New Garden Tool Moves Soil With Ease

FNGLA's The Landscape Show is this coming weekend to the Orlando County Convention Center and its always the best place to see the hottest landscape design trends, the newest plants coming to garden centers and the latest in garden gadgets and tools. 

One of the most innovative garden gadgets that I've seen in a few years that will be showcased at The Landscape Show is the LEANLever.  The LEANLever is a flexible attachment for hand tools that uses Archimedes' Law of Leverage. You remember Archimedes?  The philosopher who said: "Give me a place to stand on and I will move the Earth."  Jerry Behar, a top Fortune 500 consultant, learned the hard way that leverage is a gardener's best friend. After hurting his back digging up soil in his yard, Behar received estimates of more than $300 to move the soil off his driveway. He decided to invent a tool that would help him leverage the soil without straining his back.

Behar received a patent for his LEANLever and took the invention to the International New Product Exposition (INPEX 2010) where he won multiple awards, including the Bosch Award

The LEANLever is also being reviewed by NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) to reduce musculoskeletal disorders (Back pain and Hand Arm vibrations). Device drives jackhammer vibrations into the ground and worker does not have to support a 60 lb tool.

There are many benefits of this contractors tool for the household too:

• Reduces fatigue
• Reduces back pain
• Increases leverage
• Reduces bending
• Doubles lifting power
• Reduces vibrations from motorized tools
• Supports and controls heavy tools.

You can see the LeanLever at The Landscape Show I'll be interviewing Jerry Behar today about his new garden tool on "In Your Backyard." You will want to pay attention;to the special announcement for My790am listeners!

Art In The Garden Tour

What a great time on Saturday with Leesburg's Center for the Arts fundraiser: "Art in the Garden."   The event hosted a tour of gardens with talented local artists inspired by the surrounding landscape. I was able to hitch a ride with four lovely ladies in proper hats, winners of the "grand tour" which featured driving to each home in a white limousine that had champagne and chocolate wine.

Starting at Simon Seed Nursery in Leesburg,co-sponsor of the "Art in the Garden," the tour visited five homes with birds, creative landscapes, lakefront views, and fabulous paintings.

I tried to take as many photographs as I could even though I was pointing out great plants everyone should have in their gardens as well as naming species.

The highlight was a delicious brunch served at Leesburg's Center for the Arts Gallery on Main Street with special guest, Rosarian extraordinaire Mark Nelson, of Nelson's Roses fame. 

What a great time I had and I'm marking my calendar for next year's Art in the Garden! 



Art in the Garden

Glow In the Dark Mushrooms Rediscovered

Eerie glow-in-the-dark mushrooms have been found again in the Amazon rainforest after not being seen for 170 years.

Although glowing fungi are nothing new to science — there are 71 identified species — this particular species (named Neonothopanus gardneri, after the initial discoverer) is notable for its size and the extraordinary strength of its light.

"It glows more brightly than almost all other luminescent mushrooms," said Dennis Desjardin, a fungi expert at San Francisco State University. "If you were in a dark room and you put one on a newspaper, you'd be able to read the words

I love photographing and looking for mushrooms on my hikes.  Read how these bioluminescent mushrooms were discovered, lost and refound here.

Read more about bioluminescence.
10 Fascinating Bioluminescent Organisms 

No Rest For The Wicked

The wicked plants in your garden are not necessarily turf weeds but exotic invasive trees, ornamentals, and vines that take over ecosystems and spread their havoc far and wide. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, known as FLEPPC, has a downloadable brochure for your files, maintenance company crew, or your HOA to determine if a plant species should be removed. If a HOA committee is renovating common areas or older landscapes, make sure that these plants are not in the design.

Many of these beautiful and hardy plants were sold and encouraged in previous years so its not anyone's fault that they are in your yard.  But while Category 1 Exotics are not illegal to sell nor mandatory to remove, they are still expanding into Florida's habitats and will for decades to come. Exotic invasives are dangerous because they are easily propagated by seeds and spread by underground roots. Birds and winds from tropical storms help dispurse the seeds increasing their range out of neighborhoods and across the state. As these "Most Unwanted" plants multiply, they compete with native plants for space and resources.

 

In your landscape, exotic invasives grow very quickly and have little to no pest problems to help decrease their numbers. Exotics, then with water and fertlizer that in their homeland countries would not normally get so their species has no natural controls, and populations explode.

Who are these most wanted wicked plant species? Are they in your backyard? Here are some of the ones I frequently see:

• Coral ardesia, Ardesia crenata
• Asparagus fern, Asparagus aethiopicus (formerly Asparagus sprengerii)
• Orchid tree, Bauhinia variegata
• Camphor tree, Cinnamomum camphora
• Wild taro, Colocasia esculenta
• Heavenly bamboo, Nandina domestica
• Sword fern, Nephrolepis cordifolia
• Mexican petunia, Ruellia tweediana
• Mother-in-law tongues, Sanseveria hyacinthoides
• Chinese tallow tree Sapium sebiferum
• Brazilian pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius
• Arrowhead vine Syngonium podophyllum

Vegetable Garden Planted

Well, its done!  Our front yard, in the unused portion of our driveway, is now home to our vegetable gardening.  Due to the large oaks and "North Carolina" themed landscape in the backyard, the front and side yard is one of our sunniest locations.

We used a pre-cut cedar raised bed product from Home Depot. At approximately $80, the raised beds were reasonably priced factoring saving time, labor, and cost versus buying the materials and sacrificing to the wood gods. We also reused our cleaned aluminum tubs and rectangular plastic containers from springtime.

We checked last season's low-volume irrigation, changing out the emitter heads for good distribution uniformity.

What are we expecting to harvest from our edible landscaping?

First bed:

• Pasillo Bajio Chile Peppers
• Cow Horn Peppers
• NuMex Joe E Parker Peppers
• Cubanelle Peppers
• Ancho/Poblano Peppers

Second bed:

• Supersweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes
• Cherokee Purple Tomatoes
• Beefsteak Tomatoes
• Aunt Ruby's German Green Tomatoes
• Grape Tomatoes (saved from the grocery bought tomatoes)

How many tomatoes does it take?  Check out how you measure your fresh tomatoes for your cooking recipes.

First Tub:

• Gourmet Baby Greens Mesclun Lettuce
• Bibb Lettuce

Second Tub:

• Bloomsdale Spinach
• Red Malabar Spinach

Rectangle container:

• Onions
• Leeks

We only used half or less of the seed packets so we will save the seeds in dry envelopes and place them in our refrigerator to keep for spring.  As the plants emerge, we will thin them out and place some in containers for our children and the neighborhood, and keep some for our table.

We have to wait about ten days to see any green shoots! Will be taking photos from sprouting through harvesting.  Let us know how your vegetable gardening is doing.  We'll post your photos.

New Plant Finds

Visiting Apenberry's is always like a treasure hunt! Dave, buyer and  part of the sales staff for the local nursery knows that I'm always on the search for great new plants for my landscape and this weekend I hit the jackpot. 

The Yucca rostara 'Sapphire Blue' is an incredible succulent that has soft and short blue needles and slowly grows into a small 5' tree with no branches, just the globular needles.  Definitely a xeric plant that only needs occasional watering during droughts, this yucca will create a wonderful rock garden container. I used a matte black modern pot and added Blue Spruce stonecrop, Sedum reflexum 'Blue Spruce',  and Sea Urchin Sedum - Sedum lineare 'Variegatum' along with a paddle plant, Kalanchoe thrysiflora.  I stuck other small succulents strategically between the round and flat stones to fill in and add interest.  Zone 5 - 11.  Full sun, minimum water, good drainage.

Monrovia has a beautiful new frilly Juniperus x pfitzeriana 'MonSan' called Sea of Gold.  Not often you can find 'Northern-looking' variegated ornamentals shrubs here in Central Florida and this one is outstanding.  Golden-yellow foliage that will increase in color with cooler temperatures.  Its perfect for smaller areas with mature size of 3 foot tall by 4 foot wide. Zoned 3 - 9,  this mounding juniper needs full sun and minimum watering during droughts.

Both plants rate high on water conservation, pest-free, and low maintenance.  If you don't live near Apenberry's, go to your local nursery and ask them to order these great treasures for your backyard.

Preparing For Irene - Is Your Backyard Ready?

UPDATE: 8/30/11 Irene didn't give Florida a bit of trouble. Unfortunately flooding, winds, dune destruction, and at least 18 died from the hurricane's damage.

UPDATE:  2pm Monday - Looks like Irene may be heading to northeast towards Charleston now. Hopefully we'll still get some of the beneficial rainfall.   

Irene, the first hurricane of the 2011 is heading our way. She is expected to skirt Central Florida's east coast Friday and while only a category one storm now and possibly increase to a category two on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale, we will still get a lot of winds and rain.  Is your yard and home ready?

What should you do in your yard to prepare for a hurricane:

• Remove any dead branches, fronds, or limbs from trees and palms that could possibly break.
• Check yard and remove any patio furniture and toys that could become wind projectiles.
• Turn off irrigation now so that your landscape is not saturated by the time the storm arrives.
• Check gutters to remove any debris that will clog or backup.

Check your hurricane supply list and make sure you have everything necessary to be comfortable if power goes out.in your area.  Remember the power companies do know when power is out in an area and will have extra crews ready to get your electricity back on. Never let children or pets outside to walk around when electrical lines are down.  If your electricity is out, you can use your grill outside to make coffee or meals. Never use a charcoal grill indoors due to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Irene is our first guest and this will be a good test for Florida to prepare for a normal hurricane season of three to seven tropical storms and named hurricanes.  Florida receives most of necessary rainfall during the hurricane season so we do need the heavy rainstorms. 

Starting Seeds

A great way to enjoy your favorite vegetables and flowers is to save the seeds to plant again. The process is easy and economical.  Tomatoes are ideal for learning how to save seeds. 

You will need:

• Your favorite ripe tomato
• Glass jars or container to soak seeds in
• Paper towel or coffee maker liner
• Seed packets or plain paper envelopes (great way to recycle old opened envelopes)

Always allow the tomato to fully ripen before trying to harvest seeds.

• Cut the tomatoes in half at the equator (widthways).

• Carefully scoop out the jelly and seeds out of the pulp center and place in jar.  If done gently, you can still eat the tomato.

• Add water to the jar.

• Cover jar with plastic and make a slit in the top of the plastic to allow for transpiration of the seeds. This will enable the seeds to ferment which will help the seeds separate from the jelly and also help destroy any diseases that the seeds may have.

• Now place jar in sunny window (60 to 75 degrees) for three to four days. 

Come back in three days and let's see how the tomato seeds are doing!

Arabian Lilac - Summer Delight

Arabian lilacs, Vitex trifolia f. purpurea, a member of the chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) family are a new addition to the Florida landscape.  Heat-thriving with soft, fragrant leaves and purplish blue flowers, these plants grow in full sun or partial shade.  As a shrub they grow to be six to eight feet tall, or you can trim them up to be a small understory tree by trimming the lower branches.

Drought tolerant, these Australian natives need consistant watering the first year and after establishment can thrive on normal summer rainfall.  Butterflies are a benefit of planting these purple beauties in your yard. No other pest problems or disease to speak of now.  Ask your local nursery to order one for you!

Summer Containers That Beat The Heat

Creating beautiful pockets of color for your yard is easy when you select the right plants and containers.  Choosing a container is not only about aesthetics but also about your landscape maintenance style. Are you someone who loves pottery full of flowers but you don't have irrigation to the pots or want to worry about watering every day in the summer heat?  Then select a ceramic or plastic container and using a potting soil with water holding materials like coconut fibers or polymer water balls that will allow soil to hold onto moisture longer.  Clay pots dry out very quickly and depending on the plant species used will need watering every day. For succulents and cacti, clay pots are very appropriate.

Mix annuals, perennials, succulents, herbs, and even small trees in your container, making sure they all have the same sunlight and soil conditions.. Select three to five plants that will give you vertical (height), horizontal (width) , and depth (hanging below the pot's top edge).  Vary the foliage types with spikes, succulent vines, or soft velvety leaves.  Use the color wheel approach to match your flowers and foliage with your choice of container. 

Complete your containter by adding Spanish or sphagnum moss to fill in any bare areas to create more interest.  If you are collecting Spanish moss from your yard and want to use it indoors or on a patio, dry it out and kill any insects or mites first by microwaving for one to three minutes before adding to your creation.

Keep an eye on your plants for the first couple of weeks to ensure that it is getting enough rainfall or water to beat the heat. 

Some ideas for great plants to use in containers for full sun outdoors:

• African bush daisy, Gamolepis chrysanthemoides
• Ice plants, Aptenia spp.
• Osteospernum, Osteospermum spp
• Ageratum, Ageratum spps.
• Blanket flower, Gaillardia pulchella
• Bulbine, Bulbine frutescens
• Bluebird vine, Petrea volubilis
• Calendula, Calendula officinalis
• Celosia, Celosia spp.
• Common yarrow, Achillea millefolium
• Firecracker flower, Crossandra spp.
• Firecracker plant, Russelia equisetiformis
• Gazania, Gazania spp.
• Gloriosa lily, Gloriosa superba
• Showy stonecrop, Sedum spectabile
• Ornamental potato vine, Ipomoea batatas
• Jewels of Opar, Talinum paniculatum
• Lavender, Lavandula dentata, Lavandula stoeches
• Million bells, Calibrochoa spp.
• Society garlic, Tulbaghia violacea
• Whirling butterflies, Gaura lindheimeri
• Zinnia, Zinnia spp.

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.