Rarely, I travel on business. Last week my Garden Design work took me to my hometown, Atlanta, Georgia. We abandoned Atlanta, population 5 million, for a town of 12,000 in South Florida almost seven years ago. The onslaught of the sea of humanity I encountered upon deplaning – was a bit, well, unnerving. Not to mention the detestable traffic I had to navigate to get to my garden in waiting 30 miles north of the airport.
The garden is in lovely tract of wooded land, the forest so beautiful it makes you forget the hustle and bustle of the big metropolitan area. It was wonderful to be back in the woods of my home, the land populated with large White Oak, Tulip Poplar, Hickory and American Beech trees. The woods of South Florida, in my opinion, aren’t woods at all. On the other hand, the getting there was the problem. Getting there is why I am no longer there. It made me realize I have truly gone native. Florida native.
Everything in this vase is, unlike me, native to Florida.
The vase is a pottery pineapple, bought in Maui, Hawaii years ago. The yellow sunflowers are Beach Sunflowers (Helianthus debilis); the red flowers are Gallardia (Gallardia pulchella); purple berries are Beautyberry (Calliocarpa americana); pink flowers, Tropical Red Salvia (Salvia coccinea) – sometimes pink or orange; pinky purple grass, Muhly Grass (Mulbergia capillaris); ferns, our native Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata).
The Shrub Queen 
There is nothing like wildflowers. I spend my downtown in a county with a population of 6,000 plus cows. I know how you feel.
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Hmm, there are a fair number of cows here. Maybe they know something.
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Beautiful arrangement – I do love native wildflowers! I have family in the Atlanta area and the traffic, particularly in the commuting hours, is horrific. And the numbers grow as the suburban expansion continues. Sounds like your move was a wise one.
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Thanks, Eliza. I was terrified I would miss my flight out.
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I believe it. You have to leave hours ahead in case you encounter gridlock. I feel sorry for folks that face that EVERY day – yowza!
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Wild flowers are my passion! I love the soft pinks, ferns and grasses in your arrangement. They are really lovely. Here is my Monday offering this week. https://therunningwave.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-vase-on-monday-summers-last-hoorah.html
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Thank you, I appreciate the wildflowers more as years go by. So easy and rewarding.
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Our current population is around 255,000 which is much greater than when I moved here in the 1970s. Widespread of development of prime farmland is one of the biggest and most disturbing changes. I could never handle a big metro area anymore. Love your vase of natives including the fact that it sounds like you can grow Boston fern outdoors! I bought myself one for indoors last winter instead of a poinsettia. And I just discovered there is a pink Mulhly grass that is hardy here so I can’t wait to try it as I am always so envious when I see it in your vases and gardens.
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The most beautiful vases are those that use native flowers…..absolutely gorgeous.
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Thank you
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A delightful vase of natives! I’m from a remote town with a population of 750 so living in a town of 215,000 took some getting used to. (The Seattle metropolitan area has 3.5 million people and driving is getting crazy.) It must have felt wonderful to revisit the woods of your home state and equally great to get back to Florida!
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Thank you, Peter. Your take on my trip was spot on. The one thing I miss about Georgia is the woods – and my brother!
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Wow! That looks so elegant. I do understand what you mean about returning to somewhere that was once home and isn’t any more.
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Thank you, Christina – it reminded me of one of your vases. The Lime Basil is coming along here.
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Oh that’s good. Will you use it to cook or for your arrangements. The light levels have fallen here and all the basil is dying.
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I accidentally dumped the whole seed packet out, then moved some seed around – I probably will have enough for everything. I did want to try some seedheads in the salad, that sounds intriguing.
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Your natives make a lovely mix, Amelia. I love the Callicarpa and the misty grasses. My husband and I longed to escape Los Angeles County (10 million+) but circumstances conspired to keep us here, albeit in one of the county’s more semi-rural settings. Still, the conditions you described, combined by persistent drought, have me reconsidering our decision to stay on a regular basis.
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Thank you, Kris. LA would probably be 2X the shock to me. The drought must be maddening for a gardener, we had a few in Atlanta but nothing like what you are experiencing.
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A timely reminder of why you left – and you ahve certainly embraced the floral opportunities in Florida now. Love the native selections – but what are the white blooms?
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Well, funny you should ask, the white flowers are out for ID by the Native Plant Society – they want to put the arrangement in their magazine. I thought it was a Wireweed, but am not sure.
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I love this vase with the lovely grass and ferns holding everything in place. I am also not native to where I now live, but it feels so much like home to me and I hate having to leave it even for a day!
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Thank you, having seen your Walktober post today, I don’t blame you.
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All wild flowers? Amazing selection and what an elegant arrangement.
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Yes, all wildflowers – disturbingly easy to grow. The Boston Fern is native here and came up as a volunteer.
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Great collection of natives and I like the container a lot as well. Have been seeing some beautiful Muhly Grass around town this past week.
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The Muhly is just starting here. Thanks.
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I enjoy Atlanta for all that a big city offers but I certainly don’t like the traffic. The central coast of Florida has definitely spoiled us…it is hard to go back to big city life.
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