Tag: Cape Coral Daily Breeze

Florida’s Surprising Spring Plants – Cathy Dunn

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Florida's Surprising Spring Plants

April 8, 2021
By Cathy Dunn - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze

Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze

As a new Florida gardener, I was excited to think that I had landed in a spot where everything bloomed year-round. It was quite a surprise to learn that there are many plants that are dormant or drop their leaves and appear to die during the cool winter season. I actually discovered this quite by accident!

During my first summer here, I couldn’t resist purchasing a curcuma plant that was lush and flowering beautifully. As the summer progressed, it began to look a little less wonderful, so I did some research and decided I had placed it in a pot in too much sun on my lanai. So off to the shaded bed it went, protected by a palm tree’s shadow. But this didn’t appear to be a solution – the plant looked more pathetic with each passing day.

Being a total garden perfectionist, I finally lopped off the few remaining pitiful leaves and dutifully planted another specimen in its place to avoid a hole in my garden.

The following spring, I was shocked to find tightly furled leaves emerging around the bromeliad I had planted in what I thought was an open spot – it was the curcuma re-emerging! The bromeliad was quickly dispatched to another location and the curcuma was beautiful all summer, and in the fall, I happily cut it back knowing that it would emerge again in the spring.

I have several other plants that follow this pattern: a button ginger that is just now poking a few spikes up through the ground, a curcuma variety commonly known as “Siam Tulip,” and a fabulous Black Flamingo (Chrysothemis Pulchella), which is featured in the Edison Ford Gardens. These plants are so striking that I can endure an empty space for a few months while anticipating beautiful new growth each spring.

You have no doubt noticed plants and deciduous trees that go dormant and lose their leaves during the winter months. Plants such as caladium, canna, eucomis (pineapple lilies), goldenrod, plumeria and some varieties of ginger will die back in the cooler months, and emerge again when the temperatures warm, usually in early April. Deciduous shrubs and trees such as spirea, crape myrtle, beautyberry, sweetgum and red maples will lose most of their leaves, and burst back in March and April.

Many of our most beautiful flowering trees begin blooming in early winter, then lose their leaves and put on a final show of spectacular blossoms when all the leaves have fallen. The Hong Kong Orchid (Bauhinia), Trumpet Tree (Tabebuia), Silk Cotton Tree (Kapok), Golden Rain (Cassia), Jacaranda and Royal Poinciana are among our most exotic trees that drop their leaves, but the reward of long lived tropical blooms is well worth the brief leafless period.

Since we don’t often experience the dramatic temperature changes between seasons that we were familiar with in more northern climates, you might wonder what triggers dormancy in Florida plants. Most of our plants respond to the changing length of daylight hours, or the photoperiod, rather than a drastic change in temperatures. As the days shorten in November and December, plants respond by changing color or dropping leaves; even turfgrass growth slows in response to shorter days. Many of our landscape plants slow their growth in response to the shorter daylight hours as well; “annual” flowering plants in my mixed containers will shed many of their leaves and reduce blooming but are now filling out again in response to the longer days.

Bulbs are among the most familiar dormant plants that emerge in spring. Florida’s climate is well suited for a variety of tropical and subtropical bulbs, including Agapanthus, Amaryllis, Crinum Lilies, Crocosmia and Hurricane, Rain and Spider Lilies. Unlike bulbs such as daffodils and tulips that are planted in northern climates for spring blooms, these bulbs do not need to be pre-chilled. Bulbs can be divided or planted in fall, and you can also give bulbs a head start by planting them in pots in early spring and transplanting them to your garden beds after blooming.

The University of Florida has excellent detailed information on growing bulbs in Florida: https://ufdc.ufl.edu/R00002886/ 00001 and https://gardeningsolutions.ifas. ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/bulbs-for-florida.html

Gardening in Southwest Florida is a fascinating hobby that offers surprises and new discoveries for even seasoned gardeners! Our abundant sunshine and warmth provide a wonderful tonic for the soul, and the best news is that these ideal growing conditions are not limited to spring and summer as in northern areas. We are fortunate to have a wide variety of plants that ensure that something is always blooming in our landscape, and an excellent resource in the University of Florida to guide us as we explore the wonders of our subtropical climate!

Cathy Dunn is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and Garden Club of Cape Coral member.

History of the Garden Club – Breeze Staff & Tom Hayden

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

History of the Garden Club - Staff & Tom Hayden

History of the Garden Club

November 24, 2020
By Staff & Tom Hayden - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Tracing the roots of Cape Coral’s growth can literally and figuratively be found in a “garden.”

One of the first clubs to organize in the community was the Cape Coral Garden Club. The club got an organizational push from the community’s first club, the Cape Coral Women’s Club, which started in 1959 and was the idea of first resident Kenny Schwartz. The Women’s Club believed a garden club was needed in the community.

In the spring of 1960, Helen Johnson, of the Everglades Nursery, spoke to a group of Cape Coral residents at the Nautilus Inn about gardening. That talk inspired about 68 people, spearheaded by residents Helen and Otto Sheldon and Dick and Sally Crawford, to form the garden club under the direction of first president Thomas Fleming.

The group’s bylaws provided the direction:

“To stimulate a knowledge and love of gardening.”

“To improve and conserve the beauty of Cape Coral.”

The launch of the club also inspired land developers, Gulf American Corporation, to film the start of a beautification mission, which still exists today.

In 1961, Ann Copenhaver took over as president of the club, which had annual dues of $1.50. The dues bought residents advice from gardening experts and horticulturists on the proper ways to prepare soil and to plant or the right techniques to create a beautifully landscaped yard.

Later, the group also collected funds that purchased gardening books for the Cape Coral Public Library and Caloosa Middle School. Members also planted trees and created a project, called the “forest,” between Cape Coral Hospital and the middle school.

The club had members who were gardening experts. For instance, Daisy Shepard specialized in hibiscus varieties and Madge York knew everything about orchids. And there was not a question too difficult for Bill Norton, who was known as the club’s “answer man,” according to Cape Coral Breeze articles.

Cape gardening stayed true to its roots with the formation of the non-profit Garden Club of Cape Coral in 1997. The club was founded by master gardener Marty Ward and longtime gardening friend Beverly Ray. The 23 paid members had their first meetings at Ward’s home under the direction of president Sherie Bleiler. The club quickly established affiliations with the National Garden Clubs Inc., and the Fort Myers-Lee County Garden Council Inc.

As club membership grew, meetings were moved to a local church and then to the Kiwanis Club of Cape Coral.

The club participated in many projects, including planting and maintaining planters along Cape Coral Parkway and maintaining the Tiny Tots Garden for children at Four Freedoms Park.

The group also has an important part of history on its side. It maintains the prestigious Rose Garden at the Cape Coral Museum of History on Cultural Park Boulevard.

The roses were originally part of a national tourist attraction, called Cape Coral Gardens, which also included the famous Waltzing Waters, lakes and water ski shows, plus hosted many celebrities such as Bob Hope. The garden included more than 40,000 roses. The attraction, facing funding issues, closed in 1969, giving way to development. It is now the site of Tarpon Point.

But the roses were soon to bloom again. In 1990, Lois Herbert wanted to pay tribute to the memory of her father, Russell Herbert, and asked the museum if it would be willing to pay tribute to him and to the roses. A new rose garden was dedicated in front of the museum on Memorial Day 1991. The garden was redesigned in 2007 with raised flower beds. A team of garden club members visit the rose garden to take care of the precious flowers.

The Garden Club continues to educate the community about important landscaping and environmental techniques through various events and in a weekly column found in the Cape Coral Breeze.

Submitted by Tom Hayden, a Cape Coral Museum of History board member. As we celebrate 50 years as a city, much of our area’s history, chronicled at the museum, will be featured twice a month in similar articles provided to the Cape Coral Breeze.

Foodscaping for the New Year – Deborah Haggett

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Foodscaping for the New Year

December 20, 2020
By Deborah Haggett - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze

I typically don’t make New Year’s resolutions, but in these uncertain times traditions can help firm the ground beneath you. In light of that, for 2021, I plan to explore the possibilities of foodscaping in my garden. Foodscaping is a landscaping strategy in which edibles are integrated into a typical ornamental garden. Rather than dedicated yard areas for herb and vegetable gardening, foodscaping takes advantage of small spaces by filling the open spaces around your ornamentals with edibles such as tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkin, garlic and basil. The list goes on!

“The Foodscape Revolution” (2017) by author Brie Arthur, looks at foodscaping design in terms of the principle, “Right Plant/Right Place/Right Time.” She describes her landscape as having three zones based on the amount of attention needed for success. Zone 1 is closest to the house near the foundation with a suggested mix of 50% ornamentals to 50% edibles. Zone 2 is mid-yard with a 60/40 mix. Zone 3, the farthest from the house, requires the least care and incorporates an 80/20 mix of ornamentals to edibles. When considering the right place for your plants, remember, most edibles need full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

Arthur suggests starting with the edges of your garden beds due to its convenient location for planting and harvesting. Her favorites in the cool season are garlic, salad greens, onion, parsley, and potato. As the weather warms, replace these with basil, beans, peanuts, peppers and soybeans. If you are looking for a groundcover, she suggests arugula or pumpkin. I would include Malabar spinach for a fast growing, heat tolerant, green to purple leaved, vining groundcover. It is both beautiful and nutritious.

As a specimen plant, imagine a 12-foot upright, evergreen Barbados cherry bush or a border of these bushes with their pink to lavender flowers that bloom from May to November. The sweet to tart fruit, although not a real cherry, is small, red and apple-shaped. It is considered a power fruit as it contains high amounts of vitamin C. One study notes that one cup of these tiny cherries is equivalent to the vitamin C in 16 oranges. Be advised, you will be competing with the birds for this flavorful fruit at harvest time.

Planting herbs and vegetables in the winter is counterintuitive to many of us from the north. However, January in Florida provides the cooler weather needed for growing such herbs as tarragon, thyme, dill, fennel and mint. January is also the last month gardeners should plant potatoes, beets, broccoli, kale and turnips, to name a few. The South Florida Gardening Calendar, on the University of Florida/I FAS website, provides a month-by-month planting guide to assist you in planting the right plant in the right place at the right time.

Edibles add color and beauty to our yards, while rewarding us with fresh, healthy food for our table. Foodscaping empowers us, provides us with exercise, purpose and a sustainable food source. Not a bad resolution to start the new year!

Happy gardening and Happy New Year!

Deborah Haggett is a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer and a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral. Visit us at Garden Club of Cape Coral

Arthur, B. (2017). The foodscape revolution: Finding a better way to make space for food and beauty in your garden. Pittsburgh, PA: St. Lynn’s Press

Brown, S.H. & Cooprider K. (2016, March). Barbados cherry (Malpighia glabra): Identification, Uses, and Maintenance. (No longer in print).

Edible Landscaping

South Florida Gardening Calendar

Malpighia glabra Fact Sheet

Acerola Cherry Superfruit

Right Plant Right Place

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Right Plant, Right Place

May 22, 2020
By JANETTA FOX - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Daily Breeze
Click Here for article in the Daily Breeze
Right Plant, Right Place is the first of 9 principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping. In the past my standard approach to both plant selection and location went something like this. First -- a plant catches my fancy. Second -- I purchase said plant, taking only a cursory glance at important information specific to it. Third, I place said plant in the ground without considering whether the location will be ideal over time. Fourth, I tend to the plant and keep my fingers crossed, hoping for a positive outcome.

As you might imagine, this particular approach proved less than optimal. By putting the cart before the horse, oftentimes the location did not match the plant's requirements, causing stress to the plant and more work for me as I attempted to "fix" problems as they arose. Lesson learned? Before jumping to purchase, upfront planning is key, with one important element being to get the "lay of the land." By doing so, we can save time and effort going forward and have a better chance that plants will not only survive but thrive with proper care.

During the planning process, begin by taking a stroll around your property. As you explore, consider the movement of the sun over the course of the day. Which areas enjoy morning sun and which areas experience full sun most of the day? Where is shade most prevalent? The seasons also play a role. A plant that appreciates one locale in the winter sun may find the sun too brutal during the summer in the same location. For those plants, placing them in movable containers may be a viable option, giving you the ability to relocate the plant as the seasons dictate.

Soil composition, pH and moisture are other important considerations. If you live in a residential area, chances are the soil is mostly sand and fill and the pH measures alkaline rather than neutral or acidic. To determine actual pH, the best approach would be to gather soil samples from different areas around the property and get a free soil test done at the Lee County Extension Office.

With results in hand you can then make informed decisions moving forward. Keep in mind that trying to "fix" the soil by adding supplements to either raise or lower pH to accommodate a poorly placed plant can be time consuming and costly. Soil amendments are normally only temporary remedies and re-applications are often needed, especially when attempting to acidify soil. Better to select pH suitable plants at the outset.

Does the soil hold moisture or is it well-draining? Because water is such a precious and valued resource, consider current conditions and how best to conserve water within the landscape moving forward. Some plants and turf especially crave water and suffer when it is lacking, while many native plants and some non-natives are drought tolerant once established.

What has been presented here is just the tip of the gardening adventure. To view more detail regarding Right Plant, Right Place and the remaining Nine Principles of Florida Friendly Landscaping, visit ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/materials/FYN_Handbook_2015_web.pdf. "The Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Handbook" is a great resource document.

Happy gardening!

Janetta Fox is a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral.