Planting is now mostly finished,we can now track the progress over time

[Bullwinkle]

For those who did not know I have moved into Plantation.I have pretty much planted everything out that I brought with me even though there is still plenty room for more as the lot is around 2/3 of an acre.It was actually perfectly set up for crotons with many shaded areas as the house is over 50 years old and has many mature trees including two massive oaks out front.I was originally thinking about a tour here for next April.I think that is optimistic and maybe we can try for next October as the plants are just too small right now and will need at least 2 full growing seasons to be worthy of a tour.Almost all are were planted from either 1 or 3 gallon pots and are now around 18 to 24 ins tall.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Pics from back yard,most of the planting was done along the ficus border to add some colour,I will add some beds here later.The soil here was very good,almost no sand just rich brown earth.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Front yard pics

 

[Bullwinkle]

Front of house and side walkway

 

[Bullwinkle]

This will probably be my favorite area.Many pinks and pastels were planted here under the Ligustrum tree.We have Confetti,Shady Lane,Thea,Martha Brooks,Raphael,Mosaic,Chilli Pan,Waterfall and many other pinks located here.

 

[Marie Nock]

Impressive Mike! After all that hard work you can enjoy watching them grow. I love the concept of the pink garden.

 

[Bullwinkle]

One last pic,I have two nice planting areas under two masssive oak trees in front but it was impossible to dig here due to the roots.I ended doing the best I could with some really small cuttings that had very small root systems and I ended up jamming them in whatever space I could make under the tree.Once they get going this should also be a nice area but most of the crotons here are now only 6-9 ins .

 

[Phil Stager]

Looking good, Mike. ...and with 2/3 of an acre to play with, you've got room for lots and lots and lots more crotons and other plants.

 

[annafl]

Mike, your garden is going to be spectacular. Nice bones, and now gorgeous crotons that have been collected for years and arranged how you want them all at one time. We are not going anywhere so we will look forward to seeing your work of art when you are ready. The amount of work it took is appreciated by all real gardeners. Goodness gracious, rest your back!

Can you tell me what the croton is back by the fence and the second one over to the right from the corner of the fence? It has hot pink patterned semi-oak leaves and some nice new yellow growth on top. Thanks.

Ana

 

[Bullwinkle]

Thanks Ana,the one that caught your eye is a magnificent croton called "Magnificent" absolutely one of my all time favorites.Everytime I see them at Lowe's I am tempted to buy another one

Mike, your garden is going to be spectacular. Nice bones, and now gorgeous crotons that have been collected for years and arranged how you want them all at one time. We are not going anywhere so we will look forward to seeing your work of art when you are ready. The amount of work it took is appreciated by all real gardeners. Goodness gracious, rest your back!

Can you tell me what the croton is back by the fence and the second one over to the right from the corner of the fence? It has hot pink patterned semi-oak leaves and some nice new yellow growth on top. Thanks.

Ana

 

[palmisland]

Ahhh It's so nice to start from scratch.

 

[donroberth]

NICE!!! PLEASE KEEP US POSTED ON THE PROGRESS.

 

[Jeff Searle]

Mike,
Good luck with all the new plants that your planting. And with all the rains, heat and humidty, the plants should be off and running. Keep on eye on the plants planted around the bamboo. Bamboo as they get larger, tend to suck all the moisture from the soil with their aggressive root system and therefore the crotons will suffer.

 

[Bullwinkle]

It really is nice starting from scratch,I was able to think everything through a few times before starting to plant.Also thanks for the advice on the bamboo Jeff,to be honest it does not seem too aggresive right now,I was able to dig around it quite easily and it has been there at least 7 years.

Ahhh It's so nice to start from scratch.

 

[Moose]

Hmmm, perhaps a 25 lb bag of 20-20-20 water soluble fertilizer used every 14 days will get those babies moving ...

 

[Bullwinkle]

I have now finished planting all the areas that were obviously in need of improvement,I put in a pavered walkway that leads from the driveway to the pool and I have also planted a few areas that were badly neglected by the old owners,I will have to get a little more creative from here on.Also I have now run out of plants.I have a few ugly ducklings which I have been reluctant to plant but they total only around 5 plants or so.The meeting in October can arrive soon enough for me as I already have me eye on a few areas that could use some improvement.If we can keep Lamar away I might even win a few good ones in the auction

 

[Bullwinkle]

I promised Ana an update of pics.This area has grown nicely !

 

[Bullwinkle]

Making some progress here also.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Different angle but good growth here also

 

[Bullwinkle]

Nice pastels in this area

 

[kwtimo]

Looking really good Mike! Nice growth on everything for only 8 months.

 

[annafl]

Wow!!! Now that's real progress after only a few months! Mike, it's looking beautiful. I love the pink garden and the area beside the large Dypsis (?). I would love to see your garden in person. Thanks so much for taking the trouble to show us. Now, all we really need are closeups of some of your favorite plants!