In Jo's Yard - 1 Landing in The Villages

In Jo’s Yard – 1

Hello, I would like to share with you my journey on becoming a Florida homeowner, a late-in-life gardener, and one who is converting my first yard into a Florida Native Landscape. 

When I lived in Maryland, I was in a townhome – there was no yard.  The communal property was lovely – tall trees, quiet and lots of bird-watching.  My only gardening experience involved planting about 30 impatiens or begonias along the border of my concrete patio on the weekend of Mother’s Day, and then turning them over at the end of October.   


When it came time to leave Maryland, I explored several locations.  

·       Pittsburgh PA – I was born and raised there and it’s always a “top place to retire”.  But I had no desire to learn how to drive in the snow on those hills!  
·       Rural Michigan – My older brother & his wonderful wife live there and love it.  There’s snow, but at least it’s flat.  Still, not for me.  
·       Asheville, NC – Often a “top place to retire”.  Seemed to have a lot to offer.  
·       Ave Maria, FL – There was not enough going on there to keep me out of trouble!
·       The Villages, FL – Well, I’m here aren’t I? 

My Maryland townhouse was sold, and I put all my belongings into Zippy Shells. I packed up the car and KOCKA the CAT, and rented a house in The Villages until I could find my “landing spot”.  

                                            

  Kocka the cat trying to understand                                                                            What to do in the upcoming week 

“Florida? I was just in Maryland two days ago.”  


I combed the Recreation News every week.  Since it seemed inevitable that there would be a yard attached to anyplace I bought, one of the very first meetings I went to was The Florida Native Plant Society.  Where else was I going to learn what would grow here, and how to nurture it?  July 2016, I joined FNPS, and I didn’t even own a house.