at it, take photos daily, talk about it and share it with anyone who will listen. Swamp Sunflower. Yes. Here ...
A cross view of the front garden. Sidewalk leads to the front door (to the right). I've made very few changes to the front so far. Yes, I'm embracing my new garden fully after these few mon...
I find myself prefacing every new garden story I tell lately with "one of the first things I did in the new garden..." Truth is, I worked so fast and so steadily for an intense 10 weeks starting ...