Rob Allegra has been building West of Trail close to sixteen years!  We first met when he was building a cottage style home across from us in 2010.  Trace Altman and Rob have worked together the entire time providing vibrant and interesting landscaping for Allegra’s new homes!  We featured one of their home-gardens on Clematis in Gardens in Paradise March of 2018.   As added value Trace offered an in-service and “walk and talk at 1934 Clematis. The relevant topic: Melding mature Trees with new landscaping!  Living in a Centennial neighborhood with tear down and re-build of properties gives some leeway to leave healthy and dynamic existing foliage or raise it all…depending on the Sarasota City Arborist’s requests.

 

During a Stroll function and open house on Morris Street Rob and I had time to discuss how much interest this new landscaping provided!  In particular, I was impressed with the firescaping concepts followed in Trace’s landscaping on this property.  You know from my June article both firescaping and enhanced safety in planting is an area of interest I want to continue to share with my readers!

 

As you enter the front yard you can clearly see the effort made to “fit into the neighborhood” offering both green lawn and   multiple islands starting twenty feet from the home itself and working outward. The front door walk, driveway and entry utilize porous pavers and stone to enhance drainage and offer a fire barrier…besides a beautiful melding of hardscape!  A welcoming potted arrangement welcomes you- a foxtail agave and variegated pepperomia offer thick leaves laden with water needing minimal care and again a firescaping must!

 

Unique to this property is the repetition of red in the crimson themed plants from front to rear. Massive boulders repeat in front and within most beds which hug the privacy fences and avoid the structure itself…keeping a clear view, clean house, and reducing the insect, termite, and other critters many in Florida rather not deal with!   The Marguerite Daisy and chenille ground cover with classic Ixora and yellow spotted crotons add color and texture to the front bed. Easy care liriope and variegated dracaena continue the theme of adding to the primary colors yellow and red with white accents through the front. The front side bed offers an original heritage slash pine mixing well with a newly planted smaller Mexican Alvarado tree which grows to approximately 20 feet. Pine needle mulch and variegated ginger complete the bed.

 

As we enter the property on the west we note mixed color and sized stone beds melding with the bright green of pitch apples, mature palms, a trimmed oak with areca palms.  As arecas mature they are easy to keep pruned to offer the level of privacy the owner feels necessary.  Arecas are multi-stemmed and can be trimmed full and shorter or allowed to grow high with open stems resembling bamboo.  Pitch apple can be maintained at 6-8 feet for a hedge effect; when left on their own they can grow into a tree!  Remember my adage: Clean, green and lean for both fire safety and to keep your foliage safe in storms.

 

In the rear an allee of Crimson bottle brush, a smaller size tree, continues the theme of hanging red unique flowers much like the front chenille plant ground cover. The Little John bottle brush shrubs with a grey-green foliage tint also carry on the theme.  Giant split leaf philodendron, blushing philodendron (red leaf philodendron) meld with variegated flax lilies and ginger continuing the white is bright accent through the darker areas of the garden.

 

The chenille plant is a beautiful flowering shrub that is commonly used as an accent, hedge, specimen, or container plant. Dwarf chenille is a fantastic ground cover. Its long period of bloom makes it a showy centerpiece for any tropical or subtropical garden. The long red flowers of the chenille plant are a striking feature that can be used to bring color to a shrub border.  The flowers of chenille plant droop in cattail-like, pendent clusters up to 18 inches long.  Red shows best in full sun when paired with other shrubs with white and pink flowers to make the red look more intense. Shrubs with dark green glossy leaves would also contrast well with the leaves of the chenille plant.

 

What looks like a “cousin” to the chenille plant the bottle brush, shrub and tree, are great companion plants utilized on this property. The bottlebrush plant is a must for gardeners looking to attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Named for its distinctive flowers, this evergreen has bright red flower spikes that are reminiscent of a bottle washer.  Trace has coupled it with dwarf bottle brush shrubs which only grows to a max of four feet and can be kept small with no worries. The allee of trees will not outgrow its space-these trees grow to 25 feet and are a colorful screen.

 

The rear East offers green lawn to provide a human or pet playground. Remember, green ground cover…be it lawn or other natural green reduces temperatures significantly within the home itself!  Sitting on grass “cools you off” and there is nothing better for your dog to “roll around on”!  Pitch apple, liriope and a proliferation of old and new palms abound. Multi-stemmed Cuban Royal Palm is an addition to the mix. Repetition of Pitch apple, liriope and flax lilies continue.

 

The pool area itself has a clean and clear view of the rear garden beds.  Breeze is not restricted by plantings close to the screens!  Enjoy the view of the Bottle brush red “caterpillar” like blooms-a true tropical delight! Mature oaks have been trimmed for safety and are far from the house itself.  A lone wax myrtle is attractive…though not fire-resistant only one strategically placed is indeed an interesting specimen planting.

 

Looking for a naturalized, tropical, firescaped and hurricane trimmed garden…come and see this property on Morris Street.   Stroll on by….this could be your new home!