The Garden Club at Palm Coast

Vinnie and Angela Yacuzzi of Feling Lane have been recognized as March 2021 Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

 The Yacuzzi’s moved to Palm Coast 3 years ago from Worcester, MA.  When they bought their house their front yard was totally empty.  Angela became a member of The Garden Club at Palm Coast where she acquired much knowledge on how to grow succulents and other varieties of cactus.  She would buy plants and succulents at The Garden Club monthly meetings (prior to covid).  She also bought some plants and beautiful metal art work online and at local flea markets.

Vinnie is really the one that plants everything Angela brings home for him!  He enjoys creating and designing new garden areas throughout their property. He even has an area out back dedicated to his potted plants and it has a sign that says, “Vinnie’s Pot Herb Garden… Plant Smiles…Grow Love”.

The front island contains a pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii), aloe with orange flowers, Hawaiian ti, prickly pear cactus, other succulent varieties and a ground cover called Blue My Mind blue daze. The front door area you will find podocarpus bushes, red crown of thorns, prickly pear with flowers, agave, flap jack, snake plant, pink hibiscus, variety of bromeliads, “Mammy” and “Petra crotons”, air plants on rocks and many fun features such as an alligator, gnomes, frogs, pagoda, coquina rocks and an ant band!

Going towards the back yard there are banana plants, bottle brush, ponytail palm, Norfolk Island pine, coontie palm, shrimp plant, lemon tree, more succulents and bromeliads, starfish cactus and poinsettia. Hanging along the back fence they have several whimsical metal art pieces such as different size iguanas, butterflies, and frogs.  And the diversity continues with a staghorn fern, pencil cactus, foxtail fern, donkey ears, jade plants, air plants and tricolor ginger (Stromanthe sanguinea).  Vinnie also made a working bench where he propagates plants to add to his gardens.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli

Selection of the Month Committee

Joaquin (Jack) Ligeiro of Edge Lane and also proud owner of his back lot address of Eric Drive has been selected as February 2021 Garden Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.
Jack, originally from Portugal, lived in New Jersey for 40 years with his lovely wife Evonne and they moved to Palm Coast 4 years ago.
When I first noticed this back lot I thought this has to be a private nursery but I soon discovered that it belongs to Jack as well. When he retired he wanted a hobby to keep him busy. The entire lot had an impressive thick mat-type ground covering with areas cut out where the plants go in order to control the weeds and no messy dirt to walk on. This entire lot looks like an orchard with many fruit trees, flowers and various vegetables. He has over 50+ banana trees (and most had many bananas on them) as well as many varieties of oranges, lemons and tangerines.
There were also fig trees, peach, apple, loquat, olive, plum, pear, mango, papaya, cherries, and pistachio. In between fruit trees in each row he took advantage of the spaces by filling them in with his many vegetables such as different varieties of jumbo lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, pole green beans, pineapple, hot chili peppers, chives, parsley, mint, oregano, and star fruit.
He has an impressive large dragon fruit and this plant has given him over 28 fruits! Closest to the street on Eric Lane he reserves this area for flowers and plants such as vinca, pagoda, Hawaiian ti, milkweed, liriope, cockscomb plume, snake plant, aloe, mountain snow cap, crotons, asparagus fern, rubber trees, century plant, and Schefflera arboricola.
You must be wondering what does he do with all his harvest? He says he loves to give it away to his friends and neighbors around him! When asked how he takes such good care of his crops, he showed me two large fertilizer charts that shows you when to fertilize, what kind to use and how many times a year he has to use them. I was totally amazed!
His front yard has a large magnolia tree, holly trees, some Phoenix roebelenii, bottle brush, various hedges and a large poinsettia plant. In the back yard along the house there are colorful crotons, a small waterfall pond with stone turtles and knockout roses.
Submitted by Nancy Iandoli Selection of the Month Committee