About our garden Myrtle Glen


Hello everyone, and Welcome to Myrtle Glen, our little piece of Earth.

With these pages and posts I want to show our dedication to create and maintain a small haven for the wildlife which had to make room for all of us humans wanting to live in this beautiful area of Central Florida.


Our Myrtle Glen started in the year 2003. All we had was a blank canvas, meaning St. Augustine Grass the Developer put down. We built a fence and planted 13 white blooming crepe myrtles along three sides.

First projects were the two compost bins and the Garden Pond. We needed to create a home for all the snails, tadpoles, and aquatic plants I brought from our previous home.

Then followed the herb garden, the 'orchard' and the butterfly bed.

In November 2006 we were confident to have our Myrtle Glen certified with the National Wildlife Federation and in February 2007 we joined the HSUS Urban Wildlife Sanctuary Program.


We love all the animals visiting our garden, and we do open our gates for human visitors as well. Contact me, if you like to visit Myrtle Glen.


Thanks for visiting,

Evelyn - Gone Tropical


The Pond

Water is a must for wildlife and for us alike. We are not so lucky to own an estate with a stream and a lake, but we have room for a pond.



This area is our Meditation Room, the sound of bubbling water is the best stress therapy, watching the birds and butterflies visit, and listening to the frogs in the evening hours is just the most beautiful experience there is.

Ten years later, the pond area looks much different, large plants create a jungle-like area



Read more about our Water Garden


Herb Gardening

We like to grow the herbs we use for cooking. This area is also the 'nursery'. I can keep a  close eye on seedlings and cuttings to root.



The herb garden is located conveniently by the back door and the two compost bins are hidden away just around the corner of the house.
The brick edging keeps the grass from growing into the bed and the soil from washing away.

And bell peppers, chilies, and tomatoes feel right at home between all the herbs.

Herbs that grow well here in Myrtle Glen, Central Florida.

Update 2016 - the mango tree to the right of this herb bed grew so large shading out this bed that we decided to remove the bed. Now I grow my herbs throughout the yard mixed in with the other plants. Not as convenient as having them all in one spot, I will post if I come up with a better solution.


Fruiting Trees

We love our plants with edible treasures. Butterflies, such as the giant swallowtail, use the citrus trees for laying their eggs, birds come for the loquats and bees visit the flowers.


Our 'Orchard' consists of:

Mango 'Carrie'
Kumquat (Nagami)
Banana (Dwarf Cavendish, Ice Cream, Raja Puri, Dwarf Brazilian, Musa Orinoco)
Dragon Fruit (Pitaya)
Meyer Lemon
Loquat
Avocado 'Wurtz' (Patio tree)
Lychee 'Emperor' (Patio tree)
Peach
Nectarine
Canistel


Butterfly Plants

The butterfly plants are throughout the garden, I grow certain plants just as host plants for the butterfly caterpillars and have plenty of flowers as nectar plants.


Butterflies love following plants in Myrtle Glen:

Porterweeds in coral and blue,
Pineapple sage,
Blue pea vine,
Passiflora vines
Lantana
Pentas, red and pink
Salvias, red and pink
Golden dew drop
Citrus flowers

More about Butterflies in Myrtle Glen


Projects and garden articles are added to blog pages, you can find them in the main  'Pages' section.



"When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed
and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. 
If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant."