Florida Native Coral Honeysuckle is Planted for Hummingbirds

Planting the coral honeysuckle with a new obelisk for support.

A Florida native plant that I’ve wanted in the yard for some time is the Coral Honeysuckle. A tiny plant was part of my mail order selection, but the plant arrived very tiny. I’m not sure I would live long enough to see it reach a great height!

After putting my Lee Valley Obelisk (large size) together, I needed a plant to go with it. At my local nursery there were many Coral Honeysuckle plants that looked great. I chose one, popped it into my little car, and planted it the following day.

How to Plant a Honeysuckle Vine

I chose a spot that would get lots of sun. This is a Florida native plant and it can take sun and heat. Read more about this vine at the IFAS Gardening Solutions: Coral Honeysuckle page.

The hole was easy to dig, once I removed all the roots growing under the sand. Here in Florida, rocks are not a problem when digging, but you may come across pieces of concrete that were left behind from the building of the house.

When checking out at the nursery, the woman talked me into getting a little bag of fertilizer to add to the hole. I also mixed in some of my own compost and a bit of Happy Frog, with the sand. BUT…. before I added dirt back into the hole, I placed my obelisk around the plant. That way the poles were down nice and far into the ground.

I also planted the tiny, mail order plant right next to the bigger plant.

Garden site where new coral honeysuckle plant will be.
Spot is chosen
Digging a hole is sand filled with roots
Digging roots and sand
Readying the hole for planting the coral honeysuckle in the garden
Mixing good stuff into the soil
Undoing the bamboo stakes that hold the honeysuckle plant
Old staking system

Once the plant was in the ground, I undid the ties holding the old trellis system. Three bamboo stakes were tied for the vine to wrap around. I planned to remove the bamboo completely, but decided to leave it in place. Much of the honeysuckle was already firmly wrapped around them.

I will train the vines to continue up the trellis. Once it gets tall, the hummingbirds should love it. I haven’t had hummingbirds since the Firespike plant lost its red flowers. Honeysuckle can loose its leaves in cold locations, but grows well in the entire state of Florida, Zones 4-10. It will bloom all Spring and Summer!

Once the mulch was down, I gave this new plant a good soaking with three fills of my Haws watering can.

Black obelisk over planted coral honeysuckle

Once the Coral Honeysuckle is established, it shouldn’t need much attention. I’ll keep it pruned to fit the round trellis.

coral honeysuckle flowers
Coral honeysuckle flower
planting a coral honeysuckle vine into the ground.
black obelisk around coral honeysuckle

The rainy season is here, and with our regular afternoon storms, this plant should do quite well.

garden divider leaves

Monitoring Milkweed for Caterpillars and Pest Activity

A daily check on the milkweed revealed interesting bug activity. It appears that the aphids are bringing the ladybugs.

Each day I check the milkweed for caterpillars. Although there have been some spotted, I’m seeing other bug activity.

One, tall dill plant is growing next to the milkweed and it is covered in tiny pests. I only just realized how bad it is. These little critters look like aphids. The milkweed has a few yellow aphids also. Last night I counted four ladybugs in the area, with some little yellow ladybug eggs on a dill leaf.

Also, in the same area, I spotted a milkweed bug and shiny blue leaf beetle on the tropical milkweed plant. A yellow paper wasp was also spotted, and I need to check for a nest in the vicinity. With an increase in stinging bugs, I’ll have my Apis Mel (paid link) handy.

Red and black ladybug on stem of dill covered in aphids
Orange and black Milkweed bug on buds of tropical milkweed plant
Milkweed bug
yellow paper wasp on milkweed
Paper wasp
spotted red ladybug on aphid infested dill plant
Spotted ladybug
yellow ladybug eggs on dill leaf
Ladybug eggs
shiny blue leaf-beetle on tropical milkweed leaf.
Leaf beetle?
Milkweed bug and ladybug on tropical milkweed plant

When tiny caterpillars were on my new white Swamp milkweed plant, I transferred them to the tropical milkweed. I don’t like to mess with nature, but the original plant was too small to accommodate any caterpillars. I think the eggs may have been there when I bought the plant.

I ended up putting three tiny caterpillars onto the bigger milkweed plant. I’ve seen only one caterpillar that had grown larger, and now that one seems to have disappeared. I think the lizards are eating them.

Tiny Monarch caterpillar on underside of milkweed leaf.
swamp milkweed plants in pots
Little swamp milkweed plants
two baby monarch caterpillars on milkweed leaves.

Sure enough, I searched for info and found that lizards – both invasive (brown) and the green anoles – will eat the caterpillars and butterflies. So now I have a new problem. I want to feed the Monarchs, but my yard is full of lizards.

Are These Bugs Good or Bad?

I’m no bug expert, but I do know ladybugs are good guys. They eat aphids and when the eggs hatch, the ladybug larvae will also eat the aphids. I’ve seen red ladybugs with lots of black spots and also orange ladybugs with no spots.

Orange spotless ladybug
Black spotted red ladybug

The milkweed bug feeds on flowers and seeds of the milkweed plant. The milkweed assassin bug looks similar, and is a beneficial that will not feed on the plant, but kills unwanted pests. I haven’t seen one of those yet. As far as that pretty blue beetle, I have no information.

The dill plant is one of many that I have all over the garden. Dill is very easy to grow where I live, and I always save seeds each year. As summer closes in, the dill flowers turn to seed and often the plants get infested with aphids. Each year I hope for ladybugs, but never seem to have enough to deal with all the pests.

The dill plants are also good for attracting black swallowtails. Fennel is another plant where I’ve found lots of caterpillars in the past. I rarely get a butterfly as the lizards eat Swallowtail caterpillars too.

Swallowtail larvae on fennel flowers
Many tiny swallowtail caterpillars on a fennel flower head
swallowtail caterpillars
Swallowtail caterpillars

For now, I am simply observing the happenings. Without caterpillars, the tropical milkweed is growing like mad. The Monarch butterflies are still around and laying eggs, so we’ll see what happens.

Welcome fellow gardeners…

Mail Order Native Florida Milkweed Seedlings Review

I’ve found a good place to buy milkweed plants online. Ordering plants online can be expensive, so the plants that arrive should be in great shape. Read my review of Whitwam Organics and The Growers Exchange.

I need to get this recorded because I found a mail order company that sends nice plants. Here I am comparing the two companies that mailed me milkweed plants. The Growers Exchange and Whitwam Organics were the two I chose.

After my butterflies came out, I see all three of the Monarchs flying around the garden every day! The only milkweed currently available for them is the tropical type, and one small, blooming white Swamp Milkweed.

White swamp milkweed flowers and tropical milkweed with caterpillar
Tropical milkweed w Monarch caterpillar
White Swamp Milkweed with aphids
White swamp flowers

The more milkweed in the yard, the better chance for caterpillars to have enough food. At one time I believed that the Tropical milkweed was bad, but that may not be altogether true. Read more at the link.

The Need for More Milkweed

I ordered some seeds from Johnny Butterfly Seed. Those are popping up in small pots and beginning to grow nicely. Growing from seed can take a while. I wanted plants.

You may be wondering why I don’t buy local milkweed at a nursery. Well, for one it’s hard to find, and when I do see native varieties, the plants are not in good shape. The white flowering milkweed, in my first photos on this page, came from a local nursery. I bought the best looking milkweed plant and it was around $10. It’s looking good, but growing very slowly. I have no idea if it was grown organically, without chemicals. So, I began the online search for pesticide free plants.

Whitwam Organics

This post is about my order of live plants from two places. The first plants arrived from Whitwam Organics. They e-mailed a notice about delivery, and the plants ended up at my door at 8:00 at night! I suppose I can’t blame the company for the late delivery, but unboxing live plants at that hour really ticked me off. The plants are; a Coral Bean, Coral Honeysuckle, and Orange Butterflyweed (milkweed).

Whitwam organics box with two wrapped plants
Whitwam packing
tuberosa milkweed seedling in black pot wrapped in plastic
Whitwam wrapped milkweed
Paper bag with "coral bean" written on it.
Whitwam plant in bag
Three seedlings after arriving from Whitwam Organics
Daylight photo: Milkweed, coral bean, Coral honeysuckle from Whitwam Organics

The Whitwam plants were unboxed in the house, until sand began to come out all over. I took them outback to finish and set them inside on the porch for overnight.

The photo above was taken the next day. The packing was sufficient, but nothing special. Plastic wrap mostly kept the soil in the pots and then the entire plant was closed up in a paper bag. The soil is more like Florida sand than potting soil. The dirt you see in the big photo is after I filled in what was lost when the dry sand poured out. All three plants look okay, but they are small. The Milkweed has lost a few leaves.

Cost: $42.57 which includes shipping and tax. Not really worth it IMO as these plants are very small.

green divider leaves long

Growers Exchange Milkweed Seedling Order

I ordered four Pink Swamp Milkweed from The Growers Exchange. These were not labeled organic, but the site says they do not use any chemicals when growing. The site offers lots of herbs and medicinal herbs, but they also have a few varieties of milkweed.

I was very impressed with the boxing and size of these milkweed. (This milkweed is a different variety than the one shown above from the other company.)

All four plants were wrapped around the pot to keep dirt in place. Each pot was tucked inside a cardboard divider which kept the pot in place during travel. The plants were so tall that the tops were bent over to fit. They straightened up completely within two days.

unboxing milkweed plants
Unboxing nice big plants
Four Pink swamp milkweed seedlings in small black pots outside on table
Stems have straightened

After unwrapping, I watered them, and set them on the porch, out of direct sun, for two days. After that they went outside for a couple of days. Now I have two in the ground, and two in larger pots.

Swamp milkweed likes it wet, which makes sense. Especially while it is setting roots, I want to keep it well watered. Our drought continues, which means I water every day.

Swamp milkweed planted
Swamp milkweed in the ground
Two milkweed planted

I am absolutely impressed with this milkweed plant order. They offered a discount of 20% (I think it was), and the total for these four plants, with $15 shipping was $50.89. The plants are healthy and large and I am happy. I’ve already seen lady bugs and the Monarch on these!

I’m considering having a herb garden in the future. I need to learn more about when to plant which herbs. The Growers Exchange might be my go-to shop for those.

How to Care for Live Plants

Both companies mentioned here has fairly quick shipping. I’d say the plants arrived in about a week’s time. Shipping also depends on the growing zone, and time of year. Each company has it’s own information.

I’ve pretty much mentioned on this page how I cared for the plants when they arrived, but here’s a recap. Unbox immediately. Check the soil and re-fill if necessary. Water them well! Here in Florida, do not set them out in the sun right away. Due to the stress of being packed and traveling for days, give them an easy life in the beginning. Give them light, but no direct sun. Keep them watered and watch for signs of disease.

Have you purchased native, organic (or chemical free) local milkweed – or other plants – online? Please leave us a comment on how it went.

butterfly divider flowers

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May Garden Photos With Plant Updates

May in the garden is mostly about finalizing the switch from winter crops to summer. This quick post shows photos of some of what I have growing at this time.

Now that May is here, the super hot weather is not far behind. Hopefully it will also begin to rain occasionally! My garden beds are mostly planted.

I’ve been on a milkweed growing kick, so I have lots of little pots going. I do not love having to monitor tiny pots, and the smallest seedlings will stay on the porch. More about my milkweed later.

For now, the Seminole pumpkins are growing vines. I have a random (spaghetti?) squash that came up. However, the vine doesn’t look great. My winter basil is still growing, with Tulsi Holy basil seeds sprouting for summer.

Pumpkin flowers, bright orange
Pumpkin flowers
squash growing on a vine
Spaghetti squash? Random volunteer
Seminole pumpkin vine and flowers
Seminole pumpkin
Holy basil growing, tulsi,
Holy Basil, Tulsi
flowering desert rose plant
Desert Rose

The Desert Rose has come back from the dead (dormant really), to give a pretty display of bright pink flowers. The dill plants are everywhere, and most are flowering, but some have already gone to seed. I’m hoping for black swallowtail butterflies to show up soon.

I ate three blueberries on May first! And more blueberries are on the one and only plant. I’m eating a few banana peppers, and waiting for the Ubatuba pepper to turn red. The cherry tomatoes are ready randomly, so I get a few here and there. I was finally able to grow an Everglades cherry tomato plant from seed.

Cherry tomatoes, green, growing on a vine.
Cherry tomatoes
Ubatuba Cambuci pepper, green and shaped like a bell.
Ubatuba cambuci pepper
Yellow dill flowers
Dill
Purple sage plant and leaves
Sage
Horsemint plant in terra cotta pot
Horsemint
Blueberries growing on a stem.
Blueberries
White swamp milkweed flowers
Milkweed, swamp
Tropical milkweed with ladybug on leaf and flower buds
Milkweed, tropical

No water is falling from the sky, so every morning I am out keeping the plants alive. The sun is very hot during the day and things dry out fast.

Moringa and dill leaves
Moringa and dill
Eggplant plant growing in the garden
Eggplant
Watermelon plants in the ground
Watermelon
Skittle, black cat, lying on the ground wearing a leopard print harness to cover her wound.
Skittle after surgery – lounging in the garden

My cat had to have a growth removed from her back and now she is in recovery mode. Nothing stops her from wanting to be outside. The photo above shows her in one of her happiest places. In the garden path, with her nose in the oregano.

If you are in Florida, I hope your garden is in full summer mode. If you are just coming out of a long winter in the north, you will be planting soon.

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Do I Really Love Fabric Grow Bags?

Rethinking my use of fabric grow bags. The Florida climate dries out the plants too fast. Certain shallow root vegetables, grown during winter, might be the answer.

After growing some things over winter and using fabric bags, I am not sure I really love these bags anymore.

I strive to have good dirt for all my seedlings. I mix bags of soil with compost and perlite or vermiculite, and add organic fertilizer, or I use Happy Frog (paid link).

But the fabric bags are dark in color. The Florida sun is blazing hot, even in February. The dark color makes the bags hot, so they dry out quickly. Also, there is little in the way of rain here in winter. The roots are not uniformly watered when the dry areas remain dry. All roots around the edge of the bag will dry out and burn from the sun.

Holy basil and celery growing in a fabric bag
Holy basil and celery

Grow Bags For Northern Summers

I’ve purchased lots of various types and sizes of fabric grow bags in my gardening years. Up north, in New England, I had the really big circumference bags (paid link) along with smaller ones. I never noticed them drying out fast. I think these bags work well for that type of climate.

For anyone who can’t dig a garden, or has very little time for garden maintenance, the bags are perfect.

Here are some old photos of my backyard in New Hampshire. I easily grew lots in my grow bags. Growing in Florida is a completely different experience.

summer garden zucchini
Zucchini and Garlic – NH
potato plant leaves
Potato Plant – NH

Florida Gardening With Grow Bags

In Florida, I tried gardening again using fabric bags and didn’t have much luck. At the time, I was still trying to grow northern crops here in the south. You can’t do that. So I failed.

I used a combination of fabric bags and a wooden raised bed. This raised bed eventually rotted away, and now it is a lump of dirt in the side yard. Lately I am adding Vegega metal raised beds to the yard and have three set up.

The wood raised bed fell apart after a couple of years.
raised garden
eggplant in raised bed garden
end of summer garden

Problems With Using Fabric Bags in Florida

The Florida climate, even in winter, can cause fabric bags to stay too dry. Fabric bags are great for getting air to the roots, but the heat can also get to the roots. The dark colors of the bags work great in the north where soil needs warming. In Florida we really don’t need that.

Last year I had some pretty awesome pepper plants growing in fabric bags. They looked great, and then suddenly began to wilt. I was being careful to not overwater, but that was not the problem. I think the peppers were not getting enough water. I didn’t know. I lost them all.

growing peppers in fabric bags
Transplanting peppers
Ancho poblano pepper plants
Ancho poblano transplants
garden pepper plants wilting in sun
Pepper plants wilting in the sun

I had no idea that the peppers were so thirsty. If I had dug my fingers down into the dirt, I might have realized the problem.

As I go through the filled bags that are currently in my yard – pulling carrots and onions – I am seeing lots of very dry dirt. It seems like I am watering plenty, with water running out the sides and bottom. But in reality, the dirt is very dry.

The Bags are Not a Complete Loss

I will still use my fabric bags, but only for certain vegetables, and only in winter. This is my plan.

  • Use fabric bags for winter vegetables only.
  • Grow shallow root vegetables, where roots don’t spread to the edge of the bags. Crops like onions, shallots, 1/2 long carrots, Tatsoi, and arugula come to mind.
  • Create a section of the yard and place all fabric bags close together. This can minimize sun exposure to the sides, and keep the bags from drying out as easily. I’ve already done that for the remaining potted bags.
  • Water crops using a soaker type system such as the Haws watering can (paid link) with the brass rose. I have this type of watering can and it is excellent for watering seedlings, or soaking a particular plant. Some other type of soaker system would also work.
10 gallon fabric bags with sweet potato and onion
Sweet potato, onion, sage and shallots
Keep the bags together & water every day

Advice on Fabric Bag Size

I have 7 and 10 gallon fabric bag sizes. I prefer the 7 gallon (Amazon paid link). It’s faster to fill, and large enough for what I want to grow. Now that I have decided to grow shallow root crops only, shorter bags might have worked better for my needs. But I have plastic box beds for that.

If you are gardening in Florida, choose your bag size wisely. Add good soil, and maybe mix it with coco coir, or something to minimize dry out. Plan to water any plants in the bags DAILY when there is no rain. I don’t think it is possible to overwater crops growing in these bags.

February Garden Planting

It is the end of February and here in Florida I am getting some seedlings and sweet potato slips into the raised beds.

Pam's avatar by Pam

Why I Chose the Haws Watering Can for My Garden

I love my plastic Haws watering can. Don’t waste money on cheap cans that won’t last. I highly recommend the Haws brand.

When I first came across the Haws watering cans online, I wanted one very badly. I was looking at the metal cans and they were so expensive. Also, the Haws company is based in the UK. But, they have a USA site. I have linked to it below.

My cheap watering can rusted out after a few months. I decided that I needed to spend money on one that would last. Beware of cheap “metal” cans that will rust quickly. And cheap plastic is just as bad. It splits, breaks, and leaks. I do not want to replace my watering can every few months!

This is when I found the plastic Haws. Many companies sell them. A similar item to the one I have is sold on Amazon. The can is advertised as a Haws, but the name is Bosmere (paid link) which I guess is the company offering Haws products.

Haws makes many types of watering cans for indoor and outdoor watering. See the Haws USA site here. Some of them are very cute, and they come in all sizes.

Think about how much water you want to lug around and buy accordingly.

About My Watering Can

My watering can is 6.8 liters, or a bit less than 2 gallons (I think). I believe the name is the Cradley Cascader. It is not printed on the can. When full, it is a bit heavy for me, but the carry handle, on top, is very comfortable. The back handle is used for watering, or hold both handles together to water.

Haws name imprinted on green plastic watering can.
Haws watering can carry handle
The carry handle
Haws pouring handle
The pouring handle

The can came with two spouts. One is a brass faced rose – or rain shower head. (It was pretty and shiny when it arrived.) One reason I wanted this can was that I needed some way to water my seedlings. I’ve never used the other spout. It is plastic and directs a stream of water onto a single plant or into a container.

The rose, or shower spray spout, is perfect for watering small plants. In my picture I had just translated a Firespike. I do a lot of specific plant watering too. It is perfect for soaking a certain area. Without rain, I need to water every day here.

Haws brass rose head and angled full downspout
Comes with 2 removable spouts – the brass used to be pretty.
Watering plants using the Haws rose head
Rain shower watering

I think I purchased mine from Lee Valley last Fall (2024). If you live in the US, many places offer them, or something similar, for sale. Lee Valley had the best price (when I searched) and offer free shipping for orders over $50. I wish they carried the replacement spouts.

Pros and Cons of This Watering Can

The only problem I have with this watering can is the tiny holes in that rose spout. If any dirt – or sand – gets into the can, it will clog the holes. I store my can empty, and on its side, because of raccoons. If they play in the water I leave in it, and rinse their paws, dirt will get into the rose. Then I have clogged holes.

I will eventually need replacement spouts. Haws USA has them, but I hate to pay a lot for shipping. It’s good to know the replacements are out there.

I love everything else about this watering can! It has already lasted longer than the cheap metal one I bought. I use it nearly every day at this time of year. The injection molded plastic is thick and tough. It seems like a very good product that should last for years. I’m in Florida and I leave it outside, in a shaded location, by the water spigot.

One More Haws For Smaller Watering Jobs

This smaller size Haws watering can will take the place of an old glass pitcher I was using. This is the 2 liter, or approximately 2 quarts, size. This one is perfect for my seedlings in small pots. It also came with two spout options.

Haws plastic green watering cans in two sizes

Happy gardening y’all!

bees

More stories from the garden…

Borage Season is Here

Florida gardeners can easily grow borage. The blue flowers add interest to any garden, and honey…

Pam's avatar by Pam

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