Week of May 17, 2020

Both Joyce and I are big fans of STONES to add interest to the garden.  Our lakehouse has huge stonewalls, waterfalls, walkways, etc.  Our Florida home is more subtle, with stones used to add character to our front plantings and to the island of plantings in the backyard.  The large garden stones in Florida consist of karch, from ancient  coral reefs left high and dry as the sea level fell.  Consequently, the stones are interesting, often with embedded shells and many nooks and crannies.  They are a light gray to cream in color, and easy for moss and lichens to cover them.  Our stones along the front walk add interest to our huge agave as well as the small green emerald agaves proliferating next to the lawn.  Another two are covered with shaggy green moss as they serve as a barrier to the aloes’ vigorous spreading.  In the island of plantings in the back yard, a huge rock probably 800 pounds, is the centerpiece covered with lichens.  Underneath it is Mr. Armadillo’s house, from which we tried numerous times to evict him, never successfully.  Several other rocks are nestled amongst the saw palmetto, fire bush, and Pentas.  A couple form a place to provide a dish of water for the birds.  Our stones are easy to overlook, but they add some interest to the shrubs and perennials and perches for all sorts of critters.