The Garden Club at Palm Coast

Jerry and Donna Bird of Francis Lane have been recognized as November 2023 Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

Originally from upstate New York (Adirondack area), the Birds moved to Palm Coast 2 years ago, and there was no landscaping.

Donna has been a Master Gardener in 4 states (Tennessee, Alabama, New York, and Florida). She likes planting in 3’s to provide a more natural, non-linear look to the landscape, and Jerry assists with planting them. What a team!

The front bed on the left side of the house has red and white salvia, white pentas, blue daze, hydrangea, white plumeria, Shasta daisies, peace lily, bird of paradise, foxtail fern, jade, aloe, portulaca, and a variegated devil’s backbone, which Donna won a blue ribbon from the UF/IFAS Extension office.

On the opposite side, there are yellow and pink hibiscus, Texas sage, variegated canna lilies, and yellow lantana.

They have a beautiful, enormous backyard with various gardens and plants. They created a small pond that is surrounded by pink lantana, dwarf trumpet vine, coast buckwheat, black-eyed Susan, rubber plant, pencil cactus, shrimp plant, a huge bleeding heart vine, and a yellow lantana tree.

They have staghorn ferns, a large hanging spider plant, and a table full of various propagated plants. They have a unique double barrel hanging planter that has various succulents. They also grow datil peppers, lemons, limes, basil, and a fig tree.

Donna is crafty and paints rocks to label her plants throughout her beds. Some of her rocks even look like shoes and ladybugs!

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Selection of the Month Committee

The Garden Club meets monthly on the second Monday at 1:00 p.m. at the VFW 47 Old Kings Rd. N, Palm Coast, September through May.

Scott and Elise Mead of Francis Lane have been recognized as October 2023, Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

Originally from South Dakota for 30 years, the Meads moved to Palm Coast 5 years ago.

They like planting mostly perennials, thus having such a diversity of colorful plants. On the front left side of the house, you will find coreopsis, plumbago, mini-Mexican petunias, society garlic, variegated liriope, confederate jasmine, different types of crotons, a lady palm, and red canna lilies.

The beautiful Sylvester palm in the center island provides a natural canopy for African bush daisies, cardboard palm (cycad), oyster plants, blue daze, Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum), oleander, Hawaiian Ti, schefflera, and red fountain grass.

Heading towards the back yard, there are lavender trailing daisies, multi-color verbena, seaside petunias, portulaca, periwinkle, golden shrimp plant and jatropha which attract hummingbirds, bleeding heart vine, blanket flower (Gaillardia), firecracker, African irises, a variety of succulents, and several date palms.
Their vegetable garden has climbing tomatoes, basil, chives, and pineapples.

The gardens are bordered by either concrete or black landscape edging and mulched with tan river rock, giving the gardens a well-defined space.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Selection of the Month Committee