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'Be Floridian'  

Art Arbor Plant Swap

 

 

native wildflower garden  

Saturday, November 3

and Sunday, November 4  

  10 am - 4 pm

 Art Arbor Festival 

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

1101 Country Club Way S.

St. Petersburg, FL 

 

Be Floridian and the Pinellas chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invite you to "go native" during the Art Arbor Festival at St. Petersburg's  Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.

 

Bring a native or Florida-friendly plant to our exhibit area at the festival (look for the flock of pink yard flamingos!) and we'll give you a FREE native plant in return. In fact, you can bring up to FIVE plants and trade them for natives. Please label all plants so we know what they are - we're good but we don't know everything!

 

Are we crazy to give away native treasures? Well, maybe. But truthfully, we just want more people to "Fall" for plants adapted to Florida's quirky climate - and native plants are the ultimate Sunshine State survivors. Natives generally need less water, fertilizer and care than other plants. Plus, they are just downright cool!

 

If you don't have any native plants, this is your chance to take some True Floridians home to beautify your landscape. If you do have natives, the swap is a great way to add new varieties to your yard.

 

We expect to have a good selection of shrubs, flowers, ground covers and even small trees - as well as seeds. Plants are being donated by Be Floridian supporters, FNPS members and the Friends of Boyd Hill.

 

We'll be swappin' plants from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4 -- or until the plants are all gone! Come early for best selection.

  

There is a $3 suggested donation to get into the Art Arbor Festival. But, remember, the plants are FREE and so is our knowledge of Florida gardening!

 

Click here for more info about the Art Arbor Family Festival.

  
 
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It's Veggie Time!

Early Fall is the perfect time to plant vegetables in West Central Florida, either in raised beds or in containers. Lettuces, greens, carrots, broccoli, cauliflowers and peas are just a few of the veggies that shun the intense Florida summer sun but love our state's mild winters. 

HINT #1:Make sure you plant varieties recommended for Florida!
 
HINT #2: Collard and mustard greens are among the easiest veggies to grow from seed.
 
Get the basics on growing veggies in Florida by downloading the free Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide. from the University of Florida IFAS Extension Program.
 
 
 meet our partners header
john pfeiffer
John Pfeiffer of Pampered Yards
 

John Pfeiffer is the owner of Pampered Yards LLC, a full-service landscape installation and maintenance business based in Pinellas County. John installed his first yard at age 8 and has never looked back. He holds a certificate in turfgrass management from the University of Georgia, and has extensive experience in golf course management. John is a state-certified Commercial Fertilizer Applicator and Pest Control Operator; teaches Landscape Best Management Practices for Pinellas County Extension; and is a landscape maintenance inspector for Pinellas County's watershed management division. 

 
Contact John at
 
   
 
 
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Classes and workshops offer free or low-cost instruction on how to save time and money by practicing Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles. Check out your county extension service to get started or to learn advanced skills.

 

 

 

 
 
 
LINKS WE LIKE
 
Be Floridian
 
Univ. of Florida/Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ 

Program 

 

Floridata Plant Profiles

 floridata.com 

  

 Tampa Bay Estuary Program

 tbep.org 

  

Sarasota Bay Estuary Program

sarasotabay.org  

 

Lawn Reform Coalition

www.lawnreform.org/  

 

Florida Native Plant Society

www.fnps.org/

 

Florida Yards

 floridayards.org/

     


 
October/November 2012
 
Summer Fertilizer Ban Ends In Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota and Tampa

   

 

The partners of the Be Floridian fertilizer education campaign remind residents of Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties and the city of Tampa that summertime bans on the use of nitrogen fertilizers end on September 30. Beginning October 1, homeowners and business owners may once again apply fertilizer containing nitrogen to their lawn and landscape plants. 

   

fertilizer bag

 

Garden centers throughout these communities offer a variety of fertilizers that comply with the local fertilizer ordinances. Products on the store shelves from October through May must contain at least 50% of the nitrogen in a slow-release (or timed release) form. These products nourish plants gradually, over a longer period, and are less likely to run off into our bays, ponds, and the Gulf of Mexico.  For a list of these products, visit the Be Floridian website

 

 Slow-release fertilizers release nitrogen gradually, nourishing lawns and plants for a longer period of time. They also help keep our environment healthy, since they are less likely to run off into waterways when it rains. Too much nitrogen is the biggest source of pollution in our lakes, ponds, Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

If you choose to fertilize, October is a good month to do it. Gardening experts do not recommend use of fertilizers during the coldest winter months because grass and plants are not actively growing and cannot utilize the nutrients, so applying fertilizer is the winter is a waste of money.

 

Here are a few additional tips to keep both your landscape and our waterways healthy through the Fall and Winter: 

  • Fertilize only when you are looking for a particular plant response such as growth, more blooms or to correct a nutritional deficiency. If your plants and grass look healthy, hold off on the fertilizer.              
  • Never apply fertilizer when heavy rains are expected. It only takes �-inch of water to ensure that fertilizer reaches the roots of your plants. Use your sprinkler system to make sure you are applying no more than �- inch of water.                   
  • Make sure your cold-sensitive plants have been planted in the warmest sites on your property - usually south-facing areas protected by walls, fences or evergreen hedges. Better yet, choose plants that will easily tolerate winter temperatures. We've all learned hard lessons in recent years about the expense of constantly replacing plants killed by winter freezes! "Right plant, right place" also means taking into account temperature extremes. 
  • Reduce irrigation frequency in the fall and winter as plant growth slows.  Your lawn only needs watering about once a week in the fall, and once every 10-14 days in the winter. If it rains, don't water!   
  • Provide tree shade or cover to guard against "radiation" freezes that occur on cold, clear, windless nights when heat "radiates" into the air from plants. Providing a tree canopy helps plants hold the heat they generate and prevent it from escaping into the night sky.                                    
  • Don't bag your leaves: They are free mulch!
    Add 2-3 inches of mulch to hold in both heat and moisture during dry winter months, and moderate soil temperatures. Choose eco-friendly mulches like pine straw, pine bark, eucalyptus chips or the free mulch from your county/city's recycling brush sites. Don't bag those leaves that fall in the autumn; use them as mulch instead!                       
  • Avoid heavy pruning in early fall; that extra growth will help protect your plants on chilly nights

  

 

  
Be Floridian Video Series: Mow It Right

"Scalping" and overwatering your grass are the leading causes of turfgrass death. Learn how to mow your yard like a True Floridian in this short video with one of our lawn care partners, John Pfeiffer.  
Be Floridian: Mow It Right
Be Floridian: Mow It Right


 
Plants for True Floridians
 
Florida Native
dotted horsemint-native
Dotted Horsemint 

(Monarda punctata)

 

This pretty Fall bloomer in the 

mint family likes to be wild and free -- it's often found along roadsides, in old fields and woods. Dotted (also Horsemint (also called Spotted Bee Balm), likes full sun and sandy soil, but can tolerate partial shade. While drought tolerant, it will flower more profusely with pink to lavender leafy bracts if it receives regular watering.This semi-woody shrub likes to spread out and up from 3 to 4 feet. Butterflies flock to Dotted Horsemint, which looks best as a border planted along a fence or back area of a yard. Added bonus: The leaves can be used as a substitute for oregano.

 

Florida Friendly/Non-Native 

Cardboard Palm
(Zamia furfuracea)

cardboard palmA relative of the coontie, the hardy Cardboard Palm has thick leathery leaves that feel like cardboard when rubbed. It is rugged, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant, and generally grows 3 to 4 feet high. Cardboard Palm will thrive in sandy soil with an organic mulch of bark or pine needles and does well in full sun or partial shade. Plant this attractive palm in a container, patio area or mixed bed; it's salt tolerant so does well near the beach.  
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Recipes for Relaxing

Now that fall is (almost) upon us, it's time to slow down and enjoy a break from the mowing and pruning frenzy of summer. Celebrate the season with oatmeal-and-raisin cookies enhanced by walnuts and cranberries and the aromatic flavors of orange and pumpkin pie spice. Ummm, can you smell them baking?
 
Autumn Harvest Cookies 
oatmeal cookies     

1 cup softened butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup dried cranberries  

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together butter and the brown and white sugars in a bowl until smooth. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and orange extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice; stir flour mixture into the sugar mixture. Add the rolled oats, walnuts and cranberries and mix thoroughly. Using a small ice cream scoop or teaspoon, drop rounded scoops of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Makes 42 cookies.
 
flamingo dressed up for halloween                                     The Be Floridian flamingo flock wishes you a Happy Halloween!!
 

 


 
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What's Be Floridian?

 

Be Floridian is an educational campaign sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Be Floridian partners include Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties; the cities of  Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa; and a variety of landscape designers, gardening coaches, fertilizer companies and lawn care specialists.  We are calling on all Southwest Floridians to help protect what makes Florida so fun -- our bays, lakes, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico -- by skipping the fertilizer in the summer to prevent water pollution.