GARDEN SPRUCE UP FOR MY DAUGHTER’S WEDDING

The homeowner requested MHG Greens&Gardens to “spruce up” their well kept, but overgrown and monotonous garden. Both, the front and the backyard areas have excellent possibilities for their youngest daughter’s December wedding photo shooting, but they need to be brought into time. The garden was once the family meeting place, with the endless swimming pool parties, the weekend BBQ’s at the gazebo, but the children left for college, and… The challenge was to perk up this once a family garden kingdom, it wasn’t going to be an easy road to revitalization. There were thousands of family memories on each corner of this garden. We drew a plan, first we started in those areas that need to be worked on and that would make a difference, such as the side garden next to the cover patio. This specific area had several add on throw the years, and they were not too attractive, but extremely need. The home owner had added up to date utilities, solar power equipment and other modern technology necessary. Our challenge was to hide or cover all of them from the human eyes. We designed a live wall with Firebush, a semi-woody shrub with bright red flowers that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Rain Joe or ‘Sunshine’ Ligustrums were set in the front of the firebush hedge, because they perform well in full sun and are ideal as a low-growing hedge and fast-growing in the landscape. To add additional interest, we used two boulders and garlanded them with 'Born of Fire' Bromeliads. The plants were bordered with red mulch and zoysia grass. The gazebo had turn into the temporary storage space. All the outdoor kitchen equipment in the gazebo has been updated and the walkways were festooned. The existing palms on each gazebo walkways, a native coconut palm tree and a fox tail palm tree were surrounded with zoysia grass, ferns, caladiums, cordylines, and several old Spanish urns, family treasures found hidden in the garden, were creatively placed. The swimming pool’s back wall area was bejeweled with cordylines, Podocarpus conifers and Poinsettias. The swimming pool’s water feature and its three tiers of planters were adorned with Crineon (Festival Burgundy Cordyline/ Cordyline x 'JURred') a glossy, exceptionally dark, rich red-burgundy leaves that are spectacular during December (during the weeding days) with its light pink and white blooms and hedged by Café de la India shrubs (Rubiaceae flowering hedge). The top tier, the crown of the garden was decked with three species of Sansevieria. As I have heard from my childhood years, these plants are commonly known as cow tongue or mother-in-law’s tongue, but I also heard that they were used to attract good luck to the household and ward off evil spirits. “Without a doubt, that there will be classic and elegant weddings pictures at our spruced up tropical garden” said the father of the bride to MHG Greens&Gardens.