The previous homeowners enjoyed a long, narrow lap pool and bulky firepit in their backyard. The new homeowners, with a three-year old boy and new baby girl, wanted a play area for the children and a place to watch them. My clients asked me to redesign the backyard. What could they do?  

First, I had to determine if the outdoor bench was in the ground permanently. Having the crew dig down to the bottom of the legs, and finding no cement, we knew that the bench could be dug up and flipped. The firepit was heavy but once the metal center was temporarily removed, we could roll it into place. My contractor’s crew worked very hard and rearranged the seating to face the pool.

 The landscape was then rearranged to border the new seating by transplanting the bottlebrush and the Lakeview jasmine and cutting back the Jatropha trees. I added low maintenance shrubs like fragrant tea olives, and colorful flowers like plumbago, hibiscus, and whirling butterflies. Final touch was to add the necessary zoysiagrass that can handle the children’s Little Tykes play toys and Tonka trucks in the gravel bed.  Playground transformation complete.

My design tip? Think outside of the bench, I mean box. Having a landscape that works for you means checking out all possibilities and finding a way to accomplish what needs done.  Also, find a contractor who is willing to dig out the box. Thanks, Mickey and crew!

To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment.

~ Jane Austen

“Mansfield Park”, 1814, p. 85

Our spring has been rough. Summertime temperatures teasingly near the 90’s with nary a drop of rainfall last month. Usually in April, Central Florida receives 3.78 inches of rain, but last month, Orlando only received .37 inches. Since the beginning of 2025, our rainfall is down 7 inches for the year. Fortunately, this month, in the first two weeks of May, we should catch up with the rainfall. We can hope for 6” to 7” just this week.

What does drought stress look like in the landscape?

Drought stressed blueberries, podocarpus, and viburnum.

So what should you do if you find your shrubs?

• Handwater your plants on the days you cannot irrigate. Make sure you saturate rootball.

• Make sure irrigation system is hitting the base of the plant. Remember its the rootball that needs water, not the leaves.

• Hold off on fertilizing till rains arrive.

• Cut the brown fronds or foliage out.

• Do not spray pesticides.

Two ways to help prevent drought-stress in Spring and WInter:

• Right Plant, Right Place based on your soil conditions, either xeric, mesic, or hydric soils.

• Add organic amendments to your soil. One bag of topsoil or compost, one bag of peat, and one bag of manure for every 10 square feet of area.

Here is a great chart for building healthy Soil with organic amendments:

Find out how to have a great landscape in May, despite the heat and lack of rain. Check it out!

In April, our Art in Bloom Garden Tour traveled to Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. We visited hidden gardens in Savannah, toured historic homes and plantations, learned how to propagate beautiful irises, and enjoyed a delicious cooking lesson of classic Southern cuisine, and dining in style with a night dinner cruise!  Don’t miss another garden adventure. Go to Art in Bloom Garden Tours!  Tony and I would love to have you join us!

Lizzie’s showing off her amaryllis and warns about being a jive turkey! Her life experience with a bird in the hand and two in the bushes is real. Lizzie talks turkey in her post this month.

Savannah and Charleston have beautiful, shade-tolerant pocket gardens in nearly every landscape. They use dwarf mondo grass as turf, Confederate jasmine on wrought iron fences, and this fun ornamental plant survives Zone 7 winters, and Zone 11 hot temperatures. My Plant of the Month also has yellow Asteraceae flowers. In the shade! Find out what it is and try it! Its architectural foliage is perfect for elegant, whimsical, or classic gardens.

When I go to the theme parks, I admire their instant landscapes that provide that ‘Wow’ factor around every corner. The designs, plant selections, and colors are inspiring. But usually, the theme park attraction landscapes are used as seasonal plantings and expensive. They are designed to be short-term, and believe me; we pay for it in every ticket. City and county landscapes on the other hand, should be examples of sustainable landscapes. My Landscape Malpractice this month was beautiful but not sustainable or cheap, and the location was on a rarely used avenue. It will be interesting to watch it over the next year and see how these new hybrid perennials will do.

My design tip this month is a creative exercise for a landscape that has great bones and potential. Let me know what you would do with an empty slate landscape with a beautiful fountain.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the women who are Moms! Moms with children, Stepmoms, Moms of fur babies and reptiles, Frat Moms, and teachers who serve as Moms in the classroom. My Mom loved roses. Our family consisted of six children in nine years, so she was running from morning till night. She only had one rose bush at a time. But it was always a beautiful rose when it bloomed. Great memories.

If you don’t want to get up early to listen to Better Lawns and Gardens, you can always listen to our podcast here.

Take it easy this month in the landscape, try not to stress out your lawn with excessive chemical treatments. The rainy season will be here shortly.

In my daily travels, I see yards that have potential. Would I love to have a crack at designing this landscape! Great bones, easy slope, full sun, and wonderful accoutrements, like a Spanish tile, water fountain, statues, and plants that enhance the Mediterranean-style home. But in its current state, it’s not positioned to enhance the home. The property is a large enough to expand the landscape with a classic pergola that welcomes guests graciously into their home. What would I do?

1. Move the water fountain closer to the home.

2. Add and transplant the bougainvillea.

3. Add a flagstone patio. Install a rectangular pergola that runs lengthway i

4. Add three 6’ x 6’ or 10’ x 10’ cement paver steps where each one goes down 8” down the slope with smaller steps further down the slope to road. On each side of three pavers plant perennial lantana or drift roses.

5. Transplant Yucca to succulent and agave landscape bed in front of house on each side.

6. Add 4’ x 2’ cement pavers to side of house.

7. Add Live oak and Olive trees on sides of front yard.

My design incorporates Florida-friendly principles with low-maintenance plants. My plan could be done in phases. I would plant the oak and olive tree first. Install the flagstone pathway, then move the water fountain. Transplant the yucca, add the arbor, transplant the bougainvillea, then add the walkway, finally add the succulent and agave landscape beds. Remember to retrofit the irrigation system.

Now, how would you design the yard to utilize the immense sloped front yard and create a welcoming landscaped entrance?

“Love, exciting and new, come along, we welcome you.” Okay, so the theme song isn’t exactly about gardening, but if showcases my feeling. Welcome to all the new subscribers and listeners to my monthly newsletter, “In Your Backyard.” February is the time to gear up for gardening in Florida. It has definitely warmed up (thank you, La Niña), with new leaves pushing out and up, perennial flowers and shrubs available in the nurseries, and the urge to plant is in the air. Speaking of gardening and love, I want to send out love to all the garden clubs that I get to speak to. Talk about growing! Garden clubs are the place to be! Pictured above are one of the fun activities of holiday floral arrangements. The beautiful floral centerpieces were created by members of the New Smyrna Beach Garden Club for their February meeting. I mention garden clubs frequently in my talks and on my radio show, Better Lawns and Gardens, because garden clubs are so active, inside and outside, and welcoming. If you are new to Florida and interested in learning about gardening and learning about your landscape, join a local garden club! You can find a garden club near you on the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs website.

February is when showstopping pink Trumpet trees start to bloom. Appropriately named, the flowers of the Trumpet tree resemble the musical instruments. Fast-growing and relatively pest-free, Handroanthus impetiginosus, make a beautiful street tree. I think that a neighborhood of Trumpet trees would be a strong challenger of cherry blossom trees in Spring. Did you know that Trumpet trees, also called Ipê, Ironwood, and Brazilian walnut, is also one of the strongest and hardest woods on the globe. It is considered the best lumber to use for composite decking? Known for its fire, insect, and scratch resistance, Ipê decking is also cooler to bare feet. Ipê lumber sold in the United States is harvested legally and sustainably.

With the summer-like temperatures already upon us, you’ll love all the different flowers, herbs, trees, and vegetables you can plant in February. It’s also a short month to get those landscape chores done. Just a couple of quick tips: Don’t plant rye seed anymore – as the temperatures reach 80 degrees and above, it will quickly decline, and be leery of buying beautiful winter annuals blooming like delphiniums, foxgloves, and pansies. With the heat, if they last a month, you will be lucky. Read what you should do in February here.

Congratulations to Lizzie who has her hands full of love in this month’s adventure. You can read more to see her new bundles of joy.

My Plant of the Month is also one of my favorite tropical topics. It’s a low-maintenance, colorful plant that looks good in the ground, in the air, or as a thriller in your pool garden container. With over 2,700 species to choose from, it’s not hard to become addicted to collecting all the these beautiful varieties available in Florida.

Thinking of wearing white cottony outfits, summer trips to the beach, visiting coastal lighthouses, and promenade through beautiful gardens? Join me and other garden lovers as we tour the ‘Gilded Age’ vacation destination of the rich, Newport, Rhode Island. We will attend the premier Newport Flower Show at Rosecliff Mansion, stroll the coast on Narragansett Bay, take photos of yourself next to life-sized animal topiaries, and meander on the grounds of New England’s finest estate, Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum, where you can view Champion trees and Giant sequoias, relaxing with afternoon tea, and more. Only 6 more spots left. Dates are June 19th – June 23rd, 2025, 5 days, 4 nights. More Information.

Send me your garden questions and comments. Thank you for reading “In Your Backyard.” I love knowing you are out there!

How are you doing? Two hurricanes in the first two weeks of October – we haven’t seen that in Florida ever, and it’s worse further north in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and surrounding border states. This is a month for recovery for millions. With the deluge of over 15” of rainfall in some areas, the loss of thousands of trees, and flooding still affecting Florida, gardening may not be on your to-do list.

Take a deep breath, do what you need to do to take care of your property and you. All those that have been devastated in North, South, and west coast of Florida, know that you are in Lizzie’s and my prayers. Check in with us on our Facebook page. Send us your photos, questions, and comments.

Take advantage of Summit Mosquito Bits and Dunks in stagnant waters around your home, and Green Armor Shield to prevent mosquito bites while working out in your yard. It prevents mosquitos from biting you through your clothing, shoes, tents, out in the woods, clearing out your brush and fallen trees.

If you need help with your landscape, here are a few resources:

• Find a certified arborist or check credentials: https://bit.ly/483PJKI

• Talk to your local County Extension Office: https://bit.ly/30CvrVh

• Disaster Relief and Recovery:  https://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/

It’s been a chaotic month, so keep focused on yourself, family, home, and what you need. If you do need a break and you have gardening questions, especially about your landscape issues, hope you will listen to Better Lawns and Gardens every Saturday morning 7am to 9am on your iHeart station or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

My design tips will be back next month with special emphasis on recovery. Send me your questions, thoughts, or ideas you would like.

Hope everything is back to normal for you and Florida soon. Take care,