This years program moves to The Hillsborough Community College Plant City Campus to accommodate more participants and to see the University of Florida Teaching Gardens. Excellent speakers will answer all your gardening questions. Learn the latest on safe insect control from the Dr. Jim Price and ask him about the Jerry Baker and snake oil formulas that make extravagant claims.
Florida Friendly Landscaping TM 101 Program
8:30 – 9:00 am Registration and refreshments
9:00 – 9:30 am Recent Landscape Regulations - State Bill 2080 (Lynn Barber)
9:30 – 10:15 am Alternative Vegetable Gardening (Dr. Sydney Park Brown)
10:15 – 10:30 am Break
10:30 – 11:15 am Bats and Snakes (Dr. Steve Johnson)
11:15 – 12:00 pm Safe Solutions for Insect management (Dr. Jim Price)
12:00 – 12:15 pm Green Learning – Local Educational Opportunities
(Lynn Barber, Erin Givens & Matt Freedman, Dr. Sydney Park Brown)
12:15 pm Questions & Answers
Last years pictures of the Teaching Garden.
Growing Green- April 24, 2010 Click to see who is going and sign up.
Time:8:30AM Saturday, April 24th
Location:Hillsborough Community College Plant City Campus
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Dr. Gail Hansen and the folks at U of F Extension have produced many great documents at their Solutions for Your Life Website. If you want to evaluate your landscape take a look at this Publication.
Consider adding a border to tie your landscape together and give it a finished look. At most Florida Home Depot stores you will find SausEdgeTM. You can use this innovative tube to cut your work and cost in half and get an edge on your beds.
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The University of Florida has a new tool on their Florida Automated Weather Network FAWN
that shows the predicted temperature, winds and rainfall amounts at agricultural research centers around the state. Under the Tools tab you select Forecast and then select the center closest to you and you will get a better idea for your local weather than the regional averages from the weather channel.
Yet another reason to endow our education system and this great land grant university.
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Temple Terrace, located on the East Side of Tampa, is designated by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA. Some of our Florida Native Trees are the best choice for longevity and structure.
Trees make gardening in Florida much more enjoyable. I can’t imagine gardening without the partial shade of trees. Plants growing in the full sun all day require so much more water to look their tropical best.
Trees create a micro climate as we see on days like today after a freezing night like last night. Trees prevent some radiation heat loss. As you look around your neighborhood this week you will see how much better plants growing under the trees survived this extreme cold snap of 2010.
The Temple Terrace Garden Club, the city of Temple Terrace and Tampa Electric Co. have produced a full-color Temple Terrace Tree Guide That is available with in formation on how to select the right tree for the right spot.
The guides are at the Temple Terrace Public Library, 202 Bullard Park way, and Temple Terrace City Hall, 11250 N. 56th St. Similar information can be found on the web at:
Tampa Electrics Florida Tree Planting Guide
TECO also has information about tree trimming. Learn much more about all the Florida Trees at this University of Florida Extension Service site.
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December 18, 2009 by
Rick
November 27, 2009 by
Rick
Start with a Piece of permeable ground cloth in a sunny spot near a water source.
The Easy Garden Box assembles in minutes and lasts for years.
Add your compost or planting mix.
Wet it down and you are ready to fertilize and plant.
Make sure you plant Varieties for Florida and at the right time for success.
2 by 4 lumber can be stacked and bracketed for a similar garden.
Community Gardens are a great place to see examples of Raised Gardens.
Kids love to learn and do when it comes to growing anything. Get outside and have some fun!
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November 14, 2009 by
RickExperience a beautiful garden and learn what grows well in Florida and how to grow it. Open 7 days a week for you to wander in and enjoy the park like setting while observing some very diverse garden and plant types.
View Larger Map
A very informative site is being developed to help you determine what might grow in your environment. Natives for Your Neighborhood (beta)
Gardeners looking to integrate wild species into their landscape for the benefits of attracting butterflies and birds to the garden will find this tool helpful. The images are clear and the information insightful.
Corkystem passionflower This is the native passion vine that is well behaved. Be careful where you plant the pretty Passiflora incarnata. It suckers and sprouts up far from where you plant it and become a dominant invasive plant in your gardens and your neighbors.
The site helps you figure out what your preexisting habitat was before it became subdivision on deep sand fill dirt. Be aware that the natural soil is gone from the subdivision as drainage and water shedding was improved and retention has been altered and moved to a central site when the bulldozers and dump trucks created the streets and home sites. This means that what was growing on the site previously will not perform the same way if you try it again. Always consider Right Plant - Right Place weather you design your garden with natives or other Florida Friendly Plants that attract wildlife and are more attractive to gardeners. Look around similar neighborhoods for plants doing well in settings similar to your own. You won't have to look far. Take a digital camera with you and capture local plants you would like in your yard. Discuss the plants with other gardeners, neighbor, friends, or your local County Extension agents whose job it is to help you get it right.
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September 22, 2009 by
Rick
At the University of Florida Museum of Natural History Butterfly Gallery you will find images of more butterflies than you probably knew existed. These are searchable by common and scientific name, country, photographer and other classifications so you can learn and find what you are seeking. This is a good bookmark for anyone starting their backyard or community butterfly garden or anyone who appreciates the beauty in nature.
Monarch and Queen Butterflies Nectaring on Scarlet Milkweed which is also their larval food source.
This year has been particularly good for butterflies. Traveling around Florida I have noticed more species in a larger quantity than previous years. They seemed to be everywhere. It could be that Florida had above average rainfall and the dry season ended earlier than normal this year. Hoe and Shovel has some excellent new images (Butterflies Galore) of different life stages that are worth a look.
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