It seems like you can’t drive five minutes in Miami without coming across a new development under construction where an empty lot or field used to be. New houses, apartments and strip malls are popping up on seemingly every plot of green in the map. To counter this concrete takeover, developers incorporate green into their design by planting palm trees and oak trees for visual appeal. While it might look nice, it’s not doing much to help preserve the natural habitats native to South Florida.
That’s why Pat Kyle, owner of Miami’s Galloway Farm Nursery, encourages residents to do their part in helping the local flora and fauna by landscaping for wildlife with Florida natives. To contribute to that effort, the nursery will be creating a native tree and plant area over the next month.
“Our customers have asked for this change,” said Kyle, noting the nursery’s effort to honor the wildlife of the area. “We already have many natives dispersed throughout the nursery. It’s time to bring wild coffee, necklace pod, firebush, satin leaf, saw palmetto and many others species together.”
Planting these natives and other kinds of fruit trees helps attract birds, butterflies and bees which all play a vital role in pollination. At Galloway Farm Nursery you can visit the beautiful butterfly garden where they have three types of milkweed that attract the monarch butterfly with its distinctive black and orange wings. You can also opt for a native passion vine that attract the zebra, julia and gulf fritillary butterfly or the coontie palm for the atala hairstreak butterfly. These are all larval plants that butterflies lay their eggs on after they taste the nectar of other plants such as red pentas, dwarf porterweed and jatropha.
Caring for the environment means that Galloway Farm Nursery recommends using only organic sprays and fertilizers or better yet, their best seller, live ladybugs that ward off aphids and mealy bugs. At Galloway you can also find a wide variety of things to make your garden look beautiful from roses grown on Fortuniana rootstock to annuals and perennials to succulents and bromeliads or decorative items like pots, rocks, mulch and driftwood imported from California made from grapewood.
If you live in an apartment and landscaping isn’t an option, Galloway has a wide selection of interior plants as well. Or you can visit their air-conditioned orchid room that is always nice to step into on these hot summer days.
Located on Galloway Road just north of the 874 exit and across the street from Norman Brothers produce, Galloway Farm Nursery is a small oasis of green among the various buildings and strip malls nearby.
Kyle and her late husband Jim Lawrence opened Galloway Farm Nursery 38 years ago, and that wealth of experience and expertise is not only evident with Kyle but also her knowledgeable and informed staff, including some who have been working beside her for over 20 years.
Before partnering with Lawrence, Kyle ran her own business as The Plant Lady. Since his passing six years ago, Kyle has been even more dedicated to philanthropy and helping the community. She is heavily involved in Crime Watch and has for the last three years ,decorated some 60 tables for their annual gala. Along with her friend Germaine Butler, Kyle founded in the Pinecrest Garden Club and the Pinecrest Book Club. A plaque is dedicated to her husband at Pinecrest Gardens.
So next time you think about how you can help our world be a little greener, make a stop at Galloway Farm Nursery and see what inspiration strikes as you walk through the butterfly garden or along the coy pond and browse their amazing selection of items to make your home and garden beautiful and ecologically friendly.
In italic ….. Galloway Farm Nursery is located at 7790 SW 87th Avenue.Miami, FL 33173
Feel free to call them at 305.274. 7472 visit www.gallowayfarm.com
