Tropical Nursery is Paradise For Gardeners



What a gardner's treasure trove! The Community Garden Center is a must visit and visit often resource. Marvin and Terri Pinder, 2nd generation growers just don't sell perennials, ornamental shrubs, tropical fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables, the Pinder's educate by example, living and growing everything they would love to have in their landscape. Visit Pinder's Nursery at 5500 Sw Martin Hwy, Palm City  (772) 781-8085.

 

Pennisetum purpurea 'Princess Caroline'

Sun-loving bromeliad hanging basket.

Coleus 'Redhead'

Succulent Container Garden

Plant-filled Victorian Terrarium keeps caterpillars happy.

Plants from the ground to the sky.

Thousands of plants, flowers, herbs, fruit trees, and garden accessories.

Floriferous front entry.

I can't believe how wonderful the ambiance was at Pinder's Nursery! Marvin and Terry and their staff are enthusiastic and gardening experts to help anyone who wants to create their own outdoor living room or edible Paradise. If you're in the area, please stop by. I guarantee that you'll leave with a wonderful plant or two.

They even have fairies wandering among the plants.  Will post those photos as soon as I'm sure the fairies don't mind. Click to see all of the Pinder Nursery photographs.

Mother Nature's Cosmetic Peels

I love to get facials and using an exfoliating cream works wonders. It seems Mother Nature likes to get in touch with her feminine side as well and show off her lovely reddish-orange bark as well. 

Called exfoliation, the peeling of bark from trees can be occur normally to healthy trees or as a result of stress and cause decline.

Semi-dwarf Acoma Crape Myrtle

Tree species that normally peel their bark are birches, crape myrtles, Drake elms, paperbark maples, and sycamores.  The bark peels off, usually starting in the second or third year, at the end of its blooming period during late summer to early fall. Colorful smooth bark adds another dimension of interest to your landscape. The striking red orange tree trunk stands out against your evergreen shrubs and trees.



Ulmus parvifolia 'Drake' Elm

Bark can split from receiving too much rain or being overwatered. This can happen to citrus trees, who like their feet dry, when they are irrigated too often, but that is not the same thing as exfoliation.

When you see peeling, there's no need to do anything to the tree. The bark will come off as the tree is ready.  Enjoy the beauty of exfoliation - it does wonders for Mother Nature's complexion.

Evidence of Native Bees





Pink Knock Out Roses

You can easily notice a friendly visit from a native pollinator, the leafcutter bee.  Identifying which species is harder since there are nine different species endemic to Florida.

 

Good news is that leafcutter bees are beneficial as pollinators for crops such as commercial blueberries and vegetables.  In residential landscapes, inviting ornamental plants with thin leaves such as bougainvillea, roses, and redbud trees are more susceptible to the leafcutter.  The visible damage of circular cuts on the outside edges of leaves will be used to build up their nests and usually will not harm the plants, but this non-aggressive bee species can sometimes nest in hollow rose canes, causing the rose to decline. 

 

Credits: David Almquist and David Serrano, University of Florida.

 

Red Knock Out Roses

 

 

 

 To learn more about leafcutter bees and management on leafcutter bees.