Naples Garden Club members and our guests enjoyed a very thorough and detailed presentation from Ed Westwood, Mike Malloy (pictured to the left) and Thomas Hecker on ideas of how to rescue our gardens or lanais after one of the hottest summers in recent memory.
Ed Westwood, Landscape Architect and owner of Garden Bleu Design, www.gardenbleu.com, discussed ‘freshening up’ worn out and tired garden spaces with new plantings. He suggested we have a more realistic understanding of our gardens and their maintenance as well as dealing with ‘problem’ areas individually, especially areas that have sun in the summer and heavy shade in the winter. Ed suggested mixing and matching our outdoor spaces not only with plantings, but with hardscapes, container plants, canopies and other decorative pieces to help utilize and enhance difficult areas. He then introduced Thomas Hecker, President of EcoBotanic Designs, www.ecobtoanicaldesigns.com and a sub-tropical and tropical plant expert, who helped us understand the practical side of choosing the right plant for the right location and utilizing environmentally sensitive plant care strategies.
Mike Malloy, Naples Butterfly Man, www.naplesbutterfly.com, and local garden expert showed us winter blooming plants that are new and unusual to perk up our gardens. He noted that they were “all his favorites”! Mike Malloy provided some of his colorful and unusual plants for our raffle.