Home 1 - Fort Myers

Canal Front Living

Unfortunately there are no before pictures for this terrific example of a canal front home in Fort Myers.  This garden shows wonderfully how to live on the waterfront in Florida and not negatively impact the water quality of the surrounding fragile ecosystems, including our estuaries, and mangroves.  For more information on water quality in southwest Florida please visit the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program website, http://www.chnep.org/.

Text Box: Typically, sod is placed all the way to the bulk head or sea wall.  Sod itself is not bad, but it is what we think we have to do to it to make it "pretty".  We do things like fertilize and use pesticides and herbicides--all of which end up in the adjacent waterways when it rains.  In this garden we removed all the sod in the back yard which is the canal frontage.  Since we do not want the mulch or washed crushed shell in the waterway either, we planted railroad vine.  Railroad vine naturally grows on beaches, so it thrives in harsh, hot, dry environments.  It also stays close to the ground so that the view of the water is wide open!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Washed crushed shell was used for walkways, and at this point in the garden the home owner wanted to accent with stepping stones.  Beautiful pencil flower grows along side the stepping stones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Washed crushed shell winds through the mulch beds and plants.  Fiddlewood is planted on the left side of the walkway for a taller shrub material which will provide shade, beautiful white flowers and a delightful fragrance. Text Box: Firebush lines this walkway to the left.  Firebush is one of our must have native shrubs.  It is always blooming, and always producing fruit.  It attracts butterflies, birds and hummingbirds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Blue porterweed is a wonderful low groundcover.  It is a must have for butterfly nectar.  The whitish blooms intermixed in this sea of native blue porterweed is dotted horsemint. Text Box: Mimosa is our best selling plant!!!   It is a sprawling groundcover that you can walk on , drive over and mow (if you wanted)!!!