Gardenia (Gardenia augusta)

Gardenia(Gardenia augusta)December 16, 2010

Continuing on with sharing a few pictures of our visiting Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida here is a picture of a gorgeous Gardenia with the information tag.  I mentioned that many of the plant species within the park had information tags.  Each tag gives the common and scientific name as well as a few details about the plant.    The Gardenia (Gardenia

Plumbago auriculata

Plumbago auriculataSeptember 30, 2010
Plumbago auriculata is a very popular garden plant in Zone 9B where our vacation home is.  This is an evergreen bush with showy blue flowers that remind me of phlox.  I think it is quite pretty so will be planting a few bushes at our vacation home.  Propagation is by semiripe tip cuttings in the spring or by seed.  However, the nurseries in the area sell

A Tipi at the Organic Farm

TipiJuly 28, 2010
Home gardeners know that gardening is not  just the bare basics.  Garden decorations enter the picture at some point.  Some aren't even intended garden decorations but meant rather to serve practical purposes likes pest deterrents or critter protectors like toad home.  The organic farm has a wonderful tipi constructed on a bit of open space.  Despite adding character, the tipi

Pruning Evergreens

Midsummer is the ideal time to prune evergreens because they are semi-dormant. Evergreens that can be pruned midsummer include those with random-branching growth patterns like yews, arborvitae, hemlocks, cedars and junipers. Arborvitae can be lowered by 20 percent to a lower branch crotch. The branch tips should be lightly pruned to balance the overall shape. Junipers can be pruned to remove