Hi Chellamaral

Congratulations! You did a lot of work and turned out beautiful!

Thanks for posting.

Silvia

It looks great! Pretty house, too. What a lot of work but it turned out very well.

BTW, don't forget that June 30 is the takedown date for mobileme galleries. I'll miss those, too.

Here is the shade garden

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of shade garden

my driveway garden

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of cottage garden/driveway

pool area

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of pool enclosure landscape

You've done a great job!!! We aren't too far from each other we should get together sometime to tour our gardens. :o)

chellemaral,

So beautiful! I'd love to do a bromeliad pole like that. How did you adhere them to the pole, if you don't mind my asking?

It's all really nice, but you have the most gorgeous pool landscaping ever.

I agree with Writersblock, your pool plants are amazing! Good taste, and I like your queen too taking a break,:)

Silvia

What a spectacular job!! The only drawback is what you'll do in Fall at the swaps and festivals with all your new finds...LOL...you'll have to dig another flower bed! I hope you have a swap sometime....I can't wait to see this in person.

Tina

thanks all, we have 2 more gardens to post so come back and check them out. I have been fortunate (?) to be unemployed for the last year. My partner Bob wonders what will happen once I don't have the time to focus on the gardens!

As far as the brom pole, I had to tie them on with wire. There are a few crooks, and the broms that are more permanent did the best because of the crooks. I also have drip irrigation running up this piece.

It's always a work in progress. I think I will host a swap in the fall. My Bob makes a mean grilled pizza. BUT, why can't I keep basil alive? LOL

back yard

Here is a link that might be useful: pics of back yard

>My partner Bob wonders what will happen once I don't have the time to focus on the gardens!

Start a landscape design business, seriously.

I just love the way the builders did your screen enclosure, it is so different and it shouldn't come down easily in a hurricane. Send me an email if you'd be interested in some crinum lillies, I have some I could give you. :o)

When I saw your name I knew I had to look at this post. Very inspirational! Where do you get your broms from?

Start a landscape design business, seriously.

I'd have to agree with that. Wow have you done a lot of work and it all looks so professional, something we all strive to achieve but seldom reach. You really have an eye and instinct for the portrait!

Tom

Chellamaral,
Everything is just beautiful! I love the photos. Thank you so much for taking the time to post and share them. They provide lots of inspiration.

I have two questions:
1) Do you have any closeup photos of the broms attached to the log? Did you take any during the process of building it? I think lots of us would like to see more of that! It is so creative and unique. Would love to know how to do it.

2) What is the name of the hot pink/purple brom in the lower left corner of the first photo; pink/purple brom in the upper left of the second photo; first pink brom off the ground and on the log in the third photo? I know very, very little about bromeliads but would love to get some of these! What a great punch of color!

Carol in Jax
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thanks all! I would like to do something with my hort background, but I struggle with starting something in my economic area. It has been my intention to build my home/gardens as somewhat as a presentation showroom for my business, Eco Garden Group. I have an AAS in Horticulture, I'm a Certified Hort Professional with the FNLGA, and I'm an ISA Certified Arborist, yet I don't know if I can be profitable with some kind of business. I fear another "hobbie" job!

Yes, our house is sick! We are bless to have found this beautiful home. The owner was a concrete contractor who built his dream home in 2007, and soon fell on hard times like most trade people here in Fl. We were able to acquire the home at 1/2 it's value. I truly believe that at least 10% of a home's value should lay in the landscape, so that's what I've been working towards.

I will be working on cleaning up my brom tree this week, so I will add more photos along with my last area, the "trials garden"

I got my neo bromeliads from Kraft Gardens here in Fort Pierce. Their website lists photos of them and their names and videos too....the larger ones I dug from my neighbor's yard so I don't know off hand their names.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kraft Gardens

> I struggle with starting something in my economic area.

I'm in the Treasure Coast, too, on Hutchinson Island, and I think you need to think high end to start with. Pool area landscaping in Sewall's Point/Vero/Hobe Sound and go on from there. My job takes me into a lot of those multi-million dollar homes and let me tell you, most of them have pool/patio areas not half as well done as yours. Since you've got the credentials, you should be able to manage this. All it takes is one good client--those folks do everything by word of mouth and once you're in, you're in.

What is the name of the hot pink/purple brom in the lower left corner of the first photo; pink/purple brom in the upper left of the second photo; first pink brom off the ground and on the log in the third photo?

From her link to Kraft Gardens I'll bet it is

Yes, the purple is Voodoo Doll, the pink is Lila...

Aw, thanks ya'll! I appreciate that! Broms are a brand new fascination for me. Don't know any names... yet. :)

Chellamaral, you've all done a great job. It really is colorful and beautiful.

Anna

New pics of cleaning up the brom tree. Will add final result sometime this week....

Here is a link that might be useful: additional brom tree pics

Chellamaral,

I hope you are still visiting this site on occasion because I have another question. I can't stop looking at the potted bromeliads - the one with the three beautiful bright neos. It is the third picture (your picture) in my post above. I would really love to replicate it. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I would greatly like to flatter you in the sincerest way. Can you help me?

1) What potting medium do you use? I have read in the Bromeliad Forum that a fast-draining mix is the best. Many use a mix of pine bark, peat and perlite. Some use 50% pine bark, 25% peat, 25% perlite. Others use 100% pine bark. Some mix it in even thirds. What did you use? What do you recommend?

2) Also, your pot looks fairly deep. Did you put the mix all the way to the bottom of the pot? Or do you fill the bottom portion with rocks or something else?

3) How do you get your broms so shiny? In all of your pictures, the neos look absolutely perfect. What do you do to get them that way?

I appreciate your time and expertise. Thank you so much!

Carol

Correction: it is the second photo in my post above.

Carol

Carol,
I added a few more pics to show how I connected the broms to the driftwood...

The planter is filled with potting soil about 3/4 the way full. The sweet potato and the flax lily are planted in the soil, but the broms are in their original 6" pot, I just set them in the planter on top of the soil. Kraft Gardens as now planting in a coco fiber medium, so that's what they are planted in. When I water them, I water inside the 6" pot so that water doesn't collect and sit in the plants.I don't put anything on them to make them shiny, but I will hose them off if they look dusty.

Just a reminder that there's less than a week before all these photos become invisible, chellamaral, when apple discontinues me.com. You do know that?

Chellamaral, thank you so much for the info. That was very helpful. Let's see if I can Monkey-see-Monkey-do!

Carol

Bummer about mobile.me. I haven't decided what to do with my web site either. I guess once I figure something out, I will repost...

Yeah, those galleries were so convenient. Very irritating that icloud isn't continuing them. I just mentioned it because I'm sure everyone here would want to be able to keep going back to your spectacular garden.