Hello, my name is Helena Mahoney. I am 87 years old and live in Vero Beach, Florida. I have been reading Fine Gardening ever since I became a certified Master Gardener, almost 30 years ago. I live in Zone 10 on a suburban lot that is less than half an acre. Most of my beds are in partial shade because of the extreme heat here. I have many unusual tropical plants in my garden, including bromeliads and philodendrons.
Gardening in Florida is pretty different from what most of us are used to! Look at all the lush, tropical foliage.
A comfortable place to sit inside and look out at the jungle beauty of the garden outside.
Northern gardeners are used to thinking of bromeliads as houseplants, but where temperatures don’t get below freezing in the winter, they can be great perennials outside for shaded spots. Northern gardeners can mimic this look by using them as annuals and bringing them inside for the winter.
This beautiful philodendron looks to me like the currently wildly popular ‘Pink Princess’. Houseplant Instagram accounts have made this a must-have plant, but in Helena’s garden it doesn’t have to live in the house.
Light shade is a great feature in the hot Florida sun, and many plants thrive in those conditions.
Masses of bromeliads make a beautiful planting here.
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