Piney Green Returns to the Garden Tour

On Sunday, April 23, 2017 Piney Green returns to the Private Gardens of Historic Orlando Featuring Lake Eola Heights Garden Tour. We are #8 (of 10) on the tour. This year I decided to write this post in advance so that folks can view plant information while they are actually taking the tour.

Quite a bit has changed in our landscape since we were last on the tour in 2013. We have made some edits and some additions. And much of our landscaping that was relatively new back in 2013 has since matured significantly. Perhaps our biggest change: we are now turf free; instead of our old zoysia lawn we are using more alternative groundcovers and copious amounts of pine straw mulch. It has definitely helped save water... and frustration! We have also added several additional Norfolk Island Pines; as we are hesitant to grow true pines, we figure these are close enough to stay in keeping with the theme "Piney Green." And this year we added some stately torulosa junipers to provide some structure to the back yard.

Piney Green's landscape features well over fifty species, a combination of Florida native, Florida-friendly, and other traditional and not-so-traditional plants to create a unique lodge in the woods oasis in downtown Orlando.  While it still features many of the original plantings specified by Burt Foster (the famous 20th century Central Florida landscape architect), Piney Green's landscape has been significantly updated and enhanced with the design of landscape architect (and our friend) Frank Joseph Brooks, whose designs are also featured at several homes throughout our neighborhood.

Below is Joe's contact information, as well as a listing of local suppliers we've used and some of the plants at Piney Green.

Landscape design by: Frank Joseph Brooks (407.341.0022, fjbla@cfl.rr.com)

Some of the nearby plant suppliers we’ve used for this landscape update:

Alfonso’s Tree Farm (for Weeping Yaupon Holly Tree)

Apenberry’s (for various flowers, shrubs, and pine straw)
Biosphere Nursery (for Sunshine Mimosa)

Blodgett Gardens (for Coontail, some succulents, and flowers/shrubs)

Florico Foliage (for Algerian Ivy)

Green Images, Florida Native Landscape Plants (for Saw Palmetto)

Home Depot (for various shrubs, flowers, and succulents)

Landscape Resources (for River Birch)

Lowe’s (for various shrubs and flowers)

Lukas Nursery (for various shrubs, flowers, grasses, and groundcovers)

Medallion Nurseries (for Giant Apostle Iris)

Palmer’s Garden & Goods (for various flowers, shrubs, and groundcovers, including Sunshine Mimosa)

South Seminole Farm & Nursery (for Norfolk Island Pines)

Some of the over fifty species featured at Piney Green are pictured below. Be sure to Google images of these, as many bloom at different times of the year. For more information on specific Florida-friendly plants, visit www.floridayards.org:

Aloe Aloe spp. (Florida-friendly):

Algerian Ivy (Canary Ivy) Hedera canariensis (Florida-friendly):

Amaryllis Amaryllis spp. (not currently blooming):

Azalea Rhododendron cvs. (Florida-friendly):

Azalea in bloom

Beautyberry Callicarpa Americana (Florida native) (grows small purple berry clusters in the fall):

Bigleaf Periwinkle Vinca major (Florida-friendly):

Blanket Flower Gaillardia pulchella (Florida native):

Bleeding Glory-Bower (Bleeding-heart Vine) Clerodendrum thomsoniae (not currently blooming):

Blue Agave (Century Plant) Agave americana (Florida native):

Bromeliads Bromeliaceae (various genera, species) (Florida-friendly/ some Florida native):

Caladium Caladium x hortulanum (Florida-friendly):

  

Cape Honeysuckle Tecomaria capensis (not currently blooming):

Cast iron plant Aspidistra elatior (Florida-friendly):

Cattley Guava Psidium cattleianum Sabine:

Confederate Jasmine (Star Jasmine) Trachelospermum jasminoides (Florida-friendly):

Coontail Ceratophyllum demersum (Florida native submersed plant):

             

Coontie Zamia floridana (Florida native):

Crinum Lily Crinum sp. (Florida-friendly/ some Florida native; Piney Green has two varieties, one more green, and one more burgundy):

Dahlberg Daisy Thymophylla tenuiloba:

Donkey Ear Kalanchoe gastonis bonnieri  (produces bloom spikes in the fall):

Firebush (Scarletbush) Hamelia patens (Florida-friendly) Note Piney Green features at least three varieties of firebush, including the non-native "dwarf" firebush (which isn't necessarily dwarf - we have some in tree form!), the Florida native variety, and a special 'Lime Sizzler' cultivar (from Lukas Nursery), which has pale green/yellowish foliage:

Native variety of Firebush

Non-native "dwarf" variety of Firebush (in tree form)

"Lime sizzler" variety of Firebush

Foxtail Fern Asparagus densiflorus 'Myers':

Giant Apostle Iris Neomarica caerulea 'Regina':

Ginger (various genera, species) (blooms in the fall):

Japanese Yew (Podocarpus) Podocarpus macrophyllus and cvs. (Florida-friendly):

      

Kangaroo Paw Fern Microsorum diversifolium (Note we're not 100% sure this is the precise species):

Lady Palm Rhapis spp. (Florida-friendly):

Ligustrum (Japanese Privet) Ligustrum japonicum and cvs. (Florida-friendly):

              

Live Oak Quercus virginiana (Florida native):

Loquat Eriobotrya japonica (Florida-friendly)

Mathotiana Camellia Camellia japonica 'Mathotiana' (Florida-friendly):

Milkweed Asclepias spp. (Florida native):

Ming Fern Asparagus macowanii:

Nagi Podocarpus Podocarpus nagi:

Norfolk Island Pine Araucaria heterophylla:

Perennial Peanut Arachis glabrata (Florida-friendly) (produces small yellow flowers):

Petunia Petunia x hybrida (Florida-friendly):

Philodendron Philodendron cvs. (Florida-friendly):

Pink Perfection Camellia Camellia japonica 'Pink Perfection' (Florida-friendly):  

Pink Perfection Camellia in bloom

Pink Weeping Cherry Tree Prunus subhirtella var. pendula:

Plumbago Plumbago auriculata cvs. (Florida-friendly):

Purple Queen Setcreasea pallida (note: easily confused with invasive oyster plant):

Purslane Portulaca oleracea and cvs.:

River Birch Betula nigra (Florida native):

   

Saw Palmetto Serenoa repens (Florida native):

     

Snake Plant (Mother-In-Law's Tongue) Sansevieria trifasciata:

Stonecrop Sedum rupestre ‘Florida Friendly Gold’:

Sunshine Orchid Epidendrum x obrienianum:

Sunshine Mimosa (Sensitive Plant, Powderpuff) Mimosa strigillosa (Florida native):

Sweet Virburnum Viburnum odoratissimum:

Swiss Cheese Plant Monstera deliciosa:

  

Tabebuia Tabebuia sp. (not currently blooming):

Tea Olive Osmanthus fragrans (Florida-friendly) (planted more for its scent not its appearance):

Torulosa Juniper Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa' (Florida-friendly):

Weeping Yaupon Holly Ilex vomitoria 'Pendula' (Florida-native) (produces red berries):

Weeping Yew (Weeping Podocarpus) Podocarpus gracilior (Florida-friendly):

Wisteria (American Wisteria) Wisteria frutescens (Florida native):

Yellow Walking Iris Trimezia martinicensis:

The Artists on Piney Green

On March 11, 2017, we held our third annual "The Artists on Piney Green", a private art event for collectors. The night time event featured eight Central Florida artists with their works displayed on the grounds of Piney Green. The event was well attended, and I also gave house tours to dozens of guests. Many thanks to the artists who participated and helped make the event a success:

Elizabeth "Sissie" Barr

KC Cali

Kimberly Miller

Monte Olinger

Reid Pasternack

Michele Pasternak

Cynthia Powell-Allen

Bonnie Sprung

Below are just a few pictures from the evening. 

Coming up next: Piney Green returns to the Lake Eola Heights Garden Tour on April 23, 2017. Reid and I have been very busy trying to get our landscape as ready as it can be!

We were lucky to have a nearly full moon casting our Norfolk Island Pine in silhouette.

Merry Christmas from Piney Green!

It's hard to believe it's been well over a year since I last posted. It's also hard to believe that as of last week we have lived here five years! Here are some highlights since my last post.

In November 2015 we held our second annual art event "The Artists on Piney Green". It featured many local artists and was a great evening. We decided to not hold an event for 2016 but plan to hold one in March 2017.

After losing Coco, our beloved Jack Russell Terrier, in January 2015, we had an addition to our Piney Green family in fall 2015 - his name is Luc:

Reid arranged to have scaffolding set up in early 2016 so he could work on cleaning/restoring the chimney and cypress siding.

We also had some major electrical updates done in 2016, including replacing the outdoor breaker box with a new one in the kitchen. Reid also figured out a place to move the washer/dryer inside the house, so we said goodbye to our outdoor laundry and converted half of a bedroom closet to house our laundry inside off of the central hallway.

Converting closet space to house washer/dryer off of the central hallway

Paneling and doors added to blend laundry area with the rest of the house

Outdoor laundry and electrical panel off of kitchen removed

We've still got some painting of the laundry area to do, and the area outside the kitchen is still a work in progress. Aside from the convenience of indoor laundry, this renovation also opened up the view from the second window of our bathroom.

2016 was a difficult year for Orlando, but we were proud that our community came together:

Also while we prepared for the worst from Hurricane Matthew, we were spared any significant damage:

Boarded up living room window

Piney Green spared the brunt of Hurricane Matthew

Also over the past year and a half we made a complete conversion to a turf free yard. Our zoysia was not doing well, and we decided it was time to make a change. We've instead made use of alternative groundcovers and lots of pine straw mulch!

During Halloween the new witch of our "Hansel and Gretel" House was on display, as was her little dog:

For Christmas we decided to simplify our outdoor holiday display this year compared to years past by using a combination of projection lighting instead of traditional string lights, but we think it still makes the house look magical.

As another year at Piney Green comes to a close, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a most happy and prosperous 2017!

What's in a name?

Today we had some unexpected and most enchanting visitors! David Nicholson (original owner Mildred Horne's son - he grew up in the home) and his wife Susan stopped by in hopes to check on the house. Reid and I were thrilled and, of course, loaded with questions. We gave them a tour of the home, showing some of our restorations and updates, and getting new insight on the history of the place.

Our visit with the Nicholsons confirmed most of the ideas we had about the history of the home but shed some new light on others. Perhaps most notably: the name! David recalled the place was actually known as "PINEY GREEN" (not "PINE GREEN"). Indeed, when we all took a close look at the front gate that bears the name, next to the "E" in "PINE" there were three small bumps, two above, one below, confirming that a "Y" once fit perfectly in the space. We don't yet know why or how the "Y" was removed, but this afternoon Reid took the time to fashion a temporary "Y" and set it in place. I'm sure we'll add a permanent one eventually to fully restore it, but for now, at least from a distance, it's pretty convincing, as apparent in the above photo. We think "Piney Green" evokes more of a sense of whimsy that perfectly fits Sam Stoltz.

The Nicholsons have lots of original records on the home and promised to send Reid and me some of the information. We're excited at the prospect of learning more about Piney Green's history and sharing it in this blog (which, as a result of today's revelation, now has a new name and new address!: Sam Stoltz's Piney Green - pineygreen.blogspot.com)