Lifestyle Seasons Our northern gardening seasons are well-defined by the weather and that’s where I made my first Florida mistake. I thought that you could plant anything whenever you liked; after all, Florida is usually warm and sunny and isn’t that what plants thrive on? But just like plants worldwide, Florida plant species have their own seasonal rhythms. Plants grow best when not stressed and the best way to avoid this is to germinate, plant and harvest according to their natural timetable. Adjusting your soil I quickly learned a new term – “amendment.” Most soil in central Florida is basically sand and has very little nutrition, so it’s important to add compost (i.e. you “amend” the soil) suitable for the type of shrub or flower being planted. In my first year, I purchased some nursery citrus trees and planted my “grove” with no regard to soil requirements. Today, they are not much bigger than the day they were planted. Only two bear fruit and, yet, the lovely navel orange tree which we inherited with the property continues to produce year after year. It’s time to amend the grove! Also high on the list was a tropical paradise alongside our screen room, with feeders and water trickling over rocks to a birdbath, perfect for attracting and watching hummingbirds, cardinals and butterflies. In short, we wanted the romance of a southern garden. Now I’m not an expert gardener – far from it. But gardening provides wonderful exercise and gets me out of doors and away from my office; it provides many hours of pleasure watching goldfish, chipmunks and other wildlife enjoy their surroundings. As a wise person once said, “Gardens grow people as well as plants.” But gardening in the South is quite different and creating our paradise has been a five-year journey of discovery. Not all of the changes are obvious, so let me share some basic tips with you so that you can avoid some of the mistakes I made along the way. The “Shade Garden” area at our local nursery. Visitors to our garden are met by our tropical guardian. Our “garden” before. Just an empty driveway. And after. CSANews | WINTER 2016 | 35
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