Today we’re visiting Brandy’s garden.

I garden in Zone 9b in the sunny state of Florida. Gardening is my favorite hobby. If I am not in my garden I’m visiting gardens, watching garden television, or teaching others how to garden.

This has been the most challenging and fun year, as I am currently changing all my beds out. We gained a lot of shade in the last ten years. I’m quickly learning what will work and what will not. I’m mostly planting perennials and shrubs that provide interest at different times of the year. My favorite plants are the ones that slowly multiply, because they help me fill in my garden’s nooks and crannies.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Zones 3–9) has to be one of the most adaptable plants out there, thriving in the coldest of gardens and all the way down in Florida. The clusters of flowers are favorites of a wide range of pollinators as well.

White cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, annual) is welcome in any garden. Here it is mingling with tomato foliage.

In a container, the unusual blooms of a bottlebrush plant (Callistemon, Zones 9–11) make a beautiful centerpiece.

Brandy is a great vegetable grower, as evidenced by this colorful harvest of beets.

I love the way this white osteospermum (Osteospermum hybrid, usually grown as an annual) echoes the white variegation on the shrub behind it.

Pink roses and hydrangeas bloom behind a cloud of yellow daisies.

Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla, Zones 5–11) are popular in gardens in many different climates and are always beautiful.

Shrimp plant (Justica brandegeeana, Zones 9–11) makes showy clusters of reddish bracts for an unusual and long-lasting display. More-northern gardeners may know this as a houseplant.

And speaking of things I’m used to seeing grown as houseplants, check out this enormous philodendron! I think it is the split-leaf philodendron, Philodendron bipinnatifidum.

If you want to see more of Brandy’s garden, check out her Instagram: @easylivinggardens

 

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to gpod@taunton.com along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.

Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!

You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

Gardener's Log Book from NYBG

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

This weatherproof five-year log book includes the following features: · Sturdy waterproof cover to protect pages from rain and muddy soil · Lined pages and gridded paper for plotting beds · Five years of 12-month bloom and harvest grids for recording what you planted and when · Authoritative appendices on composting, pruning, pest and disease control, and container gardening · Useful reminders by season on fertilizing, mulching, and transplanting · Space for listing your favorite sources and suppliers.

Buy at Amazon

Pruning Simplified: A Step-by-Step Guide to 50 Popular Trees and Shrubs

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

Pruning Simplified shows you exactly how to do it. This must-have guide offers expert advice on the best tools for the job, specific details on when to prune, and clear instructions on how to prune. Profiles of the 50 most popular trees and shrubs—including azaleas, camellias, clematis, hydrangeas, and more—include illustrated, easy-to-follow instructions that will ensure you make the right cut the first time.

Buy at Amazon

Morvat Heavy Duty Brass Y-Valve

Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.

- Instantly create two tap outlets with this ultra-durable Y hose splitter. The dual-valve design features built-in shut-off valves.
- Fitted with US Standard NH 3/4" threads for use with most water source fittings
- Screw the 2 way splitter adapter by hand or wrench with the updated hexagonal top connection. The 360° rotatable swivel connection attaches to any water source.

Buy at Amazon