Tag: Garden Club of Cape Coral

Florida friendly landscaping principle #5: attract wildlife — By JANETTA FOX

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Florida friendly landscaping principle #5: attract wildlife

January 7, 2021
By JANETTA FOX - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
As Florida’s population continues to grow, open/green space continues to be supplanted by increased residential and commercial development and their associated infrastructures. One of the negative impacts of this rapid development has been and continues to be the destruction of the natural habitat for our native birds and animals. Considering that Florida is the third most diverse state when it comes to wildlife and is a major stop for migratory birds, Florida friendly yards not only create a wildlife sanctuary but serve as a natural corridor for safe migratory passage.

Like people, wildlife need food, water, shelter and space. To satisfy these requirements, homeowners can begin by creating a backyard habitat plan (always good to plan first!), and then planting a variety of vegetation of varying sizes and heights. Diverse areas that provide reliable sources of nectar and food such as seeds, nuts and berries attract a wider variety of animals. And by layering vegetation, including ground cover, your yard becomes a refuge, providing shade and rest. Adding a small pond or birdbath as a water source will ensure all bases are covered and all basic needs are met.

It is important to note that, if left unattended, birdbaths will quickly accumulate algae and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes. As a control measure, change out the water frequently. When cleaning, scour and wash birdbaths without the use of harsh bleach or soap. For additional control of algae, consider adding a drop or two of algaecide into the birdbath periodically. Prior to the purchase of any algaecide, though, read the label to confirm that the product in question is safe for wildlife. You can also add Bti (aka Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), which is a biological control for the larvae stages of mosquitoes. The great thing about Bti is that it is safe for humans and other animals. And adding an agitator to keep water moving can only help!

Snags are trunks of dead trees. If leaving them in place doesn’t pose a danger consider doing so, because they provide a place for birds to perch nest, and feed. And because the idea is to attract beneficial insects as well as land animals and birds, avoid the use of wide-spectrum pesticides as they do not discriminate and will enter the food chain. Along with problem pests such as aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies and the like, they will kill beneficial insects such as lady beetles (or lady bugs as I like to say) and bees and can be toxic to birds and other wildlife.

When selecting plants consider Florida native plants as these provide reliable sources of food and nectar for native wildlife. Disease resistant, non-native Florida friendly plants can also be an option. Consider providing nourishment for all stages of life. For example butterflies need specific plants during their life cycle i.e., nectar plants as adults and larval or host plants while caterpillars. And, depending on where you live, you may want to consider seasonal plants for year-round feeding.

So, there you have it, a brief introduction to the fifth principle of Florida friendly landscaping. For further information, visit Attract Wildlife

Happy gardening!

Janetta Fox is a member of the Garden Club of Cape Coral and a Lee County Master Gardener Volunteer.

Gardening success with succulents — Cathy Dunn

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Gardening success with succulents

Mar 18, 2021
CATHY DUNN - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Succulents are a varied and unique group of low-maintenance plants that are fun and easy to grow in Southwest Florida’s abundant heat and sunshine. With more than 60 plant families containing thousands of hybrid cultivars, succulents offer a wide range of sizes, shapes and colors to add diversity and interest to your gardens.Succulents are characterized by their fleshy stems and leaves that are designed to store water, and are often found in harsh or dry climates. Since our climate is characterized by humidity and a rainy summer season, succulents are ideally suited for containers with a coarse sandy potting medium and controlled irrigation. But you can also locate succulents in well-drained areas of your landscape since they are well-adapted to the harsh conditions associated with brick, concrete and asphalt in urban settings.

Most people think of familiar plants such as sedum or “hen and chicks” when they hear the word succulents, but you might be surprised to discover that there are Florida native succulents such as native yuccas that can be found in coastal dunes or other sandy areas with little available water. In fact, all cacti are succulents, and this includes many of the widely known succulent families such as agave, yucca and aloe. Other succulent families include varieties such as the Desert Rose, Sanseviera (snake plants), Kalanchoes and Euphorbia such as Crown of Thorns and Pencil Plants.

The versatility of the many forms of succulents is matched by the creative ways you can incorporate these plants in your gardens. Container gardens are an extremely popular way to grow and display succulents; you will often see containers already planted with a mixture of various succulents for sale in garden centers. Since succulents require full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day), they are well suited for beds near sidewalks, roads and driveways or south-facing walls. Succulents can also be tucked into chicken wire in a frame and used as a wall hanging or inserted among rocks and borders since they need little soil and thrive in sandy conditions.

I enjoy adding succulents to my mixed pots on the lanai since they require little maintenance and don’t shed leaves or flowers that land in the pool; most will develop trailing habits and they add a unique dimension and texture. Most succulents also produce flowers which can be quite unique and colorful.

PHOTO PROVIDED Succulents add interest and texture to mixed pots, and many succulents will even adopt a trailing habit.

Now that you are hopefully interested in adding succulents to your gardening repertoire, what else do you need to know to ensure success? First, you need to use a well-draining potting mix (not potting soil); you can add inorganic materials such as perlite, sand or vermiculite to ensure good drainage. If you use a container, start with a shallow pot with good drainage holes. Once your succulents are planted you only need to water when the soil is almost completely dry. Propagation is simple; leaf succulents such as hens and chicks and aloes self-propagate by producing offshoots or “pups.” Succulents also grow well from cuttings or division of clustering species; cuttings or divisions should be allowed to sit for several days to form a callous on the cut end before planting.

More information on succulent varieties, their maintenance and planting instructions, as well as specific plant lists can be found on the UF/IFAS website:

Agave Cacti Succulents

Once you discover the variety of shapes and colors available in the succulent families, I am sure that you will be inspired to add these beautiful plants to your landscape or as a unique and stylish green accent in your home. You will be rewarded with beautiful and interesting plants that require minimal maintenance – a true gardener’s dream!

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

Cultivate abundance: advancing food security through a local alliance — Deborah Haggett

Posted on by Lillian Peterson

Cultivate abundance: advancing food security through a local alliance

Mar 4, 2021
DEBORAH HAGGETT - Garden Club of Cape Coral (Special to The Breeze) , Cape Coral Breeze
Click Here for full article in the Cape Coral Breeze
Lack of access to affordable, healthy food or food insecurity has exploded due to the multiple consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. David Outerbridge, director of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension, Lee County noted: with “Covid-19, school closings, and unemployment, we have seen a 500% increase in demand from food banks.”

In addition, 79% of Florida families report they supplement their food budgets by purchasing inexpensive, un-healthy food while 51% say they eat food beyond the expiration date (FeedingFlorida.org). Eating Well Magazine (March, 2021) reports that nutritious, healthy food can cost “six times more” than inexpensive, less nutritious alternatives.

At a time when food nutrition is critical for good health and disease resistance, those struggling financially are being forced to make difficult choices among nutrition, transportation to school and work, medical care and housing.

One innovative non-profit organization, Cultivate Abundance, is making a difference. Under the direction of Ellen and Rick Burnette and along with Immokalee residents and coworkers Lupita Vazquez and Helen Midney, Cultivate Abundance partners with the Immokalee farm worker community to “eliminate hunger and enable small-scale food production in vulnerable households and communities.”

As Rick Burnette recalls, “We were already aware of the ironic existence of the Immokalee food desert in a booming farm town. And as many Southwest Florida gardeners grow an abundance of fruit and other produce appreciated by the local farm worker community, we decided to find a way for an alliance of local gardeners, including churches and nonprofits, to channel their surplus food to Immokalee.”

After launching in 2017, the Burnettes began collaborating with Misión Peniel, an Immokalee-based nonprofit that operates a food pantry and provides social services for the local farm worker community. They cultivated other relationships with stakeholders focusing on food production. With assistance from the UF/IFAS Extension Collier County and the UF/IFAS Family Nutrition Program, Cultivate Abundance manages a donation garden on Misión Peniel property and grows additional food on the nearby Florida State University Health Education Site. In addition, Cultivate Abundance consults with another Immokalee community garden located on a farm worker residential housing facility.

This effort is a mutual alliance. Cultivate Abundance honors the “food knowledge and heritage of the local Haitian, Guatemalan,and Mexican communities by exchanging information and resources, such as seeds.” Many individuals and families supplement their own food needs and share surplus food with neighbors.

Rick noted, “By the end of 2020, collectively, we have grown and shared almost 19 tons of produce amounting to over 102,000 food servings among approximately 400 clients who visit Misión Peniel each week. This includes 93 crop varieties, as well as, fresh eggs. Thus far, over 32 sites including community gardens, church gardens, small farms and home gardens have grown and shared their food.”

Rick and Ellen have been moved by the community’s openness to collaboration, the mutual concern for others and the generosity of sharing knowledge and resources. They sincerely appreciate “the availability of all those involved and the shared humility towards learning and relearning.”

When asked about their wishes for the future health and vitality of this venture, Rick and Ellen stated, “First, we hope to see food insecurity eradicated in the Immokalee farm worker community through an array of solutions that include improved worker compensation, other economic opportunities and highly functional social services, so that no one is left behind. Related to social services, our second wish is for increased local food donations and productivity from Cultivate Abundance partners in Lee and Collier Counties, and elsewhere, to help meet local nutritional needs. Our third wish is that the diverse food cultures of Immokalee are highlighted and honored through the availability of traditional types of fruit and vegetables; some grown by Immokalee households and others produced and shared by their advocates.”

With these wishes in mind, we invite anyone who has an abundance of garden produce to share, to please consider donating to Cultivate Abundance. Additionally, if you would like to volunteer, please contact Rick at [email protected].

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” — Mother Teresa

Wishing you happy and abundant gardening!

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

—

Black, J. (2021, March). The real cost of healthy food. Eating Well Magazine, 77-83.

Cultivate Abundance

Hunger and Nutrition: Healthy Communities Need Healthy Foods. (2021). FeedingFlorida.Org.

Savelle, R. & O’Neal, L.J. (2017, February). Food Insecurity and Obesity. University of Florida IFAS Extension.

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.