October 2010 / November 2010 | A Season of Harvest

- For the Virtual Magazine Click Here | October/November 2010 article in Home Magazine.

- Jon George shares seasonal portraits of garden design tailored for our North Florida climate in each issue of the Landscape Calendar written for local magazine Home - Living in the Heart of Florida.  Check out each issue to learn secrets of how he and his staff create colorful landscapes any month of the year. You may contact his staff for questions at cottagegardensinc@yahoo.com.

October 2010 / November 2010 article

Outdoor Living
An Invitation to the Garden

by Jon George

This time of year makes me think of outdoor grilling and football games.  Growing up in North Central Florida I was accustomed to large Sunday afternoon dinners and parties by the pool.  Hospitality was a way of life for us.  Greeting friends and family always spurred us into action to get the house and yard spruced up before guests arrived.

I will never forget the look on the face of one aunt when she walked into the back gate of our place and saw one of my early experiments with annuals.  A huge bed of three foot marigolds (that I had grown from seed) filled the courtyard at the back of our house.  Her jaw dropped open as she exclaimed “Where did you get those plants?”  She oohed and awed enough to make me blush.  Needless to say, that positive response only fueled my desire to garden, and I made an inner vow that day to plant even more the following year!

I have learned a few techniques through the years for successful gardening here and how to think about designing gardens as outdoor rooms, rather than one big garden.  One such garden room came about when one of our clients in southwest Gainesville remodeled their house and added a big wrap-around front porch.  We designed garden beds there to be viewed from the house and the street side entry.  Guests are initially greeted with cheerful plantings of hydrangeas, hostas, and spirea. As they walk down the flagstone path and into the porch, wicker chairs offer a place to sit and admire the garden or even share an informal meal.

As you gear up to entertain this season, think about plantings that will most be seen and appreciated when party-goers arrive and what the areas they will spend the most time in.  Outdoor rooms offer an invitation they just can’t refuse.
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Planting Tips:
Butterflies are now at their peak.  Planting a large container of butterfly host and nectar plants, like orange milkweed or brightly colored lantanas will bring them right up to your porch or patio where you can enjoy them close-up.

- Jon George shares seasonal portraits of garden design tailored for our North Florida climate in each issue of the Landscape Calendar written for local magazine Home - Living in the Heart of Florida.  Check out each issue to learn secrets of how he and his staff create colorful landscapes any month of the year. You may contact his staff for questions at cottagegardensinc@yahoo.com.