VISTA Gardens

08/31/2025

Look!!! In 2 days some seeds sprouted! So excited to garden again. I’ve missed Vista all summer.

09/10/2023

Maddie transplanted Horizontal cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco 'Horizontal') at VISTA Gardens. It is an evergreen shrub with low, broad or horizontal growth, useful as a groundcover. //fnpsblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/horizontal-cocoplum-in-landscape.html

09/10/2023

After pruning Wild petunias (Ruellia caroliniensis), volunteers learned how Sue propagates Sunshine mimosa (Mimosa strigillosa) as one of many ground covers at VISTA Gardens.

09/10/2023

Our thanks to Sickles HS National Honor Society members who volunteered at VISTA Gardens yesterday morning. They created soil blocks for seeding with Mark, identified and removed invasive plants with Elizabeth, pruned and trained vines with Roberta, and some learned about propagation from Sue. A "shout out" to Mike for coordinating it all!

09/10/2023

Laurie and I dancing the Hustle at Rolfe’s 90th Birtday party.

It was such a fun party!

09/07/2023

Can you find VISTA Gardens' Pavilion?

Giant Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) and Pink Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), Live Oak Tree (Quercus virginiana)

09/07/2023

Whispy Broomsedge Bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea), and Slender Blazing Star (Liatris cylindracea) growing in VISTA Gardens Wildflower Garden, September 2, 2023

09/07/2023

Native plants are a valuable part of the environment because they have evolved in their own ecological niches, with their own checks and balances.

Native plants provide food and shelter to native animals, and stability to the multitude of habitats found in Florida.

Because a single native plant species usually does not dominate an area, there is biodiversity.

The ecosystem is in balance because each plant and animal species is constrained by natural factors, such as plant diseases, predation by insects and other animals and climate.

Florida has more than 4,200 plant species growing outside of cultivation, according to the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants. Out of those 4,200 species, nearly 3,000 are considered native. The majority are terrestrial plants: they live on dry land. There are also hundreds of aquatic plant species...

09/06/2023

09/05/2023

Coco coir chips cover layers of soil, compost, more soil, decomposing cover crop leaves, vines, and stems, and the roots of previously-grown plants.

Cut plants at soil level to leave healthy roots. They feed soil microbes. Soil microbes feed the upcoming season's plant roots.

https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/programs/soil-microbiology/cover-crops/
https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/programs/soil-microbiology/soil-health/

09/05/2023

On top of the "chopped and dropped" cover crop is a layer of garden soil sourced by VISTA, a layer of cured compost (we fondly call VISTA Gardens' "Black Gold") topped with another layer of garden soil and this raised garden bed is almost ready for Fall planting!

09/05/2023

After "chopping and dropping" cover crops, the leaves, vines, stems are breaking down to enrich the soil in our raised garden beds.