Thanks for posting this Joe!

All, I was hanging on for dear life to that roto-tiller which had a mind of it's own LOL And I was picking out seashells for what seemed like forever while tilling up the grass and tilling in the composted soil.

The garden looks bare now but I had to plan for the mature size of the plants which include:

Host Plants -

Passion Vine and Dutchman's pipe vine (on trellis), Tropical milkweed (lots of it as Joe has Monarchs year round), Popcorn Cassia (8 foot tall already), and Parsley and Dill (in pot)

Nectar Plants -

Sweet Viburnum shrub (large one that Joe had planted in this area, I left it untouched), Bottle Brush shrubs (2), Dwarf firebush (2), Firecracker (2), Red Shrimp Plant (2), Panama Rose (2) (also known as bush penta, while neither a rose or penta), Cape Honeysuckle (1), Lion's Ear (2), Sweet William Dianthus (3), Cape Daisy (3), Gaillardia - 2 varieties (3 each), Gerbera Daisy (3), Purple Porterweed (1), "Bandana" lantana (12) and Salvia - Phyllis' Fancy, Black & Blue, Amistad (2 each).

I'm having trouble finding salvia around here so I may have to order some unless you have any recommendations for local nurseries (Oak Farm and MRT have none). I couldn't bring all mine from my prior home as many were killed back due to frost and weren't ready to be transplanted.

I also added 2 shallow terra cotta butterfly puddlers - terra cotta saucers buried in the ground to the rim and filled with sand, water and seashells to rest on (yes, some found while tilling). I'm going to sprinkle on some salt tomorrow.

We also have the following around the side and front of the house: a beautiful hanging pot of pink and white fuschia, 2 mixed hanging pots of petunias and verbena, 2 huge on the ground pots of Mexican petunias and a huge pot of pentas.

I'm still looking for/considering the following:

Mexican sunflower and Red and Purple firespike. Will firespike survive in this garden that receives full sun from noon on?

Any others that you can suggest?

Thanks,

Rhonda

Congratulations to the new couple and the new garden!

Good news are always a nice way to start the day.....

Silvia

Looks very nice, Rhonda. It should be beautiful in a few months when things start kicking in.

I would strongly recommend the Mexican sunflowers. They are terrific butterfly plants. As you know, they get tall and need to be staked, normally--unless they have something to lean on. I have started some seeds already and will start more soon. I will also save some to plant in late July when the current crop will be wilting.

I think the firespikes will do alright in full sun. I have a pink and a mauve that are in sun pretty much of the day and they do fine. Most of mine, however, are in partial shade where they do best.

I'll be interested to see how your bush penta does. Dave's garden says it can get over 15ft high and very wide. Most reports say that it blooms best in the winter months in tropical climes. It should do well for you.

Thanks Silvia!

Tom,

Thanks for the compliment. I agree that once it starts filling in it will look much nicer. In my past ventures, I crowded plants in to make the garden look full from the get go and had to thin out plants the second year :)

I agree on the Mexican sunflowers as they were probably the top butterfly attractant in my garden last year. I found those plants at the UF plant sale but a 4 hour drive is not in my plans unless I'm up that way to visit. If you see any places around Orlando selling them, would you please let me know as I visit my youngest son once a month or so?

MRT Nursery has the red and mauve firespikes so I'll pick a couple up. I regret not digging up my pink and mauve and bringing them down here.

I have never grown the bush penta before, so I'm curious about how big they'll get. I've read that you can keep them trimmed to 3-4 feet. I wouldn't want them to get bigger than 5 foot tall. Blooms in the winter would be a bonus.

I'll post some closeups of the flowers on the butterfly forum.

Rhonda

It looks great! I hope you and the hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy your new space! What a lot of work but it's different when it's a labor of love. Looks great.

Being New York City born and raised, I haven't a clue as to what flower is which ! My girlfriend ( boss of the butterfly garden ) asked me to water her seashells on two large plates sitting in the red mulch just awhile ago,..after I finished watering my Mexican petunias. So, as I drag the hose in, I stop at the two plates full of seashells. " Hmmm, what in the world am I doing ? Watering seashells ? " But as a former US Navy vet, I learned a long time ago to obey orders ! So I water the two plates of seashells, then notice a large yellow plastic sunflower she had planted nearby,...so what the hell ? Seashells, plastic sunflowers,..what's the difference ? So I watered it as well !! Needless to say I got chewed out big time awhile later. But we are still pals,..we both love butterflies, humming birds, plants,...and seashells,..and,..plastic sunflowers ! ( smile )

Let us know if either the plastic sunflower or the seashells start growing, jofus.

Rhonda, remember that the firespikes get very big. I think the purple ones will go through a longer blooming period where you live now. Not sure about the red ones, but I suspect that the blooming period will be different from what it is north of you.

Tom,

I think I'll buy just the purple ones. I wasn't that impressed with the red ones in Williston.

I picked up 3 pink and 3 red pentas lancelotas today. I better stop (once I get the firespike and Mexican sunflower, of course).

Thanks,

Rhonda

looks great!!!!

You have a good start. Isn't it so much nicer and prettier with life in the garden? So much more relaxing and spiritual. I'd suggest seeds of Salvia Coccinea, orange cosmos, and zinnias for the warmer days to come.

Joe, it's fabulous! Looks like an oasis for you and the butterflies!

That's amazing! Rhonda, you did a great job (with Joe's help, of course). Looks like you have a little urban homestead going there.

Thanks Deb! Yes, Joe was very helpful....spreading dirt for me to till in, mulching AND surprising me with the beautiful Adirondack chair and table in which to sit and enjoy the garden and a sea breeze AND the gorgeous hanging fuschia basket for the hummers :)

Thanks DG and Rhonda for the accolades. However, I must take a much more demure posture regarding my contributions. It was Rhonda's design and boundless energy all the way.
This morning, being home alone, I jumped up early, showered, changed into my work clothes, then cranked up the riding mower and mowed the entire 1/4 ac lawn ! That done, I took my bowl of cereal outside to sit on the nifty ( if I do say so myself ) new blue Adirondack chair and admire close up the new garden !
Funny thing tho ( us engineers are so nit-picking ), after chilling out for about 20 glorious minutes, I started sneezing. once,..twice,..but when it got to 5, 6 in rapid fire, even a " Grouchy Old Grizzly Bear " like me ( how I am described by some ), will get up and head inside. My reflections on this ( not the 1st time ) has caused me to look hard at a possible connection to all the new, gorgeous looking flowers !! Any theories out there ?
Something else I noticed while sitting there,..the blue LAUGH sign is situated close to the big plastic sunflower that I mistakenly watered yesterday. Was this a coincidence, or was it placed there intentionally ? Seems a little closer than it was 2 days ago !! I am realty not a GOGB,..but a little suspicious just the same. Rhonda,..you listening out there ? Jump to Toolbar

Joe,

It's spring. Allergies happen. I don't think it's any of Rhonda's plants. Probably some offending tree nearby.

yes it is great in SWFL jofus I started working in my front yard this week also

It's nicer up here in N. FL. 50s/60s/70s up through mid-afternoon. I love working in the garden early in the morning when it's crisp and fresh outside.

I've added 3 pink and 3 red pentas lancelotas and 2 purple firespikes (dug up from my old house) to my garden.

On the way home yesterday I stopped at a favorite nursery outside of Ocala. They had Amistad salvia! They were nice, healthy 1 gallon pots for $5.99. I got 5 :) I also picked up 4 1 gallon salvia splendens "Faye Chapel" for only $4.49 each. I was so thrilled!

Rhonda

Our new garden is finally starting to pay off! Despite having to battle
strong winds, this tattered female flew around the garden for at least
half an hour...laying eggs on several milkweeds :)

Rhonda

Today a ragged male spent lots of time in the garden, he particularly liked the popcorn cassia.

Rhonda

When we arrived home this afternoon, I caught a quick glimpse of a
butterfly on the milkweed. Could it be a Queen?! I ran into the house
and grabbed my camera. By the time I got in the garden, I only managed
to grab a few quick shots before she flew off. It was a female Queen
laying eggs! Woo Hoo!

Rhonda

I added a couple nice-sized butterfly bush yesterday and this ragged
male monarch wasted no time in stopping to taste the nectar......and he stayed for almost an hour. I hope I have better
luck with the BB here than I did further North in Florida where the
nematodes always got them.

Rhonda

Beautiful gardens! They will be full of color and butterflies very soon.

The garden and butterflies look great. The pictures are very clear and well taken.

Thanks Garden Gal!!!

All,

Here are a few pics from today of the garden.....it has filled in a little and of course I have added plants (for some reason, Joe doesn't believe me when I leave the house and say "don't worry...I'm not buying anymore plants") LOL Sorry that these pics aren't the best, it has been cloudy and slightly smoky this morning (brush fire burning down the road).

Cape Daisy, Pink Pentas lanceoltas (these will get much taller), Salvia "Phyllis'Fancy", Salvia "Mystic Spires", Salvia "Amistad", Gerbera daisies, shrimp plant, firebush

Dianthus "Sweet William", tropical milkweed, Agastache "Acapulco Deluxe Red" in pots

View from the end with my beautiful Adirondack chair and table...a surprise from Joe :)

Salvia "Amistad", shrimp plant, firebush

Panama Rose aka Bush Penta (neither a rose or penta). Planted two of these. They will get tall but I'll try to keep them trimmed to 5' or so.

View from my chair

Dutchman's pipevine ....host for Pipevine swallowtail and goldrim swallowtail caterpillars and Passion Vine....host for Gulf Fritillary and Zebra Longwing. Lion's Ear in front of Passion Vine should start blooming soon. Hummers like the flowers of the aloe vera.

Butterfly/hummingbird eye view :)

Newly planted Pink Delight butterfly bush, red Penta lanceolata, Sweet William and Popcorn Cassia

Side view

Rhonda

Just a few more LOL

Salvia "Phyllis' Fancy", Salvia "Amistad", Salvia "Mystic Spires", cape daisy, shrimp plant

Salvia "Phyllis' Fancy" (I love the deeply quilted leaves on these) with cape daisy and gerbera daisy in the background

Salvia "Mystic Spires" with cape daisy, gerbera daisy and blanket flower

Cape Daisy, Salvia
"Phyllis'Fancy", Salvia "Amistad", tropical milkweed, Sweet William, red penta lanceolata and popcorn cassia

Rhonda,

Your butterfly garden looks great. There is going to be a butterfly stampede heading your way soon.

Not sure if it was just the variety of passion vine I have but I now have passion vine volunteers all over the yard.

Craig

Thanks Craig! Passion vine can send up runners all over the place but they are easy to pull out and transplant....which is good because once the Frit and zebra cats start chomping they can defoliate a plant in no time.

Rhonda

So beautiful!

Lovely! Rhonda, do you have butterflies visit your puddles? Is adding salt standard and, does it matter what kind? Also, how do you tell a male from a female monarch?

Thanks SMC and Irma.

I have had a few butterflies in the puddles but activity should pick up when more butterflies arrive and mate. Salt (either added or naturally in the mud/sand) is essential to males during the reproductive season. Here's a link to an interesting article on mud puddling

The male has thinner lines and a single black dot on one of the black lines close to the abdomen on each lower wing. The male is typically brighter orange. The best giveaway to the sex is that the males don't spend much time at the milkweed but rather nectar on other flowers.

The female monarch has thicker black lines on her wings and no black dot on her lower wings. The females will often spend an hour or more going from milkweed to milkweed to lay eggs and ignores most other flowers while doing this.

Fascinating! Thanks! But Rhonda, do you actually have butterflies come to your plate puddles? If so, what types? The article says not all types come. I've been maintaining, (but without added salt) plate puddles for months, trying them in different parts of the yard full of BFs and attractor plants. Seen nary a one investigate a puddle.

I haven't had any here yet but the season has just started. In Williston, the red-spotted purples, buckeyes and pipevine swallowtails used my plates and also mud puddles in the lime rock road.

Ah... 2 of those like "weeds" that I've been pulling up. Think I will rethink that! Thanks, Rhonda!

The butterfly counts not months but moments,

and has time enough.

Rabindranath Tagore

I
saw my first ruby throated hummingbird this morning....a female. She spent lots of time at
the Salvia Amistad (by far her favorite), Agastache Acapulco Red, red
shrimp plant and firecracker plant. My porterweed is just starting to
bloom again so not much activity there. She never once used the feeder,
which is fine. She has returned several times but it is too windy and
dark to get good pics.


Joe has never seen a hummingbird other than in print and on TV so he was
truly amazed by the little gal. Now, he knows why I have been so
anxiously awaiting them. Don't know if she'll stay, I hope so.

Also, have Gulf Frit caterpillars on the passion vine so my garden is starting to reward me.
Rhonda

Congrats, Rhonda. I hope she will stay. Let us know.

Thanks Tom! She has been here all day and now favors the feeder over the flowers. Interesting note: I have two different feeders on a double shepherd's hook but she always uses the same one. I'm trying to figure out if she prefers the feeder or the location of the feeder she uses (hook furthest from the house). I think I'll switch them to the opposite hooks tomorrow to see what happens :)

Rhonda

Yummy!

More evidence that the new butterfly/hummingbird garden is going to be a hit :) I was able to get lots of pictures today of an orange-barred sulphur as she very quickly went around
laying eggs on the popcorn cassia. Enjoy.

Rhonda

wow nice job.

Thanks so much!