You Might Be Surprised By Your Landscape's Worth

Published: May 7, 2008

Sometimes it takes a disaster to truly realize the value of a garden.

Joyce Hinson has lived in her Valrico home for 40 years, but she has only been gardening extensively for the past 12 or so. At first, a picnic table was the focal point of their backyard, much of which was shaded by the spreading limbs of her neighbor's live oak.

She surrounded it with neat beds of shrubs, groundcovers and perennials. She edged each one and made wide paths, then added new beds and more paths, sitting areas, birdbaths, feeders and a trellis covered with fragrant jasmine.

"I'm out in the garden all the time, not always working, but walking around and snipping a bit and sitting to watch the birds and the squirrels," she said.

One day a few years ago, she had just gone indoors when she heard a huge crash. Almost all the limbs on her side of the spreading oak collapsed at once. There was no storm, no hurricane. It just happened out of the blue.

As the limbs fell, they crushed the shed and every tree in their path, including two orange trees.

"I was devastated," she said. "I called my daughter and tried to tell her, but she was thinking 'How bad can it be?' It was total disaster. We had a landscaper come and give us a figure on redoing the garden. He said $20,000!"

Hinson was so desperate she eventually told him to come, but he never did. So she put the garden back together herself with the help of her longtime companion, Michael Hammill. The picnic table survived and is once again a focal point.

Part of the garden is a tribute to her mother, Daisy.

"My mother lived with me for a year before she died," Hinson said, "and I would walk her out here often. She loved the garden, and I have dedicated it to her."

Most daisies don't grow well in Florida, so she has the name "Daisy" on a plaque and watering can and other places in memory of her mother.

Another contributor to the Hinson-Hammill garden is their friend Tom LeJune.

"Several times we've come home and found something new in our garden," Hammill said, "that face on the tree, the ducks on the pond, the statue of St. Francis. And we find out that Tom has been here and left us another gift."

"Many of the things in the garden were gifts from friends and family," Hinson said.

The well-groomed plants are artfully set off by figures of pelicans, Canada geese, frogs, ducks, gazing balls and benches. Also among the treasures is a little black bicycle the couple got at Goodwill, painted and decorated with a basket with impatiens growing inside.

Hinson's garden design is well done and gives her a bigger gardening pallette with which to paint than the florist work she did for several years.

The soil is rich - they suspect the property was once a cow pasture - and encourages healthy growth.

Hinson and Hammill also enjoy watching the wildlife in their yard.

"That cone over the bird feeder is supposed to keep the squirrels out," Hinson said. It doesn't, but it encourages some fascinating acrobatics as the squirrels flip themselves around it to get at the bird food.

Today's Pick

I probably don't write often enough about pentas. We tend to take them for granted, but they are one of the best perennials and flowering shrubs for attracting butterflies, making bouquets and growing in lush gardens. They also are among the easiest and most colorful plants to cultivate in Central and South Florida.

The abundant, starlike blossoms bloom in clusters in red, white and shades of lavender and pink. Butterflies prefer the red. The plants are not fussy about soil and tolerate only occasional watering once established. Bring in a few cuttings when a freeze is forecast, just in case. New plants will grow quickly from cuttings to plants as tall as 4 feet.

For bouquets, cut blossoms with stems, leaves and one or more bunches of flowers, remove the lower leaves and condition in cool water. Arrangements will last about a week before the first blossoms begin to drop.

Now's The Time To ...

Develop an easy attitude about your garden. Don't worry if your plans don't pan out. Hinson and Hammill have a purple martin house that has so far attracted only a family of squirrels.

They lost fish from their pond when herons perched on their roof and swooped down for an easy meal. So now it is a frog pond.