My garden and grotto

[Tim McKernan]

Hello everyone. I'm new at posting and wanted to introduce myself since I hope to be communicating with some of you here on this site. I have met a couple of you here in Miami at the SFPS palm sales.

My name is Tim McKernan and I live in the Pinecrest area of Miami, FL. I've worked on my garden for a few years and hope you like the pics. Thanks for looking.

The front

into the grotto

Pritchardia hildebarndii 'dwf blue'

carpoxylon, canary, nicobar, miraguama

waterfall

[Tim McKernan]

The back

Sabal mauritiaformis

[Tim McKernan]

Borassus aethipoum

Syagrus sancona

Hyphane sp

Dypsis cabadae

[Tim McKernan]

Chrysophila (?)

Coccothrinax crinita

[Jeff Searle]

Hello Tim,

    I'm viewing your yard while up here in Roanoke Virginia. Damn! What a beautiful garden. I love all your coral rock that you have used. You have some nice species growing. Was this all planted by you and how old is the garden? Take care.

Jeff

[Tyrone]

Very nice.

Tyrone

[TikiRick]

Tim...welcome and where's our invite? Great garden....hope to see more.

[Tim McKernan]

Hey Jeff. I guess you made it to see the antique show.

I've lived here for 10 years and it was almost a cleared field. I've planted everyting you see (moved some small oaks around that were only thing here) and am finally getting a little shade to start growing some of your kind of stuff.

Have fun in VA

[Tim McKernan]

Rick-

consider this your invitation

[Jeff in St Pete]

Tim, You have a spectacular garden!  Love the grotto!

[palmislandRandy]

Very nice. My garden is less than a year old. Now I have something to look forward to!  Randy

[Davidl]

Tim your yard looks great I wish I had that much property to fill it up with plants.

[freekypalmguy]

Beautifull Tim.  Enjoyed the photos. I also like your use of coral rock. Definitely need some in my yard.

Looks like you got a bit of a container ranch growing as well. What all do you have growing?

Welcome to the board.

[RadPalms]

Hi Tim

Welcome to the forum.....Drop Dead Gorgous is all I can say....Wow I know you had to have inlisted a few people to help you.  You and your friends are welcome to stop by my house for a few weeks of more labor of love   ....Great taste in your landscaping....Hope to see more of your wonderful pictures

Curt

[bgl]

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the IPS Forum! Great photos, and you certainly have a spectacular garden!

Aloha from the Big Island,

Bo-Göran

[deezpalms]

Tim, welcome to the forum and thanks for the wonderful pics of your garden! Looks like you've got plenty o' room to work with over there!!

[surgeon83]

Spectacular!  We don't get to see enough Miami palm pictures on this forum, IMHO.  My ten year plan is to buy 5 acres outside of Miami and set up something similar to what you now have.  That is to say, 10 years before I even get the land.  

Thanks for the pics!

[ruskinPalms]

Beautiful garden! Welcome to the board!

[Peter]

Great garden, great photos, and I agree, we don't seem to see enough Miami area gardens here.

[Walter John]

Love it, looking forward to see you pack some more palms in.

What other species will you consider ?

[JBa3Fan]

your yard looks great. Now only if you could somhow send the winter heat up here to central Va.

[Scott]

Welcome Tim - and what a first post! Your garden seems very spacious and well layed out. The waterfall and surrounding area just beautiful.

Thanks for sharing!

[paulgila]

spectacular!you've got some great palms growing & the landscaping is really amazing!

glad to have you aboard!

[metalfan]

Can I just move on in with you? I can just string a hammock up between 2 of your palms...I won't be much trouble. I promise to eat out every meal, no BBQ-ing in the yard...? Pleease???

[www.dadluvsu.com]

Wow Tim!  Very impressive design!  Lots of good looking specimen.  Thanks for sharing on Palmtalk!  :cool:

[Tad]

good looking stuff tim, what all are you growing in the pots under the sprinklers, a commercial endeavour or just personal use?

i like that hyphaene!!

[Dave-Vero]

Tim, your yard's astonishing.  

I picked up a cute little Rhapis multifida from you at the Montgomery sale this spring.  It's looking quite happy (as are Jeff Searles' R. laosensis from last fall).  T

[Kris]

Dear Tim  

Fentastic garden and its nothing short of being called as palm heaven.and one such similar garden is owned by one of our member by name waykool.

You both are living my dream.......WOW !  ???

thanks & love,

Kris  

[chris.oz]

Stunning.  Great collection, well put together !

The Cryosophila tag seems right.

Eventually those exposed  roots would  thicken up to finger thickness stilts if it is.

[Tim McKernan]

Thank you Tyrone, Randy, DavidL, PalmIsland, Matt, Rad, Bo, Dave, Surgeon, Bill, Wal, Bo, Matt, Scott Paul, William, Kris Chrisoz.

Glad your multifida is looking nice Dave Martin.  Look for your picture in the upcoming  SFPS Palm Report. I used the the one Ryan took at the spring sale.

[Tim McKernan]

Thanks to anyone I missed or didn't see your name.

Palmo- I have lots of Psuedophoenix under the Hyphaene. Yes, I do sell palms but I'll always consider it a hobby.

Wal- I have have more that I have not posted yet but I will consider them all. The Carribean stuff seems to be doing the best until I get a little more shade.

[waykoolplantz]

Great pics...love the Coral rock waterfall...did you bring that rock in or was it on the property ??

[junglegalfla]

Wow, I am really impressed with your garden & jealous    Please keep posting those gorgeous photos! I'd also love to hear how you approached the design of the grotto.

[bubba]

Your garden is a work of art! Congratulations.

[Alicehunter2000]

Gorgeous.......absolutely gorgeous. Wow, welcome....I'm sure you can give us some pointers in layout and design. I, like others have mentioned, would love to know more about your coral rock? or is it limestone? Give us some details on this stonework. Your yard looks like a botanical garden. That borassus has some great color.....love that close up shot of the petioles.

[JakeK]

Awesome place Tim! The coral limestone works very nicely with the palms.

[weldertom]

GREAT looking place - obviously lots of work has paid off  !

*note :self....must ......move ....south .........must .....move .......south........

Thanks for the tour, Tim

[Tim McKernan]

Re: the limestone/coral rock- Most of South Miami to the keys is sitting on a bed of it.

I used a very large trencher to cut an 8" wide x 6' deep perimeter then criss crossed the entire area. I sat on the trencher for 3 days. I was left with boulders about 3'x3' x 6' deep.

I popped each boulder out with a backhoe and pulled them out of the hole. I pressure cleaned them then removed all of the powder and had my grotto (hole in the ground) 30'x40'. I stacked some of them back into the hole, creating planters below then above the property level. I dropped some big veitchias (and a buch of other stuff I had around) down into the planters, made a pond, built some steps and wala. Finished...5 months later.

I build ponds for a living but am particularly proud of this one. Great to know you all enjoy seeing it.

the hole with a few sparse palms

setting the miraguama next to the veitchia

shortly after completion

[Kris]

Dear Tim  

Nice illustrations of your work_i like it very much !

thanks & love,

Kris  

[Gileno Machado]

Ohhh my Lord, what an inspirational garden...

Tim, congrats and welcome !