Wow! Lots of progress! Can't wait to see the pics.

I am also in the Central Florida area, but I am not sure dogwoods will survive well here. Does anyone know if this is correct or not? It sounds like things are really going good for your transformation. What kind of flower seeds do you have germinating? I bet it will look great.

Rich

Congratulations!!! Sounds like alot of hard work.

Rich,

I looked at a florida natives link that auntiejan sent me on the crappy backyard challenge post...I thought it was strange as well...maybe I was seeing things????

Kim

copied from web page:

Flowering dogwood
Cornus florida

N
30 feet

D

Greenish with white bracts

Spring
Pt Sh
Fertile, well drained

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida natives

Rich,
Bells of Ireland
Chocolate Flower
Flame Begonia
Love in a mist
Cup & Saucer vine
Sweet william
Fried Eggs....so kewl looking
moss rose
purple hycinath bean vine
assorted amaryllis from cindeea
assorted sunflowers
moon flowers
morning glories
hmmm think thats it for now

White dogwood grows well in zone 9. My son,next door, has a beautiful specimen. I see them all over the neighborhood.
Felix

Kim,
Sounds like you're off to a great start with your plan and project, and I hope you get the seeds I sent soon so you can get those started too.
The light peach hibiscus sound lovely, but in my area(East Orlando), I have not seen the Florida dogwood looking well. In Tallahassee, I have seen some planted as understory street trees that looked okay. So I recommend double checking that selection.
Also, wasn't your planting site very dry and very sunny? Maybe you could consider a drought tolerant tree like a bottlebrush or crape myrtle that would fit the size of the yard.
Here is a link to Floridata's description of Florida dogwood:

Here is a link that might be useful: Cornus florida

Hi Kim ~ Your ideas sound great and you've begun on a wonderful project. But, damn spiderworts???? I love those easy to grow flowers. I know they spread, but you can move them around. They take little care at all and I just love the blue flowers.

Crepe myrtles are so easy to grow and they would make a nice addition to your back gardens if you decided against the dogwood.

Have fun and don't work too hard. You are moving right along and the creative labor is half the enjoyment of gardening.

FlowerLady

On the dogwoods, it really depends on how far south in Zone 9 you are. Felix, you are in Zone 9a I believe, and I am in Zone 9b. You can grow things I can't, including dogwood. It will SURVIVE here, barely. It normally doesn't thrive here, though. I have on rare occasion seen one doing fairly well, if in enough shade from taller trees, but nothing like dogwoods SHOULD look like.

So, Kim, on the dogwood thing...if you are in the southern part of Zone 9, I'd say stay away from them. If they are already planted in your yard and you are moving them (not sure what you meant by "transplanting" them), I'd say leave them alone if they are doing okay. Moving them might finish them off.

Most of the other things you mention in your list will probably be fine, except I've had no luck at all with love in a mist. It grows for awhile, but seldom blooms for me, and as soon as it gets hot, it dies. Maybe if you grow it as a winter annual.

Good luck! Your plan sounds ambitious but doable, and it also sounds like it will be very pretty.

Marcia

Well it sounds like you're off to a great start. Good luck, I know what hard work that is.

Pictures, please!!!!!!!!

Thanks all, I will post pics next week. Right now just flat sandy/soil nothing to look at! LOL Alot of the center area is very sunny but the areas where I will plant wil be around the fences and I want to plant tall in the back for more shade in the flower beds. Thanks for the advice on the love in a mist...never grew it before. I like the crepe myrtle idea if the dogwood idea goes south...lol DH and I both said sounds wierd to us.

Well, grandson will be here soon...got lots of visiting to do...18 months and haven't seen him in 7!

Happy gardening today!

BTW...strawberry plant is coming back (another post)...looks like it got really hot...gonna move them out of the sun today.

Kim

Kim,
It really sounds like you have a lot of good ones growing. I guess the Dogwood may work here, in that I case I think I may try one. Good Luck!

Rich

Jeannie,

As promised the seeds you sent me are planted. I have been researching info for them and have it down in my garden journal.

Thanks!

Kim

Kim,
I'm glad you received them. I've just found out about the toxicity of some plants like the Milkweed, Four O'Clocks and Rubber Vine seeds I sent you. Please take care where you plant them and keep out of reach of children.
The other seeds I sent you:
Black-Eyed Susan Vine, Scarlet Runner Bean and
Genovese Basil should be fine to plant anywhere you like. Also, keep an eye on the vines to keep them from getting invasive.
I'm including a link to Dave's Plantfiles for you to check out.
Jeannie

Here is a link that might be useful: Rubber Vine - Cryptostegia

Here is a photo of my Dogwood. It's hard to get a good pic of it. Sorry.
Brenda in St. Pete.

Jeannie,

I saw the info on the toxicity already, but thanks for the warning!

Brenda,

Nice pics thanks for sharing!

Kim