From the Garden

While the Pfeffer-Beach Butterfly House is usually the best place to see butterflies in the Garden, visitors can look forward to seeing a lot of activity outside the Butterfly House in the Children’s Garden right now. In just one morning yesterday, we spotted the following:

• Giant Swallowtail
• Polydamas Swallowtail - They've laid eggs through the screen of the Butterfly House vestibule and there are now huge caterpillars on that pipevine
• Black Swallowtail - One of the biggest of this species we've seen yet! It was laying eggs on the fennel and parsley in front of the Cracker House
• Cloudless Sulphur
• Orange-barred Sulphur
• Common Buckeye
• White Peacock
• Monarch
• Queen
• Fiery Skipper
• Long-tailed Skipper
• Gulf Fritillary
• Eastern Pygmy Blue - One of the smallest butterflies in the world! Several of them were laying eggs on the white plumbago in front of the Butterfly House
• A kind of mothy microlepidoptera on tater Hill

Again, this was outside the Butterfly House; there are different species in there. It’s a butterfly bonanza at the Garden!

Have you seen our new signs in the Garden? We know that statistics say most people don’t read signs, but we’re just begging to challenge this. We happen to believe that our visitors want to read MORE about the Garden and its residents (plants). So we’ve been creating some signs with interesting factoids and tips. You will see them strategically placed here and there to tell you a bit more about a flower, or perhaps point out something about a unassuming tree you wouldn’t otherwise know.

These signs are just one more way that we’re trying to connect with our visitors and we hope you find them helpful!

We'll be adding more and rotating some of the signs to match with what's new in the Garden, so you should always have something new to read. If there is a plant that you want to know more about or you feel should have a sign, please let us know.

Whether you are an aspiring or master gardener, lover of flowers or appreciative of some greenery here and there, you’ll enjoy yourself at the 57th Annual Naples Flower Show. Presented by Naples Garden Club and Naples Botanical Garden, this event is one of the Garden’s largest annual events. This year guests will have the chance to enjoy live music by Barefoot Gino and Joseph Peuska in the newly expanded Gardens as well as see art exhibits in the Kapnick Auditorium and peruse vendors and stunning floral arrangements in the Mosaic or “Old Garden” near the administration building.

Some tips for the show:

• Wear comfortable shoes – Between the 2.5 miles of walking trails in the Garden and spread out components of the Flower Show, you’ll want to have the appropriate footwear on.
• Bring your camera – Between the floral arrangements, art exhibits, and wide variety of landscapes and plants in the Garden you’ll want to take pictures at some point.
• Take a program – Check out the locations of what you’re looking for and schedule of various entertainment and demonstrations so you don’t miss anything
• Look before you shop – Go see the exhibits in the Kapnick Auditorium and the Flower Show floral arrangements before you buy things, since you’ll want to take your time and not be weighed down with bags.
• Grab a bite to eat – Take a break and grab a bite to eat at the CaterMasters tent where they’ll be selling tasty snacks and lunches between 11am and 2pm.

I’m sure many of you have seen the movie or theatre production of “Little Shop of Horrors”. Well, have I got a plant for you! It doesn’t eat people, or bugs for that matter, but it’s loaded with spines, opens at night and is incredibly beautiful!! I’m pointing my finger at the Amazon water lily! We currently have the Victoria amazonica and Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ (which is a cross between V. amazonica and V. cruziana). Both are just spectacular in size and appearance in the Brazil Garden water feature.

One interesting fact about the lilies is the entire underside is armed with spines! From stem, to underside of lily pad, to the flower…everything has spines. I must wear gloves in order to trim off old flower heads and leaf pads. They have been blooming non stop since they’ve arrived at the garden. They bloom at night, and the flower is white and scented. The second night, the flower is pink, and then it’s done.

Caring for these plants is a labor of love. Weekly, I fertilize with a pellet fertilizer…this is the easy part. I simply punch the pellets into the soil around the plant. The real fun comes in the form of injecting a mixture into the soil. Using a liquid combination, which includes fish emulsion, it is pulled into a syringe and injected into the soil. With proper feeding the pads continually grow. The record is 106”! I don’t think ours will get that large, but hope to come close!

These plants were started from seed by Ken Mayberger of Roseglen Nursery last spring and moved to the Garden in August – you can check out the movie at this YouTube Video...

Come out and wander in the Brazilian Garden to see these amazing plants!