Ryan, you can often get free mulch (load it yourself) from the Forestry depot out on Hummingbird Rd. near the County Extension office. It's mostly clean oak mulch which is very nice. There's also excellent free compost available from the County landfill, again load it yourself. I wouldn't recommend their free mulch, it's got trash, plastic bag scraps and weed seeds in it.
I'm planting heliconias this week. Today's nice rain has helped to moisten up the spot where I want to put them, thankfully. This is the cultivar "Lady Di". This flower is pretty much spent, but the bracts are a beautiful deep red, and the petals are cream. I also have the orange/red ones growing randomly in a shady border under a big oak tree. Think I'm going to move some of them, too.
