Ahhh Dig Magazine where have you been…well it’s been a long time laying dormant just hibernating, waiting to be revived. Get ready it’s coming back.
What is Dig Magazine? It started years ago… early 90s… as a Free home & garden monthly guide for the Washington Metro area. We published it in print and online for about 5 years. I’ve since started gardening in SE Florida. Gardening is different here! Thought I’d have purely sand..well, to my delight, and my plants, it’s loamy; a black rich soil with very little clay or pebbles and sand. The total opposite of my Maryland yard. The high temps and ocean breeze here can dry out the soil and plants quickly. It takes a tough plant to survive this range of wet to parched then hot and hotter with gusty wind …dry for months then biblical rain for days. It’s tropical! Then there’s irrigation. And grass which is not normally my concern! I like flowers, shrubs, trees, bulbs, perennials.
So Vero Beach is now my hotspot. There’s bromeliads, palms, orchids, beautiful colorful crotons, crape myrtle…fragrant Plumeria..all love this climate. Most northern annuals and houseplants can be perennial outside here: i.e., impatiens will reseed as long as your yard person doesn’t weed kill everything before you can identify the leaf!
To my surprize orchids are quite easy to grow and the flowers last & last on the plant. You can grow them in any bright area or window or even tie to tree outside. Direct hot sun can be too much…under tree branches is perfect! The roots will eventually attach directly. At first secure with twine and maybe a bit of bark or moss. I have lost some to frisky squirrels. Typically they can be lost to over watering in pots
It’s mid June now so the beginning of summer. So what can you do in the garden as far as planting. If you keep it watered you can plant now…shrubs, trees, orchids. Don’t separate or shake off the root ball..if you do it most likely will have a harder time adapting to its new spot. Moles do eat the roots. All sorts of vegetables can be grown now though they may have done better if you planted them back in late Jan-Feb! I have heard that a large (3’ diameter) container works great for sizable potato crop by Fall or any root vegetable…beets, turnips.
To doodle to doodle to do..next time..my favorite Florida garden tools 😉