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October-November 2014 
     


1. Cut and print Felix the Flamingo from here
2. Take a photo of him that you think represents the statement "Less Fertilizer, Less             Yard Work and More Fun!"
3. Post the photo on the Be Floridian Facebook page.

 Two lucky winners will each win a unique painted plastic yard flamingo from 
  artists Anita Long or Elaine Richard.

Deadline extended to 
October 30, 2014



* Limit two photos per person

** Contest restricted to residents of Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota counties


Is Your Yard Care Company Certified?

State law requires all lawn care professionals who apply fertilizer to receive special training in eco-friendly landscaping. These "Green Industries Best Management Practices" teach applicators how to keep our waters clean while they keep your lawn looking great.   

If you hire someone to apply fertilizer on your yard, look for a decal like this on the company vehicle:
 
 
 
 
In Pinellas and Manatee counties, special training also is required of landscape maintenance personnel. These are people who mow, prune, edge, plant or use a blower -- but do not apply fertilizer.  This training is called "Landscape Best Management Practices." Landscapers working in these two counties should have a decal like this:
 


Ask to see the required certification for your lawn care or landscape professional! If they don't have this decal, tell them it's important to you, as a customer who cares about clean water, that they get this training.  

 
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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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Partner Profile: 
Lisa Strange of 
Plant-Wise Landscapes


Lisa Strange loves the sense of beauty and order found in a well-designed garden, yard or landscape. As a former outreach specialist with Hillsborough County Extension's Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program, a  focus on Florida-friendly principles --  especially "right plant, right place" -- has always been her guiding light. 

 
Since starting her Plant-Wise Landscapes business in 2003, Lisa has been helping homeowners, commercial businesses, and property managers create attractive, water-conserving landscapes in a variety of styles from manicured to natural.

With a B.S. degree in Environmental Horticulture and a Master's in Adult Education, Lisa knows her species and her spaces - and can teach you about them too! Plant preferences are selected according to the available sunlight, water, soil and space, as well as a customer's individual preferences.
  
"I like to encourage eliminating as much turf as possible," she says. "And I try to educate each client on how to maintain their property should they want to do that."

Lisa's best tip for homeowners who want to tackle a fall garden or landscape makeover: "Plant Florida-friendly in the right place for the plant, and just go section by section. Don't try to do it all at once."

Contact Lisa through her web site:  
plant-wiselandscapes.weebly.com or (813) 365-0699. She is available for consultation, design and installation of any size property, and is an official Be Floridian business partner.

The "Protect Fun" newsletter occasionally features our local business supporters who provide products or services consistent with the Be Floridian mission.

 
 
LINKS WE LIKE
 
Be Floridian

Follow The Flock

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/   


Fall Abounds with Wildflowers...

Like this climbing aster serving up nectar to a mangrove skipper butterfly. Florida's wild spaces are alive with color in the fall -- pink muhly grass, meadow beauty and dotted horsemint, sunny yellow goldenrod and swamp sunflower, lavendar liatris (blazing star) and lyreleaf sage. Take a day trip to gawk at the beauty or plant some natives in your own yard for years of autumn enjoyment to come. Learn more from the Florida Wildflower Foundation.

Do you have a favorite state park or preserve to admire Fall wildflowers? Share it with other fans of natural Florida on our Facebook page!  

Summer Fertilizer Ban Ends
Slow's The Way To Go This Fall
 
child-playing-leaves.jpg The summertime bans on nitrogen lawn and landscape fertilizers ended September 30 in most of our region. If you want to fertilize your lawn before winter, now's a good time.  
 
Fertilizers used in October should have at least half the nitrogen in slow-release form to feed your lawn over a longer period.

Unsure how to calculate the amount of nitrogen in a fertilizer bag? Click here. Or, check out our list of slow-release products that comply with local fertilizer laws. We've done the math already on these products! 

Now is the last time you should fertilize your lawn until next spring. Don't waste your money fertilizing in the middle of winter -- your grass isn't growing and can't use it. 
 
Here are more tips for "Gardening like a Floridian" as the days get shorter, the humidity finally drops and the dreaded buzzing of mosquitoes fades away:
 
  • Don't bag those falling leaves! Instead, rake them around your shrubs or into your flower beds; they add nutrients to the soil as they break down and help keep the soil warm during cold snaps.                                                                
  • Think beyond bird feeders and let plants provide food for wildlife. Native plants like beautyberry, firebush, and wild coffee, along with native hollies, produce tasty, nutritious berries in fall and winter.                                                             
  • Plant bulbs like agapanthus, rain lilies and many types of iris now for colorful blooms next year.                                           
  • Start an herb garden. Herbs like cilantro that can't take Florida's scorching summers thrive in cooler months. Sage, chives, garlic and dill also flourish this time of year.              
  • Dial down those lawn sprinklers! Cooler, shorter days mean your grass needs less water. In fact, this is a perfect time to dig up a section of your lawn and replace it with plants to feed wildlife, or even your family!  Check out these guides to creating a backyard wildlife habitat or a vegetable garden.

 

Mockingbirds love the purple berries of the aptly named Beautyberry shrub.
















Thanks to all our friends who skipped the fertilizer this summer to prevent pollution and protect our fun! 
     
 


Flamingo Flock on the Move

Our traveling flock of artist-painted flamingos is back in Pinellas County at the Largo Cultural Center for October, after a wonderful stay at the Art Center Manatee. Next stop: Sunken Gardens in November, then the Dunedin Fine Art Center for December. 

Don't worry Tampa flamingo fans, they'll be winging across the bay starting in January with appearances at the New Tampa Library, Carrollwood Community Center and Museum of Science and Industry.Then they fly south again to the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport.



 
We have a winner in the Be Floridian Challenge!

Congratulations to Theresa Lee, winner of a brand new iPad in the Be Floridian Challenge sponsored by the Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida.

Theresa's Florida roots go deep -- several generations in fact. So "landscaping like A Floridian" is nothing new to her. Theresa successfully answered all six questions in the Be Floridian smartphone quiz abut yard care practices that protect our waterways.

 "Wow I'm excited!! I actually was born in Sarasota so taking care of our water and beaches has been very important to me all my life," she said.

Theresa isn't the only savvy homeowner when it comes to reducing runoff that can spoil our bays and beaches.  A short survey recently conducted by the Council showed that most respondents already were following Florida-friendly yard care practices, such as skipping the fertilizer in the summer, and planting the right plant in the right place. And, most of those who completed the survey said they still planned to install a rain barrel or a rain garden if they hadn't already. 

A large majority were longtime Florida residents of 10 years or more. Most do their own yard work. They listed "environmental benefit" as the most important factor in deciding how to landscape their yard, followed by "appearance of yard." No problem, since we know "Landscaping like a Floridian" both looks good and does good! 
 
Plants for True Floridians

Florida Native

Muhly grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris  


It may not look like typical grass, but the silky 

Photograph by Melissa Forbes Gould

lavender-pink muhly grass is one of 60 species in the Muhlenbergia genus of grasses. Muhly grass is often found in large patches and is up to 3 feet tall when fully grown. It tolerates a wide range of conditions and habitats from moist to dry and sandy to marshy, and is adaptable to many residential landscapes. It makes an excellent groundcover for areas with poor soils and looks lovely as a border along buildings and roads. Muhly grass looks like a non-descript clumping grass most of the year -- but in the Fall it really puts on a show with its long-lasting pink, feathery plumes.

 

Florida-Friendly Non-Native

Wendy's Wish Salvia
Photograph by Cynthia Glover/
HoeAndShovel.com
Salvia hybrida 'Wendy's Wish'
  
 A beautiful butterfly and hummingbird magnet, Wendy's Wish can grow to the size and shape of a small shrub, and sports stunning magenta tubular blooms. It can grow in full sun, but prefers part sun, where it is a carefree, drought-tolerant perennial that easily blooms three seasons a year. This popular salvia is now relatively easy to find at nurseries and plant festivals.
Recipe for Relaxing
stone crab
 In honor of Florida Stone Crab Season which opens October 15, we offer up this key lime mustard dipping sauce that makes a tasty accompaniment to one of our state's most delicious delicacies. Serve them cold on a bed of ice with this mustard dipping sauce, or with melted butter. The firm, sweet meat tastes similar to lobster -- but better to Floridians! It's extra lean, low in fat, and a good source of protein.

Stone Crab Claws with Key Lime Mustard Dipping Sauce
   
3 pounds stone crab claws, medium sized
1 cup low-fat mayonnaise
5 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
4 key limes (or two regular limes), juiced
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a small bowl combine the mayo, Dijon and lime juice.
Taste the mustard sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Crack claws using a wooden hammer, seafood cracker or even the back of a spoon rapped sharply against the claw; remove shell and movable pincer from the two knuckles. Pull the delicious meat away, dip it in the mustard sauce and enjoy a true Florida feast! 

Recipe and photo from FreshFromFlorida.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.