About Me!

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Central, FL, United States
I am a former teacher, aspiring artist, inveterate traveler This blog is about my Florida garden experience and its expression though poetry, philosophy, photography and art. It includes my other creative endeavors. Here can be found posts about travel to other gardens around the world. My garden is a half acre in zone 9a which includes a large water garden. I have mostly a shade garden because of the huge live oak. To keep things easy, I love to grow bromiliads,ferns,gingers and other tropicals. I need to have a low maintenance garden. In the summer we usually have plenty of rain and it transforms into a jungle. I have converted my swamp into the water garden where I grow irises, waterlilies, papyrus, radigan, spikebush and swamp lily. I also grow citrus (lemon,key lime,grapefruit,tangerines,pineapple,and loquats). Me?...Often the prickly thorn produces tender roses. (Ovid)

Sep 23, 2012

the watergarden of good and evil...

the corner of my yard is my boardwalk,the swamp is the light color




Good vs evil, plenty vs want ,drought vs flood..... We had the worst drought in the 22 years I have lived here. So have many others. In the past my swamp was only dry for a couple months in April and May, but I had no water for a full year this previous year. I had a small vinyl pond like  Noahs Ark to hold two water lettuces, two water lilies, two frogs etc. and to provide water to the animals. As my irises began to decline and wilt, I waited anxiously for the rains to come. Then the 40 days of rain came!  The days of rain seemed endless..water and more water. Only a few of my irises  are coming back, but now the water lilies are taking control. Everyone vying for control over space and so it goes in this ever climate changing world.  I got out today with a rake and cleared some lilies and the water weeds..I wasn't lazy today..but I AM exhausted. But the watergarden is my privacy and sanctuary.

“Moderation, the Golden Mean, the Aristonmetron, is the secret of wisdom and of happiness. But it does not mean embracing an unadventurous mediocrity; rather it is an elaborate balancing act, a feat of intellectual skill demanding constant vigilance. Its aim is a reconciliation of opposites".~Roberson Davies






Before





 Nature's Balance

I hear the gentle stirring of the wind
as it softly caresses the trees.

I smell the moist and delicate scent of rain
as it gently fall upon the fields.

I watch a squirrel peek out from its cozy nest
and pause, then scurry silently along the branch.

I see an eagle soar, its eyes half closed
against the sun's bright glare.

All around me the delicate balance of nature
paints a mural within my mind's eye. 
 
Brendaln Martin


warelily takeover


these are not caladiums but a type of taro..grow in water..this leaf is a mutation and if I could have cloned it I would make a ton of money!

























papyrus




27 comments:

  1. Wow and this is your garden?!
    /Helena

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    1. of course!!...my swamp!

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    2. Åh so very different from my garden!And yes it's swedish :-)
      /Helena

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  2. You have a beautiful and loved water garden. My dad lives outside of Atlanta and he has a large man-made pond with many of your "lesser zone" plants. Between the fish and the frogs and the birds who would raid the pond, there is always excitement and plenty of work.

    Just lovely and wonderful pictures, too.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  3. Love your garden, so green beautiful varieties of caladium? and ginger, i had that plant in my yard once, beautiful variegated foliage.We need some more rain here what we have been getting isn't enough and heading into mid spring it is already very warm.

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  4. Sometimes it is like that-feast or famine. I love the pond and all the lush vegetation. The caladiums and ginger are beautiful too. It looks like things have settled down now and it is looking great!

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  5. Sharon ~ I love your water garden, it feels like 'old' Florida, some place you want to leisurely visit and enjoy.

    I love your fancy caladiums, the greens and markings are wonderful.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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  6. I love the concentric arches in darker green on the (I'm guessing) caladium leaf...beautiful...I've never seen this one. Also noticed all the bottles strung between trees beyond the end of your hammock. If you don't already know the story of bottle trees, you might be interested in reading this blog at http://plantersandplantstands.com/blog/post/The+Story+of+Bottle+Trees#.UGCRMUQvv14. I had to research their history and found it fascinating. I think they are a fun, whimsical addition to a garden...thanks for sharing yours.

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    Replies
    1. yes I know about the tree but we dont have a dead one .,I wanted to buy a rebar one but my husband is too cheap!..haha

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  7. I must admit, I was lazy today. And I'm still exhausted. Your garden seems to be rejoicing from the rain.

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  8. Your photos today make me want to pack up and spend the Winter down in Florida. It is beautiful here on the shores of Lake MIchigan, but the Winters do get Cold! You may see me on the streets down your way come January. Jack

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  9. Sharon your garden looks fantastic! Wild gardens also take some work......do you have a gardener? Butterflies have been in short supply here this summer due to the excessive amount of rain.
    I like the quote,how true,we can all benefit by walking in balance on this earth.

    Ruby

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  10. Ruby.....no, I don't have a gardener..haha...my husband would say he does all the work and I'm the designer..but I trim and weed, and deadhead and take plants in and cover them in the winter, and water,and divide and seed and order and buy, supervise the plant moving...yadayada...but I have other hobbies like painting and I have health issues...so if a plant takes a lot of attention it fails here...right now I cannot keepleaves on the knockouts because of black spot and I'll be ripping them out next.

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  11. What a gor-G-ous leaf. You know I would have to try it even if it failed. There has to be a way to reproduce it... I wonder if you could do it from some type of cutting. So many plants can be propigated from leaves you would think there would be a way. BTW I got my copy of Balancing Heaven and Earth and started reading it last night. ;0)

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  12. Sharon you have an amazing garden .. it must be wonderful to get "lost" in it and forget the world for a while ? .. this was the driest year I remember here as well .. made it rather miserable .. but no over load of rain .. yet ?
    The leaf is gorgeous ! Hope you find a way to figure propagating it !!
    Joy

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  13. Wowzer, what a gorgeous leaf! I want one! I really love your staghorn fern and ginger too. You have a good attitude after dealing with the vagries of monther nature. It seems the last few years we either get no rain or when it comes, it comes with ferocious storms that damage things. Moderation is indeed a good thing

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  14. Was für ein üppiger Garten, einfach wundervoll. Von dieser Artenvielfalt kann ich hier nur träumen. Wir bereiten uns langsam auf kaltes, feuchtes Wetter vor. Der Garten wird langsam braun und die ersten Blätter fallen.
    Gruß Anette

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    Replies
    1. Yes, we have very different garden zones....but you can grow tuips!!...Ich spreche veyr wenig Deutsch..."dumkof"ist alles...lol.

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  15. Hence the expression "when it rains it pours." Your quote is bang on, moderation is key, but it doesn't happen by itself. I think the older we get the more we see the importance of balance, we don't have as much energy and time, we learn not to squander. Your pond does look happy now though!

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  16. Hi Sharon! I am thrilled you popped by my blog because now I can follow your garden adventures! The foliage in your garden is stunning! It is hard to believe how much rain you have received. We had one of the hottest summers on record and our rain was minimal which proved to be very difficult on many of my young plants. Beautiful pics and poem....look forward to seeing more! Nicole

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  17. Wow, I'm so glad I discovered your blog. It's right up my alley. Your garden looks like a paradise!

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  18. Anonymous9/28/2012

    Sharon - tell me again how many acres you have?

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    1. only half.but Im on a dranage easement.South.come visit me...I have an aztec glider.....dragonfly..nextpost...lets exchange plants...

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    2. Anonymous10/01/2012

      Sounds like a plan. I'm trying to root you a few cuttings from that larger milkweed plant now.

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  19. Wow sharon what a great garden you have. Won't be easy to water it in dry periods.
    But you had rain now.
    have a wonderful weekend

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  20. Your garden looks beautiful despite the vagaries of weather. I hope things do come into balance and you won't have so much work to do.

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  21. Your garden is so beautiful, I had only one calladium as I lived in the FWI (Guadeloupe) and sometimes it was dry too
    Have a nice weekend
    Marie

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