Salt Tolerant Native Plants, Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit, Phyla nodiflora

 Old buildings teach me so much about the wind, sun and salt tolerances of native plants.

Phyla nodiflora, Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit growing out of the old brick walls of Fort Pickens, Pensacola Beach

Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit (TTFF), aka Lippia nodiflora (Verbenaceae) has long been one of my favorite Florida native plant species.  First of all I'm enchanted by its name.  Rumor has it that once upon a time a flock of turkeys got their long legs and feet all tangled up in the Frog Fruit vine-like flexible stems. Supposedly all the turkeys then fell over, practically squishing all the happy frogs who were eating the plant's fruit-like flower buds.  Of course this ruckus caused quite a stir with all the butterflies feeding on TTFF's nectar and they proceed to flit about telling the mockingbirds what was happening.  Well you know, once a mockingbird hears a good stanza, it'll be repeated everywhere. To this day the low growing groundcover as been known as Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit.

From time to time, I've been asked for a list of native plants that may be salt, wind and blazing sunlight tolerant.

There are many reference books that discuss optimal growing conditions for native species, but I always find that the best way to learn which native plants do best in any location is to walk around and look at what plants are growing on older buildings in the specific location you are interested in.

Here is a photo of a marvelously healthy Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit growing out of the brick walls of Fort Pickens in Pensacola Beach.

The only irrigation this plant receives is dew, air humidity, ocean salt spray and rain.  The Gulf of Mexico is only a few steps to the south and the just as salty Pensacola harbor is a few steps to the north.

There is no tree canopy around for shade, just hot, glaring sunlight.

The four or five meter per second persistent ocean winds are salt laden and dessicating.

The old brick walls of this fort are a hard place for any plant to survive.  Yet this TTFF specimen is thriving.

Spending time in the field is the very best way to learn what, where and how native plants need to grow.

Living Wall by the Consummate Artist, Mother Nature - How I Learn About Green Roofs and Living Walls

The best school to attend to learn about Florida green roofs and Florida living walls is 'Mother Nature's' School of Urban Green.  This holds true of any coastal area, or any other area for that matter.

Florida living wall  - green roof by Mother Nature, Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides growing out of a concrete bridge platform

As a novice designer of vertical green compared to Mother Nature, I am always looking to her to learn about growing plants on a rooftop or up a wall.

Florida green roof - living wall by Mother Nature, Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides growing out of a concrete bridge platform

Yesterday I was on my bike, doing my daily physical therapy to hopefully maintain my dissected aorta in some sense of health, when a lush, vibrant and very tropical looking group of plants caught my eye.

Florida living wall example by Mother Nature, Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides growing out of a concrete bridge platform

Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides, had covered the vertical side of a concrete slab bridge platform above a creek.

Florida living wall  - green roof by Mother Nature, Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides growing out of a concrete bridge platform

Nature had created a beautiful living wall, vertical green with resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides, and without any soil, fertilizer or artificial irrigation sources.

How does she do it?  The best way is to examine the surrounding ecology as an integrated unit.

The concrete slab provides a growing platform similar to rock and gathers solar heat during daylight hours, providing a warm area for the plant to attach roots.

The creek below contributes humidity to the air.  A bioswale could mimic this water source below a concrete wall in the urban core.

Adjacent trees provide shade and tell the green roof or living wall designer that resurrection fern may probably grow well in the shade.

And so much more information right in front of my face.  Ten minutes studying the natural living wall creation told me more than hours worth of reading would have.

Mother nature is such an amazing artist and teacher!

Living Wall Plants for Florida, Carolina Jessamine

Carolina jessamine, Gelsemium sempervirens is a lovely native evergreen vine perfect for Urban Core greening if you don't mind lots (and I mean lots) of buzzing pollinators.

Carolina jessamine, great evergreen living wall plant

This vine is relatively fast growing and survives most North Florida winters.  I have found that with few exceptions, Carolina jessamine grows faster and develops a fuller, more dense habit than other native vines, such as Coral Honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens.

Carolina jessamine in bloom, amazing pollinator attractor

One of the first native flowering plants to bloom here in Florida, when she does begin to bloom in late January she really puts on a show with bright yellow, fragrant flowers.

The pollinators arrive in wave after wave of buzzing insects.  Supposedly the plant can contribute to bee brood death because the flowers contain strychnine-like alkaloids.  Children have been poisoned by mistaking the flowers for honeysuckle and ingesting the nectar, according to some sources.

I've never seen bee brood death tied to the Carolina jessamine's flowers but I would probably not plant this vine near where children may play or congregate.

Some of the advantages this species offers as a living wall plant include;

* good, hardy drought tolerance

* low leaf litter rate

* grows well in low nutrient and most poor urban soils

* provides great wildlife value

* supports biodiversity

* low alleleopathic influence

* and withstands strong storm winds.

Consider using this native plant for your next vertical green project if pedestrian access is limited.   Because the plant does attract lots of bees and wasps, stings are a real possibility to those standing or walking near the plant.  You may also want to post a 'no eating the flowers' sign to prevent accidental poisoning if mistaken for sweet honeysuckle by a child (hopefully the child will be old enough to read), or other precautionary measure.

Otherwise Carolina jesamine is an excellent, native plant useful for vertical urban greening.

Answers to Living Wall Dilema, Whole Foods, Jacksonville

High soil pH and urban soil composition is the reason the Jacksonville Whole Foods living walls are not flourishing.  Soil pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity in the dirt.

As we mentioned, the health food grocer has a high-quality stainless trellis system installed near the front entrance and on the south side of the store building.  Yet the plants have not successfully established themselves and grown well.  The store has been open now for several years, allowing plenty of time for the plants to send down roots and add  upper biomass.

The present store facility was originally constructed where another building had been demolished.  It appears some of the original slab was reused, and significant amounts of concrete, crushed block and other previous building material was integrated into the soil during site preparation.

Most plants prefer a soil pH of between 5.6 up to 7.0.  Many native and adapted Florida Friendly plants vines require an even lower pH to thrive.

Soils with a high pH, such as the urban soils in the Whole Foods living wall planters, restrict nutrient availability (specifically iron, zinc and manganese), stunting planted vine growth and causing yellowing of leaves.

Although some soil amendments appear to have been added during final landscaping, the type and quantity were not adequate to encourage strong plant growth.

There are several simple remedies available to the Whole Foods site.  The site could easily be supporting massive amounts of flowering, fruiting and beautiful vines by mid summer 2012.

First there needs to be a minor excavation of existing planter soil, both around the front columns and then within the southern wall planter box.  This soil does not need to be discarded.

Second, an appropriate amount of ammonium based fertilizer should be mixed into the soil.  Ammonium based fertilizers typically contain ammonium sulfate or sulfur coated urea.  Ammonium and oxygen react to form nitrite/nitrate, water and hydrogen ions.  The hydrogen ions then work to acidify the soil.

One advantage urban soils usually have is the variety of soil particle sizes and if not over-compacted, can provide for adequate oxygenation of the soil.  Oxygen and ammonium provide nutrients for the plants and help counteract the higher pH of the urban soils.

A quick field test of the Whole Foods planter soils reveals significantly higher than normal  pH.

Amending with organic matter is another possible approach.  Composted pine bark, pine needles, oak leaves, properly composted food scraps can also release both needed nutrients and hydrogen ions into the soil.  Another benefit of the organic mulch route is that earth worms and other soil life will quickly create extensive micro-communities, contributing additional nutrients and providing for nature based soil aeration.

Once the Whole Foods planter soils are amended with the proper amount of ammonium based fertilizers, the soil can be replaced and plants installed.

Of course, care should be taken not to over-fertilize.  Excess amounts of ammonium based fertilizers can burn the roots of installed plants, creating a whole new set of problems.

With amended soils in place, plants can now be chosen to highlight the wonderful health food selections available within the Whole Foods store.

Selecting beautiful, sometimes unusual and otherwise ethnobotanically important plants is the fun part of site living wall design.

Our next post will describe what plants we'd suggest for the Whole Foods living walls.

Plants for Green Roofs and Living Walls - Photo Gallery

We are working hard on developing a complete plant list that includes;

• Plant scientific name and common name
• Photographs
• Case histories
• Requirements
• Ethnobotanical history
• Growing requirements and limitations
• and other important horticultural factors.

Living Wall Plant - Trumpet Vine, Campsis radicans

The plant list will create a reference database for those plants we find successfully used in and on living walls and green roofs in Florida and the Southeast US.

For a quick preview of the photo documentation - check out the MetroVerde living wall plant photo gallery by clicking here.

We will be adding new plants daily, so come back often.

Happy Green Roofing and as always, feel free to email us with your questions here.

Kevin

Best Living Wall Plants - Florida Living Walls and Urban Green

Click below for a link to the MetroVerde photo gallery of three vines suited for living walls in Florida and across the Southeast U.S.

Two are evergreen perennial and one is frost tender but usually root hardy.

Consideration of living walls as part of any design project is important because living walls;

1. pump fresh oxygen into the air while uptaking CO2,
2. sequester carbon,
3. create beauty and a visual screen,
4. provide wildlife with habitat in the urban core,
5. clean stormwater,
6. and much more.

The three living wall vines recently added tot he MetroVerde photo gallery include;

Living Wall Plant - Mikania scandens, Florida Living Walls - MetroVerde

 

Living Wall Plant - Confederate Jasmine - Florida Living Walls - MetroVerde

Living Wall Plant - Ficus, Creeping Fig - Florida Living Walls - MetroVerde

You can visit the MetroVerde gallery of Living Wall Plants by clicking here.


Email us with questions about Living Walls or Green Roofs!

Living Wall Roses - Heritage Species

Slideshow of excellent Living Wall Antique and Heritage Climbing and Rambling Rose Varieties - Click here.

Living Wall Plants Florida - One Good One Not So Good (Yet Pretty)

Recommended Living Wall Plant Pick of the Day:

Staghorn fern,

Platycerium spp.

Staghorn Fern makes a great living wall plant, especially here in North Florida - but should do well across the southeast.  Benefits include:

1. Evergreen
2. Once established does not generally require irrigation
3. Good Screening plant
4. Grows and multiplies steadily
5. Broad, attractive leaves and form
6. Does not require significant, if any, soil
7. Available in most home improvement stores and nurseries.

Living Wall Plant - Staghorn Fern, Platycerium, MetroVerde

Non-Recommended Living Wall Plant Pick of the Day:

Japanese Honeysuckle,

Lonicera japonica

I really like this vine but cannot recommend it's use due to the extreme invasive nature of the plant.  Watch out if you ever use Japanese Honeysuckle because the plant will literally take over.  I've cut it out of the attic, off tall walls and it is almost impossible to get rid of.  Yet it is evergreen and beautiful, and will establish a barrier screen very quickly!  The plant has been placed on the list of Florida's Invasive Plants - click here for more details. 

Invasive Living Wall Plant - Japanese Honeysuckle - Lonicera japonica - MetroVerde

 Choosing the right living wall plant is as important as choosing the right living wall structural system!

Email us with your questions.  Kevin.

Living Wall and Green Roof Plants for Florida - Thunbergia grandiflora

Living walls have many benefits.

Living walls sequester Carbon, take in Carbon Dioxide (CO2), produce much needed oxygen, O2, provide habitat to wildlife in the Urban Core (essential to city wildlife), filter stormwater, cool the air and fights heat island effect, promotes shade, beauty and a sense of place to urbanites.

Some living walls are made from vertical trays, others are fence-like supports for vines.

One of the most beautiful living wall vine plants I've seen is Thunbergia grandiflora, or blue sky vine.

Living Wall Vine Thunbergia grandiflora image

Thunbergia is the perfect vine for shading summer heat (as it is a summer grower) and allowing winter sun to filter in through the windows for warmth (Thunbergia is deciduous and drops leaves in the winter).

A fast grower yet non-invasive this species makes a perfect living wall vine.

For more pictures visit the MV Gallery located here - click here.

Happy Green Roofing and Living Walls!

Kevin

Living Walls in Florida, Plants and Vines and LEED Credits

Living Walls can be designed with climbing vines (neatly trimmed or rambling) and also with typical herbaceous, flowering plants.  Today we will look at vines as the mainstay for Florida Living Walls.

We are involved with several LEED projects where living walls make up an important part of the landscape component and points.

In fact, one project was just awarded three exemplary points for use of living walls in part.

On those projects we incorporated recycled chain link fencing as the support system for the vines.

Florida has many wonderful native vine species perfect for living walls.  The colors and varieties are many, including passaflora, carolina jessamine and coral honeysuckle.

Living Wall Florida - Passaflora - MetroVerde

Living Wall Florida, Carolina Jessamine - MetroVerde

 

Living Wall Florida, Coral Honeysuckle - MetroVerde

Vine selection includes both evergreen types and deciduous vines (evergreen for year round shade and deciduous for summer shade and winter sun).

Because these vines are native species they are well adapted to Florida's environment.  Most are considered xericaping friendly once established and are part of the 'Florida Friendly Landscaping' planting schedule.

Living walls can also provide a strategy to maximizing site design for urban development sites.  Some municipalities are allowing a reduction in horizontal landscaping for vertical landscaping installed.

And living walls are good for cleaning stormwater.  Roof runoff and site runoff can either be directed down through the living walls (for irrigation and for water purification) or can be collected in a cistern and used for living wall irrigation.

Living Walls Florida - Invasive Species

 

 

 

Make sure the vines you choose are not invasive though.  Air potato, wisteria and others may present a problem with taking over other vines.  Some invasive species are also illegal to sell.  For a list of Florida's invasive plants click here.

Remember to incorporate living walls into your next design project!

As always, email us or call us 904-446-8620 with your questions or suggestions.