Nestor started gardening as a kid, collecting wild plants in the woods or from around the neighborhood and planting them in his yard. Although his parents are now deceased and someone else lives in the house, a few of the plants have survived about 50 years.
A retired Naval officer and former jet pilot, he is now self-employed but spends most of his spare time gardening. Recently he put in 2 small ponds with 4 waterfalls connected by a small stream covering about 250 square feet.
Nestor gardens in Northeastern Florida, in the Southeastern United States, near the city of Jacksonville. The soil here is very sandy and slightly acid. The average summertime high is 90F(32 °C) and the average low is 74F(23 °C). Winter average high is 65F(18 °C) and the average low is 45F(7 °C). Annual minimum average winter temperature is around 20F(-7 °C), which corresponds to USDA Zone 8+. Rainfall occurs in every month, but is heavier in the summer, 6 inches(15 cm)/month and drier 3 inches(8 cm)/month during the other seasons.
Nestor grows about 1300 different plants in his 1/3 acre yard that is mostly flowerbeds. Some of his specialities are Hippeastrum, Crinum, Zephyranthes, Habranthus, Gingers, Hemerocallis, Bromeliads. Most of his plants are grown in raised beds that have been enriched somewhat with composted manure. He has a database of about 5000 digital photos of his plants and hopes you enjoy some of the pictures.