The Garden Club at Palm Coast

Michael Murphy of Evans Drive has been recognized as December 2023 Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

Originally from New Jersey, he retired and moved to Palm Coast 3 years ago. When he bought his house, there was no landscaping. He initially had help from a local nursery on what to plant, and today he has a very stunning curb appeal landscape.

The front door area has beautiful potted pink and red crown of thorns, a red mandevilla vine in a decorative blue pot, a Crossandra called orange marmalade, ruby red Alternanthera brasiliana, tri-color ginger (Stromanthe triostar), foxtail fern, several varieties of crotons, sago palm, ginger, rosemary, ferns, kalanchoe, Texas sage, and several bird statues throughout the flower beds.

The front island has two red crape myrtles that are underplanted with yellow allamanda, pink and yellow lantana, liriope, pentas, bird of paradise, purple irises, a border of blue daze
and two whimsical pink and blue grazing birds.

On the right side of the driveway, there is oleander, viburnum, blue daze, orange marmalade, Schefflera, and Hawaiian Ti.

The backyard around the pool area is surrounded by several plants that provide color, such as yellow lantana, blue daze, purple lilies, crotons, bromeliads, Schefflera, podocarpus, and Hawaiian Ti, and a sago palm.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Selection of the Month Committee

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.