Laurence E Fosgate's Favorite Plants for Orlando

We have learned to love certain plants for Orlando. Some because they give a tropical look yet have proven they can withstand our occaisional frosts. Portea Bromeliads fill that bill. They have a beautiful bloom, can take sun or shade and freezing temperatures, are easy to care for and look spectacular. Neoregelias (also bromeliads) fill much the same bill. And the Bismarckia palm, shown here with the state palm of Florida, the sabal palmetto,

is another winner. Landscapes Orlando Florida haven't been learning about Florida plants for the last few decades for nothing!

Xeriscape and Freeze proof Landscape in Casselberry

We came on the scene in Casselberry where our client had a vision of a front lawn with cast concrete pavers as a walkway through her front lawn. Our task was to help her realize her idea and enhance it with the look of a dry stream bed and pond that would give her the beauty and maintenance free landscape she dreamed of. The result is truly terrific. The plants used will give a cavalcade of color as the seasons progress. Camellias, shrub and ground cover roses, perennial peanut, asiatic jasmine, purple queen, cold hardy bromeliads, day lilies, african and Louisiana irises are some of the shrub and ground cover plants used. Accent plants include Bismarckia Palm, Japanese Maple, Arizona Blue Cypress. Nothing could be more up to date or desirable than a landscape that, once established will require virtually no extra watering, trimming or other maintenance. A blower, a little organic fertilizer and a trim once or twice a year and this place is good to go. Lovely flowers will constantly add color and interest and all this being able to take practically able to care of itself seems counter-intuitive- nothing this terrific should be so easy. Twenty five years and a lifetime in design have given Ed Fosgate and LandscapesOrlandoFlorida.com the expertise to bring everything together in this truly cutting edge landscape. A particular attention was paid to plants that can handle freezing temperature with minimal impact, yet still flourish in the sub-tropical central Florida summer!

Camellia-Freeze Proof Plants for Orlando

The recent cold weather here has given new interest to one of the oldest landscape plants used in Orlando- the camellia. This venerable plant has graced the grounds of many southern mansions from Norfolk to New Orleans. Here in Orlando, the Leu Gardens collection is the third largest in the US. Cold weather doesn't hurt these plants, at least the amount we've had in the central Florida region. Here at Laurence E Fosgate, we've used them in landscapes for years and have always appreciated the fact that they bloom in the winter when lots of people in Florida entertain and other plants are frequently flowerless. There are two main families of camellias- japonicas which tend to grow larger, and sassanquas which can be a low to medium shrub. Both are beautiful.

Windermere Landscaping Includes Fruit Trees

A medium size carambola also called starfruit

This week will see the installation of fourteen fruit trees on the south side of the property. In addition to our selection of citrus, which you might expect to find in an Orlando home's garden, we're planting carambola, lychee and avocodo. These first two are liable to be a little exotic to many people so we'll explain them in a bit more detail.
The carambola is also commonly called the star fruit and is certainly one of the most delightful tropicals imaginable The entire fruit may be eaten, skin and all and the seeds and pith are usually small and soft enough to be eaten whole as well. Right now the fruits are ripening on the trees around Orlando and we usually get to enjoy the harvest for about a month. Packed with antioxidants, carambola have a lovely and sophisticated sweetness that has earned them a place in some lists as one of the world's super fruits! And although they are tropical, the trees we know around town withstood temperatures of 28 degrees in this last winter's colder than normal freeze and have still produced a bountiful harvest. Though no one knows the exact origin of carambola it's presumed to be southeast Asia.