Florida Gardenista

10/27/2026

Large Scoliid wasp also admiring the Florida paintbrush! I usually spot these unique wildflowers blooming on my walks through sandy Pine tree trails every Fall. For this type of wasp, it’s usually not aggressive as long as you don’t step on its ground nest or mishandle it.

10/26/2026

🌞Monday Morning Checkin

10/22/2026

🍓It is Strawberry Season🍓

Getting ready to plant strawberries tomorrow with the school garden club! With the help of a generous donation from Rockledge Gardens the students will each be able to plant their own plant. Can’t wait to see their excitement of growing their own fruit!

10/17/2026

🌸Mix-n-match🌱 It is totally OK to mix it up in the garden! Some plants are beneficial to plant together.

For example, this Passionflower vine and Sunshine mimosa ground cover go well together. The Passionflower climbs to create some height, while the Sunshine mimosa creates a textured cover around the base with a pop of pink blooms. Another cool thing about Sunshine mimosa is it is a nitrogen fixer - which helps amend the soil naturally.

10/14/2026

Absolutely love how the new Butterfly Garden at Turkey Creek Sanctuary is flourishing 💚 If you haven’t visited recently, they’ve got some cool events coming up. Or just go for a walk/hike through one of the shady trails.

10/14/2026

Going to have to plant more Scorpions tail plants in the gardens bc the Atala butterflies seem to love it!

10/11/2026

🌱After🌱 Ten beds out of 22 in the school garden after VPK4-8th grade did their Fall plantings. The students trimmed, weeded, amended the soil, and planted lots of plants to spruce up the garden!

09/27/2026

09/22/2026

Propagating Giant Milkweed for the school garden today. Im trying two different methods. The first is directly planting the new growth cuttings into moist soil. The other technique is placing the cuttings in a small jar of water and waiting for new roots before planting. Will share which is more successful!

09/21/2026

Looking for a dazzling shrub that also repels bad bugs? The Beautyberry plant has been shown in USDA and UF/IFAS studies to have strong bite-deterring properties from the natural callicarpenal and intermedeol compounds in its leaves. The leaves offer a natural way to repel mosquitoes, ticks, and ants. AND the beautiful berries add a nice pop of color to the garden this time of year that the birds like to visit.