Green Woman Garden

03/21/2026

I wasn’t sure it could be done BUT My dad (my HERO) has got most of the roots revealed and is conquering this stump removing one root at a time! Awesome to see progress with this big project ❤️ Thanks Dad ❤️

03/01/2026

Sooooo… this is the remaining root system of a tree that was removed by the previous owner, BUT it’s still alive. It was sending up shoots when I moved in. I dug down to see what was there and it’s MASIVE. I thought maybe I could dig and sawz all it out but some of the branches of the root are more than 12” thick. Now I’m thinking a stump grinder. Honestly I’m a little stumped. Heheh.

01/18/2026

GARDEN BULLETIN 🪏 🌱 🌼 : It doesn’t look like much now but I just broke ground at our new house in New Port Richey yesterday. I started removing grass along the west fence line for a perennial bed. Next I plan on tarping the main garden space to help kill the grass back for annual beds. My goal is to have fall flowers but there’s a lot to do between now and then!

12/31/2022

08/03/2022

Planting between the raindrops 🌧 I’m beginning planting an early succession of hot season plants that will flower on short days for the fall. If these survive the weather (basically August) then I’ll have blooms in October🤞

07/01/2022

Started some seeds for fall blooms this last week! I start my seedlings inside on a germination shelf, to protect them from the intense central Florida summers (zone 9b). Last year I transplanted out in early Sept. when the weather began to mellow, but I didn’t get flowers until mid Nov. This year I’m experimenting with planting out some especially heat tolerant plants 2-3 weeks earlier to see if some might also tolerate the humidity, and if I can manage earlier blooms. I’ll also start a succession of seeds to set out for early Sept., like I did last year.

What I started: 4 varieties of celosia, gomphrena, African marigolds, & basil.

06/30/2022

This is an untamed bed of amaranth that started up in the early spring but didn’t really mature until this last month. I’m about to pull it up to prepare this bed for a direct sowing of amaranth for the fall. It provides textural tassels and plumes for bouquets in pink, brown, & green. Amaranth leaves are edible and the seed is an ancient grain (similar to quinoa). It can also show up as a w**d (pigw**d) in your yard.

06/30/2022

Tropical milkw**d, Asclepias curassavica, has been spreading invasively throughout Central and South Florida for many years, disrupting native ecosystems and harboring excessive amounts of the OE parasite that is burdening Monarch butterfly populations. Recent studies have also shown that its presence in North Florida and further north interferes with successful monarch migration - trapping this tropical species in areas susceptible to freezes.

With the mounting evidence of the detrimental effects of tropical milkw**d, many organizations involved in monarch conservation, such as the Xerces Society and Monarch Joint Venture, have begun recommending against planting non-native milkw**d - even going so far as to recommend NO milkw**d if native species are not available.

Though supplies are limited of native species, we would recommend that it is better to be without milkw**d than to buy or sell tropical milkw**d. Likewise, if you have it in your yard or notice it in natural areas - please consider removing it. While it may feed our monarchs in the short term, it is harmful to the species as a whole in the long term.

Read about the problems with Topical milkw**d, native milkw**d species that could be planted instead, and where to find them in our new blog post by FNPS Director of North Florida Programs, Lilly Anderson-Messec

PLEASE READ THE BLOG ARTICLE;
http://fnpsblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/tropical-milkw**d-is-harmful-to.html?m=1

06/23/2022

Things can get out of control fast this time of year because everything is growing large quickly and the rain makes things heavy. It’s a lot of work to keep up with it in the heat. It’s time to remove old plants, w**d and add compost/mulch to perennials.

06/23/2022

Volunteer Mexican sunflower (tithonia) in the garden.

06/01/2022

I’m already beginning a few of the seedlings needed for the fall. These hibiscus, sweet Annie (artemisia), and lemon bush eucalyptus seedlings will all take 4+ months to reach maturity, so I’m starting them now so they’ll be ready to harvest by Oct/Nov.