Radio Show: "In Your Backyard"

Back after fabulous opportunity on Garden Writers Association conference trip to Mt. Vernon with a 'personal indulgence' gardening detour to Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina. I shot over 750 photographs of the stately Mt. Vernon gardens in six hours. The best photos will be up in a few days.

Safe travels for snowbird residents who are going back North. Stay in touch, you can still call with your gardening questions and listen to "In Your Backyard" on the Internet. My gardening radio show can be heard on WLBE 790AM or at WLBEradio.com Tuesdays from 11:05am to 12:00pm every week. You do need DSL high speed internet access so that the show buffers correctly.

Hurricane preparedness makes the news at the start of hurricane season June 1st through Sept 31st. Make sure your Florida landscape is ready for the gusts of wind and torrents of rain.

Gardening phone call topics included:

• How much to water and fertilizing newly transplanted palms? Once a day for the first few weeks - if no rain, then twice a week for the first six months, fertilize when you see new growth.
• The few fruit that pollinated falling from squash plants? Nematodes? Could be and could be lack of pollination. Here's some Hand-pollination techniques.
• Oleander toxicity: All parts of the plant are poisonous to touch, taste, and smell.
  Great plant to use in landscape if you don't have chewing children or chewing dogs. Make sure you use gloves and mask during any maintenance.

Time for caladiums to bloom. See great bulbs for spring and fall at Brent & Becky Heath's nursery.




Purple heart, Tradescantia pallida and Caladium spp.