Three times a year plants and flowers are switched out for the seasons to make your visit to Hollis Gardens different from the one before! This page features the top plants and flowers used for the current season change.

Hollis Garden Favorite Plants
(Hollis Garden typically does not spray flowers, vegetables and herbs for insect & fungal pest problems. We try to select plants for the appropriate seasons and conditions to minimize said problems. So, for the purpose of the following information, it will be assumed that the plants succeeded on their own terms – unless otherwise noted.)

Perennial Succulent
Lampranthus aureus ‘Orange Form’ is a new succulent we’re trying from South Africa. It made it through late summer last year and winter. We’re now going into spring and it is blooming profusely. This summer will be the true test. If it survives a long, hot, humid summer, this plant is a keeper. So far it has bloomed in flushes with just a sporadic flower or two in between. We’re hoping to use this plant as a ground cover in some of our dryer areas.

Winter & Spring Annual
Linaria maroccana ‘Licilia Peach’ or Moroccan Toadflax is a colorful plant we are using as a winter & spring annual. It is in Family Scrophulariaceae or the Snapdragon Family. It has a wispy growth habit and is great for “cottage” gardens. Ours were seed grown and very easy to cultivate. Morrocan Toadflax comes in an array of bright colors and is closely related to Blue Taodflax (Linaria canadensis) that you may have seen covering some of the cow pastures with sky-blue flowers in the rural lakeland area.

Winter & Spring Annual
Silene armeria, otherwise known as Sweet William Catchfly is a relative of the common Sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) and makes a great container and companion plant for the cool months. We started our seeds in October which led to a February bloom.

Winter & Spring Annual
Delphinium chinensis ‘Diamonds Blue’ is a good dwarf Delphinium for late winter & spring. Like most Delphiniums in Florida, we have to start the seeds and plugs the previous fall for a spring bloom. These particular plants were started as plugs in October and began blooming in late December. The Larger Delphinium varieties also do quite well this way (they just take a little longer to bloom).