Wow! Very pretty!

Very tropical and beautiful.

Love it!

right on schedule ... lol

and a perfect view of the house... just the way it should be ...

congrats ...

ken

That looks like it was a LOT of work and a job well done! It looks like it's been there forever. Very welcoming. I would like to sit there with a cold drink. :-)

Very inviting! But 30 years? Must have been one heck of a long to-do list above it. ;) I can understand if you were distracted by the lure of just hanging out in your garden, though.

Hi
The main problem has been that I'm a hopeless" collector" and have always been attracted to plants that are very delicate , way too big or need specialized grow areas. Another distaction was birds and fish. So ended up with a series of disconnected "grow " areas
The main distraction among plants was orchids ,water lily,palms and aroids ..try fitting all those on a 75 x100 ft.
lol
Last and by far the most important was my total lack of interest in "Landscaping" 500 pots in rows, while untidy
was not ugly lol
Old age and hurricanes have changed my attitudes so now there is a place for a path!! lol gary

Add my name to the list of those "wowed" but your path, gary. Worth the wait, I'd say... and after 30 yrs you certainly deserve to enjoy it!

We seem to be alike in some ways per gardens, gary. Mine is even smaller now, and I have developed a fondness for many plants over the decades. Add in a particular habit of experimentation with the new and uncommon stuff, in an ongoing search of new favorites. Tossing out many of the landscape rules, I have embraced growing what I like in the space allotted for the home.

I still have sobralias, D. kingianum, cymbidiiums, phaisus and a few others from my orchid collecting days. Plus new Oerstedellas from the last two orchid shows. (There is no true cure, is there?) Bromeliads get scattered in the trees and ground in the front microclimate (the only overhead watering location). With the space limitations, I sometimes end up with odd companions together (herbs or flowering ginger partnering with aloes, bromeliads growing with grevillea and correa, for example).

I'd love to see more photos of your garden, gary. And feel free to add in those birds and fish. Those are an ongoing interest of mine, too. :)

Wonderful path. I am full of wonder of the work needed and the end result.

Ditto to above.

And if in another 30 years you change your mind and want something else - what the heck - rip it out and start over.

Kevin

Hi
Here is a closeup of Blue Goddess. Stayed in flower all winter.
Gyr falco in spite of having dozens of plants unsuitable for
"gardens " have been scouting for some "oddball" epiphytes" Found two and had to have them Cochliostema jacobianna and a noid Juanaloa species . They fit nowhere in my plan lol
Aachenelf . Since I'm 73 do you think I can have another 30 year plan?? lol gary

Those are beautiful flowers! To have them be in bloom all winter must be a real treat. I don't grow water lilies, mostly because of raccoons thrash everything in the pond. And eat the fish. :( Are those red flowers that have dropped on the leaf Russelia?

Hi
It usually doesn't flower all winter going dormant at temps below 45. Last two winters have been unusual
This particular lily is fun to work with as you can disbud and get flowers over 15 inches standing two feet out of the water!! Another bonus is the fantastic aroma even over powers gardenia lol Only complaints are the pads are plain medium green and the rampant growth, even crowds out water hyacinth. So there is serious pruning in mid summer . I have added an Asian lotus ,potted in the far corner and was completely dormant when I got it. The lily is trying to over run the pot already!! lol
My worst predators are water birds .They've wiped out the stock several times When I first started the pool i couldn't keep fish for more than a week so switched to tropical fish Still ate them BUT they reproduced faster than the herons lol. Polar vortex of 09 wiped them out so went back to GF . Interestingly have had no predation.
Only problem is GF went from 7 to 104 in 6 months lol
Only predators I have NOT had are snapping turtles alligators and large snakes . Crossing fingers for continued lack of experience lol gary

How nice that the flowers stand so tall--gives some visual interest while approaching the pond. Rampant cannot be all bad--after all, how far can they really go? lol I used to have great luck with water hyacinth, but the past few years I cannot seem to get them to thrive. They should be growing like the weeds they are! Not sure what the problem is; maybe they are getting too much hot sun in the mornings. My neighbor's get large, but they are shaded more and their pond has deeper water.

Herons are often a problem here, too. I have been fortunate to not have had them added to the mix personally. Yet.

Florida has a hefty list of predators. We used to do periodic work for a resort in Kissimmee; they had one year of the armadillo. Those things can cut a swath through a garden!

Hi
main problem with the rapid growth is that they "stack" up
Causing those out of the water to turn an ugly brown
Drops a ton of decaying organics which not only suffocates other plants but the fish i remove around 10 pads a week ,during summer . They are gorgeous though.
Actually it's against the law to keep hyacinth here but is runaway the worlds best water filter makes great mulch also but is a constant chore to keep up. Can't imagine having a problem with them?? I throw one in the water and jump back lol
Worst "predator " in memory was two small boys . in spite of telling them there were "man eating sharks " they persisted in fishing lol
I live captured them and sent the entire family to Texas They even thought it was their idea to move !!! Fools !! lol gary

Your path is very tantalizing. I can't see around the corner. It makes me want to go and explore.
I love your water lilies. Gorgeous colour.
I only have a tiny pond, but it is the hub of the garden. It is where all the visitors gravitate to.
Daisy

{{gwi:216119}}
Nymphaea Mayla bud

Yes, I know--rampant growth sounds good until you are dealing with it. :) I am in awe of your ability to transport an entire family! There have been times I have spent years just trying to learn the trick of transporting barking-at-all-hours-for-hours dogs into the interior of their homes, to no avail. We were the ones that had to move each time. And then there was the rental neighbor that played the base so loud our windows shook (and no, the homes were not attached!). So far this neighborhood is quiet. But are you for hire should the need arise in the future?

Hi
of all the problems the pond has presented the "BOYS were the most difficult to handle . I was scared to death they were going to drown but that eased as they captured some of my best fish ,containing them in jars as a "gift " for "grandpa "lol there seems to be some silly law about using live ammo on children Figured I'd have to resort to "psychology' no problem as obviosly much smarter than those under 10??
They had names but I called them Beast 1 and 2 never humanize an adversary..??
First conversation with #1 . That's a nice fish pond but WE have a swimming pool!!
Those aren't fish they're maneating sharks!!! so there.
You're a silly old man you can't really keep sharks!!
Oh yeah?? , We could throw your younger brother in to test the theory??
Okay won't do that ?? Stick your foot in the water but be prepared to lose one, which can you do without??
After aLONG time he gingerly stuck in some toes which were immediately attacked by the "peacock bass"lol
have never heard such a small child emit such a loud scream!!!
I examined his toes . I don't think surgery is necessary but be VERY careful in the future ,Fortuneately you escaped the BIG ones .
While it did not stop the visits they never again got in the water!!! About a month later the family moved supposedly because the father got a job But I'm certain it was because of the "sharks:?? Have never seen the "beasts" again but would imagine they have little beasts by now, terrorizing other neighborhoods ??lol
Was a memeorable "pond" problem
Have never found it mentioned in any handbook lol gary