Ideas From Philips Garden Store

I just thought I'd share some fall inspiration with you!  I visited a local garden store a month or so ago and have just now gotten around to posting the photos, complete with lots of fall color!  I especially love the juxtaposition of the sweet potato vine with the purple heart in the second pic.
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Croton is a commonly used tropical around here to impart that autumn color which is usually lacking here in Florida.  And the mums... you gotta have mums in a fall planting scheme!  I once threw what i thought was a dead crysanthemum in the swamp one year, only to find it blooming in fall, in the middle of the woods!

 Have any of you in Florida tried clivia yet? I always see them in (overpriced) Monrovia containers, but I've heard that they do much better in California.  Any ideas?

No fall color here, but I love the minimalist balls of lush boston fern hanging from the ceiling.  I wonder if they use drip irrigation on those...  Anyways, stay tuned to read about my visit to a very cool rainforest-ey place!  I'm not telling what it is though.

For more inspiration...
For a list of last month's articles... 
To purchase prints of photos here... 
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12 comments:

  1. I love that combination of purple heart and potato leaves too. Guess what? I have both in my garden, I may copy that idea in one of my container :) thanks!

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  2. Amy:
    Isn't that a great combo? Its also pretty easy to replicate since they're readily available plants. :)

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  3. I have a Clivia that I have planted outdoors in North Central Florida. It has done ok, very slow growth and no flowers yet (although it survived last winter fine). I'm not planning on removing it but as far as it being a show stopper in the landscape, or even a good background, so far its not up to par.

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  4. Thank you Krishna! That's good to know since it seems like its pretty much absent from Florida landscapes as far as I've seen. I'm not sure if its the warm summer nights or what!

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  5. They've been using croton a lot here in container gardens in the summer. I should've gone around at the end of summer and taken cuttings from all these houseplants they use as annuals around here.

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  6. Mr. Brown Thumb:
    Good idea! I've been planning on doing the same with the ti plants around here, at least with my own plants. They usually die back to the ground or at least to the trunks anyway...

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  7. I am still here, just havnt been posting much - getting ready for a big load of mulch so my gardening has not been very interesting lately! Oh I have a real hankering for a clivia, but they are expensive over here too. Good idea for the boston fern, when you have them in the ground they can really take over an area!

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  8. I bought a clivia not too long ago and was able to cross it off my lifetime wishlist. The specimen is quite lush with big, beautiful leaves. I had wanted one forever, as I was very impressed with them in a wintertime visit to San Diego. They were literally everywhere. When I brought it home, I was afraid to plant it, as I couldn't find much info on growing this plant in Florida. All I could really garner was that it needs shade and well-drained soil. A couple of websites outright said they do not thrive in Florida. Was it the humidity, the rain? I can't remember now what I read. Anyway, it is now a living experiment in my garden, so we shall see.

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  9. Ooooooh...I WANT to try a Clivia!!! Pretty blooms, but love that foliage! My only problem is it needing shade...same with the broms...just hard to find the spot for it...

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  10. Sweet potato vines are among my favorite plants. I love how the two colors look up against one another!

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  11. Really admire those boston ferns - wonder how is the pot is actually holding the whole ball.
    It must be the fertiliser.

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  12. AfricanAussie:
    Yeah, the boston fern is pretty invasive over here... the tuberous non native kind anyways. There's this huge oak tree in the neighborhood whose branches are FILLED with the stuff!

    Floridagirl:
    I can't wait to see how the clivia does for you! Actually I just read a thread on gardenweb that shows some success from gardeners in south and central Florida, especially when planted in the shade of oak trees.

    Julie:
    My garden started out with no shade at all... so I planted a lot of trees and bushes! Eventually I'll have the shade I want...

    Fern:
    The chartreuse one is my fave color, and it was great for covering large areas when my garden was getting started.

    James:
    Don't they look lush? I'm sure they're irrigated too.

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