Some time later, it was relocated close to the lake in front of the house. In 1944, when Mr. Leu’s interest in camellias seemed to overshadow Mrs. Leu’s roses, the garden was moved and placed in its current spot to the west of the house.

Urban Patio Garden  

Urban or courtyard gardens are ideally suited to smaller urban spaces in Central Florida’s fast growing region.  The Urban patio garden is here to help gardeners learn how to bring shape, form and sound to a small area.

The answer lies with proper selection of plants and construction materials to create the illusion of space and provide running room for small children.  Wide areas paved with brick create the illusion of a much larger space.

The paved patio will also provide space for outdoor entertaining, cooking and lounging.  By using containers, any homeowner can rearrange the space on a moments notice depending on the planned activity.

 

By using just a few kinds of plants in each area, any gardener can create the look of a much larger space.  Using a variety of the foliage colors provides depth, a necessary look in a small space.  Repeating foliage colors helps tie the garden together and keeps the eye moving from one spot to the next.

 

 

Enabling Garden  

Using raised beds for gardening provides excellent accessibility to someone in a wheelchair or who needs to remain seated most of the time.  They are also helpful to people with visual impairments because they're in closer range than the ground.

Notice that someone in a sitting position can reach the long thin flowerbeds.  Rather than sit in the chair, many people simply pull themselves from the chair onto the wide stone coping and garden.

Many people enjoy sitting on the grass but have difficulty getting up and down from a wheelchair.  We have planted grass in a raised bed to make getting in and out of a chair easier.  So grab a good gardening book and enjoy!

 

 

Bird Garden 

One benefit of Florida living is the enjoyment of plants and wildlife in the landscape through most of the year.  By proper plant selection, gardeners can enhance the landscape to attract, feed, and shelter birds for year-round enjoyment.

 

Attracting birds to the garden is easily done.  Birds, like all wildlife, need food, water and cover.  A number of plant species attract birds by providing fruits as a source of food.  Flowers of some species attract insects, which are in turn eaten by other types of birds.  Migratory birds are particularly abundant in and these birds can be attracted to landscapes by use of plants that provide seeds, fruits or insects during the fall and spring migrations.  Some of the flowers also attract hummingbirds.

 

 

	Wren House Description
	Tufted Titmouse House Description	For easy to build plans of several birdhouses  simply click on the individual image to the far left.
	Tree Swallow House Description

 

 

Perennial Garden 

Flowering perennials live two or more seasons.  Flowering may occur for two weeks to six or more months depending on flower variety and weather.  Unlike annuals that need to be planted each year, these flowers continue to grow even when dormant. Perennials provide interest with endless variations in colors, sizes, habits and time of bloom.  Perennials are easily used as ground covers, mixed with annuals, grown in containers, and used as accents or specimen plants. 

 

This garden demonstrates some of the perennials that are suitable for growing in Orlando.

 

 

Fragrance Garden

 

Fragrant flowers, aromatic foliage or delicious fruit may make any garden a favorite by appealing to our sense of smell.  The primary purpose of scent in flowers is to attract pollinators (usually insects) for fertilization.

 

The flower produces scent in glands located near its petals.  Insects are attracted to the scent.  As they search for nectar they coat themselves with pollen that is carried from flower to flower, causing pollination.  Some plants have aromatic foliage and stems in addition to aromatic flowers.  Rosemary and scented-leaf geraniums are favorite examples.

 

 

Evening Garden

 

Wouldn’t it be great to wind down after a stressful day at work by wandering around your garden or sitting on the patio breathing in the evening air and the scent of flowers and herbs? 

 

The first thing you need to consider is that the quality of light in the evenings is not the same as at midday.  The sun is low, and gives off a reddish light, which can make yellow or blue flowers look washed out.  When it gets dark and streetlights come on, many darker colored flowers become almost invisible.  For these reasons, it is better to choose pale colors, and the closer they are to white, the better.  They can be seen, whether by the evening sun or some form of artificial light.  There is another advantage to very pale flowers - because they tend to be pollinated by moths rather than bees and other day-time insects, they give off delightful, musky scents which help to enhance your garden. 

 

Wildflower Garden

 

Many wildflowers are well suited to the home landscape, and there are lots of good reasons to use wildflowers in gardens. Gardeners love color, and we love to bring the beauty of nature into our yards. Growing wildflowers enables us to do both. Another important reason to use native plants is to preserve the character of our regions.

The growing interest in wildflower gardens is part of the age-old quest for the "right plant for the right spot." Native plant gardens that are designed to take advantage of local conditions often are less hassle than high-maintenance, formal beds and borders, and they blend more gracefully into the landscape.

The key to successful wildflower gardening is to keep in mind the variations in local climatic conditions and soil characteristics. Change is also a natural process that influences wildflower gardens. You should expect that over the long haul weeds will invade, plants will grow, plants will die, and desirable native "volunteers" will find your garden a welcome habitat.

 

Ornamental Grasses

As landscape designs become less formal, ornamental grasses are beginning to appear in traditional perennial beds, shrub borders and natural areas.  They can be used as specimens, border or background plantings, as screens, or they may be grown as container plants.  Ornamental grasses are available in a wide array of colors, shapes, textures and sizes. The flowers and subsequent seed heads are equally different and each grass species has it's own unique form.

Once established, ornamental grasses require very little care. These durable, low maintenance plants will not only add distinction to the landscape during the summer months, but they will be quite dramatic in the winter landscape as well.

 

 

Shade Gardens

While the full-sun vegetable and perennial gardens have their functions, nothing takes the place of a tranquil, quiet corner of the yard with sweet scents, almost fluorescent colors, and best of all, cool shade.

A shade garden can be host to an astounding number of flowering and foliage plants.  There is a huge selection of suitable plants, shrubs, ground covers, and even under-story trees that will perform well in shade.

It is best to plant shade gardens in the spring or fall when temperatures are cooler and it rains often. Pay special attention to the kind of shade the plants prefer  -- some plants do well in light shade, while others thrive in partial or full shade. Every home has a place for at least a small shade garden. 

Displays of both culinary and medicinal herbs make up this garden.  Reminiscent of kitchen gardens from the turn of the century, herbs appropriate for the Central Florida landscape are demonstrated near the Cottage.