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.

Landscaping Windermere Continues

The best view of the waterfall I think is from this side, the right. One gets a great view of the three types of waterfalls.

This last week saw the addition of shade giving plants in the back garden flanking the water feature. Six Queen Palms, which have large heads of palm fronds that are ideal for creating shade without blocking the view, were added in two groups of three each. In addition we added three Adonidia Palms with multiple trunks and a Coconut Palm. Both of these have been considered too cold sensitive for the Orlando area, but this year after seeing specimens even in outlying areas survive an unusual drop to 28 degrees and come back flourishing, I decided to add them to the mix. A large single trunked Foxtail , two magnolias, three golden bamboo, and a magnificent Bismarkia round out the mix. As great as these look now, the results with a year of growth will be even more spectacular. Bamboo and queen palms in particular respond quickly to being freed from their pots.

This foxtail palm adds great shade to the patio along with the 6 queen palms spaced out on each side of the pond.

You can see the magnolias flanking the water feature along with this great specimen of coconut palm. It's the brighter green one leaning towards the pond. I can just imagine how this will look with a year growth.

Orlando Bamboo Garden

This project on a lakefront north of downtown Orlando, was begun with one client for whom we've done multiple projects, and when he sold it, the new owner let us continue in the same vein. It represents the ultimate in synthesizing indoor/outdoor living and incorporates many concepts embraced by the Garden Monkey Florida design philosophy.
When we started the project a decade ago, there was a dearth of plantings, with the exception of a couple of terrific live oaks, one in front the other in back. The rest of what you see has all been planted since then. Believe it or not, tropical style plantings are the easiest to maintain. We simply thin it out and whack it back periodically. Other than that and blowing off the decks and walks, it pretty much takes care of itself. Once established, irrigation is minimal, since the shade creates its own water saving micro climate. Also the natural leaf litter makes its own compost , so adding fertilizers is virtually unnecessary.

Downtown Orlando Cottage and Baldwin Park

A beautiful morning in Baldwin Park
A square fountain near downtown Baldwin Park

Just a mile northeast of the cottage is the new village of Baldwin Park. Built on the site of the old Naval Training Center, which itself succeeded the Orlando Air Force Base, the area represents all that is best in contemporary urban landscape design.

Bridge over the river that runs through much of Baldwin Park

Downtown Orlando Cottage Environs

One of the great benefits of our location is its walkability. We have access to lots of shopping and dining within half a mile, from the mundane like Target, the regular mall-type stores at Fashion Square, the favorite chains like Barnes and Noble and TooJays or the cool and hip like The Drunken Monkey and Kyle's Bike Shop, our neighborhood has it all. We go to the LA Fitness just a few blocks away and it has the best cross-section of people you could possibly want. And the night spots are all right here too, from Revolution (a gay club) to the Sportstown billiard hall (an institution for over fifty years), entertainment venues abound. The neighborhood doesn't actually have a name. But I've just decided to call it "East End." Not terribly original, but neither is the moniker "downtown," which still seems to work.
After reading today's paper, sadly downsized to have contents rivalling a really good "shopper," I realize that one of the purposes of this blog should be to review local restaurants and shops because, there's just a need for it. Hail the new media!

Downtown Orlando Cottage and Fern Creek

Just one example of the lush vegetation growing in Azalea Park with a view of what I call the Brontasaurus Oak.

A view of the gorgeous Central Ave. Bridge from park level.

Looking south from under the Central Ave. Bridge, paradise awaits just on the other side.

Just north of the Central Ave. Bridge.

Dickson Azalea Park contains one of the most lush areas of flora growing beside fern creek, and a walking trail with bridges like this one that lets you criss-cross it several times. Running from Robinson Street down to the resovoir in the Greenwood Cemetary and 1/4 mile west of Bumby Ave. the park stretches about two miles from north to south.

While making sure I had the right angle for this shot down the creek, did I miss a giant alligator just in front of me?

Another shot of the brontasauras tree. It seems it has stretched it's way horizontal and then vertical over the years trying to get more sunlight.

Hanging bridge across Fern Creek in Azalea Park.

Beautiful waterfall on the north end of the park.

View from one of the park's many bridges.

The entrance to a part of Azalea Park as seen from Central Ave. The trail on the left leads into the lush woods and goes along Fern Creek.

Carl T. Langford park. Next to Fern Creek are large clearings like this one.

A few blocks west of the cottage, Jefferson Street runs into Dickson's Azalea Park. It is built along a little stream called Fern Creek that flows south into the reservoir and wetlands that lie

just outside Greenwood Cemetery, the city's oldest. Here are a few shots of this little oasis. It looks more like something you think of in North Carolina than downtown Orlando, but I think one of the fun things about this blog is to dispel some of the misconceptions that people have of what Florida is really like. It is as layered and complicated as a zone that transitions from temperate to tropic, from mainland to island, should be.

Along the elevated board walk in Carl T. Langford park is this covered stage area. Fern Creek on the left hand side and plenty of covered pick-nic areas on the right side.Giant Elephant Ear, about 6ft.X4ft.

Downtown Orlando Cottage

Painting of the trim and Golden Yellow. The porch and ceiling will be next.

I have been completely pre-occuppied by doing the things I want to write about and making the money to do them. Wednesday and Thursday were spent painting the cottage outside . Friday I arose at 3:30 and got on the road to plant country south of Miami at 4. After stopping at my favorite cafeteria on Krome Avenue for a breakfast of stuffed peppers,Cuban-style, I headed down to a nursery almost at the entrance to the Everglades to buy a couple of large (eight foot) trellised bouganvilla. I had a fairly extensive shopping list, plus the requisite stop to buy orchids and bromeliads, so I was glad to get back to Orlando a little before seven, go to gym and feed Mike and David's dog before going to bed. That was how I spent my birthday. Yesterday we installed plants at the cottage and out in Windermere at the water feature. Today was paperwork, reading and spent some time on the internet. I purchased some chain on which to hang some of the orchids. The front of the house after everything has been painted and some of the orchids I purchased in Miami are placed out.
We trimmed out the volunteer oak that had grown up in the cherry laurel on the west side of the front porch. There's a lot less cherry laurel there than I thought but the effect of the removal has been very positive. The house looks larger, more balanced and cheerful. Ultimately I plan to build trellis-like structures on each side of the porch that will be painted and trimmed to augment the woodwork and style of the cottage.

The first bit of landscaping to the cottage. Just having the lawn mowed made a big difference and and the addition of a plant bed in the front ads a tropical look to the cottage.