Dealing with Iguanas!
One of my clients has been having a very tough time with Iguanas eating (mostly) their edible section of their landscape.
I have done a little digging and found that Iguanas do not like to mess around with certain fragrant plants and smells. As someone who does everything organically, I decided to try a new method out.
This is my first time dealing with Iguanas to this measure, and my client was not into shooting them or buying a cat.
We have decided to do a combination of planting highly fragrant plants around the new seeds and other summer crops. Using a few recipes I found online, my client is making some mixtures and will begin spraying the new trellis, raised beds, and the pathway around the raised beds.
Hopefully, it works!
This video also shows a walkthrough of the zone where there are a bunch of other edibles and native plants.
I created a native wildflower garden next to the edible section to help attract beneficial native insects, which will aid in the battle against garden pests like aphids and caterpillars.
I would like to note that I did not build the raised garden beds. We just put in the trellis, and I have been planting around and inside the beds.
I'd also like to note and shout out to @incredibleediblelandscapes for originally planting some edibles and laying the foundation for this zone.
Apologies for the long videos! But that's how it's going to be when it comes to explaining gardens. There's a lot to say, and I hope we all learn something together!
Thank you for watching and BRING LIFE TO YOUR LAND!
Finished up saving the shoreline buffer zone!
A couple of months ago, we weren't able to differentiate between the native species that were planted and the weeds and invasive plants.
There was no room to walk, native plants were being suffocated and outcompeted, and all the hard work the community put into this project was almost wasted.
I was able to help clear this zone via manually pulling out the weeds and without the use of herbicides. I have only sprayed a vinegar mixture that I use on all of my projects.
Maintaining this area in an organic and safe way will be more time consuming, but the waterway, mangroves, and shoreline won't have any chemical runoff from spraying roundup or other herbicides that are harmful to us and our ecosystem.
Obviously, creating a native ecosystem on the shoreline buffer zone benefits native fauna and flora while supporting cleaner waters. However, a healthy shoreline for your home or community will help control erosion and improve property value.
I'm so happy and thankful this community has chosen my company to help them save this zone and design/install the remaining shoreline buffer zones.
Before and after photos to come!
Bring Life to your Land!!
The second part of the shoreline buffer zone video from yesterday.
Apparently, it got cut off, and I didn't realize 🙃
More to come!
Reclaiming the shoreline buffer zone!!
I'm currently helping a golf and yatch club reclaim a recently planted native buffer zone along Bessy Creek and the St. Lucie River in Palm City.
They had a company come in and plant all these wonderful native species back in spring, and no one came back to help with the weeds. (I will do a big video on weeds in the landscape soon)
However, this zone was full of invasives since the community was built many years ago. So after disturbing the soil and planting all of these native plants, the seed bank awakened, and within a few weeks, millions of weeds were growing and over taking the newly planted natives.
The community hired a regular landscape company to help weed, but this company did not have any experience with natives and just sent a guy to come out and spray round up on everything, including the good plants..
Que Plant Man Cam! I'm very happy to help this community out and educate their committee on native plants and the more organic and natural methods of maintaining their landscape.
It's a huge zone, but we will get through it!
This landscape is a perfect example of why getting control of weeds before they reseed and infest your new garden beds is so important. A newly planted garden can be quickly overrun, and initial maintenance is key to a clean garden bed. (Many factors contribute to weeds, and I can talk awhile about this. Thus, the weed video will come soon)
Keep checking in for updates on this project!
Bring Life to your Land!
Over the years, I've heard a lot of people say they can't plant native because they lack the room, and their yard is too small.
However, there are some existing foundation shrubs packed into these tight areas and shaved into rectangles...
I say...nonsense! You can plant native plants anywhere. Yes, even in pots on your patio.
My client John has this very tight entryway with very little light. I admit, it was a challenge coming up with plants that would do the job in an area with very little space and sunlight. Especially since he wanted butterflies and pollinators.
I did this install in early July, and almost 3 months later, things are looking good!
I love being able to bring life to your land, whether the space is big or small.
With all the habitat destruction, any opportunity helps support our Florida wildlife.
Want to bring life to your land?!
Call or DM me!
Down here at Sustainscape native plant nursery! @sustainscapeinc
I love this place. They have so many different native species for South Florida.
Dennis is super knowledgeable and has been in the game for quite some time now.
They are always so helpful with my orders and take the time to show me around the nursery to see what's new and how everything is looking.
They even create their own biochar, and one of the components is algae, such as red tide. Not only do they help our landscapes with their plants, but they also help clean our waterways.
Give them a call and go check out their nursery! Tell them Cam sent you!
Together, let's bring life to your land!
Aphids aphids aphids..... we hate them!
What to do?!?
Plant native species and be patient... the cavalry will arrive
Sit back and enjoy the natural battle...aka ladybugs completely devouring an entire army of aphids
Bring Life to your Land!
Quick update on my life and the business!
Just as gardens grow and evolve, I too strive to always push myself to the next level.
This past week, I added another experience that challenged me to my limits and allowed myself to reflect on my life.
I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to hike Cerro Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica at 12,500 ft.
Together, 12 of us supported each other through thick and thin, and we all made it to the top and back down safely and more proud than ever before.
It's trips like these that help me become a better me, and I want to thank @realsolbrah for putting everything together and @janoschamstutz for being an incredible guide and always believing in us.
Not only does an experience like this push myself to become a better entrepreneur, but it also helps me become a better father.
In October, Elena and I are expecting our second child, our son. We are so thrilled and can't wait to meet him.
That being said, I will be taking some time off after his arrival. Longleaf Design will continue back up some time in November and finish off 2023 strong!
Thank you to all of my friends and followers who have supported me and Longleaf Design's vision this year.
In the meantime, enjoy the plant content that will be coming out more frequently from now on.
Together, we will bring life to your land!
-Cam
Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillar on my Rue plant.
Munch away!
New design for Jupiter Inlet District!
Changing their boring, old foundation plantings to a thriving native landscape!
This one has been in the works for a while now, and it has finally come to fruition.
Walk through of the project I posted yesterday!
A Gulf Fritilary butterfly was already checking things out. Plant and they will come!
I love the sun coming through the trees. It really helps set the tone for a walk through the woods.
Imagine a few years ahead when everything has grown in... 🌱🦋🐝🦇🐦🌳
Another awesome project in the works! It is so great to work in Linda's garden, where she has planted over 50 native species. As soon as you step on her property, you feel the peace. There are tons of butterflies and pollinators flying all over, birds are flying from tree to tree, and the natural beauty of this landscape helps me relax while working hard in the full sun. Her landscape is one of the nicest native gardens I've seen...she needs a native landscape award for sure!
We are going to build a dry creek bed that flows into a rain garden to help mitigate the flooding that occurs next to her patio, which also ruins her walking path and disrupts some native ground covers. The dry creek will have limestone boulders and pea gravel, and the rain garden is going to have a few larger boulders for accents and some more native plants helping hold things together.
Stay tuned for before and after next week!!
South Florida dry creek beds!
I am very excited to finally see this beauty in action. I finished building this dry creek back in February, and with all the rain the last two weeks, it did its job extremely well!
I love building these and planting natives around the boulders that will flow over the rocks and help stabilize the creek.
Peep the fluffy Buttonsage and Muhly Grass starting to creep over the limerock.
And check out that massive Rougeberry plant bottom of the screen in the beginning of the video!
Thank you to @magellanphotos for the awesome video and for letting me bring life to your land! Check out her awesome wildlife photography!
If you have a water issue and would like to incorporate a dry creek into your garden, give me a call, and let's bring some life to your land!
Free consultations for the month of May!!
I can't believe it is May already! I want to thank everyone for their support! Longleaf Design has had quite the ride since it was launched 5 months ago!
I'm so grateful and so happy to be bringing life to your land! It's an amazing feeling knowing I am helping a family out while also helping Florida wildlife.
I love what I do, and I'll continue to do it until I become free fertilizer myself!
For the month of May I will be doing free consultations, a $200 value, which includes myself, Plant Man Cam, coming to your property, providing information and guidance on how to transform your land into a thriving garden. You'll receive a written report with everything we discussed, options, directions, resources, and much more.
I'm looking forward to meeting new people and educating about the importance of native plants and growing food at home.
Check out my website for some new before and after photos in the gallery section along with the videos of the design walk-throughs for each project.
longleafdesignfl.com
Thank you again for all of your support! Happy planting!!
🌱🌻🐝🌲
What happens after I spray and burn the grass before a project?
After planting directly into the damaged grass, I will come through with a thick mulch layer of 4 - 6 inches, sometimes even more. Depending on the type of plants you are installing, the more mulch the better. When dealing with mostly natives, a super thick mulch layer isn’t necessarily needed, but it's helpful to improve a poor soil area and a crucial part of bringing life to your land.
Now, after the project is finished, within a week or two I will notice a few weeds or grass blades that start to stick through the mulch. I expect this. Plants will do their best to survive. However, I believe it's important to keep as much organic matter in your landscape bed as possible. Some companies will remove the grass entirely or spray roundup to fully kill the plants. To me, taking away all of that free “fertilizer” is not how to bring life to your land and spraying chemicals is obviously not the route I choose to go either.
All of the grass, weeds, roots, etc. will start to decompose and break down under your mulch which helps bacteria, fungi, soil microbes, and insects thrive. This in turn will create a fat layer of organic matter becoming food for your new plants. Like I have said, happy soil, happy plants!
When I start to see the blades coming through the mulch, I will come back and spray (vinegar mixture), burn, or manually pull them. It’s important to do this sooner than later before the weeds pop through the mulch and re-seed on top.
Cardboard is a great alternative because it almost guarantees that the weeds won't pop through the mulch.I’ve done it many times and it works great! However, cooking cutting the cardboard to plant hundreds of plants is time consuming and in my opinion not fun. I don’t mind coming back a couple times to make sure the weeds are taken care of and to watch your plants adapt to their new home. Once the few weeds that attempt to make it are taken care
Check out the jobsite where the Mediterranean garden will be! Beautiful day to burn some grass and stage out plants!
New project is in the works!! I am extremely excited to see this project come to life! A South Florida Mediterranean style landscape using natives and Florida-Friendly plants. Low maintenance and year-round color! Stay tuned for more pictures and videos from the install!
Leave your debris!
Build your soil!
Bring life to your land!
Hello all! I am adding to my soil video from yesterday. A few examples to show you how easy it is to help build your soil.
All of these different materials will breakdown at different rates, feeding the bacteria and fungi in your soil for months and years to come. Leaves break down quick, where as an oak tree log can slowly breakdown for over 10, 20 years.
When you see landscapers bagging dozens of oak leaves, grab those bags and add it to your garden. When you prune your shrubs, cut it up and throw it down.
When your plants are looking their best and your soil is full of life, your hard work will pay off. Happy gardening everyone!
How do you build your soil?!
Building your soil is crucial to having a thriving landscape! I get this question a lot, especially when I talk about having a thick mulch layer. Most of our landscapes are lacking when it comes to organic matter. Traditional landscape companies will throw down a thin layer of mulch just for aesthetics. And this is AFTER they rake the leaves and twigs out of your garden 🤦♂️. Then, they throw down synthetic fertilizers and run the sprinklers all week long. Our neighborhoods, especially new developments, are deprived of natural, high-quality soil.
If you do not have healthy soil, your plants are not going to be receiving the proper nutrients to be their best. It’s important to have biodegradable material consistently breaking down so our gardens have organic matter layers for years to come. All of your compost, mulch, hay, palm fronds, etc. are all going to feed the soil microbes, help retain moisture, regulate temperatures, and contribute to a whole array of positive things for your garden.
The best way to contribute to a healthy soil is to compost. Compost everything! It may look a little ugly at first, but when your plants and wildlife are thriving in the years to come, it will all be worth it! If you’re worried about your garden beds looking neat, throw all of your plant waste down and then mulch on top of it. However, I do stress that it is super important to leave sticks, logs, leaves, etc. on top of the mulch to help provide shelter for our native bees and other insects.
I know I’m being funny throwing down a banana peel, orange peel, and a palm boot onto the soil, but you need to start somewhere! Building your soil doesn’t need to be so confusing and challenging. It can be as simple as adding food scraps and oak leaves to your garden. Bring life to your land! Don’t take it away…
