March has been a busy one. We got the windbreak in the ground along the north and east sides of the property—the directions where we get the most wind exposure. Everything went in as 3-gallon plants, so they're not blocking much yet, but that's the long game.
What We Planted
Four Florida natives that layer well together (photos below are examples, not from the ranch):
Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera) is the workhorse—fast-growing, tolerates poor soil, and dense enough to actually block wind. The waxy berries draw birds like yellow-rumped warblers, and it fixes nitrogen as it grows.
Simpson Stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) is slower but ultimately denser. It'll anchor the mid-height layer with tight branching, fragrant white flowers, and orange-red berries that wildlife love.
Walter's Viburnum (Viburnum obovatum) is a tough Florida native that forms a dense, evergreen screen. It handles wet and dry conditions equally well and produces small white flowers followed by dark berries that birds favor. A great addition to fill in the mid-layer alongside the Simpson stopper.
Firebush (Hamelia patens) fills the lower edges. Fast and colorful, with tubular orange-red flowers that draw pollinators.
The layered structure—wax myrtle up top, Simpson stopper and Walter's viburnum in the middle, firebush at the base—should give us solid wind deflection without the gaps you get from a single-species hedge.
Irrigation Update
Hostetler Irrigation, Inc. came out and got our Hunter irrigation system back in working order. While they were here, they installed a new faucet in the center of what will become the food forest. That line will be the backbone for irrigating trees and plants throughout the food forest in the years to come.
What's Next
We'll water the windbreak through establishment, and the summer rains should carry them from there. Next up: planting our first food forest guilds in May. Looking forward to getting some fruit trees in the ground.