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BeFloridian.org
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December 2013- January 2014
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An original Don Featherstone pink plastic flamingo
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Birth of an Icon:
The Story of the Pink Plastic Yard Flamingo
Ever wonder about the origin of Florida's iconic pink plastic yard flamingo? No, a flock did not just fly in one sunny day to make Florida lawns their home. The original inventor of our pretty pink friend was Don Featherstone, a designer who came up with the idea while working for Union Products, Inc. in Leominster, Mass. In 1957, he was asked to design a flamingo that could be made of molded plastic and used as a yard decoration. Bingo! One year later, mass production began and the flamingos started flying off shelves across America.  | |
Don and Nancy Featherstone often wear matching outfits, and have 57 pink flamingos on their front lawn in Massachusetts, a reference to the year Don created the very first flamingo yard ornament (1957)
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Over the decades, the kitschy yard art gained in popularity and knock-offs started popping up. In 1987, the Don Featherstone signature was added to the body of the flamingo to distinguish it as "the original" plastic pink flamingo.
In 1996, Featherstone was awarded the Ig Nobel Art Prize (hee hee) for his creation. He co-wrote a book about his invention called "The Original Pink Flamingos: Splendor on the Grass." How can you tell if it's a real Don Featherstone flamingo?
The real thing is a deep hot pink color and sold in two styles: one holding its head erect, nearly 3 feet high, the other bending over as if looking for food. Look for the S-curved neck, raised eyes and painted beak tinged in black. They will also have the Don Featherstone signature stamped on the side of the body . What's the pink birdie got to do with being Floridian?
We chose the plastic pink yard flamingo as our Be Floridian mascot because it is a ubiquitous symbol of our beautiful state and the fun we associate with living here in paradise. Thanks for helping us "Protect Our Fun" by skipping the fertilizer in the summer!
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Florida map collage courtesy of
Florida Wildlife Magazine
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"Thankful to Be Floridian" Photo Contest Returns
Last year's holiday photo contest was so much fun, we are doing it again!
To enter, simply post an original photo (or multiple photos) illustrating why you are thankful to be a Floridian on our Facebook page. Not on Facebook? No problem. Just email your photo (under 1 MB in size, please) to nanette@tbep.org.
Deadline is December 10.
Starting on December 11, we'll post a Photo Gallery of all the images on the Facebook page and let our fans "like" their three favorite photos.
The photo with the most "likes" will receive a Be Floridian "fun pack" of flamingo bling, books, and native wildflower seeds.
Does your idea of being Floridian mean paddling through a mangrove-shrouded creek, snorkeling in a sunlit spring, or just strolling along a beach at sunset? Show us, in a picture, why you love living in Florida!
All photos submitted for the contest will be permanently displayed in one of our Pinterest galleries with credit to the photographer.
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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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New Books for
Florida Gardeners
Great holiday gifts for the green thumbs (or wannabes) on your list
Native Florida Plants for Drought- and Salt-Tolerant Landscapes
by Richard Wunderlin and George Kish
Descripti ons and photos of 70 native plants that will thrive in most Florida yards with little care. Includes water-thrifty species as well as coastal plants. Covers Central Florida through the Keys.
Florida Wildflowers: A Comprehensive Guide
by Walter Kingsley Taylor
 An updated and greatly expanded edition of the classic, featuring detailed info on more than 450 native wildflowers, indexed by where they grow. The author is among Florida's foremost authorities on native plants.
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 Proud to be Trashy
Be Floridian Message Now on
Largo Solid Waste Vehicles We give a big "wings-up" salute to the City of Largo for allowing us to place colorful wraps with a "Use less fertilizer" message on two of their shiny, brand new garbage trucks.
The wraps adorn two of the city's new commercial side-loading trucks that service businesses along Largo's busiest corridors, including Ulmerton and Starkey Roads and East Bay Drive. One of these "moving billboards" features a little girl in a boat wearing a life jacket, clearly having a wonderful time, while the other depicts a family enjoying a stroll along one of our beautiful beaches. Both urge residents to cut back on fertilizer use so we don't "throw away fun" by polluting the waters where we love to play.
The custom wraps will remain on the garbage trucks for 4-5 years. Thank you, Largo City Commissioners and staff, for supporting Be Floridian!
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Summer Contest Winners Get Expert Advice on Gardening Like a Floridian
Four lucky homeowners who took our Be Floridian "Skip The Fertilizer" pledge last summer won free yard makeover consultations with landscape designers and garden coaches.
On her own, Ironi had already begun to make her yard more Florida-compatible, removing turfgrass and replacing it with large mulched areas of shrubs, flowers, even a papaya tree . But she had a lot of open space in her landscape, and needed help in creating a fuller and more finished look. Her yard also has a substantial slope that sheds water and is tough to plant in, and receives full sun all day.
Here is what Ironi's yard looked like when Cynthia arrived for her consultation:
Cynthia took note of Ironi's landscape goals and challenges, and then used her knowledge of Florida gardening, along with special software, to create different landscaping options for Ironi to consider. The software allows Cynthia to virtually insert plants into a photo to show what a mature landscape using particular combinations of plants might look like. Cynthia also provided information about the growing requirements and care of the recommended plants and about general principles of gardening like a Floridian.
Here is one of the options she developed for Ironi:
This design shows the existing landscape layered and filled with 1) Orange Jessamine 2) Blue Plumbago 3) Firebush (Dwarf) 4) African Iris 5) Flax lily and 6) Blue Daze.
Ironi gives her garden coach's recommendations a huge "green" thumbs-up!
"My front yard is very challenging in that it is on a slope and receives intense sun, all day long. I learned the hard way to "respect" the intensity of the summers here in Florida," she said. Cynthia helped me to organize my "surviving" plants into a flowing, colorful, layering display. I don't have words to describe how helpful she was in all gardening matters.She also gave me some ideas in using tall shrubs near my little fence to shield my backyard so I could have some privacy...Thank you Cynthia!"
Be on the lookout for our next e-newsletter featuring another one of our yard makeover consultation winners. If you need landscape help or personal gardening advice, check out the outstanding business partners that support Be Floridian!
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Plants for True Floridians: Holiday Red!
Florida Native
Christmas Berry
Lycium carolinianum
A favorite of birds, this shrub's red berries are a welcome winter snack for our feathered friends. Folklore has it that branches were used by early settlers as decorations during the Christmas season, hence the common name "Christmas Berry." It is salt- and drought -tolerant and when subjected to extended drought will drop its leaves and just tough it out until more favorable growing conditions return. Lavender or white flowers in the autumn give way to lustrous red or scarlet berries.
When pruned into a small tree, the winding and weepy branches become the focal point and make it a good candidate for a container plant for patios where salt spray may be a problem. Plant in well drained soil in full or part sun. Great for coastal landscapes or along the edges of ponds.
Florida-Friendly, Non-NativeAmaryllisHippeastrum hybrids
The beautiful lily-like amaryllis is a popular gift during the holidays, and rightly so. They look stunning in bloom as a potted plant and can later be planted in a shady spot in your yard for continued enjoyment. Plant the bulbs in well drained soil with the upper half of the bulb exposed. Water adequately during growing season. Outside, amaryllis needs little water in winter when bulbs are dormant. The plants will spread over time and can be easily divided and shared. Amaryllis bulbs and kits are widely available from garden centers, discount stores and through mail order. |
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Be Floridian Video Explains Why We Love Grass (Seagrass, that is!)
Seagrasses are alive and well in Tampa and Sarasota Bays, thanks to all of you who do your part to keep them healthy by reducing or eliminating fertilizer, blowing your grass clippings back into your yard, and picking up those little presents your doggie deposits on the ground.
Check out this short video from our Sarasota partners, featuring naturalist Karen Fraley explaining why seagrasses are so important to our estuaries. You'll love the cool brittle star she found in the grasses!
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Sarasota County Be Floridian:
Seagrass Beds 2013
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Recipe for Relaxing
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Punch up your holiday party with this citrus punch, perfect for Floridians who prefer relaxing over yard work.
Southern Comfort Citrus Punch
1 (750 milliliter) bottle Southern Comfort liqueur
6 ounces lemon juice
1 (6-oz) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (6-oz) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 orange, sliced into rounds
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
In a large punch bowl, combine Southern Comfort, lemon juice, lemon and orange concentrates. Stir in lemon-lime soda and add orange and lemon slices on top.
Recipe and photo from allrecipes.com
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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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