Earth Day at Quaint Essential. We’re Going Native!
Paleleaf woodland Sunflower
We’re celebrating Earth Day at Quaint Essential Antiques today by planting a new Florida native Tree called Summer Haw or Crataegus flava for all those Botanists out there. It’s just a bitty thing right now but will be a small tree in a few years. We’ll have more songbirds flocking into the yard for the small yellowish berries it produces after flowering in the Spring.
Summer Haw
Since Tom installed the new fence and I spent the better part of a week painting it I’ve been planting new starter plants in beds around the fence in the front yard. Here are just a few samples of what I planted. Some are native and some are not.
Most of the plants are larval and nectar plants for the Sulphur Butterfly, Pipevine Butterfly, Monarch Butterfly, Painted Lady Butterfly and the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly and other pollenators. We have plenty of roosting areas nearby so the butterflies can get out of the mid-day sun and lots of water for the thirsty ones.
Bahama Cassia, Senna mexicana var. chapmanii planted for Earth Day 4/22/2010
The front yard at Quaint Essential Antiques really took a hit this winter. Everything died back and it looked so bare. Now with the new fence and plantings it really looks like somebody cares! LOL Here’s a listing of some of the plants:
White-topped Aster, Stokesia tortifolius
Mohrs thoroughwort, Eupatorium mohrii
Scrub Mint, Conradina canescens
Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens
Creeping Sage, Salvia misella
Lakeside Sunflower, Helianthus carnosus
Eastern smooth Beardtongue, Penstemon laevigatus
Twinflower, Dyschoriste oblongifolia
Rosinweed, Silphium astericus
Paleleaf Woodland Sunflower, Helianthus strumosus
Dutchman’s Pipevine, Aristolochia tomentosa
PawPaw, Asimina reticulata
Dotted Horsemint, Monarda punctata
Tropical Sages, Red, Pink & White
Tropical Sage, Salvia coccinea
Mexican Sage, Salvia mexicana
Lyreleaf Sage, Salvia lyrata
Beach Sunflower, Helianthus debilis
Butterfly milkweed, Asclepia spp.
Blanket flower, Gaillardia pulchella
Bahama Cassia, Senna mexicana var. chapmanii
- Wheelbarrow Planter
The wheelbarrow is planted up with Petunias, Plectranthus, Strawflower and Scrub Mint. Remember to drill holes in the bottom of the wheelbarrow for drainage, unless you want to create a bog garden!
I love it.Beautiful pictures. Good idea about the wheelbarrow holes. I would not have thought of that. When I go to Maine I traditionally plant pansies in an old copper pot that sits in our yard. I put crumpled up milk jugs in before I put in the planting soil and that helps with drainage. Even though we are in the western foothills close to the White Mountains of N. H. I still put my Florida shells in the planter to add some variety and color to the arrangement.
I also put colorful Petunias in flower boxes at the windows of the camp. I will send you a picture so that you can enjoy them too. I will admit that those do have a drainage problem- either too much rain or not enough. I will work on that problem a little more this year. Thanks for your inspiration. P.s. I love the fence.