Florida gardening

Think you know about littering?

2008-01-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

So did I, but you may want to think again. Keep Pinellas Beautiful has a quiz to test your litter knowledge. I was very surprised to only score 10% - what an eye-opener. How well can you do? Happy Florida Gardening.

Saving the Gulf

2007-12-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Gulf Restoration Network GRN formed in 1994 is a network of environmental, social justice, and citizens' groups and individuals committed to restoring the Gulf of Mexico to an ecologically and biologically sustainable condition. Their efforts, among others, include:

Fishery management
Protecting and restoring Gulf waters
Reducing Mercury emissions
Restoring wetlands

Of course close to all gardener's hearts is why we shouldn't use cypress mulch for the garden, and, in conjunction with Save Our Cypress Coalition, GRN explains why it's so important.

GRN has the opportunity to receive a percentage of a $50,000 grant from Luzianne Coffee Co. To increase their percent, you need to vote by visiting End Bitterness. You can vote once a day until mid-March to make a difference for this worthwhile charity. Happy Florida Gardening. I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2008.

Crayola butterflies

2007-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Did you have a favorite Crayola crayon color as a kid? Mine was burnt orange, a vibrant eye-grabbing hue. My husband's choice? "I liked them all - they all pretty much tasted the same." Anyway, I was pulling a few weeds from around the plumbago bushes yesterday and a butterfly landed on the lantana in back. It was gorgeous and burnt orange in color. There wasn't enough time for me to grab my camera, but I was able to identify it as a Gulf Fritillary.

I love butterflies and enjoy watching them glide on air to each flower as they gather their nectar. I've read various articles about folks who are tired of the larvae eating their plants and flowers. They have even asked for advice on how to rid themselves of these marvelous creatures because their precious flowers are being fed upon. Well, every living being has to eat something and if they eat a flower or several who cares? The beauty is in the emergence of these wonderous insects and the regrowth of the host plants. There are many, many websites out there offering information and pictures of butterflies in every area. The Butterfly Site provides lots of great info on gardening, biology, and places in your state to learn more. Wikipedia is also a good butterfly information source. Enjoy the butterfly and your crayons. Happy Florida Gardening and special thanks to Jonathan Zander for this gorgeous photo.

Herb Day October 13

2007-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's herb planting time in Florida now that we are moving into cooler temps (yes we really are). Herbs can be added to your gardens or I like to put them in containers close to the kitchen door so I can just reach out and snip what I need. Coincidentally, you can plant in time for Herb Day on October 13. HerbDay.org is a group formed to share all the uses of herbs for cooking, beauty and health. Visit their site to see all the events taking place on Herb Day. For more information about herbs we can grow here visit the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Among others, Seminole Springs Rose and Herb Farm sells herbs to grow in our climate. FNGLA also provides a list of herb growers/sellers. Happy Florida Gardening.

Thank you to Susan Myers and Florida Gardening Magazine

2007-09-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

I finally hit the big time! Can you imagine opening a well respected magazine and finding your name in print? All I can say is Wow! Thanks to Susan Myers of iloveplants.com and GardenBargainsOnline.com, Florida Gardening Magazine's October/November issue lists several Florida garden blogs and this one is included. Huge thanks to Susan for mentioning me and many of our fellow Florida bloggers.

By the way, Florida Gardening magazine is one of the premier sources of information on gardening in Florida. When I relocated here over ten years ago, I had a very difficult time finding a recurring resource for gardening. When I found this one I became a regular subscriber and have never looked back. Happy Florida Gardening.

What do these plants have in common?

2007-09-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Mexican petunia, Air potato, and Australian pine. They are all non-native invasive plants in our area, and I have at least two in my yard. According to the Non-native Invasive Plants guide produced by Hillsborough County Parks, Southwest Florida Water Management, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and Pinellas County Environmental Fund a non-native plant is one from somewhere other than Florida. To be considered invasive it is known to spread aggressively into natural areas. While all non-native plants are not invasive, they become invasive "when they outgrow and replace native plants in natural plant communities".

I added the mexican petunia to my yard about 3 years ago. I saw them at the big box store and thought they were attractive with their purple and pink blooms. The good thing is they are very hardy, grow in shade or sun, and drought is not an issue. The problem is they self-seed and are hard to control from spreading everywhere.

The air potato was already here when we purchased the property and luckily there is not much of it. I cut it down as soon as I see it. We don't have the Australian pine but I wondered why it was classified as invasive until I read its growth habits. This tree grows 5 to 10 feet per year and creates stands that displace native plants and wildlife. There is also a suckering form of this tree that reproduces from widely spreading roots.

Of the 125 plants identified as pest plants, the 20 noted in the booklet are considered particularly troublesome. I got my copy of the guide from the Pinellas County Extension Service. Just to make your life a little easier, here's a link to the pdf version. All you have to do is download it to your computer!

I would also recommend contacting your local Native Plant Society chapter for more information about planting natives. They will guide you on what to plant and where to purchase the right plants for your yard. These groups also hold native plant sales throughout the year usually noted on their specific website. (If you live in Pinellas, our chapter is holding their plant sale on October 6 at Brooker Creek Preserve.)For more information about the chapter in your area, visit the Florida Native Plant Society website. Lesson learned for me - most of the plants I purchased at the big box have died while all the natives are flourishing. Except for those dang mexican petunias! Happy Florida Gardening and stay aware of the non-native invasives around you.

Mystery solved thanks to Sharon

2007-09-18T17:31:00.000-07:00

In 2004 I posted a couple of blogs asking for identification of a plant I thought might be in the primrose family. Karl at Tropical Plants Online had suggested evening primrose but I thought the bloom didn't look exactly right.

Sharon sent me an email about a week ago and told me she's pretty sure it is primrose willow. I researched her suggestion and sure enough that's exactly what it is. Ludwigia peruviana is a woody shrub and a member of the evening primrose family. It bears the beautiful yellow flowers and is definitely the same - the star in the middle and the folds in each petal. Primrose willow enjoys a damp environment, so does well along the drainage ditches of roads. That's why it's grown so well in our yard just at the edge of the pond.

Thank you Sharon for taking the time to identify this beautiful plant. Happy Florida Gardening.

Computer Potato

2007-09-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

You've heard of a couch potato? Well, I've become a computer potato and are my muscles telling me about it! All summer I've been promising myself I would go out and do some weeding, finish the memorial garden we are building for our dearly missed pets, use the remaining pavers from the swimming pool addition to build a walkway to the backyard, etc. etc. You catch my drift.

I work from home so it's very easy to get caught up in a call or a fire drill project and forego taking a break during the day. My day sometimes extended to 6 or 7 PM and there would go the best intentioned plans to get out in the garden. Of course you're thinking what about weekends? The usual - laundry, visiting my elderly parents, one quick glance at emails... What finally got me moving, no pun intended, was joining the local Wellness Center. I forced myself to find the time to get off my chair and drive the short mile 2-3 times per week to start losing my computer thighs. Then I finally moved outside this long holiday weekend to trim trees and shrubs, pull weeds and just generally start putting the gardens back in shape.

Moving is the key to burning fat and calories or so I am finding. From now on I want to find the time to move and enjoy my garden. Do you find the time? Do you go to an office everyday so don't have the luxury of fitting a garden visit into your schedule? I used to work in an office setting, and when I travel for my job I visit lots of office buildings. So far wherever I've gone or whatever city I've lived near there was always a park or some type of gardenscape close by. If you can't go out to your own garden during the day, take advantage of what's around you. Take a walk and enjoy the surrounding beauty. Long story short - gardening burns calories, walking burns calories, I'd even bet bending down to smell a gorgeous flower burns calories or at least it can't hurt. Your muscles will appreciate it not to mention your thighs. Happy Florida Gardening.

Karl comes through again!

2007-08-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

Susan recently wrote and asked me where she might find a tree supplier in Central Florida to purchase Tibouchina trees. Although I found one or two, I've got to say it was not easy to find retailers in her area specifically listing this plant. So I did the next best thing. I asked Karl of Tropical Plants Library if he carried Tibouchina. Sure enough he responded immediately to let me know he stocks Tibouchina Urvilleana.

Commonly known as Princess Flower or Glory Bush, this species grows 10-15 feet tall with an equal spread. The tree prefers full sun and produces gorgeous purple blooms. Interestingly it is considered a pest in Hawaii and will spread in moist areas forming large thickets. It is a desired plant here in Florida flowering spring, summer and fall making a perfect specimen tree. We have one and absolutely love it. Check out Karl's Tibouchina and try one for your garden. Happy Florida Gardening, and thanks as always to Karl and Tropical Plants Library.

Boll weevils

2007-08-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

There was an article published in the local newspaper recently discussing the beauty and resilience of the cotton plant. It was suggested that folks could add it to their gardens and enjoy gorgeous flowers that ultimately become the actual cotton boll. I was intrigued by the idea, but somewhere in the back of my mind I was wondering if cotton could be planted residentially. Well, kudos to the newspaper for printing a retraction and letting us know that it is illegal in the state of Florida to plant cotton because of the boll weevil.

I've heard about boll weevils all my life, but it got me wondering what exactly a boll weevil is and what the little critter actually looks like. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture, it is an "insect...Anthonomus grandis, classified in the order Coleoptera, family Curculionidae, and all of its life stages". It is a beetle roughly a quarter inch in size that migrated from Mexico to the United States back in the 19th century. It all but totally destroyed the cotton crops. In the 1970s the Eradication Program was begun to regulate the growth of cotton. (Here in Florida the Southeastern Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation is responsible for cotton plant treatment.) So while the plant may be beautiful, we can only enjoy it from afar and it sounds like it's probably better that way.

On a goofier note, there is a Boll Weevil Monument located in Enterprise, Alabama. Why you ask? To honor the bug for forcing farmers to diversify their crops. Well, there's always another way to look at things, isn't there? Next thing you know someone may actually write a song about the critter. Oh wait - they did! Happy Florida Gardening.

Floridoptera

2007-04-14T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's about Florida, it's about butterflies and it's about gardening. Floridoptera is a new site written by a New Port Richey resident about butterfly gardening with Florida native plants and flowers. It's chockful of great information and even includes a database. According to Chris, the site's name is Floridoptera because
"Flori" like in Florida.
"Flori" like in Flora (plants and flowers).
"doptera" like in lepidoptera (butterflies & moths).

That pretty much says it all. Go check it out. Happy Florida Gardening.

By jove, I think they've got it!

2006-12-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

Pinellas County has been planting the median strips in the Dunedin/Clearwater area. They recently finished the medians on CR1 just south of Main street and guess what they planted? Beautyberry and hairgrass. How cool is that? Whomever their landscaper is, they decided to do the right thing and plant natives. What a wonderful example to set for everyone. Happy Florida Gardening.

Florida Native Plant Society does it again

2006-10-07T10:35:00.000-07:00

The Pinellas County Chapter of FNPS held a plant sale today at Brooker Creek Preserve. It was a fantastic day to be out walking around the Preserve, and the only thing that made it even better was the opportunity to purchase native plants. And buy I did - by the time we left I had spent every dollar in my wallet and a few of my husband's as well. Bill Bilodeau, VP of the Chapter, is very knowledgeable and guided us toward the best natives for our location. We chose several salt and drought tolerant species including porterweed (pictured here), sea-oxe eye daisy, sea purslane, sea oats and sand cord grasses, and Christmasberry (named for the brilliant red berries it produces at Christmas time). I'll be out there first thing in the morning planting my treasures. Happy Florida Gardening and don't forget to plant native!

Indian Rocks Beach beauty

2006-10-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

We are now official Floridians having lived here for a little over 10 years and determined to get out and about a bit more than in the past. Very familiar with Clearwater Beach, St. Pete Beach and Ft. DeSoto Park, my husband and I decided it was time to see Indian Rocks Beach. It is gorgeous and much easier to reach than Clearwater Beach, just a straight shot over the bridge from West Bay Drive. We saw this little beauty peeking out from the wind break. It is Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis better known as lavender goatfoot morning-glory or railroad vine. What a wonderful greeting to an enjoyable day. Happy Florida Gardening.

Squirrely?

2006-09-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

By now you know I voraciously read gardening articles in newspapers, magazines, and internet. When I read something great I try to share it and, by the same token, when I see something squirrely I try to share that as well. Well, this falls into the squirrely category.

A gardening writer was touting the use of chemicals on her lawn. Yes, let me repeat this - a supposed gardening quasi-expert was advocating using chemicals on the lawn. She talked about chinch bugs and their detrimental effect on grass, then spoke to fungus among us due to all the rains. Apparently the St. Augustine grass was getting beat up while the Bahiagrass can take the abuse. Rather than rip up the St. Augustine grass or entertain in-filling with native plants, she would rather have chemicals applied. There was even a comment about how frustrating it must be for the poor landscaper as he tried to artificially grow and "protect" her grass.

Well, I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder but here's my two cents worth. Those chemicals are washed into the water supply by the rains we are having right now. That affects wildlife. Studies have shown that these additives can contribute to cancer in people and pets. Did you also ever notice that wherever chemicals are applied, butterflies and birds generally are not? Life is too precious and grass doesn't mean a thing. Put in native groundcovers or at a minimum something that needs little care. If you want turf, get the fake kind. It stays green, unbugged (is that a word?), weedless and requires no pesticides. Plus you can probably have your own little golf course. Oh, and about those chinch bugs. Apparently they formed a band and are now happily living in Minnesota. Happy Florida Gardening.

Beautiful beautyberry

2006-08-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

I mentioned beautyberry back in January after my visit to the local Green Market. What I didn't say is that shortly after I planted it, it appeared to have promptly died. Imagine my delight the other day when I noticed a small shrub with fuzzy pick flowers and little green berries. Yes - it's my little beautyberry and what a hardy little thing it is. I'm so pleased to see it and share it with you. Happy Florida Gardening.

You learn something new every day

2006-06-10T12:05:00.000-07:00

I know I do. I was preparing to share a short article with you about caladiums and how I'd never seen them bloom. Well, lo and behold the other day a few under my oak tree began blooming. I took a few pictures and planned to post them here as a "well I'll be darned" thing.

Now I'm double darned. Not only did I learn that caladiums bloom, I also learned they are actually closely related to elephant ears! For those of you who already knew that, just ignore me. For those of you who didn't, can you believe it?

I've never been a real fan of caladiums. I always thought they were too "prissy" - I just didn't care for the leaf colors. Somehow or other I had a few bulbs so stuck them under the oak tree just because nothing else would grow there. I was surprised when they started popping up so just left them.

Caladium hortulanum, comes in a variety of colors and is usually selected based on the leaf color most desired in the landscape. They prefer shade/semi-shade and a somewhat moist soil. If you like caladiums, you can plant them in pots and keep them in your house. Here's something else I didn't know. Apparently the bloom is really a seed pod and can be cut off at the base of the plant to redirect its energy to leaf production. Another little piece of info - they are poisonous to people and animals if ingested and will cause irritation to the mouth and digestive tract. Not that anyone would knowingly chew on the leaves, but kids and pets wouldn't think it through so precaution is key to placement. Happy Florida gardening and keep an eye on your caladiums.

Florida Agriculture

2006-04-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Looking for general information about Florida plants, crops and agriculture? Florida-Agriculture.com, is the official web site of the Division of Marketing and Development, which is part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Want to find out about U-pick farms? There's a link on their site. Want to learn more about Florida produce - where crops are grown and when your favorite fruit is in season? There's a link for that as well.

The Florida Marketing Bulletin provides access to purchase seeds, plants and trees, among many other things, or you can request what you're looking for as well.

This is a pretty interesting and informative site and well worth spending time reading it through. You can even download a cookbook! Happy Florida Gardening.

Water water everywhere...

2006-04-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

except here in Florida! No surprise to anyone, it is dangerously dry here and no relief in sight. We have had several brush fires in the area and have been lucky that nothing was destroyed.

Of course, our water use has been seriously restricted. Being a good environmental citizen I have watered my gardens only once in the last three weeks, and that was only because the shrubs were so wilted it was sad. We have a rain barrel we were going to install, but haven't felt the need to do so yet. The weather guy tells us we can expect rain tomorrow and we are doing a rain dance to make it so.

So with the gardens looking so bad is anything in bloom? I have to say a hardy yes to that. My old favorite bougainvillea is absolutely gorgeous right now with its fuchsia bracts and little white flowers. Would you believe my periwinkles are blooming to beat the band? They are absolutely huge and these are last year's plants constantly being beaten up by the sun with little moisture. The miniature roses I planted under my pindu palm last year have a couple of buds. But the plant that just blows me away with its profusion of flowers is...drum roll please...lantana! Yes folks, the multi-colored lantana shaded by the palm trees has grown into a sprawling shrub and is just blooming like gangbusters.

These plants sure look cheery even with the severe lack of water. I hope we get some rain around here soon. Otherwise I'm going to have to figure out how to recycle the water we use in the house for the plants. Happy Florida Gardening. Care to join me in the rain dance?

An official card-carrying member--FNPS

2006-04-03T05:48:00.000-07:00

I am now a member of the Florida Native Plant Society. For 25 bucks a year I get information about native plant workshops and sales, planned field trips and other community activities. There is also a quarterly magazine, The Palmetto, a bimonthly newsletter, The Sabal Minor, and information and a discount to attend an annual spring conference. The conference is a four day event with field trips, well known speakers, panel sessions, plant sales and more.

The letter and newsletter were received by mail about 2 weeks ago along with the Guide for Real Florida Gardeners published by the Association of Florida Native Nurseries. This publication lists all native nurseries and garden centers in Florida and even lists a few in Georgia. It also provides a list of websites that are of interest including the North America Butterfly Association, the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants.

To learn more about the Florida Native Plant Society and chapters in your area, go take a look at their website. Native plants are the way to go. Happy Florida Gardening.

Flame vine

2006-02-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article the other day about flame vine. The person spoke about how this vine produced brilliant orange flowers that attract bees and hummingbirds. The writer went on to say that flame vine, once established, grows quickly with little water or care. But, and here's the big but folks, the vine likes to spread. So much so that you must promise your neighbors you will keep it trimmed so it doesn't move into their yards.

Now, to my mind any time you have to warn your neighbors about what you are planting it's not a good thing. And, with this particular plant, isn't "likes to spread" and "grows quickly" the same thing as "invasive"? Hmmm...

Sure enough, flame vine or Pyrostegia venusta is not from around these parts. It was brought to Florida by way of South America and will grow rapidly to 20 feet. So what can you plant that is native to Florida in lieu of this vine you ask? Well... how about beach morning glory? It will spread 10-50 feet and is only 6 inches in height. Flowers are creamy colored with a yellow throat. For more drama, try Carolina Jasmine. It produces brilliant yellow flowers and is generally used as a screen to conceal fences. One I had not heard of is Cross Vine. It climbs up to 50 feet and its flower is a gorgeous pink with yellow throat.

Remember, any vine can be somewhat difficult to control depending on the species so consider all options before planting. It's better than having to consult the neighbor. Happy Florida Gardening.

Green Markets

2006-01-28T05:47:00.000-08:00

We love a Green Market. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to attend, a Green Market is usually comprised of locally grown produce and native plant booths along with many other products available for sale. My husband and I go to the one in Dunedin held every Friday October through April. It makes for a very enjoyable morning as we wander around the booths and then wind up at a local eatery for lunch.

I have to admit we've only just started attending but we've already gotten acquainted with several of the vendors. I mentioned Tocobaga Landscaping in my last post about the beautyberry, who specializes in Florida native plants, and they are there like clockwork every Friday. We have visited Linda at It's Our Nature who sells organic cotton clothing and home products. My husband purchased a shirt from her for my birthday. It's made of cotton and hemp, and environmentally dyed with clay. I liked it so much I went back and bought a pair of pants so comfortable I could live in them. And, we most recently met Donna of DonDro Gardens who sells and provides advice on orchids.

Open seasonally, Green Markets are held throughout Florida. The Florida Dept. of Agriculture shares a list of Markets near you. Go out and visit soon. It's a great way to get some fresh air, meet your neighbors and find some interesting products. Oh - I almost forgot. There's music! Most Green Markets have some form of local entertainment throughout the season. How cool is that. Happy Florida Gardening.

Speaking of beautyberry

2006-01-21T05:37:00.000-08:00

What an absolutely gorgeous plant this is. My husband and I visited the local Green Market in December and met Josh and Natasha Motesharei Renaud, owners of Tocobaga Landscape. They specialize in Florida native plants, butterfly and bird attractors, and bonsai.

As we chatted I noticed a beautyberry shrub. Although there were not a lot of leaves on it (the time of year) it had huge clusters of fushia colored berries. Callicarpa americana is a native shrub in the Verbena family. It is also known as the French mulberry named by English settlers here who despised the French and named the berry, which they found bland and unpalatable, after them.

The shrub is a perennial and grows to about 8 feet in height and width although it can be kept trimmed to a smaller size to fit in the landscape. It produces small pink flowers in spring and summer and then berries as a winter food source for birds and gray squirrels. The berries are edible and can be made into a jelly. The roots and leaves were used by Indians to make tea to treat fever and dysentery among other maladies.

It truly is a gorgeous plant and can be grown in full sun to part shade requiring very little attention once it is established. I placed mine in part sun and the berry clusters are stunning against the green hollies. For more information about the beautyberry as well as other Florida natives contact any of the Florida Native Plant Societies in your area or read the Waterwise Florida Landscapes booklet produced by Florida's water management districts. Or drop an email to Josh and Natasha. They are a wealth of information. Happy Florida Gardening.

I stand corrected

2005-12-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

I received an email recently stating that the plants I mentioned in my previous post were definitely not Florida natives. In addition, Elephants Ear is not only non-native, it is considered an invasive exotic pest plant by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council and dangerous to the Florida ecosystem. The writer went on to ask that I encourage my visitors to grow Florida native plants.

That absolutely makes sense. Here are just a few landscaping suggestions, depending on your area, from the Florida Native Plant Society:

Central Florida - Forestiera segregata Florida privet, Hibiscus grandiflorus swamp rosemallow;
Northern Florida - Amorpha fruticosa false indigo-bush, Kosteletzkya virginica saltmarsh mallow;
Southern Florida - Argusia gnaphalodes sea-lavender, Myrica cerifera wax myrtle

So, while the plants I mentioned do grow well in Southern climates they certainly are not native. And we should be careful to add Florida Native plants to our landscapes as much as possible. Thanks to the writer for the reminder. Oh - the plant pictured here is Lantana involucrata wild lantana, native to my neck of the woods in the Central Gulf Coast area. Happy Florida Gardening.

Northern plants

2005-11-26T06:36:00.000-08:00

I was reading the gardening section of our paper this morning and just had to chuckle. There was a question from a person who had recently moved to Florida, planted all their usual northern favorites, and couldn't understand why every single one withered and died.

I don't know about you, but about 90% of the folks I meet who have been transplanted here do the same thing. I am afraid I too have to raise my hand and admit that it took me a good five years before I got the hang of Florida type gardening.

Taking my usual approach, I researched like crazy before we moved here. I purchased the Yankee's Guide to Florida Gardening that clearly told me - girlfriend, this ain't the North! We subscribed to the local weekend newspaper so we could become familiar with plant names, garden club offerings, and basically just get the lay of the land. And yet, I still somehow believed that I could make Northern plants grow here. Ha! I learned my lesson very quickly and totally gave up on planting until I took all my readings to heart. And, yes, it took 5 years and lots of dead plants for me to buckle under.

But buckle under I did and so must our fellow new-Floridians. It only makes sense that we add plants to our gardens that are meant to be here. From an environmental perspective, it controls the number of non-native species. By bringing in plants that grow best up north, we also waste water and use a lot of fertilizers and pesticides unnecessarily. Besides, we don't give ourselves the ability to truly appreciate one of the reasons we came here to begin with - gorgeous landscapes made of plants we only dreamed about or nursed along as houseplants in colder climates. So instead of lilacs try crape myrtle; rather than forsythia try thryalis (one of my personal favorites - it is an almost constant bloomer); in place of tulips plant amaryllis. And so on - there are lots of great reference books out there and local extension services that love to share information. Besides, who wouldn't want to spend the day sitting on the beach in shorts in December with a great gardening book? I know I would. Happy Florida Gardening.

EE flowers revisited

2005-10-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

Here's what I'm talkin' about! These elephant's ear plants are flowering like crazy. I do believe my resource book is inaccurate at least for this climate. Happy Florida Gardening.

Oleander caterpillars

2005-09-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

Oleanders are among the most gorgeous shrubs I know. The only problem is the caterpillars that love them as much as we do.

I planted two drawf oleanders in the side garden this past spring and they were flowering well. Unfortunately I made the mistake of planting a couple of elephant's ear rhizomes along with them and eventually they have overtaken the shrubs in height. I wouldn't mind that so much if the caterpillars hadn't used the cover as a great way to strip the poor oleander leaves down to the nub.

I've made the decision to move them to a sunnier spot and hope they will come back as hardy as when originally planted. I've also noticed that when the plants get more sun the caterpillars are not as prolific. That may not truly be the case, but it works for me. Happy Florida Gardening.

Elephant's ear plants do flower after all

2005-09-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

My last post indicated that elephant's ear plants rarely flower. Well, mine are doing just that. I have to agree they're not the prettiest things I've ever seen but nonetheless here they are.

The left one has been in full "bloom" and is preparing to wither. The other is just coming into its own. I have to admit I felt like I was walking through a rainforest to get these pics - how cool is that. A rainforest in my own backyard! Happy Florida Gardening.

Elephant's Ears

2005-09-03T02:06:00.000-07:00

Elephant's ears are one of those plants that do pretty well anywhere as long as there's some moisture. When we first moved here and before we spruced up the back patio and garden, we had some elephant's ear plants that just straggled along by the corner of the house. They never got higher than maybe 2 1/2 feet and I was certain they would not survive our redo. Well, was I ever wrong.

Not only did these guys survive they are now about 6 feet tall and spreading. So what are they and what are their ideal growing conditions? This plant originated from tropical Asia as a water plant. It produces huge leaves that are shaped much like the ears of an elephant and grow on thick, cell-like stems. They like sun to semi-shade and of course love water. Apparently elephant's ear does produce flowers but it is rare. They are a member of the Araceae family and available in a variety of shapes and colors.

Now that I've done more homework I understand why the plants are doing so much better this year. We added a new woodland water garden that I'll tell you all about in the next article and, by doing so, increased the amount of water to them. No wonder they have gotten so tall and luxuriant. Here's some other fun facts. The rhizomes are edible when boiled - don't know if I'll try that one. Also, the leaves act as a great way to pick up garden waste. When I weed I use one of the yellowed ears to wrap up all the garden stuff - no fuss, no muss, no bother. How cool is that. Happy Florida Gardening.

Glory Lily

2005-08-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

My husband was dropping my mother off at her house when she told him to go look on the windowsill. There rested a slightly dried up lily-looking flower. When he asked where it came from she said that my sister had found it in the side garden and broke it off to show her. It then came home to me for identification. It's a Glory Lily.

Gloriosa Lily or Glory Lily is originally from Tropical Africa and climbs about 6 feet or so using "finger tip" tendrils. The flowers are beautiful with 6 segments that bend back to reveal a yellow throat and long stamen. Grown by tuber, the vine prefers light shade and a rich soil but doesn't need to be over-watered. My first thought was to start it in one of my gardens. But the more research I did the more I learned that this plant is extremely poisonous to both humans and animals.

According to a couple of sites, if the tuber is ingested it can cause severe gastroentritis and vomiting. Per the ASPCA, animals can also experience liver and kidney damage. Obviously this is one flower that will need to be admired from afar - never in our yard. Happy Florida Gardening.

Trees, beautiful trees

2005-07-23T07:03:00.000-07:00

I was weeding my front garden last weekend when my neighbor stopped to say hello. I joked that I was standing in my jungle and was surprised she could see me. She stood there for a moment, stared and then said "I can't believe all the shade over there." That's when it hit me. Her house has absolutely no shade in the front yard. How hot her yard must get at this time of year and how hard her air conditioning unit must also work to keep the inside cool.

We've all heard for years how trees are natural air conditioners for our home. It makes sense to plant them where they will drape your home in shade particularly during the hottest part of the day. Here in Florida we also need to consider wind tolerant trees that can help protect us during hurricane weather.

I was reading an article in the paper the other day about planting strategically. Research was conducted after our hurricane season last year that indicated some homes were better protected and sustained little damage due to how and what was planted around them.

So, what should we plant and what should we avoid? Great trees that work as a wind screen include crape myrtle (one of my personal favorites), live oak, Canary Island date palm (another one of my favs and pictured here), pindo palm, and saw palmetto just to name a few. Shrubs include bromeliads, cardboard palm, crown of thorns and, everyone's favorite, hibiscus. Plants and trees to either avoid or keep far from your home include jacaranda, norfolk island pine, sand pine, thryallis and golden rain tree.

When you're ready to add some plants visit a landscaper or certified arborist beforehand. There's also a new book Stormscaping: Landscaping to Minimize Wind Damage in Florida that will give you guidance. Happy Florida Gardening and enjoy that shade.

One lump or two?

2005-07-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, my mother would make me dump the daily coffee filter and used grounds in the gardens. I never knew what it was supposed to do. I just thought it was an easy way to trash the leftovers.

My neighbor and I were chatting the other day about the use of vinegar for palm trees. She had not heard of that little tip but did share that she used to dump coffee grounds in the garden. That triggered my memory and I got thinking that if both she and I did it, how many others also added grounds to their flower beds. Is it a Northern thing (we both grew up in the North) or does it happen anywhere?

I didn't get the geographic answer, but I did learn more about what coffee grounds can do. Used coffee and tea add nitrogen to the soil. Accordng to Sustainable Enterprises, sprinkling coffee grounds around a plant provides a nitrogen boost. Coffee grounds and eggshells also repel pests from plants. Added to a compost bin, used grounds heat up the pile and produce compost more quickly. It's interesting to read all the comments and ways folks use coffee grounds. Happy Florida Gardening.

Tibouchina

2005-07-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

I was shopping at Lowe's and found a shrub that had a beautiful purple flower on it. The bloom was absolutely rich in color and even though I had not heard of the plant I decided to take it home anyway.

Conducting my usual research starting with my reference books I found it. Brazilian Glorybush or Spider Flower also known as Tibouchina is from Brazil. It flowers summer through fall and prefers good protected light and well watered soil in the growing season. Growing to 8 feet tall, Tibouchina should be pruned annually to keep its shape.

There are many varieties of this gorgeous plant - urvilliana, grandifolia, and semidecandra to name a few. They are part of the Melastomataceae family (whew!-try to pronounce that one). Happy Florida Gardening and enjoy a Glorybush in your garden.

No bees here

2005-06-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

When I lived up north I would get stung on average about 3 times a summer. I have an allergic reaction to bee stings so would always immediately drop whatever I was doing and go take Benadryl and fall asleep. We have lived in Florida for 9 years and I have yet to experience a bee sting. I don't know if I'm just lucky and should knock on wood, or if there's just a different type of bee here.

The bees that usually got me were the honey bees or yellow jackets. Their sting was fierce and the area would immediately start to balloon. Here in Florida I see black bees and wasps, but nothing that I can actually say compares to the honey bee. Now my friend at Taming of the Band-Aid knows a thing or two about bees. In fact, he has some gorgeous pix of a paper wasp and a great black wasp but I haven't seen anything mentioned about honey bees. Anyway, I choose to believe that even if they do exist on the Gulf Coast they just don't like our property. That way I can continue to walk in the grass barefoot without a second thought about getting stung.

The reason I go through this story is because I was reading an article the other day that talked about how to deal with bee stings. Of course the best suggestion is to avoid bees, closely followed by wearing insect repellant. Don't swat the suckers if they do decide to check you out and be sure not to wear that new perfume you just purchased in case the bee happens to like it. If you do get stung, run cold water on the area. To help with the pain, apply a paste of 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp of water. Here's to hoping there are no honey bees. Happy Florida Gardening.

Purslane

2005-06-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

I love everything about purslane. It stands up to heat and drought, spreads where you want it to, and makes a great ground cover. Not to mention the fact that the flowers are absolutely gorgeous! And, to top everything off, you can actually eat the plant.

When I lived in Maryland, I found purslane for sale once at one of my favorite garden shops. The summary info on the accompanying card talked about what a weed it is but it does well as a summer addition to the garden. I was very taken with the plant so when I moved to Florida I was not at all surprised to see flats of purslane available in the garden stores. What I didn't know, but should have suspected, is that it is a relative to the mexican rose. As a kid, I remember my mother used to plant mexican rose throughout her Maryland garden. I loved looking for the plants going to seed and would pop the seed pods and scatter the seeds throughout the garden. I'll bet she always wondered how the portulaca spread so far into her gardens when she used them as border plants.

As I did a little research on purslane, the latin name portulaca oleracae kept coming up, so that's when I put 2 and 2 together so to speak. Mexican rose or moss rose is a smaller variety that tolerates the same conditions as its bigger sister. I particularly like mexican rose in hanging containers since it will drape down as it grows and also does well in rock gardens. Here's something I didn't know - porto means to carry and lac means milk, hence explaining the succulent leaves.

Purslane and moss rose have very showy and colorful flowers. The blooms last one day and range from white to pink to orange, yellow and red and multi-hues in between. My favorite is a mexican rose I have in a lion's head pot. It is white with a lavender center - absolutely without a doubt drop dead beautiful! If you'd like some steadily performing color in your garden, count on portulaca to do it. Happy Florida Gardening.

And now for the piece de resistance!

2005-05-25T05:29:00.000-07:00

I thought my shell ginger was in full bloom before, but like the old saying goes you ain't seen nothin' yet. Each shell opens and forms a flower much like a miniature bearded iris. It is absolutely gorgeous and I'm so pleased I was finally able to watch this blooming process unfold. Happy Florida Gardening.

Ginger in full bloom

2005-05-21T09:49:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a pic of the bloom on my variegated ginger. Each petal has a wax-like feel and no fragrance, but it sure is pretty. Happy Florida Gardening.

A flower on my ginger!

2005-05-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud! In all the time I've lived in Florida I've never actually experienced a ginger bloom. This is a variegated shell ginger or Alpinia Zerumbet. It's a rhizome that grows best in partial shade but will tolerate full sun. I've placed all my gingers in partial shade and they all same to be growing like crazy. There aren't blossoms on any of the others yet, but hopefully there will be more over the next weeks. The flower is supposed to be white and pink and looks much like layered shells. I'm excited and can't wait to see it in full bloom. I'll share the picture as it continues to open. Happy Florida Gardening.

Black snake

2005-05-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last article about the black racer snake sleeping in the mulch pile. Well, I think this guy has a crush on me. I was in the garden this morning planting some daylillies and oleander. I had just put away all my tools (yes, I am a neat freak when it comes to my garden implements), walked around the front bed and was just placing my foot on the bottom stair when there it was. Mr. Black Snake decided he was going to wander around the staircase. I believe he was just as startled as I was when I came into view and he dove (or it sure looked like it) under the stairs so I could pass. I ran up the stairs and told my husband the story and, as we looked down from the front porch there was Mr. Snake sticking his head out sunning himself. A very healthy specimen indeed but I'm not ready to begin a close relationship with him. We'll just wave once in awhile as we pass each other in the yard. Happy Florida Gardening.

FREE Mulch!

2005-05-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

Free mulch anyone? Our tree folks, Westenberger Tree Service, provide free mulch just for the asking. And I'm not just talking about a wheelbarrow-full or two. When Loren came out to review our trees last year he told us that if we ever needed mulch all we had to do was call and they would deliver it. When we started cleaning out the gardens and putting in new plantings, we decided to take advantage of the offer and I'm glad we did. Westenberger brought us a full truck load and put it on our tarp on the driveway, as requested.

I have to admit the pile was very slowly whittled down and finally, about a week ago I placed the last of it. As happy as we were to get the mulch, that's how much we groaned about having to put it in the gardens. We also thought that for every pitchfork full we removed, the pile grew by two or so it felt anyway. So, the last of the mulch is spread and we haven't even gotten half of the gardens covered. Next week we'll call again and start on the other side of the house. Oh - here's the moral of the story. How do you know when you've taken too long to spread your mulch? When you find a black racer snake making a comfy home there! We won't be so slow on the next load. Happy Florida Gardening and watch out for those snakes.

Why I'm Southern-it's in the environment

2005-04-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

I hope you saw the invite that all the bloggers in the Southern Blogs ring shared. "Southern Blogs Ring, the premier source on Southern culture, manner, missive and nostalgia will be holding a group blog to celebrate being alive, southern and free all at the same time." You may be asking yourself what the topic of discussion will be so here it is. The topic for the day is why I consider myself Southern.

I've talked about the Southern Blogs ring before and how being southern is for all those bloggers who take pride in the rich heritage of their southernness: the south side, south of France, south of the border, southpaws, South Bend, or just plain south of center. I fit in by being a southpaw and pretty south of center but that's a whole 'nother post. So I started thinking about what my contribution to the group post would be and here's what I came up with - it's definitely in the environment.

I mentioned on my other blog, The Garden's Gift, how being southern is in my genes. Well not only do I have southern in my genes, it's also in the environment. When I lived up north (even though it was considered the more southern state of the north) I remember thinking how winter was so gray and raw I just didn't know how long I could last. When my husband and I married and ultimately decided to move to Florida the reasons were pretty simple. We LOVE being outside enjoying nature, working in the garden and frankly just being warm. Other than getting married, moving to Florida was one of the best decisions we made and neither of us regret it. Every day we consider ourselves lucky to live here. Even in February we have windows open to sleep at night and marvel at the sound of the birds chirping at 4 AM. Yes 4 AM but that's ok. The ice and snow and gray, literally raw days of winter just were no longer tolerable and we both feel as though we died and have gone to heaven. Even with the hurricanes or threat thereof, there is nothing more enjoyable than the life we have now. The last time I wore a coat was the winter before we moved here when, oh by the way, we had 3 friggin' feet of snow to deal with and weeks of ice that never seemed to melt.

So here we are. We work hard but the difference is we work smarter now. We get up every day with a smile on our faces and enjoying our lives. (Driving is a pain in the caboose but there's no escaping that no matter where you live.) The grass is literally greener for us, the flowers are more vibrant, and the pool beckons. My wardrobe consists of crop pants and shorts most times and, when it really gets cold (based on our definition) I even pull out some sweats and socks. And you know what is even the best, best part (if there is such a thing)? Our family followed us here. My mom and dad live here now, my oldest sister and her husband came down from Maine, AND my sister is a PTFLP (part time FLA person) as is my husband's mom. What more could we ask. So, we are southern. Is it in the genes or is it in the environment? I think it's a little of both. If you are southern, feel southern or have any inkling of southern in your genes or environment join the ring. You'll be glad you did. Happy Florida Gardening.

Nicotiana

2005-04-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have always loved Nicotiana and, up north, added it to the landscape every spring. Also known as jasmine tobacco, nicotiana alata is considered an annual in cold climates and a tender perennial farther south. The plant grows to about 1 1/2' high and produces wonderfully fragrant blooms in white, pink, red or lime green.

As we were shopping for plants for the new semi-shade garden, I spied a table full of nicotiana in green. Thinking I would like a variety of colors I decided to get one and wait until the other colors were available before purchasing more. We placed the plant close to the deck and the fragrance was unbelievable so we decided to go back and get more. All the plants were gone. Thinking back to the stores we visited - Home Depot, Lowes and Beckett Lake Nursery - we diligently revisited each one every time thinking that was where we had purchased the plant. Ending at Beckett Lake, my husband asked the clerk where the nicotiana was located. Her reply was not expected. "We don't carry nicotiana and haven't done so for a few years. It has fallen out of favor." Fallen out of favor??!! I couldn't believe what I heard. Nicotiana is one of those old favorites that blooms all summer and smells so wonderful. How could it no longer be wanted by Florida gardeners? I still see it offered in all the garden catalogs I receive so it must only be here that folks don't grow it.

And so it goes. I guess it's true for many annuals - they are loved for a few years and then are forgotten for something new. But, if it's anything like the fashion industry they will be back in favor again. And I'll be ahead of the pack because I'll be growing it all along. Happy Florida Gardening.

Hey y'all

2005-04-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Southern Blogs Ring, the premier source on Southern culture, manner, missive and nostalgia will be holding a group blog to celebrate being alive, southern and free all at the same time.

Y’all are cordially invited Saturday April 30th to attend our first neighborhood cotillion and brunch.

The menu will be a light repast of Southern classics and down home cooked tales served up with Southern style and taste by your hosts:

The Green Cutting Board
Animal Broadcast Network
Wacky Southern Housewife
The World According to Tish
The Garden's Gift
Which Blair Project
Florida Gardening
A Southern Belle's Musings
An American Housewife
Garden Stuff
Southern Porch

Guests will be offered words, photographs, entertainment and some surprises, to be sure. So plan to attend and spend some time with us in the South.

Zzzz

2005-04-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

ZZ plant better known as zamioculcas zamiifolia. It comes from Tanzania, Zanzibar. Sounds pretty elegant, doesn't it? We were walking through the local Home Depot a few weeks ago and there were ZZ plants. Not knowing anything about them and not too happy with the price, we moved on to things we knew would grow in the new shade garden. On the way to check out, my husband found a zz plant leaf lying on the ground so placed it in our cart. We decided to put it in the garden and see if it would do anything. I frankly thought it would brown out and die but it hasn't. It keeps sitting there. The leaves remain green and supple, which makes me question how it propogates. According to the University of Connecticut extension service, a leaflet can fall to the ground and produce bulblets. Ah hah! Maybe it's producing bulblets and we just haven't seen anything yet. I'll let you know. Happy Florida Gardening.

The latest on the hibiscus

2005-03-30T15:03:00.000-08:00

My sister chopped all the shrubs down to about 1 foot in height and then sprayed the heck out of them with the insecticidal soap. I received some advice from my friend Brian : It's most likely a grasshopper that's chewing on the hibiscus. Aphids and the like do not chew leaves. They are sucking insects. We have some large grasshoppers here that relish both the hibiscus and some of our more tender palm fronds. We tolerate them because they do not do too much damage. The lubber grasshoppers are another story altogether, but we haven't seen those on the property yet.

I have to admit I haven't seen any grasshoppers around my folks' property, just little frogs, but they could certainly be the culprits making mulch out of the hibiscus leaves. My sister and I will keep an eye out for them to see if that's the problem. We'll keep you posted. Huge thanks to Brian for his suggestions - I really enjoy visiting his site as I learn something every time I do. For instance, the birds I hear at night that are rather breathy-sounding are called Chuck-will's-widow. Next to the mourning dove, they are my favorite. Take some time and visit The Taming of the Band-Aid when you get the chance. Happy Florida Gardening.

Hibiscus revisited

2005-03-27T16:50:00.000-08:00

I got a call from my sister the other day. She was clearing some of my mother's gardens. As she started on the side yard that is loaded with hibiscus, Carol noticed that the plants appeared to be chewed on and many of the leaves were dropping. So, the call I received was "What's wrong with these hibicus plants?" I asked her to describe what she was seeing. She told me it looked like maybe some white stuff, some black spots and definitely chew marks. I pulled out my trusty Encyclopedia of Gardening and...nothing. I leafed through a few other garden books and again nothing. I've searched on the net and still nothing. By nothing I mean not all the symptoms she has mentioned. The white stuff sounded like a fungus and same with the black spot. The chew marks - maybe a mealybug or aphid? We agreed it would make sense to cut the plants down as much as possible since they were already up to about 5 feet in height. That would get rid of most of the infected leaves. The next step was to get Safer's Insecticidal Soap and keep a close eye on the plants. I'll keep searching for information and, in the meantime, let's hope we're successful. I'll keep you posted. Happy Florida Gardening.

The bug has bit

2005-03-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

and bit hard! I'm ready to get out there and work in the garden. Sink my fingers into the soil. Drop to my knees in the beds and pull those pesky weeds. Okay, I'm getting a little carried away but you get the idea. My husband and I were at Lowe's the other day. I was looking for a palm tree or two to start landscaping around the pool now that it's almost finished (that's another long, long story since it's only been under construction since 2003!). I saw a few but since I wasn't familiar with all the names, decided it would make sense to come home and do some research before purchasing any. In the meantime, I was itching to buy plants. As I told my husband, "I need instant gratification and I need it now (sorta like deja vu all over again)." Tolerantly nodding his head, he suggested we look at the other trees instead. We found a juniper torulosa and an arizona cypress.

Now those of you who have been reading my rantings for awhile know how enamored I am with blue plants so of course I was in heaven when I saw the arizona cypress. It is a gorgeous tree blue-green in color with a red bark. It is very tolerant of hot, dry conditions and grows up to 50 feet high, 25 feet wide. The cypress does well in sandy soil, which we have, and full sun, which we also have lots of. It's a native of Mexico and should grow well here in zone 9-10.

The juniper torulosa also grows well in full sun, sandy soil and tolerates salt environments. It is susceptible to root rot, but with our lack of rain I don't think we have much to worry about. This tree grows about a foot a year to approximately 15 feet.

I have to confess we also picked up a flame honeysuckle that blooms a brilliant orange-red color, and a small tomato plant. Ok - I cheated. The tomato plant already has some small fruit and is loaded with buds but I'll still swear that I grew it myself. After all, that's what gardening is all about isn't it? Happy Florida Gardening.

I love hibiscus!

2005-03-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a song running through your brain and you just can't get it to stop? Here's the one I've been listening to all day - I love LA, but it's ok because I substitute the word LA for hibiscus. The flowers are vibrant with the various colors, and the plants always greet me in their season with a big smiling bloom. I have three gorgeous shrubs in my front bed - a beautiful red, a fiery coral/orange and a sunny yellow plant - and have been thinking of adding more. They are not expensive and grow extremely well with little fuss. All they ask for is a little water and an occasional hair cut.

I was reading the St. Pete Times on Saturday and immediately turned to the gardening section - my favorite section of the paper. That's when I learned that apparently it is a very easy thing to propogate my own. If I take some cuttings and place them in a well-drained medium, I assume a good soil and peat mix, they should root in about 6 weeks. I've got the rooting powder and I have some good mix so you know what I'll be doing this weekend. I can't wait to try it and I'll share what I learn. Happy Florida Gardening.

A fellow Florida blogger

2005-02-27T11:46:00.000-08:00

Brian dropped me a note asking if I would link to his site. I'm so glad he did. Not only does he have a fantastic site, he's a fellow Floridian. How cool is that! Brian and his family live in Collier County (southwest Florida) on a "band-aid" lot. What's that you say? So did I. Their property is an elongated rectangle 75 wide X 660 feet deep hence the name. Brian chronicles his toils and tribulations at trying to return his land to a more natural state. Taming of the Band-Aid provides some gorgeously detailed pictures as well as great information about plants and insects. I finally learned that the little daisies leaving their seeds throughout my poor little guy's fur is called beggar-tick and I'll bet I know why - they beg any passing little animal to carry their seeds hither and yon to grow all over again. Anyway, go visit Brian's site when you get a chance. It's well worth the visit. Happy Florida Gardening.

Tropical Plants Online does it again

2005-02-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

I opened my email this morning and there was a note from Tropical Plants Online talking about the Madagascar Palm. I read through the verbiage and then clicked on the pic and was astounded. Here finally was the name of the cactus we purchased a few years ago. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, we are big animal people. We love our pets and have had between 5 and 7 ever since we've been together. All rescues, over time they have aged and left us for the Rainbow Bridge.

Cali was my first cat and with me when my husband and I got together. She had been dumped in the apartment complex where I was living and was looking for a home. When I would come in from work, she would follow me inside the building and up the stairs. At the time I had a sheltie so I made a bargain with her. If she didn't give Missy a hard way to go, she was welcome to stay. Cali seemed to like that arrangement just fine and proceeded to totally ignore the dog. From that point on she was a permanent fixture.

Cali was with us until about 4 years ago when she developed kidney failure. She was 15 years old and I will forever miss her feisty yet loving antics. When she passed away we felt it only right to find a plant that fit her personality and we found the absolutely correct one. It had long strappy leaves that were soft and beautiful green, but also had lots of spikes on its trunk - exactly like Cali. She could be very warm and loving one minute, and slap you with her claws the next. Not labeled, we thought it was in the cactus family. We brought it home and it has grown. Our Cali plant has been through hurricanes and accidentally had bleach dropped on it (that's another long story) and still grows. So back to my tale. There in my email was a picture of the Cali plant. Only it's actually called Madagascar Palm or Pachypodium lamerei. It's a native of South Madagascar, Africa and IS a member of the cactus family - so we were correct! And, as you know, cacti can take a lot of abuse and still look great. So if you like the look of our Cali plant (minus the spots), go out to Karl's site at Tropical Plants Online and give one a home. You may even hear it purr. Happy Florida Gardening.

Elephant ears

2005-02-16T05:19:00.000-08:00

We're beginning the planning stages of the new garden in the backyard. Sunday was a gorgeous day - 70 degrees and sunny. So we took the opportunity to let the boys run in the back and envision the new garden space. We decided where to put the water feature, how to position a path for access, and where to build the dry bed for rain runoff. We also decided to keep the elephant ears exactly where they are.

I've always liked the look of elephant ears. They happily grow pretty much anywhere. And, to coin a well known phrase, they can really take a licking and keep on ticking. These plants got nailed by the hurricane winds last year and lived with soaked feet from the pond waters rising. When we had our lawn cutting guy, the poor things got ripped to shreds by his trimmer and were run over a few times around the edges. Yet they continue to bounce back and are sending out little babies.

I found a site, Emily Compost, that has a bazillion questions from folks all around the US who are growing elephant ears indoors and out. Well, maybe not a bazillion but pretty darn close. Anyway, I'm going to try taking one of the babies and placing it on the other side of the new garden to frame it in. I'll let you know how it goes. Happy Florida Gardening.

In praise of Wayside Gardens

2005-02-04T17:36:00.000-08:00

Ever since I've been gardening I've received catalogs and ordered from Wayside Gardens. Their products are always very good quality and I have never been disappointed. When we lived up north, my husband and I had a Dawn Redwood growing in our yard. It is a fast growing tree and quite beautiful with its feathery type leaves. Since we've lived in Florida, we've wondered if we could possibly grow a Dawn Redwood here but never really looked into it. A few days ago the most recent Wayside Gardens catalog arrived in the mail and there on page 27 was a Metasequoia glyptostroboides aka Dawn Redwood. The description indicated it grows in zones 5-9.

Aha! Here's our chance to finally add a Dawn Redwood to our landscape we said. Then we started thinking - suppose it's not salt tolerant? Being so close to the water, can it take the salt exposure? I decided to contact Wayside and find out. I sent an email yesterday and received an answer about an hour ago - not exactly the answer I was hoping for but that's ok. Short answer - no it is not salt tolerant so we can still only dream of having this stately tree in our landscape. But here's the really cool thing that took a little sting out of the finding. I receive periodic emails from Chris at Wayside so I decided to reply and ask my question. I got a quick response saying that my question was being redirected to one of their horticulturists. The second response was sure enough from a horticulturist. How great is that! Not only do they acknowledge email requests, they actually respond when they say they will. Now that is great customer service.

Needless to say we are both disappointed but we'd rather dream about it than do the wrong thing by exposing the tree to the wrong elements and losing it. So we have our answer and will need to think about other trees to plant. I know we're going to add some pines. Guess I'll just have to start looking through some of my southern landscaping books and see what else strikes our fancy. Happy Florida Gardening.

Our Spanish moss has flowers!

2005-01-11T14:01:00.000-08:00

My husband came in from the backyard the other day and said "You're not going to believe this but there's a flower on the Spanish moss." I didn't believe it so he took a picture and he was right. Sure enough there were some browned flowers hanging on each moss in the tree. Well you know I had to research it and found out that Spanish moss is not moss at all. It's actually a member of the bromeliad family and is a native tillandsia tectorum.

Tillandsia usneoides is more widely recognized as Spanish moss. It hangs down from trees in lengths up to 15 feet and is greenish gray in color. There are no roots and thrives in shade and humid conditions. The variety living in our trees is more compact. While it's leaves are also quite thin, this plant forms tufts. Although winds easily blow them out of the trees, my husband places the plants back in the trees and they reattach. I've said it before and I'll say it again - you learn something new every day. I'm going to keep a little closer eye on these bromeliads. If they bloom again, I'll be sure to snap a picture before the flowers brown so you can see them. Happy Florida Gardening.

A new masthead

2005-01-03T18:47:00.000-08:00

Once again I need to credit Andrew Stenning for his captivating photographs. As I mentioned not too long ago on The Garden's Gift, I've been in the process of changing the mastheads on all my pages. I started with the home page and have now revised this site.

Andrew wrote not too long ago to tell me about his blog. A garden designer in the UK as well as a natural photographer, his work is stunning. Not only did I add a link to his site, I was so taken by his photos that I asked if I could use one or two to redesign my headers. Andrew responded right away with his consent. And the rest is history. We'll be changing the remaining pages over the next few weeks so don't be surprised as more gorgeous photos find their way on my blog. My sincere thanks go to Andrew for his contributions and I highly encourage you to visit his site. You'll be glad you did. Happy Florida Gardening.

Poinsettias

2004-12-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time of year again - just between Christmas and New Year's - and I'm wondering how much longer the evergreen centerpieces we received as gifts will last. We got two this year. One was from my sister aka Part Time Fla Person. It is a mix of daisies and red roses in a wooden train with a few added greens. The roses bit the dust within two days of receipt but the daisies are going strong. The greens are looking a bit dreary but still hanging in. The other came from my husband's brother and family. It is a mix of evergreens with star-of-bethlehem (ornithogalum umbellatum) and a candle in the center. This, too, is a gorgeous centerpiece and I hope it will also last for a little more time.

We also got a poinsettia. My husband saw this Winter Rose Poinsettia when he went to the home and garden store about a month ago and brought it home. It's doing quite well since we have it in a well lit spot and water it once a week. As the weather warms just a bit I'll move it to the front porch where it will still get good light but be protected from any sudden cold. The next move will be directly into the garden. I'll probably put it in the garden near the new driveway where it will get plenty of light and can reach a height, some say, of up to 7 feet tall although the tallest I've seen is 3 feet. Here's a fun fact. Did you know that there is actually a National Poinsettia Day? Yep - December 12. Why? That day marks the death of the person who brought the plant to the US - Joel Roberts Poinsett. So next year be sure you get your poinsettia in plenty of time to celebrate or just go out to your garden and admire those from last year. Happy Florida Gardening.

So which is it - pinus or pine?

2004-12-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

I had to chuckle the other day. My husband and I were walking out of Home Depot and, as usual, I glanced at the plants outside of the garden area. There were a large number of palm trees and the usual bougainvillea sitting around. Then I noticed what I thought was a pine tree - unusual for Home Depot. Sure enough, as I approached it was a pine - about 6 feet tall and very healthy. I wasn't sure what type of pine it was so looked for the tag. Home Depot identified it as a pinus pine. What? I looked again for the small print but there was none. Sure enough, they were labeling this pine as a pinus pine.

Now, from everything I know and have read a pine is a pinus and a pinus is a pine. But that doesn't tell me what type of pine or pinus this tree was. So I pulled out my handy dandy Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants and started digging around (no pun intended). I'm pretty sure what I saw at the store was a Longleaf Pine or pinus palustris. Here's why I think that - the needles were longish, draped downward, and there were quite a few coming from one cluster. The longleaf pine grows from 60 to 120 feet and spreads 30-50 feet preferring full sun and sandy soil. Apparently it does not require supplemental irrigation. I also read that its life span is in excess of 200 years and they are hardier and longer lived than other pines in the south. Companion plants for the longleaf pine include wiregrass and sand live oak.

I have some advice for Home Depot. When you stock your stores be sure to label your plants - folks count on knowing what they're buying before they do so. To the rest of us we may need to download that Pocket Gardener I told you about so you don't have to carry your reference books with you. Happy Florida Gardening.

Holy guacamole or is that a palm tree?

2004-12-14T19:15:00.000-08:00

It's cold! Not only is it cold, it's friggin' cold! I didn't move here for this. It's going to be in the 30's tonight and we finally had to turn on our pitiful little heat pump to keep us warmed up overnight. We hate turning on the heat - it brings back too many memories of living up north, not that there's anything wrong with that, and enduring those endless days of ice and snow and friggin' cold. Our appliance repair guy is a transplant from Boston. He's been here over 20 years and to this day refuses to wear anything but short sleeves and shorts. Imagine how cold that can get when you're riding around in a truck in the early morning. I don't even want to think about it. (Shivers...)

Anyway, we are used to an occasional cold day here during winter. Many folks get very excited and wrap their prized shrubs and other favorite plants to ensure they don't get frozen out. Unfortunately, a few weeks later they are still wrapped and guess what? Right - they are getting baked in the heat of the wrap! Some folks use sheets or blankets - that's not too bad. It's the ones who use tarps or plastic sheets who really concern me because they are usually the ones who wax forgetful to the detriment of the poor plants. So, our poor pitiful plants have to suffer in the cold just like we do (try not to feel too sorry for us) as we struggle through an infrequent cold snap. Luckily we've got many natives in our gardens that can survive the cold or will die down and come back stronger. As we sit here suffering swathed in our sweats and drinking hot toddies (is that a ys or ies?)we still say - what the heck tomorrow will be sunny and in the 60s. We can't complain. And we'll still be gardening in January. Happy Florida Gardening.

Bird of paradise

2004-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

Is it a toucan or a parrot? No, it's a shrub. More precisely, it's a strelitzia reginae . Bird of paradise grows to 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide and has bird-like flowers of orange and blue. I'm sure you've seen the blooms before in flower arrangements. They are quite striking and unusual in shape. So why am I mentioning it? I just happen to have one and I need to move it. My mom got on a kick about a year ago where she had to have a bird of paradise shrub in her yard - in fact she purchased two. One is supposed to bloom white and the other orange. At the time she bought hers I also got one that is supposed to have an orange flower and placed it in the front garden where it is lightly shaded. Well, my mom's haven't bloomed nor has mine. Why? It must be the shade and a lack of regular fertilizer.

According to my Southern Living Garden Book this shrub should be planted in full sun with some light afternoon shade in the summer. To encourage lush growth, frequent feedings are encouraged. Mine has gotten neither full sun nor frequent fertilizing and I know my mother's haven't either. My sister recently relocated one of my mom's plants and fertilized it with bone meal. While it is not yet flowering it has perked up and is producing lots of new leaves. Encouraged by her report, I plan to move mine this weekend. Although it gets some sun where it's located, it's just not enough to get that growth thing going on. So I have the perfect sunny locale all picked out and fertilizer at the ready. I'll let you know as soon as I see some new leaves. Happy Florida Gardening.

I'm ready to force the bulbs

2004-11-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but one of the things I really miss about living in Florida (and there's truly not much) is not having all those beautiful plants peaking through the ground in early spring. I used to go absolutely crazy in the fall when I lived up north. My husband and I would visit all of our favorite garden stores to find bulbs of every variety. Then I'd come home and proceed to go through all of my garden catalogs and order more. I still remember the year I was so caught up that I ordered over $100 worth of bulbs! Whew. That surprised even me when I sat down and started calculating it out.

Anyway, here in Florida it's decidedly more difficult to grow bulb plants other than the usual native stuff. But I'm willing to try. You may recall my mother gave me some gorgeous tulips for Easter. I mentioned then that while all of my gardening books discouraged it, I intended to force the bulbs for the coming spring. Well it's time and I'm going to do it. I read recently the best way to force bulbs is to make sure all the foliage has died away and the bulbs are dry, then place them in a closed brown paper bag and store in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. After about 3 months, I can plant them in the garden about 6 inches deep in full sun, give them a little bulb food and prepare to be wowed. So, here's to trying. Keep your fingers crossed and, if all goes well, I'll be sharing the flowers with you again in March. Happy Florida Gardening.

Update on the mystery plant

2004-10-30T16:12:00.000-07:00

That gorgeous flower I've been begging folks to identify is still not known. I have noticed, however, that many of the retention pond areas around Pinellas County have this plant growing profusely around the edges. And they are blooming like crazy. It's obviously some type of wildflower that prefers full sun and moisture. I'm also beginning to think, like my friend Karl at Tropical Library that it is some form of evening primrose or Oenothera. I recently visited Lady Bird's Wildflower Center to see if I could locate my species and I couldn't. But it definitely looks like it belongs in the Oenothera family. And that's good enough for me (almost). Knowing me, I'll keep looking around and eventually I'll find it. When I do you'll be the first to know. Happy Florida Gardening.

I'm back

2004-10-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

It's been just about a month since I posted to this site - no excuses but here they are anyway. I went to North Carolina for a week of pretty intensive training. When I got back I felt like my brain had been sucked out of my head and I just couldn't think about anything to write about. Then as I was beginning to come back to life, my semi-Fla sister came down for a long weekend with her girlfriend and the rest, as they say, is history. Today is October 22 and I am just beginning to feel human again. It helped that I worked out in the yard today and finally felt re-connected.

I started by cutting the back yard. I was about 2/3 of the way through when the mower ran out of juice - remember it's cordless. I was a bit baffled since it had been plugged in since before I left on my trip, but I thought maybe the power had gone out and had interrupted the charge cycle somehow. Nope. The electrical cord that the transformer was plugged into decided to blow up in my hand. No wonder there was no juice - there was no connection! Once I got over that little charge, I plugged the transformer into a brand new cord, noted that the red light was definitely lit on the mower and then sat by the pool to decide what I wanted to play with next. I came up with several things all requiring more time and effort than I felt like giving today, after all, the first part of my day had been spent visiting my mother... As I looked around it occurred to me that the palm in the corner of the yard needed some trimming. It had been showing lots of browning leaves throughout its multiple stems since way before the many hurricane visits. So I put on my gloves and got to work.

It took about 1 1/2 hours, but the plant finally started looking cleaner and was actually stretching out its fronds. So I wrapped up for the afternoon and came into the house to do laundry (I know this doesn't sound exciting but I just purchased a new Bosch washer and dryer and am I ever happy). As I sat down to begin writing this I referred back to my favorite plant book, Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants to make sure I correctly named the palm I was trimming. It's definitely a Serenoa repens or Saw Palmetto. What initially threw me was that I thought saw palmetto was single trunked but that's not the case. They actually do grow in clumps and are thicket-forming. This palm is salt tolerant and grows well in full sun to part shade. It does bear tiny white flowers in spring and summer sort of life long threads. The link I provided to floridata.com indicates saw palmetto is maintenance-free once established and they aren't kidding. I literally do nothing for this guy except trim out the brown stuff once a year. Otherwise, it's on its own and content to be here.

So, I'm back. I'm re-connected to my garden and gearing up for lots more fun over the "winter" months. Now where did I put those trimmers? Happy Florida Gardening.

Still not identified

2004-09-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

This beautiful flower I've been telling you about still goes unidentified. My good friend Karl at Tropical Plants Library gave it the good old college try. I thought he was on to something when he told me it could possibly be a Florida wildflower - Cutleaf Evening Primrose - Oenothera laciniata. But when I researched it it didn't match. The flower is not the same in the center nor are the leaves alike. It's a quandry but I'm sure there's someone out there who can help. I've spoken about Tropical Plants Library before, a site owned by Master Gardener Landscaping of Fort Lauderdale, landscape designers who also have a mail order plant business, and have them on my links page. Karl, thanks again for trying and I invite everyone to visit his site. In the meantime, I hope someone will be able to identify this gorgeous plant. Happy Florida Gardening.

Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi

2004-09-24T18:13:00.000-07:00

We have a friend who, when faced with problems, immediately shakes his head and says "Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi" - sort of the same sound I make when my cat nibbles on my leg to tell me I need to feed him. I am reminded of that because we are yet again at another aye-yi-yi-yi-yi crossroads. Hurricane Jeanne has decided to visit Florida after all. Why? Who knows. I guess it's not enough that her siblings - Charley, Frances and Ivan have all come by for their summer vacation. Now she has to follow suit. Jeanne was supposed to stay out in the Atlantic and make her own way in life. She was supposed to be independent and make her own decisions, but no. She had to follow the crowd and is now threatening the east coast of Florida. I have many friends and co-workers who will be closely affected by her path if in fact she makes landfall as expected. The poor folks in central Florida will again have high winds and rain on top of all the other devastation they have had to experience over the last two months. Here in Pinellas County we will have winds and rain, but thankfully will be spared yet again from high amounts of damage.

My sister told me the other day that she has heard numerous tales about Indians who first settled in Pinellas. The story goes that an Indian chief recited an incantation that would protect this county from hurricanes forever. She went on to tell me that there is metal buried throughout the county that reinforces the protection. Aye-yi-yi-yi-yi-yi. I don't know. I've searched on the internet for references to this and come across many stories about Tocobagan Indians as well as Seminole and a few others who were in Pinellas or "Point of Pines" many, many, many years ago, But no word of what my sister refers to.

I'm definitely not dismissing the story. First of all, it gives me some level of comfort to know we may have a higher power looking over us and keeping our residents from the worst of the storms. I also am intrigued and want to keep searching until I can uncover all the details. I purchased a book about the history of Florida before we moved here (yes, I'm that anal) but have never really read through it so that may be my first information source. I'll keep at it and let you know what I find out. In the meantime, I'm going to appeal to the Indian power and ask that they continue to keep us protected during this horrendous year of storms. I'm also going to ask that they protect as best they can our neighbors to the east and keep Jeanne in the Atlantic. In the meantime, if you have knowledge of what Carol tells me let me know. I'd love to know more. Happy Florida Gardening.

I'm stumped again

2004-09-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt we have the most gorgeous flower growing in our backyard that I have ever seen. It is a beautiful warm yellow with a star-shaped center that reminds me of gossamer. The plant is currently about 5 feet tall with a woody stem. The single flowers are four lobed opening in the morning and closed by evening. Leaves are arrow-shaped with smooth edges. The unnamed plant is growing by the edge of the yard where it gets full sun and occasionally is flooded by the pond behind our yard. What is it? That's the question. I've searched every reference book I have and have also looked on various sites on the internet. The trouble is that since I've literally never seen anything like it I don't even have a suggested starting point for the search to begin. I've tried yellow flowers, shrubs, daily bloomers but still have come up dry. So here's the challenge for my gardening friends in the Florida region. Take a close look at the picture and see if you can identify this sunny plant. If you can I will praise you to the point of embarrassment and link your site for all of our readers to see. Happy Florida Gardening.

Enough already, please

2004-09-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

First it was Charley, then Frances, and now Ivan. We must have really done something to tic God off. We don't know what it was, but we're really really sorry. Can you please move this thing away from our devastated state? Isn't it enough that people have lost homes and lives or been flooded and lost power? Isn't it enough that people are scared and miserable just waiting for the other shoe to drop? Whatever it takes believe me we are willing to do to get just a little relief, we promise.

Frances smothered the entire state with her wrath. Every single person in this state was affected by her in one way or another. Closer to home, my sister and her husband had to evacuate because they live in a mobile home. My elderly parents lost power for two days but luckily had plenty of food and batteries on hand to get through. My other sister and her husband, visiting from Maryland, lost power for the entire time they were here and had to come stay with us. We lost some tree limbs and had a leak in our kitchen from the rain driving in, but overall were extremely lucky.

So now comes Ivan. Everyone I know is trying to prepare. In fact, most people haven't unpacked/unloaded/unbuttoned since last weekend. People are clamoring for gas, taking every last bottle of water and loaf of bread from the stores, and hitting the banks like crazy. Some folks are so weary of it that they've boarded up their homes and put a for sale sign in the front yard. I've never been in a war situation, but I can only imagine this must be just a little of what many folks feel like.

My mother offered each of us in the family rosary beads and told us to say our prayers as often as we can. And we are. We're watching the weather channel and, in between, keeping an eye on other channels hoping and praying Ivan will turn. We all would really appreciate it if this thing would move west just a little. If you're listening, God, please?

Here we go again

2004-09-05T06:47:00.000-07:00

Here comes Hurricane Frances bearing down on us with about 60 mph winds. We listen to the weather reports and constant updates and alerts and find, as everyone else does, that it becomes a bit nerve-wrenching. The storm is moving so slowly and is so huge, it's not at all doing what they predict. The same was true of Hurricane Charley, although he was a much smaller version of Fran (I feel like I can call her Fran since she's been threatening now for a few days). He was coming straight at us and then suddenly turned and went onto shore about 100 miles south of us. Of course he was not as large and a much faster mover, so the only comparison is that no one really knows when it comes down to it what these storms will do.

Anyway, we spent yesterday picking up all outdoor stuff in the gardens and putting away all patio furniture just to limit the projectiles in Fran's path. We had planned a hurricane party for today since my sister and her husband came to visit from Maryland. What we hadn't planned on is Fran deciding she wanted to party too! So the party is cancelled until tomorrow as we hunker down and wait this thing out.

The good news is that we just had all of our trees and palms trimmed about a month and a half ago so our gardens won't be contributing to flying debris. Also, we've kept the grass a bit longer at the water's edge. That should be helpful for the moorhens and ducks as they try to find a safe place for their babies to ride this out. And they have babies...the moorhens have three little ones and the ducks have about five right now. We're now hearing that the projected rains of up to 20 inches will not happen as Fran wears out so there shouldn't be any flooding in our yard. The lesson here is that as we finish our landscaping in that area we'll be sure to pick native plants and those that are not affected by salt water. All in all we're hearing we'll be pretty lucky again with Fran. Of course Ivan is now forming and they are saying he'll follow the same path. There's another four or five days before they'll be able to have a good grip on what he will do. In the meantime, we'll wait this one out and keep our fingers crossed. I usually sign off with Happy Florida Gardening but since Florida is pretty much engulfed by Fran I'll just sign off with good luck to all. We're thinking of you.

Transplanted palms

2004-08-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

When we first moved in about two years ago, we were awed by the gorgeous view but also a bit daunted by the work that needed to be done inside. The yard we felt could take care of itself so we could concentrate on replacing the kitchen and removing old carpet. There were a couple of volunteer palms by the garage wall and in the blowout area under the house, but we agreed that they would not grow so quickly that we needed to be worried. Fast forward two years later. We have been working on both the inside and outside of our home as we can. The gardens are looking better all the time and we have added a pool to the backyard. The volunteer palms, however, have reached a point where we agreed it was time to relocate them.

Saturday dawned hot, humid and sunny and we decided it was time to move the palms. Armed with shovels and water, we started digging. The first palm was about 4 feet tall and almost as wide in expanse. It took my husband about 1/2 hour to dig around it without damaging roots. Together we rocked it until it was easily removed. We decided we wanted it in the corner of the yard where it would get roughly the same exposure, dug a hole, and placed it gently in its new home. The second and smaller palm was right at the garage wall, so we needed to be a bit more careful in its removal. The best place for that baby was in a huge pot we had placed on a step near the pool. We carefully dug that palm out and placed it in its pot, then watered both thoroughly.

A week later both are doing well, one small brown leaf on the bigger palm and none on the smaller so I think they are adapting to their move. Now comes the time for identification. I was under the impression that these palms were sabal palms, or more commonly referred to as cabbage palmettos. They are actually acoelorrhaphe wrightii paurotis palms or fan palms. The palms are very similar in appearance. The cabbage palmetto is the Florida state tree, growing 60-80 feet in height and tolerant of many conditions including salt. The fan palm, also widely identified as a saw cabbage palm, is a native of the Florida Everglades, has good salt tolerance but only grows about 30-40 feet in height. The only other difference than height is that the fan palm is clump-forming meaning that it is multi-stemmed. It is often used to soften corners or fill spaces along ponds. Anyway, the long and short of it, so to speak, is that the palms are identified and are doing well in their first week of relocation. We're keeping a close eye on them and look forward to sharing their progress as the summer/fall progresses. Happy Florida Gardening.

August gardening

2004-08-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Gardening in Florida in August. Whoa! With all of the moisture in the air from the recurring storms, it is as muggy as a steam bath right now. We decided last night we would get up early and do some much needed yard cleanup today. Early for us is about 7:30, but of course we had to have coffee and read the paper first. So, that put us outside about 9:30. So, I fired up the mower and Harlan started digging some holes for the new plants we brought home. By the time the first hole was ready and I had gotten the side yard mowed, we were panting like we'd just run a mile. The perspiration was just dripping off my head and we were chugging bottles of water like crazy. By the time the fifth shrub was planted and the front yard completely mowed, we were practically crawling to the little refrigerator in search of cool water. In fact, it was so miserable outside we didn't even want to jump into the pool to cool off. We couldn't wait to get into the air conditioning. Now, that's pretty bad. I truly can't remember it being this bad in August since we moved here over 8 years ago. There are probably folks out there who will say it has been worse even earlier in the year, but my memory only works year to year so I'm sticking to my story.

Anyway, the effort was worth it. The yard looks much better and the neighbor's gas tank is now covered from view with gorgeous oleander. We went to Home Depot yesterday and purchased two 4' tall oleanders in hot pink and pale pink. They generally grow up to 30 feet and spread about 15 feet, but since these are planted under the canary palm I lamented about last month my plan is to keep them trimmed to about 7'. I love oleander, as you well know from the Ollie rescue we performed earlier this year, and it doesn't disappoint. Oleander will bloom from spring to fall and the only thing you need to worry about is caterpillars. While I'm thinking about it let me give you an Ollie update. The poor boy hunkered down and decided not to do much of anything this year. So I went out this afternoon after the clouds moved in and trimmed him down to about half the size he was when we brought him home. There's still plenty of green in his limbs and I'm hoping he'll reward us with some new growth as the weather gets cooler. I'll let you know.

We also picked up three red ixoras to place along the fence closer to the street. They will grow to about 5' in height and width, just enough to almost cover the fence entirely. The great thing about ixora is that it is a happy plant and will bloom pretty much year round once established. We had great luck with ixora at our other house so I know this will be a good choice here.

There are still two red and two white fountain grasses we need to plant in the back yard. The intent was to get them into the garden today, but you know the old saying about good intentions especially in this weather. So we've agreed to get up early again tomorrow and try again. We may wind up with the same result, but at least we'll be a little closer to the pool - we can just fall in. Happy Florida Gardening.

A crinum lily identified

2004-08-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Now that the hurricane threat has mercifully passed, it's time to begin identifying more plants growing in my garden. There have been gorgeous lilies blooming in the side garden that I could not identify. At first I thought it was a Crinum, but the leaves did not fit the description in most of my reference books. The leaves of these lilies are strap-shaped and the blooms come up on a thick stalk of about 8 buds. The pictures I had seen as well as the lilies in the stores all had sword-shaped leaves. Well, sure enough I found out it truly is a Crinum lily and appears to be a Crinum bulbispermum or an Ellen Bosanquet. How did I find out? My friends at Plant Delights Nursery. There on page 13 of their latest catalog was a beautiful full color picture.

Crinum lilies are Florida natives and pretty easy to grow. They supposedly do well in full sun or semi-shade and adapt to either dry or wet soil. When we moved here, there were two or three clumps planted among a huge weed bed. I separated the bulbs and spread them around throughout the front and side gardens. What I have found is that the lilies in the semi-shade bed fare better than those in the full sun garden. I'm not quite sure why since they have been treated the same for food and water - the only difference is the amount of sun they receive. The lilies in the front garden have never flowered while those on the side have flowered twice. When it gets a bit cooler, I may relocate those in the front and let them join their sisters in the other garden. We'll see then how well they do. Happy Florida Gardening.

What's up with that?

2004-08-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

I was reading the gardening section of the paper the other day and someone had written in complaining about brown spots on their plant. Apparently, they had a begonia that was a houseplant. As the weather got warm, this person decided that the plant really wanted to be outside. So, they placed the begonia outside in the sun and proceeded to watch the leaves get brown spots. What's up with that? This is Florida, for goodness sake. If a person takes their houseplant out of their normal conditions and puts it outside in 90 degree weather in full sun, what do they expect? It's like taking an ice cube and putting it on the sidewalk. It's going to melt, no surprises there. So what in the world can someone be thinking when they take a plant out of a protected, temperature-controlled environment and place it outside under the Florida sun?

Another example of not quite understanding how plants can be affected by their environment. My husband and I decided we wanted breakfast and visited a restaurant close to our home. As we were paying the bill, the server lamented how the beautiful plants in the planters by the door were not doing well. I glanced outside and noticed the celosia was brown like straw and the coleus was drooping. There were also some other greens, like philodendron in the pots that seemed to be holding their own. She explained that she was doing exactly what the tags that came with each plant told her to do but they just weren't looking very good. I told her celosia was a bit difficult to grow, depending on its conditions, but coleus was as easy for an outside gardener as philodendron is to an inside gardener. It pretty much takes care of itself once established. I began asking her how she was watering, what type of exposure she was providing, etc. First, she plopped a bunch of plants into pots because they looked pretty together but not considering each had its own growing needs. Second, and the biggest factor, she was taking them in and out everyday because she was concerned they would get stolen. The plants were put outside in the sun and heat at 7 AM every morning and brought back into the air conditioned shaded interior every day around 3PM. So, the plants' conditions were changing every day, they were being watered like crazy, and she couldn't figure out why they were dying.

As we all know, Florida can be difficult on plants. But it just takes a little common sense on understanding what could affect a green living thing if its environment is changed and/or if it's placed with other plants that don't have similar needs. If the woman with the begonia had just read a little about it she would have understood what placing it outside in the sun would do to the plant. If the server had really read the instructions coming with the plants or consulted someone at the store, she might have better understood what to place with what and/or not to continually change their conditions. Or, if she's so concerned about theft, she could have opted for silk. It would have still dressed up the place but would have required a lot less maintenance. It's hard not to preach about the best way to care for plants especially since I'm not an expert. But sometimes I just have to shake my head as I walk away and say, what's up with that? Happy Florida Gardening.

The periwinkles are smiling

2004-08-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it's August and the plants are exhausted. The snapdragons are breathing hard if not already expired and the hibiscus are not too crazy about blooming right now. But the periwinkles are doing great. They have taken over the front beds and are just smiling at the world.

The oleanders are still going strong, although our Ollie (the adopted one we brought home a few months ago) is still not doing much. So, I've decided the old boy is going to get a haircut this weekend. And then, it's either sink or swim literally.

We've had so much rain lately the water from the pond has actually come up to kiss his little roots. Although there's still lots of green in his limbs, the dude won't throw me any sign of life. There are no new sprouts, no movement toward the skies, nothing. I was so hopeful when we first brought him home. We even put our little adopted cement rabbit with him hoping that would give Ollie the boost he needed to start acclimating. Now I just think he's playing hard to get.

So it's August. The grass has grown to about 1 and 1/2 feet tall out back because it's been raining so daggone much we can't even get out there and mow. I caught the front lawn one early morning just before the torrential rains, so at least it doesn't look too bedraggled out there and our neighbors can still act like we're decent people. But the backyard is pretty bad. Even the dogs don't want to go out very far to do their business.

Saturday will be our day of reckoning. They say the weather will be a bit cooler and we can actually count on a pretty solid day of sun. If that's the case, the lawn will get mowed and Ollie will get cropped. I'm thinking he's putting too much energy into the old dead stuff still hanging around on his limbs. So the backyard will get cleaned up and Ollie will either push out his chest and be happy or thumb his nose at me and hang on until next year, playing me like a fine fiddle. I'll keep you posted on his progress. Happy Florida Gardening.

Pass the sunblock

2004-07-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

Where else but in Florida would there be ducks sitting by the pool soaking in the sun. My husband and I were working in the office and about mid-day decided, through the urging of Duncan, that it was time to take the boys out for their usual afternoon rounds. As I stood up I noticed two ducks having the time of their life preening by our pool. My husband and I stood and watched them for a good five minutes before they decided they had had enough and were ready to go home for lunch. No wonder our littliest guy had decided he really really needed to go out. He saw the ducks and wanted them out of his yard! He sure was disappointed when he ran out barking and they were nowhere to be found. Duncan sniffed and snorted, and finally settled on barking at them as they walked around in the neighbor's yard across the pond. He had done his job, you see, in getting those wild marauding ducks away from his home and family. All was well in his little view of the world. Happy Florida Gardening.

Cardboard or leather?

2004-07-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

I had heard this plant is a cardboard palm. Then someone else told me it was a leather fern. Which to believe? I did my usual search and found out. It's cardboard, hands down! Cardboard palm is an interesting plant originating on the east coast of Mexico. It is a slow grower, reaching about 4 feet in height and width. Known by its latin name, Zamia furfuracea, the plant does well in light shade. I actually have six in my side garden that were covered over by the winged elm tree I mentioned not too long ago. After we scalped the tree and pulled all the weeds, I proceeded to clip all the old leaves on the cardboard palms hoping to help spur its growth. It worked because all now have new leaves forming or so I would like to think.

The cardboard palm is not actually a palm but a cycad. All that means is that it forms a cone in the center of its leaf growth where its seed is stored. From everything I've read, apparently the cardboard palm hails back to prehistoric days and is considered a "living fossil" plant. Specifically, the Jurassic period is known as the "age of cycads", which includes our friend the zamia. You get it all here - plant information and a history lesson all in one. What more could you ask for? Happy Florida Gardening.

Wedelia trilobata--creeping daisy

2004-07-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

I bought a book about 6 years ago because I thought the price was right and I was excited by the advance info included in the advertisement. When it arrived, I glanced through it and placed it on the shelf with my other garden books thinking maybe it wasn't the bargain I had anticipated. It contained some good information about plants, and included a plant selection guide with some color pics. But the majority of plant specifics was in paragraph form with black and white drawings that are not necessarily true to exact form, in my opinion. Over the years I have periodically referred to the book when trying to determine a specific species of plant but usually found what I was looking for in other reference books. So today, stymied by a particular ground cover I just could not identify, I grabbed this book and actually found the plant after confirming through some additional web research. Wedelia trilobata is a perennial ground cover that pretty much roots wherever it wants. It is tolerant of heat, drought and salt and that is why it does so well in the corner of our back yard. It is pretty and is actually a member of the aster family; I like asters, but this is pretty daggone invasive. The good news is that it pulls up very easily - the bad news is that it replenishes itself quickly. I have found the best control is the lawn mower. You know, the one my dad gave me although I'm sure any lawn mower could do the trick.

I looked at a few references on the net and found it is apparently extremely invasive in Australia and French Polynesia. In fact, it is so worrisome they are tracking the plant and determining ways to chemically eradicate it. As the old saying goes, "one person's trash is another's treasure" but I can understand their concern. Anyway, I think I have this creeper under control (famous last words)and it sure is pretty in the corner where it resides. I pull handsful of it out every so often and of course run it over with the mower every two weeks whether it needs it or not. I'm just so happy to finally know what's growing here. Oh, the book I found it in? The Southern Living Garden Book. It bills itself as the complete encyclopedia of more than 5,000 southern plants and it probably does list that many. It really does contain a lot of good reference material. The part I don't care for is the pictures in the front of some private gardens containing no plant identification and, as I mentioned, the lack of good, clear illustrations. Anyway, it helped me nail down what I needed so I'll give it the credit it's due. And I'll keep an eye on the creeping daisy and make sure it doesn't start spreading toward our pals in Australia from this yard. Happy Florida Gardening.

Castor bean plant is gone

2004-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Just an update. The castor bean plant is now gone. We dug it up this morning. Luckily it had only one smallish tap root with lots of little thread roots so was easy to remove. No castor bean plants around here!

A little scare

2004-06-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

I had a little scare today. Shortly after we had some soil added to our backyard not too long ago, I noticed a little plant starting to grow. As it grew, I saw that the leaves were fairly large and it looked like a plant that I've seen growing along roads and pond edges. Those plants are about 10-12 feet tall with extremely large leaves and a purplish watery-looking stem. Since I didn't know exactly what it was I decided to let it grow.

So, not one to let a plant go unidentified, I got curious and took a picture. For some reason in the back of my mind the name castor bean kept coming to me. Why? Who knows - must be that zen thing I talk about occasionally. Anyway, I got my picture and began searching the web and sure enough that's exactly what it is. Ricinus communis is a native of Africa that will grow 15 feet tall and is considered perennial in the tropics. But, here's what scared me. The beans are poisonous to humans and animals if ingested and the sap kills bugs. Now, I'm not too concerned about the bugs but I'm sure as heck concerned about the humans and animals part. Apparently one of the main toxic proteins in the seed is ricin. One milligram of ricin can kill an adult and just one seed of this plant will kill a child. In fact, in 1978 a Bulgarian journalist was assassinated when someone gouged him with the tip of an umbrella dipped in ricin. You may think to yourself, isn't castor oil a byproduct of the castor bean? The answer is yes; however, ricin does not partition when the oil is extracted because it is water-soluable. So, while castor oil may taste like poison it's not.

After sharing all this with my husband, we both decided the best thing to do is dig it up now before it sets seed. The last thing we want on our conscience is someone or something getting its hands on a seed in our yard. Who wants to live with those consequences? Much as I dislike killing plants, this one has to go and now! To learn more about the castor bean plant, many universities have sites discussing poisonous plants. A link to Cornell is given above and here's another to Purdue. Botanical also shares some details including a letter dated 1921 about the plant's toxicity. Happy Florida Gardening and stay away from the castor beans.

Vinegar for the canary date palm

2004-06-24T18:10:00.000-07:00

I learned a trick from our tree guy. Apparently our canary date palm is suffering from lack of acidity causing the leaves to yellow. The secret Loren shared with us -- take a gallon of distilled white vinegar about every two months and pour around the base of the tree. It won't change the leaves already yellowed, but the new growth will remain green. I tried it today and, as my husband and I walked by the tree on our way out, we were reminded of salad dressing. Oh well, it's a refreshing smell and hopefully will help the tree. I'll let you know. Happy Florida Gardening.

It's an elm!

2004-06-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

Another plug for my favorite tree service. I mentioned in a previous article that we had brazilian pepper growing in the side garden. I've been hacking and cutting, hacking and cutting trying to rid us of this pest along with finding alternative weed controls.

Our tree company came today to discuss trimming the sweet gums and palms. I mentioned to my husband that I hoped they could help us with this exotic pest tree at the same time. So, I went merrily on my way while Harlan and Loren Westenberger reviewed what needed to be done. Harlan came back in the house, wrote me a small note and smiled. It wasn't a brazilian pepper after all - it's an elm. How happy was I to find that out? Whoo, hoo! So, now I needed to research the elm.

Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants came to the rescue again. I learned that the plant is a winged elm or ulmus alata. It is a medium-sized tree that will reach between 40 and 70 feet in height, and 30 to 60 feet in spread. It's drought-resistant and grows pretty fast. That little piece of information I had already experienced since I had taken the tree down to a stump and it was already branching out at last look. It adapts well to moist or dry conditions and lives upwards of 100 years. And, a good companion plant just happens to be sweetgum. Go figure.

So another mystery solved and I can allow the elm to grow and fill its space without worry. Life is good. Happy Florida Gardening and, when in doubt, consult a tree expert. You'll be glad you did.

Maple or sweetgum?

2004-06-18T11:25:00.000-07:00

I called our favorite tree experts the other day to make arrangements for them to trim some trees in our side garden. In talking with Terry, I told her we wanted two cabbage palms trimmed as well as the maple tree. She looked through our records and then told me that they must have missed the maple last time they were here because there was nothing noted in our file. Terry then read through the list, garden by garden, and, as she mentioned two sweetgum trees it became apparent that I had misidentified our trees.

So, being the curious person that I am, I turned to my garden library for more info. Sure enough, there in my favorite Florida reference I found sweetgum trees. Sweetgum looks similar to a maple in their leaf shape. This deciduous tree produces a 5-lobed leaf that turns red in the fall. It reaches anywhere from 40 to 125 feet in height, and 20-60 feet in its spread. Also known as Liquidambar styraciflua, the tree tolerates a variety of soil and water conditions and is native to the southeast.

Maples also produce 5-lobed leaves that turn red and drop in winter months. They don't get as tall at 20-25 feet or wide at 20-40 feet. This tree also tolerates a variety of conditions and there is a Florida maple also known as a sugar maple or acer barbatum . That's what I thought was growing in our garden and providing wonderful shade on that side of the house. The biggest distinguishing factor between the two besides size is the "gum ball" produced by the sweetgum. When I was a kid we called them monkey balls, a spiky fruit that holds seeds.

Well, the old saying goes that you learn something new every day and I know I sure do. I guess that's why Terry's company, Westenberger Tree Service is the expert and I'm not. At least now I won't mix my sweetgums with my maples. Happy Florida Gardening.

A-musing

2004-06-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

My sister and brother-in-law have just become part-time FLA residents and are we ever excited! They recently purchased a gorgeous manufactured home in a community less than a mile from us, and we look forward to spending a lot more time with them.

My husband and I visited them on their first day here. My sister was bustling around the kitchen fixing drinks while "the men" were otherwise occupied outside. I noticed that as Dee moved around the kitchen, she would close a drawer here, cabinet there, screw a lid back on a bottle all the while mumbling under her breath. She looked at me, chuckled and said "When will Doug ever learn to close things?" and turned back to making drinks. I immediately started laughing because, guess what? I have the same situation in my home. My husband can't close a drawer or door to save his life. I often find bottles in the refrigerator with their lids barely hanging on, and I've been known to find lids in the flatware drawer without an owner!

Well, we started musing as to whether this is common to both genders or restricted solely to the male of the species. After much deliberation, we reached the conclusion that there is a gene missing when men are born. Dee nor I have seen much research or testing around this fact, but know based on our individual experiences that it is so. We have not yet named this anomaly, but are testing different latin terms as we speak. Since my sister is a bit more creative than I, I will look to her to come up with the final version.

So, as we sit and sip our mai tai's (or a much less romantic-sounding vodka and soda) Dee and I look over at our husbands and smile knowingly. Welcome to Florida my wonderful family. Happy Florida Gardening.

Brazilian pepper

2004-06-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Ah Brazilian pepper. The bane of a Floridian's existence. Some people love them and their spreading habit while others curse the day they were ever brought here. Introduced in the early 21st century, Schinus terebinthifolius is known throughout Florida but grows best in the southern counties. The tree grows rapidly and spreads by underground runners. Small red berries are produced in the winter and, while the cold kills it to the ground, the roots will reproduce the tree yearly.

So why do some people love it and others can't stand it? The upside is that the tree grows quickly to 30 feet and makes a great shade tree. The problem with Brazilian pepper is its fast growth and spreading habit. In fact, the tree is actually outlawed in some communities as an exotic pest that overtakes native plants and is extremely difficult to eradicate.

I've been faced with "weed trees" ever since we moved to Florida, but I didn't know its name until recently. I was weeding the side garden about two months ago when my neighbor stopped to chat. At that time the tree was about 6 feet tall with stems outstretched in greeting. My neighbor curled his lip and said "That's Brazilian pepper. You might want to get rid of it now." He then proceeded to tell me the story of how he and his wife cleared the plant from his entire back yard when they were preparing to build their house. He's had some difficulty keeping the tree from cropping up again, but has it on the run.

As I mentioned, I've seen this "weed tree" before at my other house and in the back and side yards here. So I know what it's like to tackle it and wrestle it to the ground. The plant also has a bad habit of causing a rash on the areas of my skin that are not covered when we are in combat. Little did I know that it is a relative of poison ivy otherwise I would have dressed appropriately. So, after discussing with my husband, I decided to cut this one down and plant oleander in its place. Well, easier said than done. I got it to about 5 inches from the ground over a period of two days and then tried to dig up the root. Ha! It held fast. So I made a few cuts in the remaining trunk hoping that would bring it to its knees and moved on to other things.

Last weekend, my husband and I attended a gathering on the Pinellas Trail and had occasion to meet the park supervisor who oversees it. He told me the secret to forever banish Brazilian pepper from my garden short of bringing in a bobcat - Garlon 4. Unfortunately, it is a chemical but it works much like Roundup and the plant is not near the water. Of course the other choice I have is to pour salt water all over it. Apparently the tree has a low salt tolerance so that may work as well. I'll try the salt first, since I just can't stand chemicals, but I'll keep the Garlon 4 remedy in mind as a follow up. By the way, if you'd like to know every possible detail about the control of Brazilian pepper and how it came to Florida, read the Brazilian pepper management plan.

Oh, also if you get the chance be sure to visit the Pinellas Trail particularly in the Dunedin area. The parks service has done a tremendous job in creating a restful park just north of Curlew Road at Alt. 19. To learn more about the over 3900 acres of fabulous parks here in our county, visit the Pinellas County Park Department. You'll be glad you did. Happy Florida Gardening.

Allamande left and do-se-do

2004-05-30T14:23:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning up the front garden this morning - very early to avoid getting baked in the hot sun. I have a gorgeous bougainvillea that loves its spot and gets a bit overexuberant. Consequently, it tries to cover everything else around it - the periwinkles, daylilies, and my green peppers (yep, my veggies are mixed in with the flowers). Right next to the bougainvillea, or so I thought, was a jasmine vine. It has a bad habit of sprouting up everywhere in this particular garden. I've gotten rid of some of it and some I've contained by cutting them into small bushes, or so it lets me think.

Anyway, it was time to trim the bougainvillea and definitely cut back the jasmine. Imagine my surprise when I found an allamanda bush smack dab between the two. It apparently has been pretty happy to just be there, but obviously was not getting enough sun to bloom those fabulous yellow flowers. So, now what to do. Do I get rid of the jasmine, move the bougainvillea, or relocate the allamanda bush?

The bougainvillea was a birthday gift from my husband when we first moved into this house. Since my birthday is around Christmas, the poor thing got a bit neglected and was not planted until it started gasping for a permanent home. I planted it, fully expecting it was going to die particularly since it had dropped all of its leaves. It took a little bit of time, but that baby started getting new leaves and before long it was large enough that I actually had to start cutting it back. So, the bougainvillea was definitely not moving. The jasmine, while annoying with its greedy little space grabbing habit, fills an otherwise kind of empty spot. And fills it very nicely without trying to take over the stair rail, so it wasn't moving either. That left one choice. Move the allamanda, but where?

I looked over all the beds in the front and side yard and couldn't find a place where it would flourish better than this particular garden. This bed is perfect for heavier bloomers since it gets morning and early afternoon sun until about 4PM. So, I had to be creative and come up with a solution. Then it finally dawned on me. Allamande left! Just like the square dance. Alright, so it's spelled differently (allemande)- the principle is the same. The jasmine got trimmed a little heavier to make room for its neighbor and I'll try to encourage it to grow in the other direction if I can. (Of course I'm not holding my breath on that one.) And the allamanda got a roomer new home in the sun to the left of the jasmine where it can bloom to its heart's content. I'm looking forward to seeing it flower and will share a picture when it does. In the meantime, take a tip from me and practice your square dance steps with your plants. Happy Florida Gardening.

Beautiful butterflies

2004-05-29T17:02:00.000-07:00

I learned in reading the St. Pete Times today that the Miami blue butterfly may be experiencing a comeback. University of Florida scientists have released caterpillars in Everglades and Biscayne national parks. The caterpillars came from eggs from one of the last colonies found in 1999 at Bahia Honda State Park. If the project is successful, the caterpillars will become butterflies within the next couple of weeks.

Don't you just love butterflies? They are such magnificant creatures in a tremendous variety of colors and sizes. Pinellas County holds butterfly counts twice a year, spring and fall. Numbers of volunteers gather to count and record as many butterflies as they can. There's even a website, The Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center that contains checklists for counties throughout the US who have recorded butterfly sightings.

So, reading about the blue butterfly and thinking about the butterfly counts got me wondering about butterflies. Like how do they survive and how long they live. I found a site called the Butterflies Starting Page that provides just that kind of info. For instance, did you know that butterflies can only fly if their body temperature is above 86 degrees? Or, did you know that some butterflies can fly at speeds of 30 mph or faster? Questions are answered and photos provided at this interesting site.

Just so you know, there are 6 families and 17 recorded subfamilies of butterflies in Pinellas County and counting. We'll see what the fall brings. Happy Florida Gardening.

Scourge of the Florida earth -- dollar weed!

2004-05-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

I never heard of dollar weed before I moved here, but I'll tell you what. After 9 years, I can identify dollar weed at 100 paces. This weed is the most tenacious plant I have ever encountered and I've rustled with a few. Up north it was crab grass and we did everything we could to eradicate it. Down here, we call it St. Augustine grass and we try to grow it. Go figure.

So, back to dollar weed. Our backyard was actually fairly weed free when we moved here. Then we had some soil delivered so we could prevent any flooding from the pond and the first little seedlings began to pop their ugly little heads. It has now spread throughout the entire backyard, particularly in the area I was hoping to landscape.

Dollar weed, for the novices reading this, grows in wet areas and can be partially controlled by reducing the amount of water it receives. That, my friend, is a bunch of hooey. I don't care how wet or dry it is, dollar weed aka pennywort grows anywhere it wants anytime it wants. The plant spreads through underground runners and try as you might, you can never pull the entire runner out of the ground. There will always be a little piece there just waiting to sprout. It's sorta like the plant in Little Shop of Horrors - it will never go away.

Chemicals will help to control it but I don't like chemical use, especially around the pond and our pets. So, I have finally decided to stop fighting it. In fact, I'm going to let it become my ground cover and plant around and through it. This way my landscaping will look green and luscious, if no one looks closely, and I won't have to get down on my hands and knees to keep pulling it out! Happy Florida Gardening.

I'm a raving maniac!

2004-05-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

And it's all because of Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants by Gil Nelson. I know I mentioned this book in a previous article, but I just can't get over what I'm learning about Florida native plants.

I purchased this book for a number of reasons. We wanted to start planting native plants so we could stop pampering the plants that don't work as well here. Properly placed, native plants don't need the same amount of water and they tolerate the sandy soil much better than other species. We don't have to be concerned with cold hardiness since native plants thrive in our climate. Finally, once established these plants will bloom and grow with minimum care.

I'm learning something new every time I pick up this reference book. For instance, did you know that Stokes' aster is native to Florida? I sure didn't. How about the Black-eyed susan or Lobelia or Liatris or St. John's Wort? Wow. What a wealth of information all in one place. I've looked through my book at least ten times since I got it from BOOKSAMILLION.COM about two weeks ago and I'm sure I'll do so about thirty thousand times more. If you get a chance, go check it out. You won't regret it. Happy Florida Gardening, and did you know that Gaillardia is native and...

You say aspidistra, I say cast-iron plant

2004-05-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

So, we're finally sitting on the front porch after working our behinds into a garage-cleaning frenzy. We're sipping on libations, and my husband asks, "What's that plant behind the canary palm?" I had to admit I hadn't a clue! It's been growing there very nicely since before we moved in, and I didn't have the time to figure it out so just let it do its thing.

Armed with a library of Florida garden books, I sat down to do my homework. Would you believe the first book I opened unveiled the mystery? It's a cast-iron plant! A herbaceous perennial, aspidistra forms upright clumps of leaves that are large and glossy. The book claims it gets inconspicuous flowers and I have to agree. I haven't ever seen a flower on this baby, but they are supposedly at ground level and hidden by the foliage. It is a pretty hardy shade loving plant, but can get leaf spot.

Anyway, let me give you the name of the book that helped me out. It's entitled Florida Plant Selector written by Professor Thomas Mack, among others and published by Lewis and Betty Maxwell in Tampa. It's a little paperback book I picked up for $7.00 (can't tell you where) that provides both the scientific and common names as well as growth habits, soil and moisture preferences, and any key problems. A black and white photograph is provided for each plant described. It may be a bit difficult to come by since it is an older book (revised 1988 and printed 1992), but I found it listed with Amazon.com. Happy Florida Gardening.

Fruit trees and other visitors

2004-05-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

When my husband and I relocated to Florida about 8 years ago, we were delighted to see fruit trees in our backyard. We had a sweet ruby red grapefruit and an exquisite orange tree, and added a key lime tree within the first year. How wonderful it was for us to get up in the morning and go pick our breakfast! Our guests also loved the idea and couldn't get enough pictures standing in front of the trees holding the luscious fruit.

Flash forward 8 years - we are again delighted but now it is because we do NOT have fruit trees in our backyard. The trouble with the trees after the blossom scent goes away is that they grow fruit! How dumb am I, you say. Well, guess what? As any Floridian will tell you (and I can now say after 8 years I am a Floridian) cleaning up after the fruit trees is a pain in the rump. Fruit trees are messy. The wind and rain cause fruit to fall to the ground. If you don't get it picked up right away, it rots and smells. Once the honeymoon period is over, most of the time fruit tree owners don't even eat the stuff anymore so it goes into the compost or trash. And then there's the "visitors".

The visitors are fruit rats and they are plentiful. They don't bother people because they don't want to be bothered. They just want to eat the fruit. So they do and then knock it to the ground to add to the rest of the fruit on the ground. Sound like an endless cycle? It is. That's why we are very happy to no longer have fruit trees.

The reason I decided to write about this is that my sister is buying a winter place down here not far from us and guess what? There's a grapefruit tree in the backyard. The neighbor is already complaining about the fruit falling on the ground and the presence of fruit rats. So, my sister and brother-in-law have decided that when they settle on the place they plan to cut down the tree and replace it with some type of shrubbery. Smart thinking. In the meantime, my advice to the neighbor is "if you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen" or "since no one is living in the residence currently and you're right next door, go pick up the dang fruit!" The other, and better, option is to call one of the local food banks and get them to pick the fruit. They'll be happy to do it and many people who need something to eat will be happy as well. Happy Florida gardening. Oh, by the way, let me plug my sister's new web site mindwormsetc. Dee is just getting it started, and I think you'll enjoy it. Let me know.

Ants and bees

2004-05-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

The thing I've noticed since moving down here is that the bees don't bite, but the ants do. In the north, it was just the opposite phenomenon. I was always getting stung, but the ants weren't a problem.

It's not just the fire ants we have to worry about either. It's all ants. No matter the size or color, they always bite me. I went out to pick up the paper in the front yard the other morning, and by the time I got it out of the wrapper I had gotten bit. How do I know? The bite begins to itch and then raises up like a little white pimple.

So what's the remedy? Amdro is my favorite stuff. I sprinkle it around the mound and shortly thereafter the ants are gone. It has something to do with the worker ants taking the contaminated food to the queen. Once she expires, they move on. Many of my Florida garden books recommend diazinon or dursban, but both are bad for the environment although effective.

My dad swears by grits. It's supposed to blow up the ants after they eat too much. I have to share, however, that my parents have the best ant hills in town, thereby dispelling that myth. I'll bet there's lots of other remedies out there so please share if you can. I'd like to hear about them.

Florida specific

2004-05-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

I decided it was time to add a page to my site centered on Florida specific gardening. There's lots of information I come across frequently as well as many gardening challenges unique to this area so thought I would begin sharing here. For instance, one of my favorite plants, threadleaf coreopsis is native to Florida. How did I find that out? I purchased one of the most gorgeous books called Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants by Gil Nelson. This book includes 200 plant species and each features not only photos and detailed landscape information but also incredible color illustrations. This is without a doubt one of the best and most beautiful landscape information books I have ever owned. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in using Florida native plants in their gardens.