Garden Tour - Dutchlady1

I always loved tropical plants, and have grown them indoors for as long as I can remember, of course with more or less success! This plumeria was growing in a south facing window in London, England!!

Then, when we bought our house in Florida in 1999, and I realized that I was in a subtropical climate, I immediately set about eliminating grass, inches and feet at a time. I tried (and killed) a lot of different plants - but there were always Plumeria, from the very first day.

And more Plumeria. And bigger ones, and more. After all this time - thirteen years -  I am now finally at the point where I know which ones I will let grow big, which I want to keep, even if small, and which ones are just 'placeholders' until a more exciting one comes along!

At the same time I started collecting succulents, simply because they had always appealed to me too, and after having them scattered about in pots for years, they have now been given their own space, which appears to suit them.

Yet I can't seem to get away from the whole container-thing: Adeniums are my latest thing, and they are scattered around mostly in nice shallow pots.

I can honestly say I am a plant hoarder. I can't pass up a plant I don't have yet, and I frequently rescue other people's castoffs. In our area many people are 'snowbirds' and they often throw out perfectly good plants when they head back north in the spring. Some of my best plants are finds, like this beautiful purple Orchid, so - it's an eclectic bunch to say the least!

Two years ago for my birthday DH and I built a pergola on a concrete pad in the back of our house next to our pool, where I have put all my pots with Adeniums and miscellaneous succulents, and I have hung orchids and Hoyas from the beams to eventually create a shady spot. This great Tecomanthe vine is in the process of being trained to cover most of the trellis on top.

I also gather garden art, both significant (this Zimbabwean sculpture) and trivial, like gazing balls and old yard sale finds such as this old bird cage which now houses an orchid, and the wind chime which was a great buy at a recent yard sale.

Since I truly feel (or I should probably say: hope) that we will stay in this house, I indulge my whimsy all I like, and while the shape of the beds and the paths are pretty much defined by now, I still change a lot around from time to time: I recently (with the help of DH) removed a large group of Areca palm stumps that were covered in Bromeliads, since it was fairly impossible to keep it weed free, and guess what? There is a Plumeria growing there now!

My outdoor space is for me a place of creativity, and work that relaxes me. I don't foresee that it will ever be 'finished' - because then what would I do??