Week of February 14, 2021

Winter hangs on in North Central Florida, with increasing rain and fewer cold nights. This let’s us look at some parts of the garden that often do not get much attention. Such places include the heavily shaded spots, often with poor soil bound up by tree roots of the Magnolia or oak trees that provide the dense shade. These spots are perfect for the cast iron plant, with clumps of large and glossy green or variegated leaves. Their places in the Florida Garden also protect them from frost, making them also maintenance-free. The largest clump is under the Magnolia in the front yard, behind a bank of azaleas. I remember getting free plants at the Kanapaha Garden and sticking them between the tree roots with grandson Miles’ help. Now they are a lush bank of green, slowly spreading to cover the entire space. A second cluster is along the back wall under the Chickasaw plum trees. These are the variegated variety with lighter green leaves with cream colored streaks. They too now cover the area and are spreading into side areas. The third one is a variety called “starry night” with deep green leaves speckled with with dots like stars in the night sky. They share one side of the bed under the huge vines with some autumn ferns and Farfungium. This all provides four season color when other perennials have died back. We believe the name “cast iron” refers to their toughness in growing anywhere, which we deeply appreciate.