Florida Flower Power

Sunset Charlotte Harbor

The variety of flowering shrubs and plants available for landscape design in SW Florida is an exciting new avenue for me to pursue, many of the plants I dealt with in Indiana are also grown in the south.  I snapped some stellar photo's of pristine plants when I attended the landscape show a couple a weeks ago.  The leaves were polished, the blooms at peak and presentation was top notch.

Swallowtail Definitely Going In My Yard

Which Bougainvillia Is The Question

Familiar Annuals

        

Digging The Use Of Peppers

Ginger Always A Favorite From The Islands

Amazing Mother Nature

Caladiums Are Field Grown In Florida

          

Double Hibiscus Show

Guaranteed To Blow Your Mind

Beautiful Bromeliads

Stunning

These are a few of my favorite things...now the most exciting part will be getting to use these varieties which are new to me.  I can hardly wait to get started in my own backyard, but customers first.

Freshly Planted Ixora Hedge

This is part of a small job we just finished for a sweet couple with a new home in North Port, part privacy and full color. 

Island Near House

Later this month Hazeltine Nurseries Inc, has it's 12th Annual Fall Festival, should be exciting we are offering classes in the greenhouse, lots of pumpkins, decorations and guest speakers should be fun and educational.  My job is to help write a speech about "Outdoor Rooms".

Next week we begin a job I designed that features several outdoor rooms including a large pavilion, firepit, koi pond, seating benches and huge patio it is going to be awesome.  There will be many photo's following the installation from start to finish.

Nevada Mills

Nevada Mills is a community on Jimmerson Lake rich with history. If you follow this blog you know my cousin Cindy lives there and we dock the family yacht there. Our trucks can frequently be spotted at Floyd and Rose Curtlands' farm where we load up on various soils, rocks and straw, we have a long association with "Uncle Floyd". There is a history of the area penned by longtime resident and fellow landscaper Lynn "Doc" Munger, Doc is in his 80's now and resides at Heron Hill Nursery in Fremont. Autographed copies are available at Betty Perry's Damn Store across from Uncle Floyd, the book has some great stories and photographs.


Since we are boat owners again and cruising the James chain for the first time in many years I have noticed some changes. One was the abundance of hibiscus sprouting from the shorelines and even on the small spits of land. The perennial hibiscus I do not believe to be a native Indiana plant and suspect that the origin of this species comes from the Farver property next to the damn. When I first began boating in Steuben County in the early 80's I remember seeing the hibiscus that grew along the road side of the house and thinking they were quite remarkable and unusual. Now some 26 years later hedges of hibiscus surround properties around the damn and their spawn are evident throughout the chain. That is my theory and I think it rings true, I'll have to ask one of the DNR dudes about it next time I get the chance.


There has been some form of a small nursery near the river for over three generations all Mungers I think. The water that leaves Nevada Mills continues and is our south property boundry as it spills on to the Fawn River. The main attraction of course is the damn itself. Before its renovation two years ago the damn attracted more than its share of late night skinny dippers, party makers and adventure seekers. People were known to perform all sorts of foolish diving feats off both sides of the damn which included swan dives from a three story tree. The area was finally cleared, posted as restricted and better policed slowing down the sometimes circus atmosphere of years past and protecting people from themselves.

I really like this end of the lake near the damn, brings back some good memories. When I ride my bicycle past the church, over the roaring water along the heavy shaded roads I get a sense of the past and the character that is the mill pond, it is relaxing and energizing.


The guy on the yellow motorcycle is accompanied by his dog Bull, I see this man riding all over near Angola and finally got a photo in the Wal Mart parking lot. Talk about characters. The dog barked viciously at me when I got too close.

Free Kitten To A Good Home

This past week was catch up time for bidding, invoicing, evaluating and planning. Last weekend July 10th was our annual party, we have been having a big summer blow out for the last 25 years. The party takes a lot of preparation, we sent out over 120 invites to people all over the country, we had family and friends from Florida, Boston and North Carolina. Our buddy John Day who is a local excavator played with his band, John is a drummer, I first saw him playing the bars in Steuben County in the early 80's. He still has a smooth voice and the variety of songs they play has something for everyone, they had the crowd dancing through their final set.

Fireworks has always been a part of our party and this year was no exception. We have a big fireworks store near the toll road and it does a grand business this time of year. Six or seven hundred dollars will get you a pretty good display and last about 20 minutes. On occasion we have even hired professionals to paint the sky, which is less dangerous but kind of takes the edge off. We always have safety in mind but have been know to have a few tense moments. This year was flawless, a great crowd, terrific food and friends and family from near and far what a pleasure to see everyone.

The kitten waving is Dexter (well his name might be Dexter) I found him on my way to the job at Devil's Lake about three weeks ago. He was laying in the road, it was over 90 degrees and he could not hold his head up, there were two bloody orbs where his eyes were supposed to be, fleas were literally sucking him dry and he had a horrible upper respiratory infection (cat pneumonia) the options; run him over or pick him up. The vet gave him an antibiotic and some eye drops and told me the bad news was he would likely live since he knew I would take good care of him. Dexter was a hit at the party and the dogs have died and gone to heaven they act as though one of their precious toys has come to life. His eyes are not right yet but he has gained weight and come to life, who wants a lovely kitten?
Hibiscus, althea (rose of sharon) and daylilies are in there prime right now. It amazes me how many varieties of each of these flowers are available with a wide spectrum of characteristics. Double blooms, more blooms, huge flowers and the aroma of some of the lilies especially the Asiatic ones blows my mind. With all the rain and heat flowers are bursting this year, color and fragrance abound it seems the colors are more vibrant even on the old standards.

A bright new paver patio and fresh landscaping are what Sara wished for her 40th birthday and we are pleased to be installing both. These photo's are in progress and show the area after the old concrete and green indoor/outdoor carpet (ugh!) have been torn out. Weed barrier (fabric) is the first step of paver installation after the are is leveled we use Dewitt Pro V which is super heavy. The old timbers will be cleaned and greenery will provide the charm and ambience Sara is looking for.