Gardening

Daffodils not just a native Northerner's memory

chris.wagner@starbanner — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 05:00:00 GMT

One of the first things I learned when we moved to Central Florida was to forget having fields of daffodils.

In fact I told my friends Sue and Jerry Milks that I personally wouldn't plant the spent bulbs from forced potted arrangements you can purchase locally each spring. However, if they wanted to try, go ahead. I was sure they would be disappointed.

Well, those bulbs made a liar out of me because the daffies not only thrived but spread. Proved wrong, I wanted to know more so I was thrilled when I recently met and interviewed Linda Van Beck. Linda is the past president of the Florida Daffodil Society and author of "Florida - A Field Guide to the Coastal South."

If you grew King Alfreds "up north," forget it. However, there are several daffodils that will thrive as long as we plant them at the right time and the right way for our climate.

One of those varieties is the tazetta (paper whites) that produce clusters of small flowers and are much more tolerant of our weather. In fact, Florida boasted commercial tazetta farms back in the 1920s and '30s. I was surprised to learn that some of the more successful farms were located in Alachua, Volusia, and Seminole counties.

I am going to save proper planting procedures until next week to give everyone interested in growing these wonderful bulbs a chance to order them from the three companies Linda recommended. Plus, because they need a pH between 6.0 and 7.5, have your soil tested through your extension if you do not already know your pH.

First, however, are the recommended daffodils for our area.

Carlton: Beautiful two-toned yellow single 5-inch vanilla scented flower per 18- to 20-inch stem.

Ice Follies: Another large cup daffodil with only one flower per stem reaching 16 to 18 inches. The flowers are pale yellow with a frilled yellow cup. As it ages, the cup turns creamy white.

Silver Chimes: Reaching 12 inches, each stem handles up to 10 creamy white scented blooms.

Erlicheer: Only reaching 10 inches in height, this miniature has fragrant ruffled snowy white double blooms with a creamy center.

It is not too late to order them as long as they are planted immediately upon receipt. I have been in touch with the three recommended retailers. Please note, bulb availability is ever changing.

Brent and Becky's Bulbs, www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com, 877-661-2852.

They are out of Silver Chimes but have Carlton, Ice Follies and Erlicheer.

Terra Ceia Farms, www.terraceiafarms.com, 800-858-2852.

They have plenty of Ice Follies and Erlicheer.

John Scheepers, www.johnscheepers.com, 860-567-0838.

Ice Follies and Silver Chimes are still available.

I know I am not the only former Northerner who misses what we consider the only true spring flowers! Now if only the experts could find tulips, hyacinths and crocuses to thrive and repeat bloom each year. I can dream, can't I?

Anne-Marie Conard is a member of the Garden Writers Association and winner of two UF/IFAS Marketing & Communications Writing Awards for her weekly garden column. E-mail her at flfriendlygarden@msn.com.
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Native azaleas are like swans in waiting

chris.wagner@starbanner — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 05:00:00 GMT

This is a story about an ugly duckling. Not fauna, but flora. This ugly duckling can be found at a few local nurseries right now looking like dead sticks with a few crummy looking leaves. In early spring, however, this ugly duckling will have the most magnificent flowers, smell heavenly, and is a native to boot!

I hope I've caught your attention because I am now going to explain why this is the best time of year to plant native azaleas. They may not be as easy to find as hybridized azaleas, but natives are well worth the effort.

As usual, I went to an expert, LouRana "Lou" Harrelson of Salmon's Whole Nursery. Actually I was introduced to Lou this past spring by Floyd McHenry who has some of the most glorious native azaleas growing in his yard. In fact, Floyd specifically asked if I could go to his yard and photograph them in full bloom.

Floyd McHenry recently retired from the Division of Plant Industry in the Plant Inspection Bureau. The Division of Plant Industry requires the registration of all nurseries (as well as nursery stock dealers, agents and plant brokers) and conducted inspections of nursery stock several times each year.

Because of Floyd's knowledgeable care and pruning capabilities, his native azaleas are amazing so I agreed to get the word out on using this shrub in our landscapes.

Native azaleas look terrible right now because they are deciduous (lose their leaves) and go dormant which, believe it or not, makes now the best time to plant. Although it is okay to plant them in the spring, native azaleas are best planted fall through winter to give them plenty of time to establish a good root system before flushing out in the spring.

Lou recommends planting them in full sun to filtered shade at the same depth and at least twice as wide as the container augmenting the soil organically by using compost, any kind of oak leaves, cottonseed meal and/or peat moss.

Plant native azaleas as soon as possible although they can be kept in the container for awhile as long as they are kept watered. Once planted and established, they still need to be watered several times a week.

With no pests or diseases to worry about, native azaleas make a great addition to the landscape. Lou told me there may be a little fungus on the leaves if over watered. Pruning is confined to deadheading after flowering and, if desired, pruning to encourage shape since they have a tendency to be leggier than hybrids.

It is best to have a lower than average pH so if you can grow blueberries, you're fine. If you don't know, have your soil tested for free through the Master Gardeners at your local extension office. Call ahead for proper procedure.

There is so much more to know about native azaleas and Salmon's Wholesale Nursery so I decided to save that information for next week. In the meantime, Salmon's supplies native azaleas to several local retail nurseries so check with B & B Nursery (694-4939), Bob Wines Nursery (629-5766), Briar Patch (690-6887) or Taylor Gardens Nursery (629-0980).

E-mail Ocala gardener Anne-Marie Conard at flfriendlygarden@msn.com.>

This plant is an environmentally destructive beauty

chris.wagner@starbanner — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 04:00:00 GMT

I have a beautiful arrangement of live plants on my lanai. They were a Father's Day gift to my husband from his nieces this year. They reminded me of another gift several years ago containing a beautiful little plant that grew and grew, bloomed, and presented with a multitude of bright red berries. Getting quite large, I repotted it and (quite proudly, I might add) set it out in our vestibule.

And then something in the way that plant looked reminded me of a workshop I attended several years before. Eek! I had just unleashed the dreaded Ardisia crenata! Thank goodness it was in a pot and not in the ground.

I proceeded to destroy it, although I could have kept it on the lanai since it was screened in and not available to the birds.

Birds would have eaten the berries and, doing what birds do, flew away, dispersed the seeds which would then germinate, grow and begin to destroy ecologically sensitive areas.

Why? Ardisia crenata, aka coral ardisia (also spelled ardesia), coralberry, spiceberry and Christmas berry, is considered a Category 1 invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

ccording to FLEPPC, "Category 1 are invasive exotics that are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions or hybridizing with natives.

"This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused."

By compiling invasive plant lists and revising them every two years, FLEPPC performs an important service with information available to the conscientious homeowner. They use botanists plus other professionals to decide which plants should be on the list.
If you're wondering what kind of problem my little plant can cause, you'd be interested to know I found out the Sierra Club recently scheduled a field trip to Rainbow Springs State Park.

From April 8 through the 15th of this year, their volunteers helped the Florida Park Services rid the area of as much coral ardesia, air potato, wedelia and skunk vine as possible.

Threatening nature's balance by cutting down on the variety of native plants, coral ardesia reduces light by shading out the understory in forests. Once established, the shrubs are so thick (as many as 100 plants per square meter) they eliminate native groundcovers such as violets and trilliums.

Cutting them down doesn't help since they will quickly regrow, and fire won't stop them either.

So when you get that gorgeous plant arrangement as a gift and it outgrows the pot, please don't plant outside or dump the pot in a place where the plants may grow and spread. You never know what damage you may be unleashing into the environment.
For more information on Florida exotic plant problems and how you can help, visit www.invasive.org for a list of Florida noxious weeds and www.fleppc.org, which is the official Web site for the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council.

Be sure to click on Invasives 101 and the Proper Uses of FLEPPC Invasive Plant Lists. Contact your local extension office for more information if you do not have Internet access.

Anne-Marie Conard is an Ocala gardener. Contact her at FLFriendlyGarden@msn.com.

Raise vegetables in a raised bed

chris.wagner@starbanner — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 04:00:00 GMT

There are times I miss a vegetable garden in my own yard. However, I am lucky to know some dedicated vegetable gardeners through the Marion County Master Gardener program. One in particular, Carol Ann Baldwin, has not only been in charge of the demonstration vegetable garden for the last 8 years but is also the expert I turned to when deciding to write about growing vegetables through the winter.

Vines need support, pruning

chris.wagner@starbanner — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 04:00:00 GMT

What group of plants sleep the first year, creep the second and leap the third? Vines. With central Florida's long growing season, annual vines grow rapidly until frost. Deciduous and evergreen vines thrive. Picking the right vine depends on your goals.

Hurricane season calls for wind-tolerant plants

chris.wagner@starbanner — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 05:00:00 GMT

August is finally here, and we’ve all been instructed on how to prepare for hurricanes. Landscaping for wind damage from hurricanes is actually something we can do now. Our landscape choices may either save or destroy property.