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BeFloridian.org
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August -September 2013
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Announcing our Be Floridian Summer Pledge Winners
Four lucky homeowners will be receiving expert advice in landscaping like a Floridian as the grand prize winners of our "Take the Be Floridian Summer Pledge" Contest.
Residents throughout the Tampa Bay region were invited to take a pledge to "skip the fertilizer" this summer, and instead enjoy Florida's waterways by choosing either to go to the beach, go fishing, go boating or dine at a waterfront restaurant. Pledges could be taken online on the
Be Floridian website, via the Be Floridian Facebook page, or in person at a community event we attended with our traveling flock of plastic pink yard flamingos.
Four winners were chosen to receive yard makeover consultations from our terrific Be Floridian Garden Coach and Landscape Design partners. These experts will each visit the landscape of one of the winners and make recommendations on how the homeowners can make their yards more Florida-Friendly through proper plant selection and placement.
Nearly 2,200 people took the pledge. Here are our four lucky grand prize winners with their assigned garden advisors:
- Marlys Lenz Cox of St. Petersburg will receive a landscape consultation from Pam Brown of Pampered Gardeners.
- Ironi Dorazio of Brandon will receive a landscape consultation with Cynthia Glover of Florida Garden Coach.
- Magdalena Jimenez of Lutz will receive a landscape consultation from Lisa Strange of Plant-Wise Landscapes.
Congratulations to all our winners, and to everyone who took the pledge to have fun this summer instead of fertilizing their yard!
Please "Like" our Facebook page to participate in more contests for fun flamingo bling.
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 Hold The Fertilizer Please
Summer fertilizer bans continue through September 30 in Tampa and all of Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties (as well as many other communities throughout Florida).
Remember: Heavy summer rains don't water fertilizer in, they wash it away - right into our bays, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico. Fertilizer runoff fuels algae blooms that turn the water an icky pea-green and spoils our summertime fun!
But it's perfectly OK to use yard products without Nitrogen or Phosphorous. Check out our new video in this newsletter and the Florida-Friendly Yard Products on our website to learn more about the growing list (pun intended) of fertilizers, soil supplements and composts you can buy to keep your landscape healthy throughout Florida's tough summer conditions.
In fact, for you lawn-lovers, the Dog Days of August are a great time to apply iron, an essential plant macronutrient that will "green up" your lawn without promoting extra growth.
More green, less mowing: Now that's the Be Floridian way!
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Please Don't Plant
This Petunia!
It may be pretty, but the Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex, Ruellia tweediana) is a perfect example of the adage "Beautiful But Bad." This hardy purple flower has been designated a Category 1 Invasive by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council because of its tendency to run wild in our natural areas.
Despite its invasive nature, Mexican petunia is still sold at nurseries all over Florida. Please don't buy it! If you already have it, get rid of it and please don't pass it on to others!
Booting it out of your yard is easier said than done. Repeated hand-pulling can keep it in check but will likely not eliminate it. Mexican petunia has underground rhizomes and seedlings can continue to germinate for years. So, this is one plant for which chemical treatments are often the only effective solution: see this University of Florida Fact Sheet for recommended products and techniques.
 Click here for information on how Mexican Petunia is impacting our parks and preserves. Be sure to watch the video segment!
Check out the Mexican Petunia Flyer created by our friends in the Serenoa chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for native wildflowers that can be used instead of Mexican petunia.
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Need some expert advice on
Gardening Like A Floridian?
Check out the Garden Coaches, Landscape Designers, Lawn Care Companies and Nurseries that support our mission to protect the waterways that make living in Florida fun by clicking here
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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. Most workshops are free or very low cost.
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Felix, our fluffy, feathered ambassador, enjoying another day in paradise. He hopes his fans are having as much fun Being Floridian this summer as he is!
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Is Your Landscape Ready for a
Tropical Storm?
Prepare Now for Peak Storm Season
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Source: NOAA
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The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June to November, with the peak season from mid-August to late October. Will your landscape be prepared for gale force winds and rain should a major storm hit?
Along with the usual hurricane preparations that all homeowners should take, now is the time to evaluate and prepare your landscape to minimize damage a major storm can cause.
Be sure trees and shrubs around your home are properly trimmed by a certified Arborist. Remove dead or weak limbs from trees over your driveway or roof. If you are considering replacing or adding new trees to your landscape, choose wind-resistant species such as magnolias, hollies, crape myrtles and palms such as sabal, pindo or Alexander. Make sure you plant new trees where they can reach mature height without impacting homes, power lines, detached sheds, or other structures. You need to account for the mature root system of the trees as well as the canopy.
Look at where rainwater collects on your property; this is a good location for a rain garden that will help collect that water during a storm. Plants that like occasional "wet feet," such as canna lilies, rain lilies, swamp sunflowers or African iris, are great choices for a rain garden. Make sure your gutters are free of debris and your downspouts are directed to landscape beds or pervious surfaces so rainwater can percolate into the ground rather than running off your property.
To learn more, check out the following online resources:
-- Trees That Can Withstand Hurricanes
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Check out our NEW Be Floridian Video!
 | | Be Floridian: Summer-Safe Products |
Garden Coach and Be Floridian partner Pam Brown talks about alternatives to using fertilizers with nitrogen and phosphorous during the summer rainy season. Many of these products are made by Florida companies! Make sure to ask for these the next time you visit your local garden center.
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Fertilizer Education Campaign
Hits The Road in Pinellas
Honk and wave if you see one of these colorful cars or trucks on roads throughout Pinellas County.
Seven vehicles used by the county's Watershed Management staff have been outfitted with the custom wraps, courtesy of a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The wraps say "Protect Our Waterways" and also feature the Be Floridian "Skip The Fertilizer" message and logo. County officials hope they will be mobile reminders to residents of the need to protect waterways from harmful fertilizer runoff during the summer.
Two pick-up trucks, one van, two SUVs and two large dump trucks (used to clean out storm drains and ponds) bear the specialty wraps. We love these rolling billboards -- what about you?
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Plants for True Floridians
Spotted Bee Balm
(Monarda punctata)
If you have a large space along a fence or back border of your landscape that needs filling, consider spotted bee balm, also known as dotted or spotted horsemint. This wild-growing member of the mint family is a semi-woody shrub that can grown to 3 feet in height and spread equally wide.
This early Fall bloomer is a spectacular sight, with its showy flowering heads of pale pink or lavender that attract butterflies. Bee balm likes sandy soil and full sun and is drought tolerant. Native Americans made a "sweating tea" from the leaves of spotted bee balm to treat flu, colds and fever.
Florida Friendly/Non-Native
(Salvia leucantha)
Butterflies and bees find it hard to resist the prolific purple flower clusters found on Mexican sage. Touch them; they feel like velvet! Despite its delicate appearance, this hardy plant thrives in full sun. It grows up to 5 feet high and makes a stunning addition to a wildflower garden or border. In cold winters, it may die back to the ground but rebound again in the spring. Mexican sage blooms from late summer or early autumn throughout winter.
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Recipes for Relaxing
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Baby, it's hot outside! What better way to cool down on your porch, patio or pool deck than with a refreshing Florida Mango Sour? After all, true Floridians have more time to relax since they aren't spending all that time on yard work. Note: You'll need a cocktail shaker for this one!
Florida Mango Sour
1 cup fresh mango nectar
3/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
Stir together mango nectar, vodka, lemon juice and sugar in 1-quart pitcher. Shake half of mixture in cocktail shaker half filled with ice cubes until cold, about 30 seconds. Strain into glasses half filled with ice cubes.
Shake and strain remaining nectar mixture in same manner. Serves 2. Add a cute little drink umbrella, and you're chillin' like a Floridian!
Recipe and photo from "Fresh From Florida" website; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs.
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"My Favorite Pollinator" Photo Contest
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Congratulations to Bruce Imler of Tampa, winner of our "My Favorite Pollinator" photo contest on the Be Floridian Facebook page.
Bruce's photograph of a monarch butterfly on a bottlebrush tree earned the most fan votes in our contest.
In honor of National Pollinators Week in June, Be Floridian's Facebook fans were asked to post pictures they had taken of pollinators in their own yards
Bruce's photo of a monarch butterfly garnered the most "likes" in fan voting. He was awarded a vintage 1950s Don Featherstone plastic pink yard flamingo. The yard flamingo is the mascot of our Be Floridian fertilizer education campaign.
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Planning A Fall Veggie Garden?
Help with planning your fall vegetable garden is only a few clicks away! The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences offers a series of videos to help you grow smart, and grow successfully.
Topics include:
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Basics
- Alternatives to Traditional Vegetable Gardening
- Managing the Organic Garden
- Managing Pests of the Vegetable Garden
Find video presentations here, along with an online Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.
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What's Be Floridian?
Be Floridian is an educational campaign sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Our 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 and creating landscapes that flourish in harmony with Florida's quirky climate.
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