- Open Greenhouse & Plant Swap, Saturday, Jan. 7, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 602 Ronele Drive, Brandon, FL 33511
- Lots of new stuff for this event!
- You dig native wild violets, the perfect groundcover for a shady spot. I’ve been growing them for decades but they “escaped” into a low-lying shady spot in the yard and are creating a gorgeous groundcover that attracts wildlife. (And for people with frozen landscapes, these are native as far north as Pennsylvania!)
- We potted up a bunch of firebush so it has a better of survival. It’s my all-around favorite native plant because it’s always alive with bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
- We also potted up some non-native rain lilies which aren’t as spectacular as the firebush every day, but when they bloom, they’re show-stoppers.
- Everglade tomatoes, $3 rooted cuttings or you-dig for free. (Most of the you-digs have burnt leaves from the cold but they’re still healthy.)
- A few you-dig beautyberries that attract bees and butterflies in the spring and then feed lots of birds with spectacular purple flowers this time of year.
- Potted aloe plants that came from the last swap
- Wooden pallets for landscaping projects. These are all shipped from the USA so they’re not treated (read poisoned) to international specifications.
- Layers of cardboard boxes to use under mulch. USPS nearly doubled the cost of shipping in a mailing tube so we had to switch to UPS. We have a lot of boxes that are the perfect shape for walkways.
- And, of course, we have free mulch too, and one nice pile that’s pretty much broken down into compost.
- Also on the free plant list for January:
- Native elderberries are covered in berries but they also spread by runners so we have lots to share
- Some sad-looking passionflower in the greenhouse that really needs a good home soon. (The original fruit came from Tanja Vidovek, they’re amazingly productive vines besides attracting butterflies.)
- Bleeding heart and pagoda plants, both of which do need to be contained because they spread underground.
- Lady palms, a slow-growing hedge that’s tough as can be once it’s started
- Crinum lilies
- Yellow native cannas
- Cuttings
- Ever-bearing mulberries that probably won’t have fruit this month but usually do
- Sweet almonds are thriving and are covered in bees.
- Dark blue salvia and lavender or red firespike. There’s one big red firespike you can take as a you-dig.
- Jacob’s ladder is one of the few things we grow that doesn’t benefit wildlife, but it’s an attractive plant that works beautifully in a pot
- Seeds
- Everglade tomatoes
- Daikon radish (mooli) is easy to grow. If you let it flower, it provides nectar all winter long, even when everything else is frozen
- Blackberry lily, another native that came through the cold with blooms
- Native spiderwort, another favorite native that thrives almost anywhere it gets enough sun
- Dill and parsley to plant now that it’s getting cooler – always plant extra for caterpillars
- The cosmos growing here are a new favorite, they attract lots of bees and butterflies even though they bounce when a critter lands. I’ve planted a small forest to take advantage of these highly entertaining flowers.
Farm News
2 Comments
I would love some Cosmo seeds but I live too far away. Any way to mail them to me if I mail you a self adressed stamped envelope?
We can do that, but be sure to tell me what you want! I have a couple of envelopes here that I have no idea what to send.