First Planting

Went to see the landscaper/nurseryman on 5/8 about the yard plan. He had not had a chance to do anything with it which was a little disappointing. My husband, David, and I were anxious to plant SOMETHING so we decided to start with the seawall area, which is 80 feet in length, and plant an area about 6 feet deep. After deciding on a direction, Martin was very helpful with the plant selection. Got the plants in on Mother's Day which made me very happy!

First row of plants, next to the seawall, is Golden Creeper.

The next row is alternating Dune Sunflower/Beach Daisy and Blanket Flower(Gaillardia), with a Railroad Vine at each end. The railroad vine is very aggressive and was advised to use them sparingly. The following are pictures of mature plants. Mine are not that big yet. Hopefully, by the end of summer...

Dune Sunflower/Beach Daisy

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

Railroad Vine

In the beginning...

My dream house? Well not exactly, but it is a house and, thanks to a generous monetary gift from my father-in-law, its acquisition has allowed me to divorce myself from the headaches and drama of condo living. As Stewart Smalley once said, "It's easier to wear slippers than to carpet the world", so here we are in our comfortable, albeit distressed, house-slippers, embracing the remodel adventure.

The interior is now livable so on to the landscaping. A very fried lawn has afforded us the opportunity to redo the entire yard in native Florida plants, with no sod. At least that's the plan.

I took a class a couple of years ago, sponsored by the City of Cape Coral, on landscaping with native plants. Lots of great information was provided which included sources for free mulch. I called all the numbers and got an immediate response from Ken E Beal, who sent Ronny to deliver a truckload of mulch. More will be delivered as the material becomes available. This free mulch will be the first layer. I'm guessing the final layer will be a bit more asthetic and cost something.

Martin, from All Native, came out to look at the property & come up with some ideas. I am anxiously awaiting his plan, which he promised to reveal on Friday. Until then, I will remove most of the existing plants with the exception of an oak and three palm trees. One element I would like to include in the plan is a hammock area.