Home-Grown Paradise

The one-time junkyard they bought is a virtually self-sustaining, tropical, organic farm. Almost every inch of its 5 acres is covered in livestock, gardens, ornamentals or ponds. The paradise they grew themselves centers around their house and its raised, multi-leveled deck. Stairways from that deck lead to various "rooms" of the property, and it overlooks a serene koi and goldfish pond, cool greenery and soothing waterfalls.

From the front door, one enters a small covered deck area with a railing holding orchids -- dendrobiums, cattleyas and vandas in magnificent purple, red or bright pink blooms. More orchids hang from the roof or are attached to nearby trees, creating the atmosphere of a mini-greenhouse. Jasmine and citrus perfume the air.

Down and to the right are large black iron cages housing colorful, noisy tropical birds, including an African Grey, several fluffy gray-and-white cockatiels and Marty, the young hand-fed, hand-raised white cockatoo, who gladly demonstrates his acrobatic skills.

Several feet in front of the covered deck area is a railed deck with chairs surrounding an outdoor fireplace for warmth on chilly winter evenings. It overlooks the 8,000-gallon koi pond, which was entirely build and paid for by Malone's son, Steven, as a gift. The pond's banks are a dense blanket of greenery in all colors, shades, varieties and shapes.

Koi, multi-colored goldfish and minnows slip through the pond in flashes of black, gold and white. A waterfall cascades into the pond. The waterfall, bog plants and white, red and peach water lilies provide natural organic filtration as well as beauty. Three resident Jack Russell terriers love to plunge in on hot, humid Florida summer days.

A large patio and picnic area that borders the koi pond is made entirely of recycled pavers.

"Because we recycled all the pavers, the patio cost us a grand total of $35 for the mortar and the sand between the pavers," says Malone. Tables and chairs can provide seating for 45 beneath shade trees brightened with orchids in bloom. A second pond, a natural, self-sustaining one, is aerated by a small fountain and filtered through the use of aquatic plants and water lilies.

Adjacent to the patio is an open barbecue pit encircled by an intimate seating area. In the summer, a large hammock hangs between overhanging shade trees covered with blooming dendrobium and vandacious orchids to create a restful respite. In the winter, a blazing fire creates a warming center.

Walkways made of recycled bricks and pavers wind throughout the property, which is divided into several mini-gardens. "When you first look at the yard," says Malone, "it's confusing, but then you see that it is really divided into 'rooms.'"

All of those rooms were "blueprinted" before they moved in.

Malone and Sanchez came here from Florida's West Coast. Sanchez was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami. where he was involved with the Master Gardener program in Homestead. Malone, who grew up on a small farm in Salisbury, Md., fell in love with South Florida's landscape as an enlistee at Homestead Air Force Base and enrolled in ornamental horticulture and landscape development classes at Miami-Dade Community College.

The two had joined forces in Homestead to build a tropical jungle of orchids, bromeliads and xeriscaped gardens. Then, on August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew devastated it all.

Literally overnight, Malone and Sanchez lost everything and almost lost their lives, too. The devastation changed their plans: When Malone retired after a 35-year career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1998, he and Sanchez decided to move to North Naples.

The pair bought a property that looked as though it had been through a hurricane. Completely overgrown with weeds and exotics such as Brazilian pepper and malaleuca trees, the former junkyard was choked with weeds; rusted, deteriorating trailers; oil drums and noxious toxic waste; and old tires. It took Malone and Sanchez two years of hard work just to clear the ground.

After that, Malone and Sanchez looked at the cleared land as a blank canvas and divided it into "rooms": one for living; one room for entertaining; other space for an organic vegetable garden, citrus and tropical fruit trees; a paddock to house various animals; and still other space for various gardens devoted to native and tropical plants or wildlife.

Then Malone enrolled in the Collier County Master Gardener Program. Despite all his experience in Miami, he explains, the climate and soil in Naples were so different that "none of my gardening skills applied in Southwest Florida and everything was dying."

The two then commuted between Homestead and Naples every weekend for another two years, relocating plants and personal belongings.

In Homestead, Malone and Sanchez had shared their plants with friends. When they moved, those friends returned the favor, giving Malone and Sanchez cuttings of their plants. Several nurseries in Homestead also gave them plants that were outgrowing their containers or were in need of some TLC.

The first "room" on their property is landscaped with those gift plants, as well as relocated plants such as helicons, gingers and costas. All of it is planted beneath tropical foliage which towers 40 feet overhead in a lush, cool canopy.

Another "room" is a native plant area. When they moved to Naples, Malone and Sanchez made an effort to start or encourage the regrowth of native plants, such as the brilliant-red fire bush, native coffees, red-berried Beauty berry and yellow and orange milk weeds, to name a few. Many of these attract both hummingbirds and butterflies.

"It is not unusual to see as many as fifty varieties of butterflies at a time on a nice spring day," Malone observes.

The Northeast corner is developing into a rainforest walk, with bromeliads, tropicals, orchids and bamboo. Recycled sculpture is serendipitously located throughout the acreage -- an antique farm implement here, an old bird cage there, and an interesting piece of stonework in another corner.

From the agricultural "room," many types of organically grown vegetables, citrus and tropical fruit, eggs, beef and poultry feed Malone and Sanchez and their many friends throughout the year. One or two beef cattle and several hogs are slaughtered each year for meat. Eggs and poultry come from the chickens (four varieties), ducks, pheasants (five varieties), peacocks and two varieties of pigeons. Milk and cheese are produced from the Nubian milk goats.

For fruit, the two grow grapes, three types of oranges, limes, pommelo, tangerines, mangos, avocados, peaches, apricots, plums, pineapple, nectarines, sugar apples, carambola, two types of guava and two types of bananas. Manure from the stables is used to fertilize the fruit trees as well as the organic garden that provides fresh vegetables throughout most of the year. No sprays of any kind are used on the garden or fruit trees. The remaining acreage is dedicated to ornamentals.

Malone and Sanchez also have planted more 350 red cedar, oak, mahogany and maple trees throughout their property.

"Everything here breaks the rules," says Malone. "It's overplanted and dense, but that's what protects everything from the cold."

And while at first glance the plants appear intermingled, "if you look for a while, everything stands out and the color and texture of each plant creates its own showcase."

Malone and Sanchez also have a soft heart for animals in need of rescue, as evidenced by the fact that Sanchez is the animal cruelty investigator for Collier County. They have obtained the necessary state and federal permits to shelter a doe and her adopted fawn, Sweet Pea, as well as several horses and three varieties of ornamental doves. Wilbur, the pot-bellied pig given to Malone and Sanchez when he outgrew his home, enjoys a bath in his plastic kiddy pool on hot days.

Rheas -- a bird in the ratite family, which also includes ostrich and emu -- share the paddock with the billy goats. A baby donkey named Rosie, born this, year nudges close to have her ears scratched, while a family of rescued feral cats patrols the barn for rodents.

One of the guard dogs, some ducks, the geese, including Lucy the Goose who squawks loudly at intruders to alert her paddock-mates, and some of their rabbits were rescued as well. Several trained attack dogs, as well as other security measures, guard and protect the livestock.

In their spare time, both Malone and Sanchez are members of the Collier County Fair board of directors. They have both judged rabbits and cavies (members of guinea pig family) at Lee, Collier, Miami-Dade and West Palm Beach County fairs. They both work with youth clubs such as 4-H, and Malone is also active in the Collier County Master Gardener program. He works part-time in the Plant Clinic and teaches workshops on raising rabbits to 4-H kids in Lee and Collier County.

"To me, this is the most important part of gardening," he says of working with the next generation.

Malone and Sanchez love to share their home with friends, entertaining often. They try to make sure that no one leaves without something for their garden.