In Jo's Yard - 71 Twinflower (swamp, not swamp)

Let me preface today’s entry with a note that this blog will be coming to an end shortly.  My Villages Chapter of The Florida Native Plant Society is starting a Facebook page.  Facebook will be more interactive, allowing members of the group to post photos, ask questions of the group, share knowledge. 

Twinflower  (Dyschoriste oblongifolia) and Swamp Twinflower (Dyschoriste humistrata)   are used as groundcovers.  Both varieties attract many pollinators, especially bees. It is the larval host for the common buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterfly. In my sunny front yard, Twinflower lines the approach to my front door, as a border to my wildflower garden. 

Swamp Twinflower is a deciduous perennial and flowers from late spring to early summer.  It prefers part shade and as its name suggests, requires some moisture.  I have some Swamp Twinflower next to Twinflower.  The Swamp Twinflower is taller, and dies back to little twigs in the Florida winter.

RESOURCES TWINFLOWER:  

https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/dyschoriste-oblongifolia

http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2010/01/twinflower-dyschoriste-oblongifolia.html

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/twinflowers/twinflower-plant-info.htm#:~:text=Twinflower%20(Dyschoriste%20oblongifolia)%20is%20a,distance%20and%20striking%20up%20close.

RESOURCES SWAMP TWINFLOWER:

http://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2013/04/swamp-twinflower-dyschoriste-humistrata.html 

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/files/1414/3027/7903/FLMNH-Plant-Info-Sheet-421-Swamp-Twinflower.pdf

https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=DYHU

      June 2019 – common buckeye butterfly caterpillar in my Twinflower

                          2020 July Twinflower along my garden path in the backyard

                            SWAMP Twinflower – taller than “plain” Twinflower

                                                                2020 Twinflower

Swamp Twinflower – Flower – note the leaves              Twinflower - Flower
are more oblong than “plain” twinflower

In Jo's Yard - 70 Compact Firebush

I think the most stunning plant in my yard is the Compact Firebush (Hamelia patens).  I just love to walk out back in the morning to be greeted by the red and green of my compact firebush plants.  The leaves are a gorgeous emerald green and it has fiery deep red tubular flowers from late spring til first frost.  Hummingbirds and the gulf fritillary and zebra wing butterflies love this plant!  It is the larval host for the Pluto sphinx moth.  It is drought and heat tolerant, and best of all it has not serious insect or disease problems.  My four plants have been remarkably easy-care.  In the fall, it gets red berries – the mockingbirds love them in my yard, but they are eaten by lots of birds and small mammals.   

It may grow as tall as 15 feet.  It can be pruned to keep it in the 5’-8’ height. But this is NOT a plant to be pruned back “hard” or frequently.  This will limit the production of flowers. You can propagate firebush by seed or by cuttings.                   

RESOURCES:

https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/hamelia-patens

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/firebush.html

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/firebush/growing-hamelia-firebush-plants.htm

                            September 2019 – I have three compact firebush 

                                              in the center of my backyard

                                                           June 2019

2018 October  Compact Firebush flowers with berries 

In Jo's Yard - 69 Flatwood Plum Tree

One of the most beautiful sights in spring in Maryland is coming upon the flowering trees – the redbuds, the dogwoods, those cherry blossoms.  Florida has a native species that reminds me of dogwood trees – the Flatwood Plum (Prunus umbellata).  It’s a small tree that will grow to about 20-feet (height) and spread about 12-20 feet (width).  It is deciduous, and so loses its leaves in the Fall.  In that sense, I find it reminiscent of northern trees.  Around February, little flowers start to appear.   These half-inch blooms may be followed by one-inch-long, edible, purple fruits which vary in flavor from very tart to sweet. These plums are very attractive to various forms of wildlife.  

I find it restful to look at the leaf-less tree in fall and winter, and look forward to seeing the flowers begin to appear.  From my office window, I watch the mockingbirds, cardinals, finches, sparrows perch on the branches to scope out the neighborhood, before landing on the bird bath.  

RESOURCES:   

https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/prunus-umbellata

http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/ecosystems/_plants/Flatwoods_plum/index.html#:~:text=Flatwoods%20plum%2C%20also%20called%20hog,Mississippi%20Valley%20to%20southern%20Arkansas.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st521

                                         Flatwood Plum’s Spring blossoms 

                               (photo by Shirley Denton, from www.fnps.org) 

September 2018, two Flatwood Plum trees, planted in July 2018, in a bed with Florida Privet, Pinelands Lantana, Chapmans Goldenrod, Bee Balm

                             2019 March – one of my Flatwood Plum trees, flowering

In Jo's Yard - 68 Simpson Stopper

I have three Simpson Stoppers (Myrcianthes fragrans) in my yard. This past winter, two of them gave me some cause for concern, but now all three are doing well, and it’s wonderful to have them.  These are evergreen trees or shrubs, depending on how you prune them.  In the Spring they get tiny little flowers and in the Fall they get bright red berries. They are known for their hurricane wind resistance. 

In my yard, two are planted on the South side of the house, which is on the downside of a slight incline.  I noticed that the leaves were not looking good – some seemed to have a fungus that could be scraped off with a fingernail, but some leaves were spotted.  Both problems were on both  trees.  I got some Neem Oil and sprayed the two trees.  In January, Jared Evans of Evans Native Landscaping (Evans Native Landscapes e-mail) trimmed some of the small dead branches.  By April, both trees were much improved. The leaves are green and there will be berries soon.  The branches on these two trees are more thinned out, but I am hopeful they are coming back.  The birds perch in these trees for a rest, or to survey their surroundings.   

                           The Simpson Stopper on the north side of my home

  One of the Simpson Stoppers on the south side of my home, recovering from a winter fungus

                            Evergreen leaves and interesting bark of the Simpson Stopper

                                                            Simpson Stopper blooms

                    Fall 2019, red berries on my Simpson Stopper, behind the magenta Beautyberries

RESOURCES:

https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/myrcianthes-fragrans

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/simpsons-stopper.html#:~:text=Trees%20and%20Shrubs-,Simpson%27s%20Stopper,and%20how%20you%20prune%20it.

https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-myrcianthes-fragrans/

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fp418