This started with Live Oaks and some Wild Coffee. Plants added include: Satinleaf, Redbay, Marlberry, Myrsine, Snowberry, Crabwood, Bahama Wild Coffee, Hercules Club, Simpson Stopper from Broward County, Redberry Stopper, Spanish Stopper and Beauty Berry.
Wildflowers included: Seaside Goldenrod, Spiderwort, Ironweed, Bear’s Foot, Pineland Petunia, Basketgrass and Coastal Foxtail.
I stretched the range of a few of these, but most occur naturally in our local inland hammocks.
This wetland forest includes an oval marsh dug 18 inches deep, lined with a 45 mil rubber liner and backfilled with soil to within six inches of the surrounding ground.
The top edge of the plastic is hidden by seashells, but be careful, if they touch the water they will wick it out of the marsh.
A deeper circle was dug in the marsh to plant Water Lilies in and Prairie Iris, Florida Lily, Pond Apple and other wetland species were added. The surrounding area includes native Royal Palm, Everglades Palm, Swamp Rose, Marsh and Swamp Fern, Sweetbay Magnolia, Grasses and Wildflowers.
A quarter inch tube is connected to a timer attached to a faucet. This comes on for more or less a half hour each day to keep the water level up.
At 11 years this planting has really grown in. This is a privacy screen of Lignum Vitae, Black Torch, Marlberry, Crabwood, Satinleaf, Paradise Tree, Firebush, Coontie and Key Lily. It provides color and food for wildlife all year.
This is the new All American Look with very little grass.
At 11 years, this planting provides privacy and wildlife to view. The tall Florida Elm, just left of center, had to be removed because of the leaves it drops in the fall. A screen enclosure would solve that problem and keep out raccoons and iguanas but block the view.
Firebush, Beach Cocoplum and Key Thatch stop debris from blowing into the pool. Behind them is a mixture of Randia, Pineland Privet, Redberry Stopper and others.
At two years the Firebush, Bloodberry, Coontie, Marlberry, Scrub Redbay and others are growing in nicely. The Southern Red Cedar on the right center grew into the power lines six years later and had to be removed.
This planting now has hummingbirds, painted buntings and other migratory birds as well as local bluejays, cardinals and mockingbirds.
This wet swale started with three gallon size Pond Cypress, Red Maple, Sand Cordgrass, Fakahatchee Grass, Pond Apple, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Yellow Canna, American Crinum Lily, Muhly Grass and Prairie Iris.
I got permission from the Palm Beach County Roads Dept and politely shooed off an obnoxious neighbor who thought these were all weeds. The trees are now 30 feet tall and provide shade and beauty to walkers. I just wish that I could plant the whole roadway.
The plants you see here are from left to right: Lignum Vitae, Bahama Strongbark with Firebush behind it, Pineland Acacia and a bed of Beach Creeper with a small Slash Pine in front. The Fogfruit and Mimosa have filled in nicely and the Silver, Key Thatch and Buccaneer palms have tripled in size.
This is the start of a really nice planting. I added Lignum Vitae, Slash Pine and Paradise Trees later. The plants here include Sea lavender, Key Lily, Firebush, Bahama Strongbark, Cinnecord, Silver Palms, Mexican Alvaradoa, Buccaneer Palms and groundcovers including: Coontie, Mimosa, Fogfruit, Quailberry and Seaside Joyweed.
The entire L shaped front swale is full of Dune Sunflower. This needs once a year mowing of the old plants, fertilization of seedlings that come up in April and fresh mulch between the plants
Although the Christmas Palms aren’t native, leaving them did no harm. The plants include Torchwood, Necklace Pod, Bahama Strongbark, Fog Fruit, Silk Grass, Key Lily and Firebush. The front of the house is planted with Jamaica Caper, Bahama Wild Coffee and other plants that are easy to keep low.
There is a Lignum Vitae with Quailberry and coonties to the right of the front door, not visible from this picture.
This is the old location of the Boca Raton Community Garden located behind the city library. Thanks to the hard work from several volunteers, this has turned into a real gem.
The plants include: Firebush, Coral Honeysuckle, Corky Passionvine, Torchwood, Hercules Club, Redbay, Salvia, mimosa, Sea lavender, Fogfruit and many other species.