BUILD · CHANGE · SEE ·

BUILD · CHANGE · SEE

Plant Library

The plants I grow in my Central Florida garden and what I have learned from them: sun and water, what I have seen, how I use them, and when I plant them.

Real-garden experience, not a textbook. I am not a certified horticulturist. These profiles share what has worked (and what has not) in my own garden, so your results may differ.

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Herbs

Basil

Loves warm weather; pinch the flower spikes to keep it bushy. Read more →
Cilantro (Coriander)

Plant it in late winter or fall before the heat sends it to seed. Read more →
Dill

A cool-season herb that black swallowtail caterpillars love. Read more →
Ginger

A jungle plant: plant in late winter, harvest before the cold. Read more →
Oregano

Hardy and generous. Give it room, or it will take over the bed. Read more →
Parsley

A mild, cool-season herb and a swallowtail caterpillar favorite. Read more →
Rosemary

Very hardy and grows all year long. Read more →
Thyme

A dependable perennial once it settles in. Read more →
Turmeric

Ginger’s cousin, harvested before the cold and dried into spice. Read more →

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Vegetables

Collard Greens

A cool-season green: cut the stalk, eat the leaves, replant the stalk. Read more →
Cucumber

A trailing vine: an old wire shelf makes a fine trellis. Read more →
Green Beans

Direct sown in late summer or early fall, and good raw from the garden. Read more →
Jalapeño

Stuff them, can them or dry them: the all-purpose hot pepper. Read more →
Malabar Spinach

A vigorous climbing vine: give it a trellis and watch for dropped seed pods. Read more →
Peas

Pod peas for stir fry when young, shelling peas once they mature. Read more →
Pigeon Pea

New to my garden: started in late summer and quick to outgrow its pot. Read more →
Purple Cayenne Pepper

Green to purple, and hot: use sparingly until you know your heat zone. Read more →
Red Cayenne Pepper

Long, thin and hot: good in rubs, broths and Mexican-style dishes. Read more →
Spaghetti Squash

Tolerates some heat; cut it in half lengthwise and bake. Read more →
Tabasco Pepper

Small peppers with a BIG punch. Wear gloves. Read more →
Zucchini

Not a heat lover: sow it when the nights are cooler and trellis the vine. Read more →

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Fruit & Tropicals

Avocado

Grown from a pit: about three years to reach this size. Read more →
Banana

Cold sensitive: wait for new growth before trimming back. Read more →
Calamondin Orange

Tart and zesty, with staggered blooms for a long harvest. Read more →
Coffee

Temperamental and thirsty, but fun to grow. Read more →
Kumquat

Small fruit, big personality, and a fall harvest. Read more →
Lemon

No soggy feet, no drying out, and a fall harvest. Read more →
Lime

A discount find that has paid off in small, plentiful limes. Read more →
Loofa

The vine behind the bath-time loofah, grown from saved seed. Read more →
Olive Tree

A Mediterranean tree thriving in dappled Florida shade. Read more →
Peppercorn

A patient project: two years in and still growing toward fruit. Read more →
Pineapple

Plant one any time of year; protect it from the cold. Read more →
Purple Possum Passion Fruit

A clearance-rack rescue that winters indoors. Read more →

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Flowers

Canna Lily

Showy, economical, and easy to split and share. Read more →
Cape Leadwort

Blue blooms all summer long. Read more →
Cosmos

Scatter the seeds once and enjoy them for years. Read more →
Firecracker Plant

A hummingbird favorite. Read more →
Mandevilla

Ever-blooming color that bounces back. Read more →
Marigold

Easy, cheerful, and a helpful vegetable-garden companion. Read more →
Vinca

An annual that keeps coming back on its own. Read more →
Wax Begonia

Technically an annual; this one has survived three winters. Read more →
Zinnia

Save the dried seed heads and spread the color around. Read more →

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Butterfly & Pollinator

Butterfly Weed

Bright orange milkweed for bees and butterflies. Read more →
Common Milkweed

A monarch host plant; the caterpillars’ food. Read more →
Firebush

A Florida native magnet for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Read more →

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Landscape & Easy Care

Aloe Vera

Forgiving, easy to ignore, and quick to multiply. Read more →
Bird of Paradise

Crane-like orange blooms in spring; split it when it clumps. Read more →
Firecracker Flower

Struggled in a pot, now thriving three years in a shady, protected spot. Read more →
Hibiscus

Large, showy blooms, one round after another. Read more →
Native Grasses

Low-fuss accents; the big ones make a focal point. Read more →
Sweet Potato

Toss a tuber in the ground and it will take over. Read more →

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Containers

Arrowhead Plant

A traveling vine for shade. Wash your hands after handling. Read more →
Brazilian Joyweed

Fast-growing color for containers. This winter will be its test. Read more →
Creeping Jenny

A filler and spiller for containers. Pair it with plants that share its needs. Read more →
Egyptian Starcluster

Ever blooming, and three winters in zone 9b without a cover. Read more →
Jade

A forgiving succulent: root a cutting in water and go easy on watering. Read more →
Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine

An annual that comes back in a protected spot. I grow it for looks. Read more →
Purple Heart

A few cuttings that traveled south eight years ago, and still multiplying. Read more →