Updated - Don't Eat Your Vegetables In The Front Yard!

UPDATE:
I wrote an in-depth article on Edible Landscaping for Green Builder magazine on "Edible Landscaping 02" pages 31 - 37.

7/18/11 Update: Drudge Report is now reporting that the city of Oak Park, Michigan has seemingly dropped the anti-veggie fines but now wants to impose an unlicensed dog fine equivalent to the same fine and incarceration time. Sounds like a vendetta to me...

After Oak Park City failed in its bid to charge Bass with violating a local ordinance for using her front garden to grow organic vegetables, no doubt put off by gargantuan media attention on the case, they are now pursuing Bass for a similarly ludicrous misdemeanor that carries an identical penalty, 93 days in jail, for owning unlicensed dogs.


However, Bass’ dogs are fully licensed, the city is merely reinstating an earlier charge that Bass has already complied with.

7/15/11 Update: The city of Oak Park, Michigan is delaying any further action on the Bass's front yard vegetable garden.

7/11/11 Update: My interview this morning with Julie Bass on WLBE 790am (My790am.com)  was very informative. Not only did Mrs. Bass check with the city of Oak Park, Michigan regarding any ordinances restricting raised beds, they told her there should be no problems if she did it. There is Michigan legislation that protects people who want to grow their own food.

And he gave it for his opinion, that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.

- Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels

Has the world gone mad? In an amazing turnip of events, Julie Bass, homemaker, mother of three, and simple gardener, could go to jail for three months for growing vegetables in her front yard. The Oak Park, Michigan resident was only trying to make a sustainable garden out of the front yard that had been demolished by the City of Oak Park utilities fixing the sewer system in the spring. Passers-by admired her efforts. A single complaint from a neighbor not green with envy - but with mean-spiritedness - encouraged the Code Enforcement department to issue a warning to Mrs. Bass to remove the raised beds of warm season annuals and vegetables.  When Mrs. Bass didn't comply, she was issued a ticket and charged with a misdemeanor. She goes to a pre-jury trial on July 26th. 

"In order to live off a garden, you practically have to live in it.

- Frank McKinney Hubbard

The reason for the citation is a code that says a front yard has to have suitable, live, plant material.  Oak Park City Planner Kevin Rulkowski stated: "That's not what we want to see in a front yard."  Is Mr. Rulkowski a horticulturist, landscape designer, or a landscape architect?  Does the City of Oak Park have a horticulturist on staff to help them dig through all the dirt on what is a suitable plant or not?  Is it based on USGBC green certification, best management practices, asesthetics or personal opinion?  Is turfgrass a suitable plant? Are cookie cutter designs a government regulation? Everbody has to have the same landscape?

See Julie Bass's edible front yard here.

Edible landscaping is still a popular gardening trend in the United States with 43% of households surveyed by the Garden Writers Association Foundation planning on establishing a vegetable garden this year. Vegetable gardening is even being encouraged by the White House - why does the City of Oak Park even want to get involved in such a pickle?

 

This is not the first case of gardening interference between a regulating body and residents.  Confrontations between HOA's and homeowners has increased over the last few years with homeowners emboldened by new water conserving ordinances.

• Not In My Backyard On In Your Backyard
• Yard Wars - Homeowner, City Declare A Truce 

I'm interviewing Mrs. Julie Bass on "In Your Backyard" tomorrow, at our new day and time: Mondays at 11:30am to 12:30pm.  Please plan to tune in  about this outrageous attack against individual homeowner's property rights. You can also check out the Bass family's Facebook page: Oak Park Hates Veggies.  You can also sign the Bass's petition to stop the persecution.

 

The word 'vegetable' has no precise botanical meaning in reference to food plants, and we find that almost all parts of plants have been employed as vegetables - roots (carrot and beet), stems (Irish potato and asparagus), leaves (spinach and lettuce), leaf stalk (celery and Swiss chard), bracts (globe artichoke), flower stalks and buds,(broccoli and cauliflower), fruits (tomato and squash), seeds (beans), and even the petals (Yucca and pumpkin).

- Charles Heiser, Seed to Civilization

More with Teresa on edible landscaping: Edible Landscaping: So Good You Can Eat Them Right Up

More resources: 

• Lawns are a European invention.
• Napa-Valley Landscaping - Florida Style, Green Builder magazines, Jan 2011, Feb 2011, April 2011,
• Edible Landscaping
• "TheEdible Landscape" - An Urban Farming Renaissance?
• Florida-friendly Landscape Guidance Models For Ordinances, Covenants and Restrictions
• Edible Landscaping,  University of Florida/IFAS
• Edible Landscaping, Ohio State University
• Gardening Quotes - The Spirit of Gardening
• Carrot Juice Is Murder - Arrogant Worms

The garden should be adorned with roses and lilies, the turnsole, violets, and mandrake; there you should have parsley, cost, fennel, southern-wood, coriander, sage, savory, hyssop, mint, rue, dittany, smallage, pellitory, lettuces, garden-cress, and peonies. There should also be beds planted with onions, leeks, garlic, pumpkins and shallots. The cucumber growing in its lap, the drowsy poppy, the daffodil and brank-ursine ennoble a garden. Nor are there wanting, if occasion further thee, pottage-herbs: beets,herb-mercury, orache, sorrel and mallows, anise, mustard, white pepper and wormwood do good service to the gardener.- Alexander of Neckham, Of the Nature of Things, 1187

The Good Ol' Days? Farming With Dynamite

Farming quicker, easier, and cheaper.  That's what is good for the environment, or so we thought. This booklet published in 1910 by the Delaware E. I. du Pont Demours Powder company gives some insights into an alternative to tractors in agriculture practices.  Imagine not having to dig up huge stumps or using those huge horses to till acres of property when you can just blow it up?

Obviously we learned this wasn't best management practices at its best. 

Download a copy of Farming With Dynamite with photos.

Sustainability Isn’t a Plant List

First published in Ornamental Outlook, June 2008

Horticulture experts expect similar plant questions seasonally – it’s what we do. With the new landscaping trend of “Florida-friendly”, I’m finding one question germinating the same way: “I can’t find this plant on THE plant list!” Government planning departments, builders, homeowners, and landscapers trust that if it’s on the plant list, it’s sustainable and could, no, should be used. That’s not the point of sustainable landscaping. Suitable, sustainable landscaping isn’t a plant list, nor is it the mandatory turf grass, five trees, fifty shrubs, for every lot.

There are three basic needs of sustainable landscaping: knowledge, efficiency, and proper maintenance.
Deciding on a plant palette doesn’t require an adherence to a plant list. It requires knowledge of the site, which includes sunlight, soil contents, site percolation, and pH conditions. When plant lists are used, the ugliness of cookie-cutter landscapes, less diversity, and higher maintenance properties becomes the norm.
Designing a landscape entails knowing how the site is going to be used and what the building will look like, specifically where the doors and windows, sidewalks, driveways, etc will be placed. This information is crucial to which plants are selected and how the owner of the property will eventually maintain it. Selecting improper plants for a site can mean high maintenance bills with necessity for using chemicals to curtail insect and disease problems, the usual symptoms of an overstressed landscape.

An on-site inspection before the landscape is designed, then again - before the landscape is installed is also necessary. If the site is undeveloped property, depending on how it was graded with roads, swales and utilities installed, the soil conditions may have been impacted since the landscaping plan was designed and need adjustments to the plant recommendations.

New environmental aficionados still want a plant list. “Just tell me what I need to plant” is a familiar plea and when you depend on someone’s expertise, you’re hoping they know what they need to do. The plant list is only a tool to use but just like the familiar adages “the right tool for the job” and “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” – plants lists are not the end-all and frankly, shouldn’t be used except for suggestions for specific plant needs, i.e. xeric, hydric soils or shade loving plants. Recommending a plant list without knowing the site conditions or having a variety of site conditions is tantamount to having an unsustainable landscape.

Getting an efficient irrigation system comes with a price. That can be a hard sell to builders, developers, and homeowners who have become quite comfortable with Florida’s low-cost lifestyle. Water, labor, and materials are cheap compared to other parts of the country, especially when it’s not being correctly done; so changing the mindset of what efficient is can be tricky. Having irrigation systems with 15% to 47% effectiveness isn’t sustainable but it’s usually what the homeowner gets when the bottom line means not informing the end-user of the cost of not installing irrigation correctly.

When improper plants are selected, crammed into an instant landscape , compounded with an inefficient irrigation system, you have an unsustainable landscape. The results are less drought tolerant landscapes, usually more weeds, insects, and diseases resulting in an overuse of chemicals, leading to stormwater runoff issues and a vicious cycle of expensive and high maintenance. High maintenance details of constant pruning, usually with unsterilized or infected tools can lead to spreading of insects and disease, with hedges succumbing to inevitable bare-bottom syndrome and ornamental trees falling prey to crape murder. I’m always amazed at homeowners and businesses settling and paying for these landscape disasters thinking that these disastrous methods are best management practices.

There are plants, shrubs, and trees for every lifestyle and landscape design. There are plants that thrive with shearing and there can be a need for deadheading and pruning after flowering to ensure a vibrant and healthy shrub or tree. Forcing high maintenance and instant landscapes on unsuspecting homeowners and commercial properties that trust that the builders, developers, landscape architects and landscape companies are installing a low maintenance, sustainable landscape, is not good business.

Sustainability is not a plant list but a philosophy. In gardening, sustainability’s philosophy is way of living so that landscape plants, irrigation, and the post-upkeep is efficient, uses resources wisely, and allows for proper maintenance. As more and more sustainable development is achieved, the lower the market costs for the plants, labor, and materials will become.

Researching the property for proper plant selection, determining the seasonal attractiveness so that there is lusciousness and beauty, combined with installing an efficient irrigation system that in the future will mean lower bills for the homeowner and a better use of our precious water supply will benefit the entire state of Florida.

Want to find the right plants for your landscape?  Check out SJRWMD's Waterwise Landscapes.

Fuschias in Florida

It used to be in Florida that fuschias were a winter annual. Not anymore.  Proven Winners has a summer fuschia called Shadow Dancer that will survive our temperate climate.  Shadow Dancer® fuschias should be grown in simliar shade and moisture conditions like impatiens.  It will be interesting to see if they will survive for several seasons like impatiens as well.

Great for patio hanging baskets and sunny windows indoors, these summertime fuschias will need watering on a regular basis. I'm keeping mine on my eastern kitchen window.

No need to deadhead but removing the flowers will keep the plant from going to seed. If I plant them outside I wonder if I will see volunteers?

The Shadow Dancer® series have girly names like Betty, Marcia, Violette, Peggy, Yolanda, Carlotta, and one boys name, Gene.

Pyranees Campanula Bellflower

Pyranean bellflower, Campanula speciosa is native to the Spanish Pyranees. Learn more about this beautiful endemic spring-blooming perennial that can handle the mountains' altitude at 5,000' feet above sea level. See more here.

Pyrenean Bellflower Jigsaw Puzzle

Gardenias in Your Backyard

The fragrant beauty of the South, gardenias are commonly seen in Florida landscapes. Also known as cape jasmine, the gardenia augusta are native to southern China, Japan, and Taiwan. They are considered often for use in the yards for their outstanding white flowers, fragrance, and deep green foliage.  They can be grown as standards (see photo),  large shrubs, and as groundcovers with the gardenia radicans.

Gardenias can be easy to grow in the right conditions or persnickety and sickly looking with neglect.  They can be grown in shade, or morning sun and afternoon shade. Gardenias are acid-loving plants, so provide  acidic soil of 5.0 pH, and rich organic soil that is well drained. Consistant (not too much) watering is important because gardenias do not like extreme fluctuations in care. Fertilize gardenias with azalea slow-release fertilizers.

When stressed, gardenias are susceptible to many pest problems, such as white flies and nutritional deficiencies.

But don't let that hold you back from planting this traditional Southern gem.  If you have the right conditions, the gardenia makes a wonderful hedge, a cutting garden flower, or a night-time star in your garden.

For more information on specific pest problems and propagation:

Growing Gardenias In Florida

Floridata:  Gardenia augusta

Citrus Tree Leaves Are Curling

Teresa:

My lemon and grapefruit leaves are curling and it looks like a snake design on the leaves.  Could you tell me what this could be.  Thank you.

Barbara

The squiggly lines and curled leaves are an indication that your citrus trees have had a visit from citrus leafminers. Now... once you see the damage, the moth has laid its eggs, the larvae have hatched and are gone and there's no reason to use a chemical. There are parasitoid biological controls in Florida.

Leafminers like new tender foliage. It doesn't hurt the citrus tree or the fruit but can be a problem for young trees trying to leaf out. As your citrus trees get new leaves, you can spray with Bayer Advanced Fruit, Citrus, and Vegetable Insect Control.  It provides from one to three months of protection from the insects. Follow the instruction label to make sure that you have the best effectiveness.

Make sure you're fertilizing your citrus on a consistant basis every three to four months with a balanced fertilizer with micro nutrients.

Leafminers can also attack ornamental plants and vegetables. Make sure that the insecticide you use is certified for home use and edible landscaping.

Irrigation NIghtmares

Green certifier, Tracy DeCarlo has written a two part series on efficient irrigation called "Irrigation Nightmares."  Old or inefficient irrigation systems can be a nightmare and expensive with high water bills and a stressed landscape. Learn how Tracy's personal experiences fixing her own irrigation system taught her to be a savvy consumer.

Irrigation Nightmare Part 1.
Irrigation Nightmare Part 2.

Mother's Day In Her Backyard

What should you get your Mom for Mother's Day this Sunday?  Depending on her lifestyle, she may need a little help around her backyard. 

Here's some great ideas that I know Moms around the country would love:

• Provide the fruits of your labor and materials to install a small garden bed for flowers, vegetables, or herbs.
• Bring sunshine into her life. Prune back overgrown hedges and shrubs.
• Instead of cut flowers, give her a gift certificate to a rose or flower catalog and have her pick out her favorite flowers so she can enjoy flowers all year round.
• Give Mom a world of butterflies by giving her butterfly nectar or larvae host plants.
• Dishing out a container of wonderful herbs for cooking her favorite recipes.
• Check out and calibrate or fix her irrigation system so Mom doesn't have high water bills.
• Reduce the amount of turf that Mom has to mow by planting more shrubs and flowers.
• Plant a flowering tree that has fragrance.
• Gardening gloves, sun protectant, hand moisturizer, and a beautiful hat to wear outdoors in the sun.

We'll be talking about more ideas on "In Your Backyard."  Call in and tell me what you're getting your favorite Mom for Mother's Day.

Dirty Word Of The Day: Petrichor

From Jane Fallon's  Business of Life post "4 Useful New Words."

You know how it smells after it rains? That clean, greenish smell? That’s petrichor, from the Greek petra (stone) and ichor (the blood of Greek gods and goddesses). The term was coined by two Australian researchers in 1964.

I know that smell! It's the ozone. (O₃ ). Going outside before and after the rain you can smell the freshness. I love that smell! Now I know what to call it! Petrichor.

We Didn't Have That Green Thing

Making its way around the Internet is a story of how wasteful older generations were... What do you think? If you know who the author is, please let me know.

In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that she should bring her own grocery bag because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained, “We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. The former generation did not care enough to save our environment."

He was right, that generation didn’t have the green thing in its day.

Back then, they returned their milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.

But they didn’t have the green thing back in that customer's day.

In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building.

They walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.

But she was right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.

Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.

But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.

Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief, not a screen the size of the state of Montana .

In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used a wadded up old newspaper to cushion it, not polystyrene or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.

They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled their writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.

But they didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.

They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad that the current generation laments how wasteful the old folks were just because they didn't have the green thing back then?

I have to add that with older generations, nearly everyone grew their own fruits, vegetables, and meat locally. They fished for their seafood. In the wee hours of the morning, you got up and took care of the farm chores before you went to school or work. When you got home, you had to take care of the farm animals and any chores that needed to be finished. We didn't have much need for mental health therapy or psychiatrists. Digging in the dirt was cathartic enough.

At our house, we've gone back to drying our clothes on the clothesline. Its been amazing how easy it has been to get into a routine of washing and drying on a daily basis.

What Do I Do With My Chives?

A timely gardening question about harvesting chives from an "In Your Backyard" listener:

Hi Teresa,

I have a question. My chives are doing well, however I need to do something with them. Can I freeze them or what should I do to keep them. Them are already budding and I think it is time to trim them out.

Thanks,

Ted via email

Dear Ted,

The best way to keep chives is freezing them as they lose their taste after drying. After cleaning them, wash and pat dry with either paper towels or cloth. I prefer paper towels. Bunch the chives together and slice with a sharp knife. You can use a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to spread the chives on and then place in the freezer. They will freeze quickly. I put them into a freezer bag marked with the date on it. They will be good for six months. I use them with potatoes, stews, soups, salads, eggs, breads, biscuits, cream cheeses and dips.

Here are some easily printed tips on storing herbs from Cooks Illustrated (my favorite cooking magazine) and Freshness Farms.

• Harvesting, Using, and Storing Fresh Herbs
• Herbs: Fresh vs Dried
• Recipes for fruits, herbs, and vegetables 

Hope this helps, Ted! Thanks for writing and listening to "In Your Backyard."

Transplanting Easter Lilies In Your Backyard

A wonderful hostess gift for Easter is a basket of Easter lilies.  Gracing the table as a centerpiece or as a welcome at the front door, Easter lilies are easy to put into your garden after the holiday.  Easter lilies are non-native bulbs which typically bloom after Easter, but are planted in the fall and grown in the right conditions by greenhouses and nurseries to open early for the spring season.

To enjoy in your home, make sure that you cut off the yellow anthers in the center of the fragrant flower so that the pollen doesn't get on the flowers, your nose, or on tablecloths and furniture.  Older blooms may be cut off  so that the unopened blooms will take center stage. Remove the foil wrapping around the pot so that the container has proper drainage. Leaving it on can cause the lily to rot and the water can be a source for mosquito larvae if the lily is outside.

Easter lilies will transplant nicely in your Florida yard just like many other bulbs. After all the blooms are finished, select a full sun location with rich, organic soil.  If you have sandy soils, amend the garden bed as wide as possible with equal parts of top soil, peat moss, and manure, or compost.  Place the bulb with soil intact into the hole.  Water well and then sprinkle a slow release fertilizer for blooming flowers.  Mulch and water on consistant basis.  It will go dormant, so don't forget about it.  Fertilize every three to six months, depending on the slow-release fertilizer rate. You will see the lilies start to emerge in late January or February.  They will bloom later than commercial Easter lilies, so don't be surprised if your lilies bloom in May or June.

History of Easter Lilies

Easter Lily diseases

Bulbs for Florida

Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants



Florida Marsh Rabbit



Great Seed Catalogs

Here are some of my favorite free seed catalogs:

• Abundant Life Seeds: Certified organic and biodynamic seeds. OMRI listed fertilizers and pest controls.  Out of 2011 Catalogs but get on their list for the 2012 catalogs.
• Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds: Open-pollinated pure seeds1400 heirloom garden variety from the largest seed grower in the United States.  Family owned, the seeds are descended from original 19th century seeds. Jere Gettle and his wife Emilee created an authentic pioneer village called Bakersville.Their most recent project is the restoration and preservation of the Wethersfield, Connecticut landmark, Comstock, Ferre & Company, the oldest continuously operating seed company in New England. The Gettle family is featured prominently in the colorful and interesting catalog.
• Botanical Interests: Family owned. Organic seeds. Guaranteed untreated seed germination.
• Bountiful Gardens:  Certified organic. Rare and unusual varieties. Medicinal herbs. Super-nutrition varieties.
• Brent and Becky's Bulbs: Perennial bulbs and seeds.
• Burpee:  One of the oldest seed catalogs in the United States. Vegetable, perennial, and organic seeds.  Great website with gardening videos and information on growing vegetables.  

Enjoy seed catalog artwork? The Smithsonian has an online database of original seed catalog artwork to enjoy. Take a look at them here.

Growing your own vegetables is easy and satisfying.  It can also save money by reducing grocery bills and not having to work out at the gym.

Giving New Life To Dracenas

You've seen the life and death struggle before: a plant going towards the light. Whether in an dimly lit office or in the corner of a friend's house during the winter, a five to six foot tall dracena marginata bent over and twisted towards a sunny window.

Its easy to rejuvenate your worn out dracena and get it to thrive for another year? Give it a haircut and recondition the soil.  Take your houseplant outside where you can take the entire plant out of the pot.  Be careful if it has a spindly stem to not break it.  (Now it won't kill it if you break it but it's just going to stress you out) Take sharp pruners and cut the stems about  8" to 12" up from the base of the plant.  The cut top portion of the plant can be cut in a foot long pieces, dabbing root toner on the ends and placing in potting soil and kept shaded and moist for several weeks until rooted.  Cut a third of the bottom portion of the plant roots and break up any root mass.  Place new potting soil in your designer pot and replant the topless dracena.  Place in a sunny location and water well.  Its a good time to give it some slow release fertilizer. 

Within a few weeks your dracena will have a new leaves sprouting and will vigorously grow through the summer.  If you're placing it by a window, make sure you turn it once a week, so that all sides have a chance at the sunlight.

Spring Water Wise Event

The City of Sanford is doing its part in celebrating Earth Day and educating its residents on water conservation. Its a great opportunity to know more about taking care of your yard? I will be at the Spring Water Wise Event at Lowes this Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 9am until 2pm helping with landscape designs and selecting plants for your backyard. Bring your landscape photos and plant problems so that I can help you make lawn maintenance easier. Bring your old showerheads to exchange for new showerheads. There will also be a rainbarrel workshop.

Orlando Sentinel Targets Yard Crimes

Just in time for Earth Day, Orlando Sentinel's Kevin Spear shines a light on lawn maintenance misdemeanors that have felonious impacts on Florida's water quality.  Blowing leaves and grass clippings into storm drains or out into the street is against the lawn.  Sadly its a common practice among lawn maintenance crews and unknowing homeowners that doesn't have much repercussion from county and city officials.

How can you make a difference?

• Educate neighbors and your HOA board on stormwater BMP's.
• Hire only companies have employees who demonstrate strong knowledge and application of green practices.
• Never fertilize before a rainstorm, fertilize afterwards.

April Showers Bring Relief

Last week Central Florida received abundant rainfall between six to eight inches in a three day span. The ground soaked it up! This week, we will be seeing an additional one to three inches which will go a long way to catch up rainfall lacking so far this year.  Florida's rainy season is different than our Northern cousins. Our springtime and winter are our dry seasons. Florida receives most of its rainfall in the summer and fall with daily afternoon showers and our usual tropical storms and hurricanes.  We need these torrential rain storms to replenish our aquifer systems.  We shouldn't have to irrigate in the summertime if we have normal rainfall of an inch of water a week.  But with these rains, especially in low-lying areas or in yards that are irrigated too much, we will see turfgrass and plant diseases.  Treating these fungal and viral issues after we have diagnosed them is usually too late to apply the fungicides. Fungicides are preventive not curative.  So if you usually have disease in your landscape, make sure that your irrigation system is not your watering overhead and for long periods at night. Then check your irrigation system to ensure that its watering your turf efficiently.

Here are important publications from the University of Florida IFAS for diagnosis and solutions:

Homeowner's Guide to Fungicides for Lawn and Landscape Disease Management

Turfgrass Disease Management

Brown Patch Disease November through May - All warm season turfgrasses

Cercospora Leaf Spot Late spring and summer - St. Augustinegrass

Fairy Rings Any abundant rainfall - all warm season turfgrasses

Gray Leaf Spot Late spring and early fall or excessive rainfall - St. Augustinegrass and centipedegrass

Helminthosporium Leaf Spot All year round - warm season turfgrasses

Pythium Root Rot - All year round - warm season turfgrasses

Rust - St. Augustinegrass and zoysiagrass - late fall to early spring.

Take All Root Rot - Summer to fall - all turfgrasses

We'll be discussing fungicides and disease issues on "In Your Backyard."  Call in!

Lake County Master Gardener Plant Sale

The Lake County Master Gardener annual Spring Plant Sale will be Saturday, April 9th from 9am to 1pm at the Lake County Horticultural Learning Center in Tavares on State Road 19.  There will be ornamental shrubs, trees, annuals, perennials, and vegetables for sale.  Please bring your own wagon or cart to carry all the wonderful plants that you purchase.  The prices will be extremely reasonable for good quality plants and a great selection of species to choose from!  Proceeds will go to the Lake County Master Gardener Society.

While you're there, if you haven't had a chance to tour the Discovery Gardens, don't miss the opportunity!

Spring Fever In The Garden 2011

Historic Winter Garden's Spring Fever in The Garden is around the corner on April 9th and 10th.  Presented by the Bloom N' Grow Garden Society, you will be able to enjoy live entertainment, food vendors and purchase original artwork, crafts, and of course, plants!  There will be special events for children and adults.  Come see me at "Stop by and Ask the Experts" on Sunday for information on how to spruce up your backyard. 

For more information, click here.

Making Up For Lost Rain

The rains finally came and are expected to be here all week with 50% chance through Friday! My flowers and plants soaked in the wetness and look very satisfied this morning.  Turning off my microirrigation system to take advantage of Mother Nature, the moisture will definitely help the fertilizing I did over the weekend.

Above you can see my oak leaf hydrangea, spirea, and dwarf pomegranate tree glistening in the rain.

Florida Winter Is Driest In 80 Years

Florida set records this year in more ways than one.  Not only did we have colder temperatures earlier (November) but from October through February, it was also the driest winter in eighty years. In December, we had less than an inch of rain for the entire month, January we had 2" - 3" more than normal, and in February, there was less than an inch. March's month totals look to be below the average 3" with no rain anticipated for the next week, leaves Florida in a rainfall deficit.

The lack of hurricanes and tropicals storms last fall, and the lack of adequate rainfall this winter means that lake levels are low, wells will be running dry, and the aquifer will be low with more saltwater intrusion. 

These conditions mean that more landscapes will fail and high maintenance lawns will not survive. Reducing your fertilizing schedule, retrofit your irrigation to be efficient, watering only when your yard shows signs of stress will help your lawn manage till summer rains set in.

Inefficient irrigation system doesn't have head to head coverage.

Want more ways to drought proof your lawn? Check out the University of Florida's recommendations.

Harvesting Rain From The Skies

Polish architect students Ryszard Rychlicki and Agnieszka Nowak use gutters that surround the entire building to harvest rainwater for its 500 residents.  Rychlicki and Nowak hope to reduce water use by 25%.

Using rainwater to irrigate is a way of life in Europe and other continents around the world. 

Since 1900 the total water consumption in the US has increased by 1000%. At present, an average American uses five times more water than a citizen of developing countries. Such an increase is related to among others, improved living standards. On the other hand, a national hobby of the Danes is collecting rain water for washing and watering plants. within the last ten years average use of pure water in Denmark dropped by 40% and inhabitants of the so called eco-villages use a third part of the national average.

While acknowledging the health factor of sanitation is important to Americans, we have to really work hard to increase our water efficiency of indoor plumbing and outdoor irrigation.  Using rainbarrels, cisterns, and surface water needs to become more than a hobby - it should become a way of life for our country.

H/T to WebEcoist

The Key To Great Citrus Trees

All gardeners know that fertilization is necessary for plants to be bloom, produce fruit, vegetables, and to be healthy.  Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are what plants need most, but to be the most productive and reduce susceptibility to pests and disease issue, micronutrients are vital. 

The easiest way to explain micronutrients in a way that non-gardeners can understand is to correlate them to vitamins.  We don't just take a vitamin B1 tablet or a potassium pill to be healthy; we need to take a multivitamin with the major vitamins and nutrient supplements.  It's also true for all plants, especially citrus. Yes, they need the nitrogen for foliage growth, phosphorus for flowers, fruit, and a good root system, and potassium for thicker cell walls making them less likely to succumb to stress, but they also need micronutrients, such as  boron, copper, chlorine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc.  These elements are needed less often and in smaller quantities but are just as important.

Micronutrients in growing citrus is essential yet is often overlooked by homeowners. A new product on the citrus scene may be the affordable and easy solution to fertilizing citrus in your backyard.  KeyPlex Citrus HG is a foliar nutritional supplement that allows the homeowner to provide important micronutrients to their citrus trees. KeyPlex Citrus HG is derived from alpha-keto acids, an energy compound. Alpha-keto acids are the primary element in the production of amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids, and hormones. When plants are healthy and have access to micronutrients, plants are able to create thicker cell walls. Thicker cell walls allows the plant to be stronger and less susceptible to stress, which enables the plant to ward off diseases.

It seems citrus has taking a beating the last few years from canker and citrus greeening. But it wouldn't be Florida without orange and grapefruit trees. Providing micronutrients is a great way to have healthier citrus trees. I've even used it on my vegetable beds successfully. Costs for KeyPlex products range from $5.99 to $29.99 for larger garden beds. Homeowners can find KeyPlex HG and KeyPlex Citrus HG online at KeyPlexdirect.com and locally in Orlando at 1-407-459-7682.

 

KeyPlex has even chosen pink flamingos as their mascots.

Weeds, Weeds, Weeds

Warmer temperatures in spring brings the bad with the good.  While it's great to have the sunny skies, to be out in the garden, it also brings weeds to your turf and garden beds.  If you don't get a handle on the weeds now, you'll be pulling not only weeds all summer long but your hair out in frustration. 

What's the secret behind having a luscious lawn with no weeds?  Good balance!  The proper sunlight, right amount of water, and correct fertilization that all work to make your lawn healthy and weed free. 

Whether its' St. Augustinegrass, bahiagrass, or zoysiagrass, you need to make sure that best management practices guide your lawn maintenance.  Do you or your lawn maintenance company use the following pracctices:

• Keep all lawn equipment clean and sterile?  Do you blow your lawn mower off after each lawncutting before going on to another yard or being stored?
• Keep your lawn mower blades sharp?  Blades need to be sharpened after every five mowings.
• Bag your clippings if you have a weed problem?  If not, you may be mulching the weed seeds right back into your lawn.
• Keep your mower at its highest level?  Keeping your turf as high as possible will make it healthier and more likely to keep weed seeds out of yard.  No scalping!  St. Augustinegrass and Bahiagrass need to be mowed at 3" to 4" and Zoysiagrass should be around 2.5".
• Watering only when necessary - not just because it's your day to water.  St. Augustinegrass and Zoysiagrass need about 1.5" of water a week, Bahiagrass needs about 1".  Watering more than your turf needs will result in short root systems that will not survive droughts and allow for turf to be more susceptible to weeds and diseases.  An easy way to tell if your turfgrass needs watered?  Walk across your turf.  After 2-3 minutes turn around and see if you can see your footprints where you walked. If you can, you need to water.  If the grass has sprung right back up again, no need to water, there is enough hydration in your grassblades. Other indications that your lawn needs watered:  grass blades that fold or turn greenish-blue.
• Fertilize twice a year with low (0-2%) phosophorus fertilizer and an 1:1 ratio of nitrogen and potassium. 

Control of weeds can be easier if you apply pre-emergent herbicides in the early spring and herbicides in springtime and fall.  Do not apply herbicides in the summertime when the temperatures are over 85 degrees. If you only have a few weeds, then spot-treat. There is no reason to apply an herbicide to your whole lawn. If you have more than 75% of your lawn is weedy, then it might make more sense and dollar-wise to get rid of the entire lawn and replace.  Check your options. 

There are three types of weeds and identification of the weed is your best bet to getting rid of it.  Broadleaf, grasses, and sedges.  and there are different herbicides to get remove them. Make sure you read the label before you purchase so that you understand what the herbicide will kill and how to apply it.  Make sure your turfgrass is listed and the weed is listed on the label.

UF/IFAS has an excellent publication on Weed Management in a Florida Lawn. 

NCIS Los Angeles Highlights Water Waste

My husband is a big fan of NCIS and NCIS Los Angeles.  While watching the popular forensic television show on CBS this week, he had to rewind the show so I could watch Hetty touch on the most common insane reason for overwatering lawns.

NCIS Los Angeles, Season 2 Episode 17 "Personal" - February 22nd

NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna: "Did you just pull that address of the top of your head?"

NCIS Operations Manager Henrietta "Hetty" Lange: "I wouldn't be doing my job if I wasn't keeping track of my agents. Oh, and the by the way, you're overwatering your lawn."

NCIS Special Agent Sam Hanna: "I like a lush lawn."

I wonder if Hetty is wondering ala Renn and Stempy:  "Idiots, I'm surrounded by idiots. "

Vegetable Gardening Planted!

This Saturday was our family vegetable gardening project. Our grandchildren helped us prepared raised containers with some new vegetable seeds from the international Sakata Seed.   It's going to be a learning project for Jaxon and Mackenah to see how fast the vegetables grow and mark their progress on a calendar and graph.

Because of all the shade from old oaks in our backyard, we planted the vegetables in  full sun in our long driveway and border garden. We planted:

• 'Touchstone Gold' beets 
• 'Red Bull' bell peppers
• 'Tasty Green' burpless cucumbers
• 'Vulcan' lettuce
• 'Da Vinci' melons
• 'Jalafuego' peppers
• 'Hijinks' pumpkins - 2011 All American Selection
• 'Tyee' spinach
• 'Solid Gold' cherry tomatoes
• 'Sweet Hearts' grape tomatoes
• 'Sweet Million' cherry  tomatoes
• 'Sweet Treat' tomatoes

We also planted onions, garlic, strawberries, and nasturtiums.  Jaxon and Mackenah wrote the names of each plant on the label tags, along with Saturday's date and the approximate date of harvesting.

We'll let you know how they progress, but I was very impressed with the seed quality. I am anticipating a great harvest with enough vegetables and fruit to share with the whole neighborhood. 

You can see more of Sakata's Vegetable Seeds online - click here.  But if you would like to get these wonderful vegetable seeds, you have to order from their distributors here.  Check them out!

Free Park Seed Wholesale Catalog

Springtime Is Here

In another week, my Formosa azaleas will be blooming beautifully. Temperatures are in the low 80's, 50's at night, 79% humidity. No rain forecasted.  Spring is here.

Azaleas for Florida

In Your Backyard - Fungus Gnats

Growing a herb garden indoors, or any plants for that matter, doesn't keep them from having pest problems. Somehow insects find their way inside. Visible signs of small flies flitting between the leaves when you put your hands near the herbs means that fungus gnats have found your planters. Overwatering and soil contamination are the main reasons that the little pests feel comfortable.  They lay their eggs in the wet soil and when they hatch, the decomposition provides lots of food for them to thrive.  Once you see the flies, you need to get control quickly. If you are vigilant, you will see the flies before damage to your plants and roots occur.

What should you do? First, if its herbs and you want to use them in your cooking, you don't want to use any insecticides that will contaminate the plants.  Make sure your plants are in the right location where they get enough sunlight and good air movement. Stop overwatering and only water soil when its perfectly dry to the touch. Don't let the water sit in the pot liners.  Try using the yellow sticky boards that will collect them as they unknowingly get stuck when they fly close by. Change out the sticky boards when full and replace until they are gone.  You may even want to change the soil out to get rid of any larvae.


Darkwinged Fungus Gnats , Lycoriella spp. and Bradysia spp., Sciaridae,
Credit: Lance Osborner, University of Florida/MFREC



Spring Rose Care

The next week holds wonderful weather for Florida gardeners to be outside! Mid-February/early March is springtime in our southern state and the best time to prune your roses. I love growing roses and they are easy care but take more time to maintain than typical tropicals.  Roses need full sunlight,  low volume irrigation, and cleanliness.  Without eight hours of sun, most modern roses may survive but won't bloom as much and will be leggy. If you have shade, try antique roses.  Watering roses correctly means that you don't have overhead irrigation hitting the leaves which provides the conditions for diseases.  Low volume, drip irrigation is better with our Florida humidity. Roses need about a gallon of water a week.  You'll find that your rose will stay healthier if they are not en masse' but strategically placed away from the other roses. I have mine located here and there through out the yard.

Separated, pest problems won't spread as easily from rose to rose to rose. Knock Out roses were supposed to be pest free when they first came out, but because of the popularity and mass plantings, have been attacked by epidemic of chili thrips.  Use a slow release systemic rose fertilizer for nutrition, disease and insect control to keep your roses healthy.

Secret to lots of blooms?  Cut back often.  The more you cut roses, the more they will bloom. Now I was always taught to cut diagonally 1/4 inch above a five-leaflet leaf. But Paul Zimmerman, with Fine Gardening seems to have a different opinion.  He does make sense.

My favorite roses are fragrant - why have a rose if you cannot smell its beauty?  Here are the ones that I loved:  Angel Face, Perfume Delight, Double Delight, Abraham Darby, Old Blush, Mr. Lincoln, Scentimental, and Queen Elizabeth. 

Resources:

• UF/IFAS Growing Roses in Florida
• Fortuniana Rootstock - Best for Florida Roses
• Rose Rootstocks
• Rose Pests in Florida
• Rose Glossary
• American Rose Society
• Find a Rose Society in your area. 

What A Beautiful World We Live In

The beauty of our world is breathtaking and life-giving. We need to be good stewards of the gifts we have been entrusted.

Topiaries Leafing Out

Photos copyright 2005-2007 Teresa Watkins

Topiaries are one of my favorite garden features.  Walt Disney World and EPCOT feature topiaries of the Disney fairy tale characters during their International Flower Show each spring.

 WEBecoist has more great photos of exotic and creative topiary artwork to enjoy.  

(images via: Wicanders Cork Oak Blog, New Lantern and HorseHints)

Step by step directions to making a topiary:

• How to create a sphagnum topiary.
• How Disney creates their topiaries.
• Topiary Design
• How to make moss topiaries.

Sources for topiary frames:

• Apenberry's - Orlando
• Topiary Inc - Tampa
• Chris' Topiary Nursery - Online order
• Cliff Finch's Zoo - Online order
• ETopiary - Online Order
• Topiary Joe's - Corporate, custom topiaries 

Southern Beauties - Camellias

Camellia japonicas and camellia sasanquas are popular flowers in the Southeast. There are over 3,000 named varieties of these lovely native Asian shrubs.  Sited correctly, camellias are hardy and easy care flowers for your landscape.

Blooming from early December through spring, camellias thrive in shade and partial sun locations. Plant camellias in moist, acidic soils.  Lakefront properties with cypresses, large oaks, and pine trees are ideal sites.  A yard with years of organic material from leaf litter is also a good location. Feed every three months with acidic fertilizer. Mature height of camellias depends on the variety.  They can grow four to fifteen feet in height and width, so make sure your camellia selection will not be crowded too close to other shrubs or too close to your house so that it has to be pruned often.  If you do need to cut back your camellia, prune after they bloom to prevent cutting off forming buds in late summer.

We're fortunate in Central Florida to have the third largest camellia collection in America at  Leu Gardens in Winter Park.  This is a great time to visit Leu Gardens and see the beautiful flowers in bloom.

University of Florida/IFAS Camellia Publication

Camellia Disease and Pest Problems:

• Clemson University
• Virginia Camellia Society
• Dr. Lakshmi Sridharan
• Gainesville Camellia Society