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Color Her Open For Business

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2008

When they need vibrant bloomers with a demonstrated fondness for Florida, many landscapers and amusement park owners shop at a 20-year-old wholesale nursery in Wimauma.

Owner Anne Pidgeon grows color - lots of it: dune sunflower, mona lavender and cherry red pentas, native wildflowers and butterfly plants. She has herbs, as well, and citrus and mango trees, guava, papaya and avocado.

She ran the greenhouses for years at Busch Gardens, retiring from the theme park three years ago to focus on her own acreage. Easing into retail, she started hitting the garden shows and plant festivals, where her pots and container gardens draw plenty of butterflies - and buyers.

Her plants thrive in Bay area gardens because they're tough, she says.

"We don't baby our plants. They grow right out in the sun. They're used to sun."

Next weekend marks a historic moment for Anne, and for anyone in search of a new source of Florida-friendly plants. She plans to open her nursery to the public beginning Saturday. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.

You'll find Colorfield Farms at 8221 Highway 674, Wimauma. From Interstate 75, take the Sun City Center exit and head east 8 miles. For information, visit www.colorfieldfarms.com or call (813) 833-2545.

Penny Carnathan
Dianthus Rose Magic

Dianthus barbatus rose magic

Most local gardeners are familiar with the brightly colored dianthus annuals easy to find now at big-box centers. Dianthus Rose Magic, however, shouldn't leave you quite so fast. It's a tough new hybrid perennial that blooms in showy clusters. With deadheading, this small bush should flower early fall through early summer. Grow in full sun to part shade in soil that drains well. It gets about 18 inches tall.

Crown of thorns, Thai hybrid

Euphorbia milii

Get bigger blooms with this exotic hybrid. A succulent, very drought-tolerant shrub, it gets about 2 feet tall and thrives in full sun. A similar hybrid has pink blossoms. Watch out for the thorns!

Purpletop verbena

Verbena bonairiensis

Clusters - or cymes - of nectar-rich purple blooms provide a convenience-store stop for butterflies. The flowers bloom atop delicate-looking but sturdy stems, which have few, if any leaves. The foliage grows low, so planted in a mass, purpletop verbena gives a lacy texture to a garden. They get 3 to 6 feet tall with a 1- to 3-foot spread. Plant in full sun and pinch young plants back to encourage shrub-like growth. Blooms through the summer till first frost.

Penny Carnathan

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