Every month from September through May, Clermont Garden Club members loan plants to Cooper Memorial Library and Clermont City Hall to promote horticulture awareness and connect our community to Clermont Garden Club’s programs, civic activities and community outreach.

 

 

With the recent winter freezes, everyone’s garden is probably struggling now to get back to its former glory. The Clermont Garden Club’s clubhouse grounds at 849 West Ave., Clermont is no exception. While we wait for many plants to return (like the hibiscus, jatropha, crotons), we marvel at the resilience of other plants that have bounced back. We are also indebted to the forethought of wise, past club groundskeepers who knew that plant diversification is the key to having a healthy garden at various times throughout the year. For this reason, we have chosen the grounds of the Clermont Garden Club as the Yard of the Month for April 2026.

 

The front walk of the property at 849 West Ave., Clermont is shaded by a beautiful oak tree. The tree’s sturdy branch is adorned by a large Staghorn fern (Platycerium), which is a unique epiphytic plant known for its antler-like fronds. Rob Farmer, club member Grounds Lead, is credited with wrapping the Staghorn fern during the latest freezing temps and adequately protecting this precious plant. The rest of the garden is sprinkled with various colors from the blue cluster flowers of the Plumbago auriculata, yellow flowers of the African iris (Dietes bicolor), pale purple of flowering plants in the mint family, and the striking pinks and reds of many bromeliads throughout the garden (such as Bromeliad Neoregelia and Aechmea gamosepala, also known as the matchstick bromeliad). The most striking color this time of the year, however, goes to the amaryllis or Barbados lily (Hippeastrum vittatum) which line the north side of the clubhouse leading into the back yard and gazebo. These gorgeous amaryllis plants have trumpet-like blooms of red-orange petals with white center stripes…giving them the appearance of stars. 

 

Clermont Garden Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The clubhouse at 849 West Ave., Clermont is available for rental at very reasonable rates. Available for your use during your rental are the clubhouse (complete with table/chairs, kitchen and 2 restrooms), the outdoor paved patio and gazebo on the beautiful garden grounds. 

 

 

Tina Worrell loaned an Earth Star (Cryptanthus spp) to Clermont City Hall. The Earth Star plant is a distinctive, low-growing terrestrial bromeliad known for its striking star-shaped rosette of colorful, wavy foliage. Unlike many of its relatives that grow on trees (epiphytes), Earth Stars are terrestrial bromeliads that grow directly in the soil on the rainforest floors of Brazil. The plant prefers bright, indirect sunlight. Keep soil consistently moist, but never soggy. Unlike other bromeliads, Earth Stars do not have a central “cup” to hold water. Watering should be done at the root zone.

 

 

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Photos attached:  [filename Library: Pam Molesky is pictured with Bianca Valentin, Librarian Assistant at Cooper Memorial Library, with a potted Norfolk Island Pine.]  

[filename CityHall:  Lor Toth is pictured with Janet Contreras, lobby receptionist at Clermont City Hall, holding a festive poinsettia.]

 

 

But what is most striking about the front yard is the color combination of yellow and purple from the flowering clusters of yellow ixora bushes against purple heart plants (Tradescantia pallida). It’s such a cheerful site to see as you head down Montrose Street towards historic downtown Clermont. Robin Perez’s yard is the Clermont Garden Club’s Yard of The Month!

The Clermont Garden Club has chosen the garden of Tina Worrell at 1004 Everest Street in the Summit Greens subdivision to be the Yard of the Month for November. As a member of the Clermont Garden Club for over 20 years, Tina freely shares with others her vast knowledge of plants…as well as clippings from her yard for others to grow in theirs!

Tina’s expansive garden wraps around the house from the front to the back. There are Pencil Cactus (Euphorbia), zinnias (of the Asteraceae family), Blue Daze (Volvulus), swamp sunflower (Helianthus), Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow plant (Brunfelsia) and Siam Tulips (Curcuma). Bromeliads (Bromeliaceous) brings color to her garden, along with a variety of Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia): white, ‘Candy Stripe’, and lilac. Other trees around Tina’s yard include plumerias, a fig tree (Ficus carica), eucalyptus (Myrtaceous family), Jerusalem Thorn Tree (Parkinsonia), and peach tree (Prunus). Continuing to the backyard, you enter the peaceful setting with a water feature…a brook passing under a small wooden bridge surrounded by lush plants.

 

There is Brazilian Cloak (Medazepams), Coral Tree (Fabaceae) and a loquat tree (Eriobotrya Japonica) that was started from a seed from Bok Tower Gardens years ago. One more plant worth mentioning is the Vanilla Orchid (Orchidaceous), which is the source for vanilla flavoring used in perfumes and cooking. The Clermont Garden Club is very happy to declare Tina’s garden as Yard of the Month.