Going Native
|
Stetson University President H. Douglas Lee and his wife, Margaret, are getting used to the new view from their historic home’s back porch in DeLand. They recently witnessed the completion of final touches on a Florida native plant garden that covers nearly two acres.
The garden, part of Stetson’s Native Plant Initiative, includes 30 species — all mature plants. There are 100 trees, including Chickasaw plum, magnolia and, of course, palm; hundreds of shrubs, flowering plants and ground covers, such as firebush, oakleaf hydrangea and blue flag iris. Something will be in bloom every month.
Lee credits the Stetson faculty with initiating the discussion to transform the campus into a native plant sanctuary. “Environmental responsibility is a core value of our institution,” he says. It’s been a slow but gratifying process. The Lees had input throughout the design and plant-selection process. Lee was interested in the grasses and shrubs while Margaret Lee favored native flowering plants.
The covered porch off the Lees’ patio is quickly becoming their favorite spot. “It’s just a little brick patio down from the porch,” says Margaret Lee, “but when you look straight south, you see this grand lawn and then at the very end is the (public) entrance to the garden. It’s just a beautiful vista.”
Vera Lea Rinker Native Plant Garden
Stetson University
Making it happen: The Vera Lea Rinker Garden is named after the mother of John Rinker, a major university benefactor. Rinker and his wife, Sheila, head the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Foundation, which provided funding for the garden.
Designer: Glenn Herbert of Bellomo-Herbert & Co. in Orlando
Experts: David Chiappini, president of the Association of Florida Native Nurseries and owner of Chiappini Farm Native Nursery in Melrose, and David Rigsby, manager of streets and grounds at the facilities department at Stetson
Wet and Wild
|
Started in 1998 by brothers Sean Drummond and Jimi Beach, Bluworld has grown into one of the largest design-build-install commercial and residential water-features companies in the country. The Orlando company specializes in waterfalls and other water features. Beach is the artistic leader, and Drummond is the chief engineer. Formerly known as The Waterfall Conception Gallery in Winter Park, the company changed its name and moved to a 30,000-sq.-ft. showroom and manufacturing facility in Orlando four years ago. Bluworld has more than 40 models of waterfalls ranging from $299 to $999. It also provides custom designs. It’s currently working on a $750,000 outdoor fountain for Signature Place, a condo development under construction in St. Petersburg.
Link: Bluworld's website
For more articles this month with extra links, go to the Links page.
Furnishing the Outdoors
Yedra Polaris World Garden Furniture, an outdoor furniture and accessories company from Spain, is opening its first U.S. store in Miami Gardens this fall. Yedra offers both classic and contemporary designs, as well as natural and synthetic fibers that are resistant to mold. The retailer expects to open two more stores in south Florida and one in central Florida before branching out of state. The Miami Gardens showroom is scheduled to open by the end of October.
|
Yedra’s synthetic fiber weaving helps ward off ultraviolet rays. |
Light Side
|
Tom Rensenhouse, owner of Orlando-based Lightstyle, made a name for himself as a visionary lighting expert with successful lighting showrooms in Kansas and Missouri before expanding to Florida in 2000. The company, located in downtown’s historic Johnson Electrical building, has hundreds of outdoor lighting options, and the sales staff includes professionals with interior design degrees. For large lighting projects, customers get a dedicated staff member to oversee the project. Lightstyle will arrange a trial run of planned outdoor lighting fixtures at a customer’s home for those who want to see what the lighting will look like before they make the purchase. Outdoor lighting has become a lot more decorative as homeowners transform their backyard spaces into outdoor living rooms, says general manager Hollie Gonzalez. One of their hottest items, she says: Outdoor chandeliers.
Pooling Resources — New Website
A new, free website called FreePoolQuotes.com matches customers with pool builders in their area. Select the area where you live, answer questions relating to the type of in-ground pool you want and your budget. You can even apply for financing through the site. Within several hours of sending in your query, licensed and insured pool builders and contractors will contact you. There is no obligation or commitment to any quote you may receive.
 |