Rocking Paver Installation

The start and middle of 2000 square foot paver installation.  Tremron pavers, running bond pattern, these fellows are good and fast.  Next pavers will be installed on the floor of party pavilion and the landscaping will start.  This is going to be one good looking job.

Moving Cabbage Palms

A couple of weeks ago the crew moved two cabbage palms as part of a landscape renovation I designed.  I got there in time to video the removal of the second palm.  A royal Poinciana Tree will be the new showcase of this front yard in a few years. 




Moving the palms was pretty slick.  First they go around the fiberous root ball with a trencher which neatly slices the roots into a tight cube.  A padded sling on the skid loader is attached to the palm, the loader does most of the work gently rocking the tree back and forth easing the dirt away.  And next there you have it popped out and ready to place in a new location.

Harper and Midwest Kind

What a treat, the band Harper and Midwest Kind performed at the Charlotte Cultural Center, Port Charlotte, FL certainly one of the best bands I have seen in a long time.

Iguana Love

Another warm day today mid 80's, high of 87 which is warmer than usual last week much of the state set record highs.  This is a good thing as far as I am concerned my first Thanksgiving as a Floridian my solar batteries have definitely been on full charge since moving here in July.

This iguana cruised through my yard last week while I was mowing.  He was gorgeous, great color, heavy bodied and in no hurry.  Not sure if he escaped from a house or if he is free range, iguanas are not native to FL but there are a few roaming, I hear that on some of the out islands they are really flourishing.

Super groovy experience photographing this creature, he lounged on the canal side of our fence and I was able to spend several minutes observing and snapping pictures.

Before African Iris and Podocarpus

After Coontie, Jatropha Standard and Hibiscus

This house is located in a neighborhood where the original landscaper must have had stock in African Iris and Hibiscus
standards (tree form) they are in every job, this house had over twenty in the entrance garden, not any more.

Before, African Iris Festival

After, Variety is The Spice of Life

The axiom "first year they sleep, second year they creep and third year they leap" is accelerated in the sunshine state, you can pretty much count on the leap by the end of the second year.  This time next year the plumbago surrounding this lamp post will be full 3 x 3' and bursting with blue flowers and welcome change from the mundane landscape that was here.

Allamanda Vine

Love this allamanda vine growing over a arbor at a downtown Punta Gorda bistro.  There are lots of little restaurants with quaint gardens and over flowing pots in this lovely city on the harbor.  I hope to sample much of the gastronomic delights offered in my area, off season there are more specials and less crowds, local time.

Lighting Comes Soon

Sold some outdoor lighting at this house this week.  It is unusual and unlikely that I will see this job lit at night, previously I would check my lighting jobs at night and make some tweaks that way, guess I will learn to rely upon installers more.  I must admit that I am getting more used to being involved less on the day to day aspects of my installations but I can't say yet that I am totally happy about it.  Going from 100% involvement to just design is a big leap.

Night Lights on The Pond

This is one job that I did get to see at night, this new pond looks great at night with just the right lighting.  The pond was installed by I Dig Ponds.  Now Hazeltine is on site beginning the large paver patio that surrounds some of this lovely water feature.  Part of my job today will be checking progress on the pavers.  Thanks for dinner Chris and Tom we had a swell time and the chow was great, can't wait for the first party when the whole project is finished.

Pavers, Palms and Native Boulders

This new paver sidewalk dramatically changed the appearance and functionality of this couples Venice home.  The narrow three foot concrete walk lacked imagination and made egress awkward, next step new landscaping including a low maintenance dry creek bed.

Setting three native Florida limestone boulders is the first step in building the creek bed.  Florida
boulders have lots of interest with nooks and crannies that pique the geologic imagination.  Often times these boulder have holes worn through by centuries of water erosion.

"Planting" boulders promotes a natural look and makes them seem as though they have been part of the their new home rather then a contrived feature of the landscape.  The crew gets them close with the skid loader but it is manual labor that positions them in an artistic fashion.  No easy task.

Preserving the customers lawn is a priority for Hazeltine Nurseries and just like we did in Indiana the crews lay drive on boards to keep from rutting the turf.  Florida lawns are more forgiving than Indiana turf, the spongy nature of St. Augustine grass means the grass will bounce back quickly.

Out with the Old

These two foxtail palms died from unknown causes although I did find a large burrow under one when I investigated.  The other foxtails head snapped off during high winds a couple of weeks ago, when I originally saw the two trees I told the homeowner I did not know how long they would survive but mother nature made the decision .  We replaced them with two big fat boys and they look marvelous, palms are a great addition to all Florida landscapes.

In addition to replacing the palms on this job we did a major clean up, landscaping really grows fast in Florida, one missed pruning and it gets out of control very quickly.  Three men worked 10 hours on this

property, what a difference 30 hours can make.

Another component of this job included extending the existing drain tile into the swale, the original contractor should have done it but left the task half finished.  We also replaced some dead Texas Sage and Mirror Viburnums with Podocarpus, looking good.

A long days work in the hot sun is the norm for these hard working men in the Florida landscape industry.  Trimming palms is hard work, running a chainsaw overhead, up on ladders, debris flying in your eyes, it all takes a special type of commitment.