Can we change the way we currently think about nature...is it too late to save our planet?

 
Hellooo my nature friends!   

Whew boy it's been a scorcher of a week here in SE Florida!  Though I'm sure

where ever you are in the world you're probably experiencing some serious heat right about now just like us.  I think we tend to forget that not only do we humans feel the effects of

these extreme hot weather seasons but so do our planets animals, plants & ocean life.

So much so that mature trees can die in just a handful of months given heat stress & drought.   And while most animals can at least move to find a more suitable habitat not all are successful in their relocation efforts.  Especially if they are a migratory species that rely 

on specific habitats for mating or food sources throughout the year.

So what can we do to help our current state of ecological affairs?  

Even though the task can feel daunting & we may feel helpless that we aren't doing enough...

don't fret my friends, even the smallest contribution you do can make an impact.

Plus by being a role model &/or teaching others what you know &/or have learned is a huge help in making our world a better place not just for us but for our flora & fauna as well.  Think of it this way, if it weren't for our extremely complicated ecosystems that make this planet habitable...

we would not be here!

Let's get into it shall we!?!

The first few are easy actions everyone can do.  Our voices, freedom of speech & our right to vote is our #1 friend.  See where I'm going with this, hee hee.  By being vocal to our local, state & national governments.   Let them know how important our public lands, parks, greenways, green spaces are to keep habitats alive for our flora & fauna.  They need to hear how much value there is in preserving our green places which in turn will help our planet keep us alive.  There are so many creative ways we can make small incremental changes that can keep within a city's annual budget.  Because you know that'll be their first excuse.  Ask them to outlaw artificial turf which is full of PFAS (forever chemicals).  And in case you didn't know, it actually increases the temperature of your yard up to 40% to 70% hotter than the actual outside temperature.  So if it's 90 degrees outside which is common in summer here, not only will your kids & pets will be playing on turf that is approx. 140 to 170 degrees (third degree burn temps) but your yards ambient temperature will be just as hot.  Some cities have created micro ecosystems even if it's the tiniest of spaces, even if it's a parking lot or an abandoned lot or a street median.  Every place and space counts, less concrete/pavement/synthetic turf the better.

Another way is to donate to some of our amazing international, national & local organizations that rely on our financial help to enable them to be able to get in front of our government for environmental policy changes.  Some of you may not feel comfortable being vocal, so let these valuable organizations be your voice by supporting them with a donation.   Most of them are non-profit so financial donations are the key to continue their work of protecting our environment from disappearing.

Here's a real challenging yet very important one....reduce the amount of plastics/petroleum products in your life.  Now this one is certainly not as easy as it sounds but starting small is the key to success.  Also by shifting our mind set as to how we purchase food, store food and our daily use items will also make it easier to embrace change.   We definitely had our challenges with this one but we started with the things we knew we could successfully accomplish and afford.  For example, I bring my own non-plastic reusable bags to the grocery store.   We purchased glass food containers to store food in the cabinets and refrigerator, so when I get home from the store I'll remove the food item from the plastic container & transfer it into a glass one.  We use a combination of snap-lock containers, ball jars & saved jars from other foods like honey, pasta sauce, etc that I can reuse.  Use ceramic and glass dishware & glassware (I know with little kiddos it might not be viable).  Buy products in paper or glass containers that can also be recycled.  Buy renewable grown products like items made from bamboo or recycled products.   Email or write to the companies you use to let them know how you feel about them using petroleum products for their packaging.  If their sales go down they listen.   We purchase fruits and vegetables not wrapped in plastic.  We changed our bedding to all cotton & make sure to purchase clothes made of cotton. We try to purchase wood furniture, no more Ikea crap.   No black plastic kitchen utensils, only wood or certain silicone based non PFAS ones.  Now with that said, some of  the big items that we struggle with are kitchen garbage bags, toothpaste, toothbrushes, certain food items and certain clothes like bras and shoes.  Of course there are things that are full of plastic that are almost impossible to get away from; cars, computers, garbage cans, kids products, furniture, kitchen utensils, detergents, ugh the list goes on.  The less forever chemicals & microplastics in our bodies, in our children, in our plants and animals the better!  I'm not sure what the alternatives are if any, since our lifestyles are so imbedded in some of these.  I'm sure some of you have some great ideas to share here.  

Another way is to start a gardening club if there isn't one in your area or join an existing one or create a gardening social event or a plant swap or a vlog/blog or a social media platform.  Host these events in a park, I bet others in the park would be mighty curious to learn more.  These are all things you can do whether you live in a house with a yard or an apartment with a balcony planters or a community garden or even if you have none of these. Imagine all of the conversations that can take place at these events, a meeting of the minds, hee hee.  A great way for like minded people to build a movement that can spread out to teach others about how important saving our ecosystems are.  Imagine all the great ideas as to how we can change the way we are currently doing things into a better way of living for our future selves & generations.

Get involved in your local government!  What a great way to make a positive impact in your community.   Vote out the leaders that continue to sell out your community.  Throw your hat in the ring for a seat at the table.  Show up to the commissioner meetings, city council meetings, county agenda meetings, your state even, let your voices be heard, bring your gardening friends!  Have a pre-garden party before a commissioner meeting to get the juices flowing.  Make sure your city has practical & Florida Friendly Landscaping ordinances; i.e. homes & business should have a certain amount of trees, palms and shrubbery, less sod & no artificial turf.  Ask your city officials for a meeting to discuss ideas for environmental changes. When we lead by example, others will follow.  Especially when there is proof in how the new change is working for the better. 

The fact that our local & state government continues to allow the overdevelopment of our state and nation is absolutely despicable and frustrating to watch them gladly get away with it.  They slash and burn native habitats to the ground, habitats that might be the only one left of its kind...for what another Walmart?!  Yes, Miami-Dade county let that happen adjacent to the Miami Zoo despite huge efforts by the community, scientists/ecologists & organizations to stop this from happening.  That unique rare habitat is now lost forever to cheap Chinese plastic products.  Palm Beach county, Broward county & Miami-Dade county have all sold out to track home developers that are currently building in our Agriculturally designated areas.  Areas zoned only for agricultural.  Guess how that happened?  When people complain how expensive food has been over the past 8+ years, a huge reason is because Florida is no longer a leader in our farming industry.  We import most of our fresh food due to this kind of selfish unsustainable development.   But don't loose hope, we can make a change in how we view the world, how we view our lifestyles, how we support certain corporations trying to do good, how we support regenerative farming practices (support our farmers in general).  We can do better, we know what the right thing is and we have to hold the ones that are larger than ourselves accountable for their bad behavior every step of the way.  Our children are also a hope of an ecologically sustainable world for us & our planet.  The more they learn how important how a healthy planet is, they'll create new ideas, new ways of thinking & create the change that needs to happen.  To replace the old with the new! Yay, that get's me excited! When we shift our current lifestyle to a more sustainable one, only then will our planet will reward us with keeping us healthy & alive.  

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts...let's keep this conversation & action going!

As always best wishes & happy gardening,

Sheri

xoxo

Ground Covers South Florida Style v.5

Hi Ya'll, how are you doing?  Hopefully everyone is doing good, staying healthy and keeping hydrated in this hotter than hades  Autumn heat.  If life isn't going great for you, please know I care and am sympathetic to your strife...I've had some seriously hard life moments to navigate through these past few years & before this another set of challenges.  Life is full of challenges, but I found what helped me along the way is two things: learning how to let go & asking for help...so I'm here for ya & thinking good thoughts for you!  With you in mind let's do something fun like talk about nature while getting our minds of the daily grind of life...let's talk ground covers and forget about your worries. Yeah!

Picking up where we left off, yes I know a loooong time ago, lol, let's get right to it shall we cause it's a great day to be hanging out together.

Liriope (liriope muscari) is a beautiful "grass" species that has been used in the landscape industry for eons.  Its dark green strapping leaves shine in the sunlight.  It has a purple hyacinth looking flower stalk that blooms in spring & summer.  Liriope can be used as a border, a mass planting or just a stand alone.  It's a great plant to use as a border to keep soil & mulch from washing out of your plant bed.  Grows in full sun to part shade & not picky about soil conditions, it's pretty hardy & long living; super low maintenance.  Insider tip: make sure you plant them with plenty of space to grow, abt. 24 inches between the plant & either a wall, walkway and/or driveway.  I've seen many people plant them too close to a pathway then have to cut the liriope back...believe it's not a good look for them😂 Their natural shape is the best shape.  We've had liriope growing for up to 30 years on some properties.  Gets to be about 24+ inches wide by high. There is also a variegated hybrid of liriope but word to the wise it's not a big fan of our weather & heat, like northerners in summer lol.   Insider tip: most variegated forms of a plant usually do not have great growing power and are usually sub-par to the original green versions of themselves.

Here I used liriope as a border to soften the extremely large amount of rock 
that was used on this property (we didn't do it lol) & you can see the baby sunrose in the
foreground, it'll all fill out nicely!

This client was super into the tropical vibe, so I used
it here as a border plant with lots of lovely verdant layers.

MY OH MY, mondo grass, how I love you in a landscape.  Mondo grass (ophiopogon japonicus) or 'lily turf' is such a versatile plant to use in every landscape.  It's similar to liriope but very slender strapping leaves and much smaller size.  There are three variations of mondo: standard mondo grass grows to be between 8-15 inches high, dwarf mondo grass grows between 6-8 inches high and the nana mondo grass which gets to be only 3-4 inches high like carpet.  There is also a black mondo grass that looks amazing with chartreuse, mangentas, yellows and kelly greens.  Mondo is great as borders or in mass plantings since it grows in a clumping way.  I use the smaller varieties in mass plantings to fill in space between taller plants.  There is a variegated variety called 'aritaki' but it's not common to find.

At this client's house is the regular mondo grass
around clusters of philodendron 'burle marx'.

This clustering purple/green plant has been in South Florida for a long time, I'm sure you've seen it, it's the oyster plant (rhoeo spathacea).  Its large version has been removed from growing in the nurseries due to its invasive status.  The smaller dwarf variety and a variegated (tri-color) variety don't seem to pose as much threat as the prior and are widely available.  The tri-color oyster is a surprisingly great grower and loves full sun though just so you know the original versions of this plant are super hardy hence the invasiveness factor.  They also have sap that can irritate the skin especially those who have sensitive skin.  Grows about 10-14 inches high.

I redesigned this entry way with the dwarf oyster in the front, Vietnamese
gardenia in the center with the taller alocasia 'California' and cordyline 'florica'
in the back.

What a beauty! Such a jewel to have in the landscape, tri-color (variegated) oyster plant.

Some additional ground covers are:

perennial peanut (Full sun Florida Friendly landscape plant)

peperomia (shady understory plant)

portulaca/purslane (full sun flowering creeper)

sedum (full sun succulent, various varieties)

society garlic (pretty green upright cluster with violet flowers, under rated)

sunshine mimosa (full sun Florida Friendly landscape plant)

trailing chenille (trailing/creeping part sun/part shape w/fluffy red cat tails)

So now you know a few more plants that you can utilized in different areas of your garden.

I'll keep adding to the list so keep checking back in or sign up for notifications so you don't miss out on the latest post.  There's always something new happening around here!

Thank you for spending some of your precious time with me & Happy Gardening Y'all!

Best wishes,

Sheri

xoxo

South Florida Style ~ Palms for your Landscape

 Hey there my planty friends, so glad you're back for the next episode of Gardening South Florida Style!

In this post we are going to take a moment to talk about palms in the landscape.  Especially when planning for our potentially extreme weather events here in SE Florida.  Whether it's drought, tropical storms, hurricanes, high winds, salty air, humidity and whatever else Mother Nature decides to throw at us...palms are some of the hardiest plants around!

Disclaimer here before we start: Palms do not replace the importance of trees.  It's a misnomer that they are the same & they are not.  Palms do not produce the same environmental parameters of carbon dioxide to oxygen ratio, nor do they provide the same amount of shade which helps to offset the amount of heat retention from our concrete jungle.  BUT (and a big butt here😉) they do have some positive values in landscapes, especially during tropical storms and hurricanes.

So let's get into some favorable attributes that palms have before we diss on them. Don't worry it's just a soft diss not a hater diss, no one likes a hater & who could hate a palm anyhow?! Pfft seriously no one, that's who 😂  First & foremost, as we all know, they are super pretty & have a very unique shape that is a lovely addition to any landscape design.  Unlike a typical tree shape, palms are strictly vertical growers with all their fronds at the top area of their trunks, which we call the crown or canopy.  Though with that being said there are basically two kinds of palms that can grow here in south Florida: a solitary trunk like a coconut palm which will only grow one trunk & can only grow their new progeny by seed. Then we have, however you want to refer to it, a clumping/clustering/multi-trunk palm like an areca palm.  They propagate not only by seed by also by growing their new progeny out from the root base of their trunk.  Like a baby clone of itself.  We call that suckering, don't ask me why, it sounds silly I know.  Palms unique architectural shapes do a great job of breaking up the continuity of shrubs & trees, offering something interesting your eyes can rest upon.  There is a palm for every area of your garden, from shade to full sun.  Some palms are just so stunning, they can be a gorgeous focal point all on their own. 

 Have you ever seen a red sealing wax palm, Oooohhh my gosh... #1 Stunner fo' sho'!!!

Red sealing wax palm (cyrtostachys renda) is considered a cluster type palm.

So since we just established their structural shape & we know they're just an absolutely beautiful addition to the landscape; how can their placement be used effectively?  Here in South Florida we get our fair share of storms & hurricanes.  Though what people might not know is we also have a time in our Spring as well as in our Autumn/Fall season when winds can ramp up to 20-30mph with gusts up to 40-50mph as part of our season not due to a storm event.  The winds usually blow in from the N/NE to the S/SW.  Aaaand they are non-stop....20+mph for daaayyysss! That's when I bust out the "windy-hair don't care" t-shirt 😂 Depending on how tall a specific palm species will grow (some palms can grow 40-50 ft or higher) they can be great windbreaks.  A healthy palm can withstand most tropical storms, low level hurricanes & constant high winds with very little damage to the palm & little to no damage to your property.  If you understand where any palm species originates from you can see how perfect they are for our weather.  They can grow in the harshest environments.  August 24, 1992 Hurricane Andrew tore through south Miami-Dade county. You know what was the single most successful plant still standing after that category 4/5 hurricane in our neighborhoods?  If you guessed palms, call yourself a winner...you're winning friend!  Though when planting palms just make sure they are planted far enough away from your home or other buildings so when they sway like a drunken sailor in the wind they aren't knocking against the building which can be potentially damaging.

Quindio wax palms growing in the high mountain elevations of Colombia, South America
photo by Thibaud Aronson

You can also use palms as a full sun filter for understory plants which grow best in part sun/part shade to help give them a reprieve from our intense sun.  Palms also cast a long shadow so if you have them towards the edges of your property their shadow can be useful to help throw some shade (in a good way) on areas that could use a cool down, i.e. pool, jungle gym, hammock, shed, patio, etc.  Right place, right palm is my motto & now it's your as well!

Look how beautiful this cluster of cabada palms look as a side yard focal point at one
of our client's homes...simple, elegant, modern & low to no maintenance!

Privacy is a priority for many people, especially here where a one-story ranch style home gets knocked down for a mega-mansion to be built in it's place, with zero lot lines I might add.  So privacy is usually at the top of our client's wish list of landscape must-have's.  In most cases solitary trunk palms do not offer privacy due to the nature of how these palms grow.  Their fronds are always at the top as we established & as the palm grows taller so does the crown of the palm.  So for instance, let's say you plant a tall palm on your property to cover either your second story window and/or your neighbor's window like in the picture below.  For the immediate time yes, you'll have a bit of privacy.  Though unfortunately that privacy is fleeting, as the palm grows taller so will the crown. Now it's above your roof line, bye-bye privacy, also your neighbor is now you and/or lord forbid your kiddo's #1 voyeur, eewww!  P.S. Zero lot lines are absolutely ridiculous & those ordinances should be changed but that my friend's is another post! Trust me when I say we'll get into it! 😉

We also see clustering palms used as a type of privacy hedge which can work in some cases depending on the species of palm.  Though most people unknowingly use areca palms for this because they are available everywhere, extremely fast growing & inexpensive but what they soon realize is it ends up costing them way more in the long run.  Areca's are prolific growers & will take over a space very quickly, outgrowing everything around it.  Plus they are high maintenance & as messy as a room full of unattended kindergarteners on art's & crafts day!  They drop an extraordinary amount of palm fronds on a daily basis & sucker like crazy (there's that word again). They are best used on a very large property & with lots of maintenance to remove all their new growth they look really pretty.  But once they are huge & established they are very costly to remove due to the amount of labor it takes to get their gigantic root ballz out.  And last they are the #1 palm super susceptible to the ganoderma fungi which can kill palms & trees faster than flies on a pile of poop.  Unfortunately there currently is no known cure to irradicate the ganoderma mushroom.  Talk about a party-pooper!

You can see the line of arecas along the back perimeter of the property at one of our client's homes.
We had a huge pile to pick up every other week when we came for maintenance.  Luckily we removed them all (due to ganoderma spreading) & replaced them with cabada palms, which is a more appropriate palm for most south Florida yards.

So let's segway into design, at this point you know you want palms planted in your landscape...but what species of palm & what kind of maintenance will they need?  Great question because most people think palms are maintenance free.   Where as most palms are certainly low maintenance, they all need some amount of work.  Like my hair on a hot & humid day!  There are two types of palms in this instance: the palms that we call "self cleaning" and palms that need to be pruned.  The self cleaning palms like sabal palms, Christmas palms, royal palms, veitchii palms, areca and MacArthur palms all drop their fronds once they have used up the food source from them.  They drop to the ground, you pick them up & put them in your compost bin, er I mean garbage can or bulk pick up & you're good to go.  And every so often you will need to trim the seed pods from the trunks.  But palms that need to be pruned like bottle palms, foxtail palms, bismark palms and all the date palms like Sylvester palms, roebellini palms & Canary Island palms will not release their fronds even after they've died.  They need to be pruned...of course isn't that the case, the palms with the biggest pointiest deadliest spines on them need to be trimmed by hand.   My husband still has a piece of a date palm frond spike stuck in his leg that broke off when we were pruning a client's Sylvester date palm.😩 Palms that need to be pruned can usually be done by the homeowner though most people hire tree trimmers like us for various reasons, mainly because it can be difficult & dangerous.  So definitely something to consider when choosing a palm(s).

So what kinds of palms are available?  There are sooooooo many, like thousands of different species & hybrids of palm throughout the world.  Many of which grow exceptionally well here in South Florida due to our tropical & subtropical climate.  Some palms are fast growing, while some are painfully slow yet most are moderate growers.  Some palms have huge heads while others are small.  Even the palm frond colors, shapes & sizes vary from species to species.  Some can grow in full sun while others will burn with the direct sun on their fronds like Florida tourists from the Midwest.  Did I mention there are soooooo there are many different varieties of palms? Hee hee...with that being said, it's all about right palm, right place.  It's a good idea to do a bit of internet sleuthing to find out what requirements the palms you like will need.  Or even just researching what palms will grow best where you live.  Here are some of our most popular palms that can grow here in SE Florida, see if you find one or two or ten that you like.

Licuala elegans in the center with foxtail palms

Sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) - Florida native & state palm - self cleaning, solitary trunk, typically grows up to 30ft in landscapes taller in the wild, slow long living palm, full sun.

Licuala palms - from Vanuatu, Pacific Islands - needs to be hand pruned, solitary trunk, many different species in this family (grandis, ramsayi, peltata, etc) understory dappled shade, fronds get torn from high winds, likes moist habitats.

Alexander palm (Archontophoenix alexandrae) - self cleaning, solitary trunk, grows up to 80+ft in natural habitat but about 40-50 ft in landscapes, fast grower once it gets established, full sun, can handle more water than most palms.

Solitaire palm (Ptychosperma elegans) - from Australia - self cleaning, solitary trunk, can be confused with the Alexander palm, grows up to 20-25ft, full sun to part shade.

Christmas palm (Adonidia merrillii) - from Philippines - self cleaning, solitary trunk, probably on of the most popular small palms seen in landscapes, grows up to 25ft, full sun to part shade.

Cabada palm (Dypsis cabadae) - unknown origins thought to be Madagascar/Comoro Islands - self cleaning, multi-trunk, grows up to 20-30ft in landscapes, full sun to part shade, like more water than most, extensive root system

Montgomery palm (Veitchia arecina) - from Vanuatu/Fiji/Tonga - self cleaning, solitary trunk, grows up to 30-40ft, fast grower, full sun

Roebelenii palm (Phoenix roebelenii) - from Laos/Vietnam - also called pygmy date palm, needs to be hand pruned, clustering habit, grows up to 15-20ft, very popular small palm, full sun, slow growing long living, like all date palms needs to have regular fertilizer schedule.

Sylvester palm (Phoenix sylvestris) - from Pakistan/Himalayans/Nepal/Bangladesh/India - needs to be hand pruned, solitary trunk, grows up to 50-60ft, can tolerate colder temps, full sun, slow growing long living, like all date palms needs to have regular fertilizer schedule.

Elegant palm (Carpoxylon macrospermum) - from Vanuatu - needs to be hand pruned, solitary palm, grows up to 40+ft but it's a relatively new palm to SE Fla's landscapes so will see but so far they have surpassed 25ft, gorgeous bottle shaped trunk & curved fronds, full sun.

Carpentaria palm (Carpentaria acuminata) - from Australia - self cleaning, solitary palm, grows up to 40ft tall, full sun, fast growing, can handle more water than most, fertilizer is a bonus for this palm.

Now that you're a palm pro...can you guess what these two palms are? 

Oh my gosh, so many palms, so little time 😁 We could totally keep going with the list but as you can see there are many different types of palms.  Just remember not all palms can grow in SE Florida's harsh environment unless you have created micro-environments for them.  So once you've narrowed your search, it's all about price.  How affordable are the palms you want.  A rule of thumb to consider is, the slower growing, the rarer, the larger = the more expensive it can be.   My personal opinion is to buy as big as you can afford.  No one wants to wait a lifetime for a plant to grow to an enjoyable size. 

Well y'all I think we went over on our allotted time frame for this post, eek but if you are here reading this then thank you sooooo much, you're a winner! 💕 Hopefully this can help you along your landscaping journey here in Florida especially when is comes to designing a landscape around our hurricane/storm season.  

Until next time my planty peeps!  Happy Gardening!

Much love and best wishes,

Sheri

xoxo

💚

Hurricane Landscaping Tips South Florida Style

Hey y'all, how's it going with you?  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far!

So in my last post we talked about some basic pruning & trimming practices to get your palms & trees ready for hurricane season.  Well, in this post let's chat about the landscape as a whole.  Hopefully this will help guide you with some basic design criteria for creating a landscape that can not only withstand tropical storms & small category level hurricanes but also deal with our harsh environment.  Though I seriously hope no one believes there would be much landscape still standing after a category 4, 5 or 6 hurricane, trust me. 😂 But with that said, grab a refreshment, find a comfy place to relax and let's get into it!

August 24th 1992 Hurricane Andrew ravaged Miami-Dade county as a category 5. This is our
 house & what was left of our not only our landscape a few weeks after but also our neigborhood.

"RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE"

A fantastic mantra to remember & a great place to start, but what does that mean exactly?  Well it's a simple saying with a potentially huge impact....basically when you are thinking about what to plant make sure you are planting it in a place that not only meets the plants growing requirements but it's also a place where it can grow to it's full potential without becoming a problem.  How tall and wide will the plant get, is it invasive, is it susceptible to pests, how fast or slow does the plant grow, does it grow in full sun or will it need some shade, are there special soil requirements, what shade tree is the best for my yard, how much water does it need, is the plant salt & wind tolerant and is it a high maintenance or low maintenance plant?   Are you planting under powerlines, are there water and/or sewer pipes in the ground where your tree is supposed to be planted, will the roots crack my pool or foundation of my house, will the roots lift my driveway or sidewalk over time, is going to be a problem for my neighbor or is this planter/space too small for these plants, etc.  With questions like these, they will help you find answers ensuring your final placement is successful. 

One of our modern tropical landscape designs

In our industry, I see this quite often, where some so-called "landscaper" sold a home owner on a palm or tree or shrubbery and installed it in a location that it either out grew the space in no time & became a problem and/or the plant died because it didn't have what it needed to survive and/or it has invasive root systems which end up causing issues to the driveway, sidewalk or fence over time.  I've even seen large canopy trees and large palms installed directly under power & cable lines...dat's a no-no if ya don't know-know.   Though most often I see a landscape that was beautiful when it was first installed but the maintenance person didn't know how to take care of it and/or the maintenance crews just 'mow/blow & go' while the landscape gets hacked apart.   I'm sure you're thinking so what do these issues have to do with hurricanes?  Well if a landscape is unhealthy either by poor maintenance and/or have trees/palms planted in the wrong areas or both; there's a greater likely hood of potential damage happening to your property when tropical storms & hurricanes come along.   Unfortunately those plants will topple over way easier than ones with healthy root systems.  For example, the tree with a shallow root system that was planted in the wrong place gets blown over and takes out your fence, your patio screen and lands in the neighbor's pool kind of thing.  Plus now you will have to pay for someone to some remove all the fallen soldiers...aaaannd deal with your neighbor...See where I'm going with this 😉  

Right plant, right place, right properly trained landscaper

FPL's (Florida Power & Light) recommendation

"CALL BEFORE YOU DIG"

For those who are not familiar with what this is, we have a fantastic service here in Florida called "Sunshine 811" or "Call Before You Dig"...& it's free not just for us in the trade but home owners too!

www.sunshine811.com

This goes hand in hand with 'right plant, right place'.   It provides you with a layout as to where your property's utility lines are.  Basically, you call Sunshine 811, give them your information, then the municipalities in your area are sent the notice they need to come mark where their utility lines run.  So for example, you hired a licensed fence contractor to install a new fence. You call Sunshine 811 & the municipalities in your area might be Comcast or ATT for phone & cable, your city for sewer and water, FPL for power and maybe Teco for gas.  They show up, install colored flags (blue for water, etc) and spray paint the same color on the ground/grass/road the location of the lines and the direction where they run on your property.  Now you know where your underground lines are....easy peasy!

Here you can see that FPL (power always in red) and Comcast (cable always in orange)
are marked from the street showing the underground wires buried along the property's perimeter.

"DO YOUR HOMEWORK"

Finding the right plants for your landscape is key.  It doesn't have to be complicated or overwhelming but by doing a little research on your part will certainly help you achieve the landscape of your dreams. Some suggestions to start with are: the internet (gardening websites, YouTube, etc), visit some of your local plant nurseries (stay away from the big box stores) ask questions & look at plants in person, visit and/or email botanical gardens close to where you live (talk to the guides), join a garden club or go to one of their monthly meetings (a great place to pick other gardeners brains), reach out to your local university's horticultural extension office (ours is the University of Florida...Go Gators!), even your state, county and/or city should have what's called an 'urban forestry department' that will have plant recommendations for where you live.  Even some utility companies will have some kind of literature suggesting plant materials.  No one wants to loose power during a storm due to someone's ginormous ficus tree falling and taking out the whole neighborhood's power lines with it...don't be that person.  Healthy plants planted in the right spot can not only weather tropical storms and most low grade hurricanes but also some of the harshest weather our area experiences. 

Especially if you choose wisely my friends! 😉

One of our client's had a challenge as to the amount of sun, wind & salt their 
landscape gets year round.  We installed short hedges as wind breaks to help the
smaller plants thrive.

And let's dig into the last one 😂

"WHAT TYPE OF PLANTS GROW IN MY AREA"

Now those of you who know me by now, y'all know what I'm going to say here, am I right!?  

Start with researching what native flora grows in your area.  The plants that are considered "native" have weathered the test of time in our harsh arid yet subtropical climates.  Now don't get me wrong, your landscape does not have to be all native plants, you can certainly add other tropical plants in with natives to achieve the look you want.  But native plants are the perfect landscape plants here in South Florida to survive our constant barrage of tropical storms & hurricanes.  Start with some of your wish list design elements...for example you want some trees to provide your home some shade & help reduce your power bill.  Look at willow bustic, black ironwood, green or silver buttonwoods, calophyllum, magnolia 'silver mist' or satin leaf.   Or you would like a privacy screening between you & your neighbor.  Look at simpson's stopper, myrtle-on-the-river, myrsine, viburnum obovatum 'Mrs. Schillings delight', cocoplum, coffee, Jamaican caper or wax myrtle.  Or you would like some accent palms in the front of your house, look at cluster palms like MacArthur palms, cabada palms, or solitary palms like hurricane palms, Alexander palm, Madagascar cliff date palm, sabal palm, saw palmetto, licuala palm or cocothrinax varieties.

There is a wonderful website that has a deep data base of native plants & a bio on the plants growth habits aaaannndd all you have to do is input your zip code & it will list all of the natives that should grow well in your area.  How cool is that!!?!

https://regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/default.asp

Data bases like this are a huge help in doing your homework in finding the right plant for the right place.  

One of our most amazing client's has been probably the best steward of their land that I 
know of here in South Florida...I'm sure there are others but, let me just say, people like this are rare.
They made sure all of the existing plants stay healthy while introducing new native species to create a diverse set of plants in this native ecosystem.  People who care about preserving our ancient ecosystems & the native flora species (of course the animals as well) make a massive impact on these ecosystems vitality to our planet's survival.  AKA our survival 😏 So make yourself this kind of person even donating your time to saving our native ecosystems is a huge help!

Thank you so much for sticking around!   I truly appreciate you, because if you are here then you are interested and you care & I love you for that!!! 💚  So in the next post we will go deeper into some of the plants (not just natives) that go hardcore for South Florida and that specifically do very well not only in hurricanes but our harsh conditions.  

Until then, best wishes and happy gardening!

Sheri

xoxo

Hurricane Preparedness for your Landscape

 Hey Y'all, so glad you're here!    

Dang, did you see that storm that rolled through last night!   WOW!   Speaking of storms, today we are talking about landscapes and hurricanes...and for those of you new to south Florida, welcome, bienvenidos, and bienvenue.  If you are not familiar with south Florida weather, well heck you're in for a grand surprise, cause it's unpredictably predictable or predictably unpredictable, take your pick.   But what you can be sure of is...at some point, we will have high winds, drought, 'everyday rain', thunder storms, thunder & lightening storms, heat lightening, sun showers, water spouts, extreme UV sun with not a cloud in the blue bird sky, extreme UV with total cloud coverage, scattered showers, rainbows, mist, rain on one side of the street while dry on the other side of the street, humidity that will make you swear you're wearing a wet sweater, no joke heat temperatures that will send you to the ER lickity split  aaannnnd the piece de resistance...hurricanes.    Newly added to this glorious line up of our weather phenomenon's is flooding and tornadoes. For the first time ever, last year on October 9, 2024, Hurricane Milton produce approx. 100+ tornadoes within the hurricane's parameters. It formed in the Gulf of Mexico, moved across open waters, made landfall on the west coast of Florida & crawled across to the east coast. Producing massive destruction from just the tornadoes alone.  Though what you can't be sure of is when and/or where any of these (albeit combinations of these) will happen.  One day we may have a forecasted 15% chance of rain yet it monsoons for hours in the morning with flash flood warnings then sunny in the afternoon and dry as a bone.

So go figure, welcome to Florida! 

Unlike our unpredictable weather, hurricanes do have a timeline...this timeline is extremely important to us so Floridians can properly prepare.  And when I say properly prepare, it's not waiting until the last minute because you think it's going to make a miraculous turn north, then freak out and buy all the toilet paper and plastic water bottles because "it's heading right for us!"...you know who you are 😉

During this time of year we recommend to all of our landscape clientele to get a good pruning schedule going especially if they haven't started.  It's important for some proper trimming to happen before we are in the thick of it.  And if you don't know what "in the thick of it" means...well it's is when everyone wants their coconuts (aka flying rockets) removed out of their palms & off their property and their trees trimmed away from their houses ASAP because your lack of accountability is our priority am I right?!   And let's be honest, it's because they didn't want to spend the money along the way and now everyone is panicking.  So don't be that slack Floridian. Also don't be that Floridian that removes their landscape because they don't want to pay to maintain it...I would suggest moving to NYC or LA before your neighbors and wildlife hate you.  So yes, now is a good time to have a professionally trained ISA tree trimmer (aka me 😉) to properly trim your palms & trees.  Find someone you trust who  respects & appreciates your landscape as much as you do.

 How do we prepare our landscapes for hurricane season here in south Florida?  

Glad you asked.  Here's a few tips to help you get going.

If you are interested in trimming your trees, my first suggestion is to open the canopy for high winds to move through easier rather than hitting that brick wall of a thick tree canopy which can push the entire tree over due to being top-heavy.  By removing certain branches and trunks it will create more open spaces for wind to move through the canopy allowing the tree root system to say "I got this!"  "Si se puede!" This also helps promote a proper healthy growth habit since limbs that might have been diseased, crossing over, broken, etc were removed in the process.  Second is, if it's necessary, reduce the overall size of the tree canopy.  This also helps reduce the weight at the top of the tree. We call this canopy reduction or corrective pruning, which all trees need from time to time to promote healthy new growth.  Most people don't know all this but now you do, so spread the word.

You can see how top heavy this oak is

If your interested in trimming your palms, my first suggestion, wait no...my plea to you is, please do not allow the palms to be over pruned.  And when I say over pruned, well... just look at the pictures, sigh.  For a proper palm pruning, the palm fronds should always be around 9 and 3 (when referring to the hands on a clock.)  Never ever should palms be trimmed higher than that, NO 10 & 2, NO 11 & 1, NO MIGNIGHT!  Especially never allow your palms to be trimmed like that on a regular basis. It depletes the nutrients the palms need to survive.  The older fronds are the lower fronds, those fronds hold the most nutrients which the palm relies upon for healthy growth.  When those fronds are constantly removed, the palms health declines over time.  Uh-hem y'all maintenance peeps, just stop that nonsense!  Even if someone says oh yeah you can "hurricane cut" them, it's fine, they'll grow back...No, no you shouldn't.  There is no such thing...just say thanks but no thanks & allow them to drive on down the road. (First just tell your neighbors down the road to say no as well)  

A great example of how palms should look like

A prime example of what not to do, poor thing!

 

A professionally trained ISA (aka what we used to call licensed, don't get started on this, ugh)) tree trimmers will suggest what your trees & palms may or may not need.  Never will a professionally trained trimmer suggest hacking, over lifting trees, hurricane cutting your palms or lollipopping your medium to large canopy trees. If they do, they ain't a profesh & y'all know what to do...yes, send them on down the road & tell your neighbors and friends not to use them.  

Lollipopping at it's finest, just look at the trunk diameter 
to it's "canopy" size, tsk tsk...over time the tree will decline

Side note here & yes I'm gonna get on my soapbox for this, so hold on for a sec....Please, please, please I implore you, do not hire the people that drive through the neighborhoods, knocking on doors telling you they can trim your palms for cheapy cheap.  There's a reason for that.  I know first hand that most of them have no idea how to properly prune palms (hence the cheap part) & if they can't even trim a palm properly, don't you dare let them touch your tree!  And almost always they won't be insured, so if one of them door-knockers falls off their ladder and is injured on your property...yes they can sue you! Google it.  So please when looking to hire a properly trained tree trimmer, here are a few questions to ask:  what type of training do they have, their years of experience, are they properly trained to the current industry standards, references so you can see their work (proof is in the work) and do they have liability insurance.  

Hey no one is perfect, if they don't check off every box no sweat, but if you aren't comfortable with their answers, what do we do?  Tell them and the door knockers, thanks but no thanks.  Find someone you trust that will respect and appreciate your landscape as much as you do.

So there you have it...a few easy basic principles to start off your pruning and trimming journey.  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out, I'd be glad to help if I can.

Well with all this prep talk, the next post is going to bounce off of this one with 'what type of landscape plants for a hurricane garden.'    Aaaaannnd y'all know what I'm going to say right?!?  LOL you know me so well by now...yes, yes, two things, 1st - "right plant, right place" & 2nd - use native plants as much as you can!  So subscribe to my blog as this will be in another deep dive post full of nuggets of info you won't want to miss!

Happy Gardening Y'all & Keep Florida Wild!

With much love and best wishes,

Sheri

XOXO

What's Going On South Florida Style- catching up

Hey ya'll how are ya?  Happy new year...wishing ya'll many blessings, festive events, lots of love and happy moments in 2023!  How were your holidays? Wait OMG are we in March already!?!  Has it been that long since our last hello's?  Dang I'm so sorry ya'll!  Well let's just say one of my new year's resolutions (to be a better blogger) soooo that's been a complete failure.   Since we're both here, let's catch up shall we....our holidays were much different than last year and those were different than the year before.   Seems a few years after our Mom passed away back in 2007 the holidays were different and difficult...yet...cathartic in a way.  To be around family during the holidays can add subtle levels of stress that go unnoticed until one too many cocktails and then...bam Aunt Jolene let her mouth run like a river about family gossip.  Someone got their feelings hurt and someone wasn't invited (on purpose.)  Luckily that neeeeever happened in our family, well ok it did but we don't have an Aunt Jolene.   As time went on since 2007, the holidays seemed to find it's own groove and new traditions emerged along with the birth of new family members.   When our father passed away five years ago in January on his birthday of 2018.  And just like that, the first Christmas holiday of 2019 was difficult all over again.  Though the holidays were wonderful and close knit with family and friends creating unique memorable experiences for everyone involved.  Then "The Covid-19" happened and again another holiday full of new and difficult experiences to explore.  Though I'm pretty certain we weren't the only ones coping with unusual times.  Sooooo enough about my weird holiday experiences, how have you been!?!

South Florida Holiday Season 2023

Since last we spoke, and again many apologizes, soooo much has happened right!?!  I mean let's not even get into what the world is going through with COVID-19 and it's progeny offspring running rampant through the population.  So let's set that conversation to the back burner cause we probably all have an overload of that.  Instead I'll catch you up on what's the hap's around here!  Got lots to talk about.

In a nutshell, we were renting our house, each year I would ask our landlady if she would consider selling.  Each year she said no.  We like our neighborhood so much we figured we'd settle here for a spell until we head for the hills.  The end of summer 2018 she said yes and we closed on the house shortly after in December.  Since then we got crazy with our projects...I mean I honestly think we were crazy!   What were we thinking with the scope of some of these projects, ugh, I'll never know!  But it made sense at the time.  As you well know, we are landscapers by profession so that was the first thing I set to task...the front yard...cause ya'know we gotta represent!  Then we installed new a/c duct work & insulated the attic, we moved the entire vegetable garden (soil and everything) to the south side of the house, knocked out the back screened patio & concrete knee-wall, removed & replaced the metal support columns holding the patio flat deck roof up, had new windows installed, started the backyard landscape, pressure washed the house (which turned into a nightmare story for another time), because of the nightmare pressure wash job we had the house stuccoed, then painted the house once the stucco cured, finished the backyard landscape then a new driveway was the finale in 2022.  Whew!   There's still punch list items like a new garage door, but we need a 'trifecta break' (financial, mental & physical break lol).

Decided to plant a wildflower mix this year in the island.

Good news is I've been documenting everything so I can share some of the projects with ya'll!  The rest we don't want to relive, ha.  What would you like to start with?  The veggie garden?  The landscape? The nightmare pressure wash job?  Or just a general conversation of gardening?  Let me know as I'd love to hear from you.  In the meantime here's a small photo dump of the what's been going on.  Wishing you all well and that you are taking care of yourselves!

Until the next post, much love and happy gardening!

SB

xoxo

Gold gardenia & poinsettas to create a tropical holiday!

Wild flowers

We actually dipped into the 40's, bust out the fire pit!

A detail of our backyard in south Florida winter.

Things to do 'South Florida Style' = Miami-Dade version

Happy Spring-Summer ya'll!!! 

This is such a great time of the year to be in Florida...the weather has gone form somewhat mild to super hot!!!  Though summer is great here as the amount of people on the road noticeably lessens and there is always some kind of outdoor activity going on.  I know this isn't necessarily related to gardening but I thought what tha' heck let's shake it up a bit since my garden is in flux right now.  So whether you live here or are visiting, I put together a detailed list of things I think you might enjoy to get a bit of 'South Florida Style' in your system!  Some are total Florida 'must-do's', some are historical visits, some local hangs and some are just for the fun of it.  But they all will give you a totally South Florida experience like you know what you're doing and/or if you've never done it before!

I added links to some great websites giving you more information on the places I talk about.  But don't let my suggestions stop you from exploring on your own to some local-yocal-off-the-beaten-path spots...like with anything in life be mindful of your surroundings, be respectful of the environment, stay safe and enjoy.

Just a side note: I put this together myself, I'm not getting paid by anyone or endorsing anyone....just endorsing my awesome state of Florida and some great things to do here!  Keep checking back as I will be adding to it along the way.

This is my Dad, my sister, me and my brother canoeing in 1980-something.

First 'must-do' is: you must visit at least one of our beaches...
Pick one any one....Miami-Dade County is a fairly large county BUT most of the beaches are on the barrier islands in the northeast end of the county.  Sunny Isles Beach, Golden Beach, Haulover, Surfside, Miami Beach, Biscayne National Park and Key Biscayne.  This is partly due to much of the middle to lower section of the county being protected preserves and sanctuary's in order to keep the coast line a healthy ecological system.  Having our coastline full of it's native mangroves and plant life helps buffer storms/tidal surges plus it keeps the ecosystem untouched for animals, plants and waterways to continue thriving.

Mangroves in Biscayne National Park from my kayak

Here's a satellite view from the internet...you can see how much coastline is
mangroves and protected land then look at all the over development
behind it.  We need to build less and redevelop natural habitats! Just saying!

The second 'must do' here in South Florida is to visit our parks...
whether it's a state park, county park or city park, we have some great ones. Each one has it's own unique amenities, some are even aquatic parks ya'know!  Some are parks in the sea that you snorkel in!
Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables
Coral Reef Park in Palmetto Bay (my stomping grounds as a youngster)
Dante Fascell Park in South Miami (another one we used to frequent)
Crandon Park in Key Biscayne
Biscayne National Park in the bay
Haulover Park in North Miami
Oleta River State Park in North Miami
Matheson Hammock Park in Coral Gables
Kendall Indian Hammocks Park in West Kendall (aka K-town)
You can even camp at some of the parks which are usually a state or county park.

Our campsite last November...we camped with 6 of our friends' families
for Thanksgiving and it was so much fun!

Third 'must-do' is to do something salty...
like a fishing charter or kayaking or SUP (stand up paddleboard) or canoeing or rent a boat or go sailing.  Some great places to seek out fishing charter captains and/or a local guide are out of:
Black Point Marina - Capt. Mark Hall,
Matheson Hammock Marina - Remix Sportfishing,  Capt. John Emery
Coconut Grove Harbour Marina - Double Threat Charters, Hot Shot Charters, Nomad Charters, Miss Britt - Coconut Grove also has a sailing club
And many, many more in the downtown Miami and Miami Beach marina's.
Climb on board a water taxi to cruise the intracoastal waterway and see Miami from a different vantage point.
Rent kayaks to get a more personal perspective.
Visit our protect bay called Biscayne Bay with one of these trusted guides.
Oleta River State Park
Kayak rentals on Virginia Key
Kayak or SUP from Deering Estate or Chapman Park

We rented kayaks at a state park and caught (& released) some red drums!

This is us boating in the intracoastal waterways.

Fourth 'must-do' is eat at one of our old-school Florida style restaurants...
Here are my and our families fav's that we've been going to my whole life.
Starting from the ones furthest south going north...
Black Pointe Ocean Grille is a local secret.  It's a great casual place with live music located right in Black Pointe Marina right off Biscayne Bay.  Insider tip: they even cook your catch!
Shivers BBQ is an old school place down in South Dade and one of the last OG BBQ joints in So. Fla...nutin' fancy just awesome every time with a great staff!
Golden Rule Seafood in 'P-Rrine', ok it's really Perrine but that's how us kids said it.  Either way you say it, this place was a staple in our lives growing up. Delicious fresh seafood at a great price.  They now have a restaurant as part of the market & goodness it's good!  Another place that will cook it right from their seafood market for you...how fresh and delicious is that!?!
Sandbar Sports Grille in east Cutler Bay is cool local place to hang with great Florida fare!  Try their alligator tacos or their ribs or their philly cheesesteak! Not only do they have lunch specials but daily ones as well.
Captain's Tavern in Pinecrest, is another family favorite that you won't be disappointed...they also have a fish market on site.  This place is a local favorite so it's a good idea to call ahead. Try the frog legs, they're better than you might think.
Shorty's BBQ in another OG BBQ in South Miami that has been in the original location for almost 70 years!  They have multiple locations in Dade they're so you know their good!  Insider tip: there is usually a wait time at the Dadeland location, so call ahead.
Flannigan's started out as combo lounge liquor stores- smoking lounge on one side and liquor store on the other side with a pass through door into each side.  Since then they've made the lounge into restaurants and a few still have a flagship liquor stores adjacent to the restaurant.  There are multiple locations in the tri-county area and are known for their grilled chicken teriyaki sandwich & their baby-back ribs.
Greenstreet Cafe is one of the last original restaurants that's just pure deliciousness in a constantly revolving door of restaurants in Coconut Grove.  As well as The Last Carrot, a small vegetarian sandwich & juice shop still serving my favorite veggie pita on Grand Ave!
What used to be Scotty's Landing in the Coconut Grove marina is now Grove Bay Grille, same beautiful views of Biscayne Bay, with a similar menu but has elevated itself outta the dive bar status.
Rusty Pelican out on Virginia Key is another one of our family's favorites...try it and you will see for yourself how delish their food is and gorgeous the views are!  One of Miami's best places to happy hour!
Then of course to round out this food fest is Joe's Stone Crab on Miami Beach.  This is not for the faint of heart with finances so be prepared to spend some cash but you'll leave with good times and a full tummy.  Also, a good idea to call ahead for reservations because wait time can be insanely long.  Insider tip, you save a few bucks by getting some 'to-go' at their take away shop and head to South Pointe Park for a picnic.  They have tables there as well just in case it's too hot for a picnic.
The complete opposite of Joe's is the historic Blue Marlin Fish House in the Oleta River State Park for some super casual fare, delicious smoked fish dip and fresh fish dishes! Easy on the wallet too!

Or visit one of our 'dive' bars... 
around town for some tall tales, unique local folks and a nice cold one!  We got lots of the above!
Peg's Pocket is an off the beaten path pool hall tucked away in the pocket of a strip mall which backs up to my old neighborhood of Palmetto Bay. This place is still around and lots of no frills fun!

This picture was taken at one of my brothers' birthday parties at Peg's Pocket
sometime in 1980-something. That's me in the white shirt just in cast ya
wanna know, hee hee.

Keg South is a small joint that has withstood the test of time; even Hurricane Andrew tried with all its might.  The Keg South sign ended up in our neighbors pool after H. Andrew blew threw in 1992 and we lived about 5 miles away from Keg South!  Still known to this day for their infamous burgers and brews.
Hole in the Wall Pub actually is a cool place with great food, it used to be kinda divey but now it's totally a local secret with delicious food cause its such a great place to keep coming back to.  So you're welcome ;)
Club Deuce is just the best! We were Deucie's in the early to mid 1990's when Miami Beach was just called "The Beach", it was the epitome of grunge in So. Fla. and most places were cheap rent with lots of live music venues and art shows.  Now it's super expensive and super high end but "the Deuce" is still there and hopefully stays there for a long time to come!
Little Hoolie's was a spinoff from another local hangout called Hooligan's (which isn't around anymore) but is a more casual sports bar/bar food version of it.  It's a place where all of us locals would come hang out when college was out and/or when you came home for a visit to catch up with friends also in town.  It's still like that today but not so krusty but, lol.

The rest is a general list BUT seriously...you gotta check just one off at a time...no rush...sit back, relax and enjoy.

Ok let's get Down in Dade! County that is...let's do this!

Let us start in the heart of Miami-Dade County by taking a drive through the lush verdant streets of Coral Gables on your way out to the Everglades.

While you are in Coral Gables, you may want to stop in at The Biltmore hotel for either a round of golf, indulge in one of their spa packages, have a delicious Sunday brunch and/or just site see this beautiful historic hotel.

Rent or bring bicycles at Shark Valley in the middle of the Everglades to see alligators, birds, butterflies and diverse wildlife.

While you are out there you can visit Everglades City and go kayaking, hiking, boating or fishing.

Go on an exciting air boat ride out in the Everglades at the Miccosukee Indian Village then watch the professionals "wrestle" alligators, definitely don't try this on your own.  The Miccosukee Tribe is trained and it's actually more of respectful  choreograph movements between the gator and handler, uhm still dangerous yeah so do not do this at all!  While you are on their reservation, take some time to learn about the Tribe's history and talk to some of the Miccosukee Tribe members to hear their stories and perspectives. You'd be glad you did, we need to support our Native American cultures!

On your way back, either jog north to visit the heart of Hialeah to stroll down Calle Ocho, aka 8th Street.  Or head south to visit Homestead/The Redlands area.

If you turned north to Hialeah, you must try at least one or more of these delicious latin flavors empanadas, cortadito coffee, guava & cheese pastries, lechon asado, croquetas, media noche sandwich and/or cuban sandwich.  Versailles Cuban Bakery is an iconic place to go but there are so many delicious Cuban restaurants to visit you can't go wrong.

If you turned south or went east from the Everglades then driving into Homestead/The Redlands area to sink your sweet tooth into Knaus Berry Farms infamously de-LISH-ous cinnamon rolls and drink their milkshakes at (fyi. they're seasonal so check before you go since they're closed in the hot summer month and it's cash only).  You can also pick strawberries and tomatoes here and buy fresh vegetables.

While you are in The Redlands, don't be scared to stop along the way and sample all kinds of roadside foods along Krome Avenue, buy a chicken or goat or bring home some orchids or plants.

Redland Fruit and Spice Park always has some cool event or festival happening.  Spring and Summer months are a perfect time to visit because you can taste all of the edible fruit in the park as long as it has fallen on the ground (no picking from the trees so others can enjoy too).  Make sure you read the park rules because it's important to know before you go.  And always a good idea to bring water, hat and sunscreen since our summers can be extremely hot with intense sun.

For the adventurous shoppers, this is one of our local places with serious charisma, Redlands Market Village, a combination flea market and farmers market and sooooo much fun!  It's on Dixie Highway either on your way back to the north county or on your way down south to The Florida Keys.

Zoo Miami is a really cool place to experience an outdoor activity with the kids especially if ya'll are physically active.  Side note: is it's all outdoors so you could have full sun and/or rain to deal with and there is lots of walking.  Although you can rent a bicycle type of golf cart to get around.  Good idea to bring umbrellas you can use for sun or rain, sunscreen and hats.

Circa 2011 when we ran/walked Zoo Miami's annual walk for the animals.

I took this picture in 1988-89 at Zoo Miami

Great places we love to stop along the way for tantalizingly delicious quick bites:
-Gotta check out Flava's in Perrine...delicious soul food with Caribbean flair!
-Meet "Ms. Babe Froman" (fyi not her real name lol) at her amazing butcher shop Babe's Meat & Counter on US1 in Palmetto Bay known for her sausage & meats.
-North of Babe's on US1 is Kings Bay strip mall where two great places are, House of Bagels are my fav bagels...my 'go-to' for lunch in high school was to race here for an egg bagel toasted with lox cream cheese and a diet coke, then head back to school. Oh take me back!
-And next door is Delices of France is a French bakery and OMG good!
-Just a few buildings north of Kings Bay still on US1 is the The Butcher Shop known for their Cuban cafeteria style food and butcher shop.
-Keep heading north on US1 for some delicious Greek food at The Daily Bread, we used to pick up fresh baked breads, falafels, spanakopitas.
Now you know some local hot spots too...you're in the know now!

Cool down on a hot day with a swim in Miami's famous landmarks, Venetian Pool, an old rock quarry turned public pool which is fed by a natural underground spring in the heart of Coral Gables.

Check out the old Parrot Jungle which is now called Pinecrest Gardens, they also have a rockin' Green Market every Sunday with ah-mazing BBQ guys, kettle corn, my favorite Jamaican ginger sorrel slushie (look for the smiling dancing Jamaican), Zak the baker, poke bowls, plant people galore and so much more.

Vizcaya Gardens  and Matheson Hammock Park are two gorgeous places in east Coral Gables to visit with spectacular views of Biscayne Bay.

If you visit the Coconut Grove area drive through the beautiful streets full of tree canopy, gorgeous landscapes and incredible houses along Old Culter Road.

From Coconut Grove, head north along Bayshore Drive to take a trip east across the Rickenbacker Causeway to visit some really unique places on the many Keys out there. You can access the Keys either by bike or by car.  For the more bohemian adventurer try Hobie Beach which is litereally just a stretch of sand connecting the mainland to the Keys that we turned into a "quasi-beach".  You can try your hand at windsurfing or stand up paddleboarding. Take some Instagram pictures at the Miami Marine Stadium on Virginia Key.   Bike around historic Virginia Key Beach or rent kayaks at Virginia Key Outdoor Center.  Still feeling adventurous, jump back on the causeway and head out to Key Biscayne Crandon Beach to sun your bum at the nudist beach.  There's no sign you just have to ask around but it's on the north side of Crandon Beach.

Not getting that tingling feeling of adventure...probably partly due to that party hang over or just wanna chill, then stop to check out historic Virginia Beach park while you are winding your way through to the Village of Key Biscayne.  On your drive, slow your roll and enjoy the lush verdant surroundings.  The north end of Crandon Beach has some beautiful massive parks with lots of nature trails to walk through that can lead you to the beach; very au natural, wink wink nudge nudge.  Maybe have a BBQ picnic at Crandon Beach then walk over to one of Miami's best kept secrets...what used to be the old Crandon Zoo was miraculously saved and turned into a quiet yet gorgeous park you can walk through.  Amazingly many of the animals still live there on their own accord.  Though be respectful and look at the animals please do not harass or touch them.  No one wants to ruin a good thing and I told you a secret, sooooo you gotta represent goodness yeah!  Keep going south to the end of the key and you will drive right into Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.  There is an entrance fee but it has a disappearing sinkhole, historic lighthouse, beautiful beaches, a cafe and grille, Robin's birding trail, biking, fishing and a harbor with no name.
If you wanna get fancy and dine at some posh places then Key Biscayne has some serious delicious fares to find.

On your way to Miami Beach via MacArthur Causeway, stop in at one or both of these awesome places for the kids, Jungle Island which used to be Parrot Jungle and the spectacular Frost Science Museum which recently opened.

My handsome Dad at Parrot Jungle circa 1969?

Of course Miami Beach is Miami Beach but on steroids, not the same as it was when we hung out there in the 1990's & early 2000's.  Honestly it's not for everyone but is good to experience nonetheless.  Insider tip, bring lots of patience, remember it is an island so there isn't much parking, the streets are usually one lane and usually one way, people jaywalk across streets all over the place so go slow.  Also you will be towed lickity split and/or ticketed if you park anywhere but designated parking locations and that is a huge expensive bummer to your day.  So don't be surprised what you will pay for parking, just shut up and pay it cause it's cheaper than hocking your car from the tow truck compound, especially if you don't speak Spanish or some version of it.  Oh yeah don't park in someone's made up parking lot telling you can park there for cheap, chances are they are just making a quick buck.  But go have fun, enjoy Miami Beach before it disappears under water, lol, no seriously just check it out, it's an experience.

Boating South Florida's waterways

Wow, looks like you did make it to Miami Beach, well while you are here...
get your groove on salsa dancing at Mango's Tropical Cafe;
take a nice stroll down Lincoln Road to people watch, eat & shop;
grab some to-go at Joe's Stone Crab take-away or make a reservation for a sit down meal there (don't forget to say hi to Joe);
watch the cruise ships while walking through South Pointe Park;
be a patron of the arts by experiencing all the splendid galleries and museums; visit one of the many Miami Beach iconic hotels like The Palms (my sister had her wedding there), The Delano, Eden Roc or The Fountainebleu;
you can be posh for a day while dining at some world renown restaurants;
and yes Miami Beach has a botanical garden so go see it!

There is always an art walk, street fair or outdoor event to be a part of!

Back on mainland and heading to the north of the county, you can check out the new section of downtown Miami called Wynwood that borders historic Overtown.  This area now a trendy hot spot called Wynwood, was run down and derelict like other parts of the downtown but is now expensive and gentrified.  Overtown (a historically black neighborhood with so much amazing history) still houses the original Miamians who are still poor, still struggling and are still in need of major help.  In my opinion the city pretty much glossed their eyes right over Inner City Miami to focus on big building, tourism and other BS which is ultimately pushing the people in these neighborhoods right out with no where to go.   To create places like Wynwood and the downtown high-rises, others end up sacrificing.  Don't let me stop you from getting your Instagram face on in front of the trendy "Wynwood Walls."  Though while you are in the area please visit the surrounding local shops in Overtown, Liberty City, Brownsville, Model City, Little River, Lemon City, Allapattah, Little Haiti and help support local businesses.  Help keep the local people in their homes and support a balanced fair place to live by understanding what is actually going on in their lives.  So now you are woke to what's happening in the downtown 305...you're welcome! ;)   There are so many amazing  people to meet, restaurants to eat at, boutiques to shop at, salons to get gorgeous at and places to visit in these areas so please don't skip out on it or you'll miss out on a true OG Miami experience.

South Florida sunsets are always spectacular!

Ok, so once you've experienced some of the downtown areas, head a skip-n-a-beat northwest to see some amazing revitalization along the historic Miami River and packing district.  Stop for a break at Sewell Park or Lumus Park Historic District.  Or eat at one of the delicious fancy restaurants along the river for a true Miami experience like Casablanca or  Kiki's .  If that's not your style, keep heading NW along NW North River Drive (NW 20th Street) to El Palacio de los Jugos (AKA. Juice Palace) for some authentic Cuban food and fresh made juices, a Miami favorite!  Or dip south of the river to go to La Camaronera, a family run Cuban seafood place, delish!

South Florida natural area with saw palmettto & sabal palms, pine trees and oak trees.

With your belly sated, your heart happy and your spirit full of Miami soul you are either going to head to Miami International Airport to fly back to your home sweet home if visiting or take a short drive back to your casa if local.   Either direction you head, thank you very much to hanging out with me in Miami-Dade County ya'll...hope you come back to visit the next three counties on the list of travel...Monroe County to the south while Broward and West Palm Beach Counties are to the north.  Come on an adventure with me cause I know you'll have lots to talk about and experiences to share!  As always a few tips when traveling: be nice to others, pick up trash when you see it (keep our planet clean), talk to locals about their lives (sometimes you get great local recommendations), look out for wildlife, have fun, be patient and be safe.

My niece & nephew say, "sad to see you go but excited to see you next time!"

Happy Gardening my lovelies and enjoy your weekend!
Best Wishes,
Sheri B.
xoxo