GARDENING IN FRAGRANT FLORIDA 



EMILY WILCOX 



Garden Club of Florida 



Considering Regional Differences and Getting an Early Start — Fall Planting Time in the 

 "Land of Flowers" — Dependables for Winter and Summer Bloom on the 50.x 125 Ft. Plot 



lLORI DA has a frost line and a great deal of this so called 

 "Land of Flowers" is above it. The visitor arrives 

 expecting to find a garden spot, and is disappointed 

 but stays on, because of the sunshine and the ozone. 

 You have come to Florida to make a home and are filled with 

 enthusiasm. You want the outlook from this home pleasant and 

 restful. A velvety lawn with trees casting long shadows and 

 wonderful splashes of color in the garden. You look about, and 

 in spite of the hosts of trees there are very few shadows. A 



THE LONG SUNSHINE OF FLORIDA 



Annual Larkspur and Snapdragons furnish 

 color against the green of Oaks which form 

 the rich background of this Southern garden 



Palmetto casts about as much 

 shadow as the skeleton of an um- 

 brella. The tall Pine trees pole 

 themselves so gauntly in the air be- 

 fore condescending to stick out their 

 pins of leaves, that a self-respecting 

 shadow has not a ghost of a chance. 

 But we can grow our own shad- 

 ows! We will draw a veil across 

 all the queer things that happen — 

 seeds that never materialize be- 

 cause planted according to Northern 

 schedules, flowers that struggle into 

 bloom only to develop paralysis, the 

 wrong kind of grass selected; and 

 grass we must have. It is the can- 

 vas on which to paint our picture. 



FOR strictly open spaces Bermuda-grass is the best lawn plant 

 from early spring until a killing frost when it will turn brown 

 until the following spring. Bermuda-grass spreads by creeping 

 stems which root at every joint; St. Augustine-grass has a broad 

 blade and is excellent for shady places. Both grasses are started 

 by sets planted in rows about six inches apart and although April 

 is the best time for planting, it grows at any time. Water plenti- 

 fully and keep a vigilant eye for weeds. A good commercial 

 fertilizer will lessen the possibility of weeds. 



A magical effect may be produced each spring and fall by 

 covering the lawn with a top dressing of a special lawn fertilizer 

 mixed with an equal part of good soil, and by watering thor- 

 oughly. It takes only a day or two to produce a gay green 

 carpet that will fairly make you gasp at its brightness. If you 

 wish to make a deep impression on your winter guests, buy 

 pounds of Italian Rye seed, scattering it thickly on the lawn 

 some time between October 15th and November 15th. Cover 

 with about one-fourth inch of loamy soil, water thoroughly, and 

 all winter there will be a vivid green lawn while the real grass is 

 resting. This I have always called "stage grass" it seems so 

 unreal — but it is most effective. 



When it comes to planting the picture with trees, shrubs, vines 

 etc., the vital fact that everything is to look its very best in win- 

 ter must always be in mind; it is what our Northern friends ex- 

 pect when they descend upon us. Therefore, beware of the type 

 of plant that sheds its mantle of foliage or turns into a brown,, 

 wizened mummy in the winter. 



If the garden is new and you are in a hurry for results, plant 

 abundantly of the quicker growing things mingling the choicer 

 ones among them. Later the common ones can be cut away. 



I firmly believe that anything will grow in Florida if planted 

 at the proper time and given proper care. My advice is, how- 

 ever, to plant only the tried and true and the catalogues of the 



WHERE CREEPING FIG RUNS RIOT 



This vine (Ficus repens) found in China, Japan, and Australia is 

 known to the North only through its use in conservatory and greenhouse, 

 but grows rampantly in the more congenial climate of Florida. The 

 variety minima is effective for hanging baskets and window boxes 



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