Where Our Flowers Come From

One of my favorite things about being a Master Gardener is going on field trips for my recertification. 

A few months ago more than 26 Master Gardeners attended a field trip to one of Riverview Flower Farm’s nurseries. Riverview Flower Farm happens to be the largest supplier of bedding plants for Home Depot south of the panhandle. The farm sells their plants on consignment and then takes back all of the plants that don’t sell and composts them.  The store with the largest volume of flower sales (meaning daily deliveries) is the Northdale Home Depot.

Riverview Flower Farm owner Rick Brown provided a tour of his farm, which offered the Master Gardeners a wealth of information.

Today’s nurseries sell plants at a much lower cost than they were able to do 30 years ago.
Technology and automation have created large commercial growers who deal in volume.  Riverview Flower Farms is a good example. The farm runs five nurseries in the area.  The one we visited near Seffner was one of the smaller ones. It featured approximately six acres of greenhouses on 26 acres of property.

During our tour we saw some very interesting contraptions for potting, watering and trimming plants – all operated by a skeleton crew of workers.

Most of the annual bedding plants we see for sale come from cuttings from California, Costa Rica, Brazil, Israel and Guatemala. Most, however, come from Mexico. The nursery functions on a monorail system; Dutch benches make it easy to move hundreds of potted plants.  Growing conditions are managed with air circulating fans, micro-irrigation, and luminous shade cloth/lighting.

While in each greenhouse, we noticed a constant movement around us from the shades, windows and misters. All of them are automated and operated by computerized sensors.  Rick says that he is able to monitor all of this at home via computer to handle any emergencies, such as an unexpected chill or power outage.

The plants are pampered in this very high tech environment for about six weeks until they are ready for sale.   It is therefore no surprise that the bedding plants in the local garden center look so perfectly healthy.  I almost feel sorry they have to come home with the likes of me to learn to fend for themselves in my garden!

One thing we noticed is there were no insects. Rick explained that fungus gnats, thrips and shore flies are common problems in greenhouse and nursery operations. The farm uses a biological means of control in the form of microscopic, beneficial nematodes; the nematodes attack the fungus gnat and thrip larvae. Thrips become more of a problem when the Citrus are in bloom.
According to Rick, the most popular bedding plants in Florida (based on sales) are pentas.  Research has shown that white flowers produce as much nectar as red pentas.

As a grower, what are Rick’s predictions? He believes we will have a mild winter. He also believes succulents and vertical gardening are going to continue to grow in popularity.
Breeders are constantly improving plants by creating bigger flower heads, better branching habits and brighter colors. Among other modifications they also strive to create more disease-resistant plants.

It was interesting to hear how nurserymen trick our holiday chrysanthemums, poinsettias and kalanchoe into blooming by exposing them to bright light from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for two-week intervals.  This makes sure that there is a constant supply each week for the stores.

We also saw and learned about some newer plants to keep an eye out for this spring: 

Wendy’s Wish

This is a patented Salvia hybrid. A portion of its sale proceeds will go to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  For a look, go to http://www.floridafriendlyplants.com/plant_database_results.asp?KeyWrds=wendy

.

Red Flame Ivy (Hemigaphis alternata)

Planted pot-in-pot, this ivy can line your front walkways. Rick noted the most popular landscape color is purple.

Pink Ruellia

Expect to see a two-tone, pink, sterile Ruellia scheduled for early release. Read the UF/IFAS 2009-2010 FNGLA Endowed Research Fund Final Report, Breeding sterile and non-invasive Ruellia cultivars, at http://hort.ufl.edu/people/pdf/freyre-fngla.pdf

.

Snow Princess

Keep an eye out for a perennial, heat-tolerant alyssum called Snow Princess. At the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Plant City, Snow Princess is being used as a banker plant around Knock-Out Roses to control chili thrips. To learn more about banker plants, please visit http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/banker/Using-Bankers.html

.

SunPatiens

SunPatiens – a more sun-tolerant version of impatiens – will be in garden centers this spring. For more information see http://www.vivagarden.com/flowers/sunpatiens/index.html

.

Master Gardener Plant Clinic

This month’s Master Gardening Plant Clinic will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Upper Tampa Bay Library.  Carol Fanella and Adrienne DeNisco will present Veggies in the Landscape.  Have fun incorporating vegetables in small and unique places in your garden!  Learn what types of vegetables grow best in Central Florida. Fanella and DeNisco will discuss where and when to plant them and how to maintain them.

By Shelly Stein; Photos by Kathy Carlsen

Master Gardener Shelly Stein is a resident of Village Green and would love to hear about your garden at skstein2003@yahoo.com.

Gardening on the Wild Side

If most gardening strikes you as too tame, Glencliff’s Kathy Carlsen has the solution.

Carlsen has dedicated her entire backyard to raising plants to feed and attract wildlife, mainly butterflies and birds. She credits her green thumb to her grandfather, who was a gardener for the Wyndham, the Rosa Anne Grosvener’s House in Newport, Rhode Island. Kathy has honed her own gardening skills over the years as she loves being outdoors walking, golfing and gardening. She says that one of the best places to learn about gardening is to visit the USF Botanical Gardens and ask lots of questions.

Last year in her yard Kathy started a Florida native section, which will mainly bloom from spring to fall. The Carlsens receive compliments from golfers who pass by. It’s no wonder why! Their backyard is a vegetative oasis of everything but turf grass. It includes a variety of birdfeeders, birdbaths and other creative elements where birds and butterflies can perch.

Some common birds in her garden include Carolina chickadees, winter wrens, doves, blue jays, woodpeckers and Carolina wrens. Of the many birds she sees, Kathy says that the tufted titmice and cardinals are the most interesting to watch as they feed their young. For bird feed, she uses wild bird seed mixed with extra sunflower seed and suet blocks – although Kathy reports more racoons being attracted to that feeder than birds. Kathy also avoids corn since it attracts deer and other unwanted visitors. Open feeders reportedly work best. In her garden I also spotted a platform feeder, which must have been for the doves. Doves approaching a feeder look like they are making an aircraft carrier landing.

The butterflies that frequent the garden include the monarch, zebra long wing, Viceroy, Gulf fritillary, sulphurs, skippers, red admirals and zebra swallowtails. The Carlsens attract Zebra Swallowtails with parsley and dill. There is also salvia, passion vine, coreopsis, verbena, bee balm, and duranta as sources for nectar.

For years the Carlsens raised monarch pupae in screened cages with milkweed to observe their life cycle and then released them when they became butterflies. Kathy’s advice for host plants is to take care to avoid invasive plants and go to a certified Florida native nursery for advice.

To learn more about landscaping backyards for wildlife, see the University of Florida’s publication, Top Ten Tips for Success at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw175 Anoth.er source, titled Getting Started in Butterfly Gardening, can be found at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in564

.

To identify butterflies that you might spot in your garden, try the Florida Butterfly Database Project at http://www.butterflydatabase.com

.

Happy gardening!

Master Gardener Plant Clinic

Join us on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. at the Upper Tampa Bay Library for Master Gardener Jim Hawk’s presentation, Dooryard Fruit for Central Florida. Hawk will introduce various tropical fruits to the home gardener and discuss which cultivars do best in Hillsborough County. He will discuss the pros and cons of each and delve into how the fruit is used.

By Shelly Stein; Photos by Kathy Carlsen

Master Gardener Shelly Stein is a resident of Village Green and would love to hear about your garden at skstein2003@yahoo.com.

Tan’s Inspirational Garden

As a runner, I have either run or walked by every house in our neighborhood. One stopped me in my tracks last month.

Located at 9630 Gretna Green Dr., the home had such an outstanding Halloween-themed garden that you couldn’t help but stop and look. Homeowner Tan Nguyen was out sweeping his meticulously clean sidewalk and I asked him if I could come the next day and take some pictures. He graciously agreed.

As you can see, Tan’s Halloween display was extraordinary! He said that the display was developed over the course of seven weeks in a “series of phases.” I am going to steal that phrase: I am in Phase I of laying mulch, which means that it has been sitting in my driveway in bags for the past two weeks. But I digress.

From the glowing pumpkin to the hand-crafted wreaths, everything Tan does is handmade. What motivates him is that he finds gardening to be a relaxing and creative outlet. Tan works from home for IBM and, like so many of us, he’s tethered to his computer for much of the day. Gardening is his excuse to get some fresh air outside and to exercise his other talents.

By the time this edition of the WOW is published, Tan will have spent approximately 16 hours over two weekends to prepare his Christmas display. In December 2009, it even won an honorable mention in WOW’s Holiday Decorating Contest, which is no surprise.

Every year he creates a different theme based on colors. Last year, he said that his theme was pink and that he received a lot of compliments from neighbors. This year, he plans on a red theme. After the New Year Tan will begin planning his next display for the spring.

If you feel that you need some holiday or gardening inspiration, I encourage you to stop by Tan Nguyen’s house.  Obviously he has a talent for creating a beautiful landscape display.

For those of us who need some more inspiration, I suggest two excellent articles from the University of Florida’s Electronic Database: Color in the Landscape: Finding Inspiration for a Color Theme ( http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep425) and Landscape Design: Arranging Plants in the Landscape (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep449).

Happy gardening! (And if you see someone running by your garden gawking, just wave and say hi!)

By Shelly Stein

Master Gardener Shelly Stein is a resident of Village Green and would love to hear about your garden at skstein2003@yahoo.com.

Bridges’ Backyard a Feast for the Eyes

Anyone who admits to handpicking the stones for her garden is a woman after my own heart!

In addition to stones, Barbara Davis’ colorful garden in The Bridges has many beautiful features. It is truly a feast for the eyes!

As with all gardens, Barbara’s is unique in both its appearance and purpose.

Barbara has lived in Westchase for nine years and became inspired to begin serious gardening several years ago by a neighborhood couple who also have a lovely yard. Barbara says that gardening is her favorite “therapeutic workout.” Like most gardeners, she doesn’t mind working up a sweat and she claims that trimming shrubs is great for the arms. Her favorite chore is digging holes for planting and you can tell she does this often!

Like many avid gardeners, you can see that Barbara’s garden has a wide variety of plant species. Her colorful bedding plants in the front yard create a beautiful display. The best part of the garden, however, is in the backyard. Barbara’s backyard is truly an extension of her home. As you walk out of the back lanai with lush tropical foliage and bird cages, you are amazed by her back patio and the festive atmosphere of the yard. The backyard is full of garden whimsy: artistically arranged pots, bright flowers, painted pavers and some garden art. The Davises enjoy entertaining on their back patio and Barbara says that she loves the look on the faces of guests when they step off of her back porch into it. She is most proud of her bright cala lilies and sunflowers that border the backyard. 

Many gardeners enjoy decorating their gardens with planters and other artistic objects to express their unique sense of style and humor. Some folks like a lush tropical theme; others prefer manicured shrubs and lawn. For some, it’s all about roses. Others may like a more natural and untamed setting to attract wildlife. As a Master Gardener, I have had the privilege to visit many beautiful gardens around Tampa. Almost every style of garden includes some form of ornament or whimsy tucked here or there. Whether the gardener can still find it is another issue!

While many husbands complain about their wives’ spending on clothes, Barbara’s husband complains about her gardening expenses. I am sure, however, that her mandevilla vines and recycled bottle tree are a bit less expensive than Gucci.

The bright-colored glass of  her bottle tree refracts sunlight, dappling the surrounding foliage. Guests wonder if the bottle of vino they share on the patio may one day grace the garden border. It is truly an impressive display! The bottle tree is a garden whimsy staple that I have seen in Europe, Africa and Central America.

Before you remodel your own front yard, be sure to submit your plan to the Modifications Committee for approval. Because of our covenants, garden whimsy is best left as Barbara has it – in the backyard.

For a great blog sharing views on garden whimsy, check out: http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=1398 Anoth.er great site for examples and how-to’s for ornamental container gardening, try: http://urbanext.illinois.edu/containergardening/whimsy.cfm

Have fun gardening!

By Shelly Stein

Master Gardener Shelly Stein is a resident of Village Green and would love to hear about your garden at skstein2003@yahoo.com.

Woodbay Couple Enjoys “Remodeling” their Garden

What motivates a gardener? The need to exercise? The love of nature?

Or is a garden a creative outlet or a way to relax?
For most gardeners, it is a combination of all of these things.

In May, I asked WOW readers to submit the names of Westchase gardeners with exceptional or unique yards. Over the summer, I had the pleasure to visit and photograph three of gardens, which I will highlight in months to come. Each was unique in appearance and purpose.

The first featured yard is that of Larry Bedgood and Gwen Sparer of 9903 Woodbay Drive. The submitted nomination for their yard said, “If you take a walk around the whole yard, you will see beautiful flowers, trees and even planters around the pool. Everybody that walks by the house stops and admires the hard work involved.”

The couple moved to Westchase in 1996 and Larry became an avid gardener as exercise per the advice of his physician. Larry and Gwen estimate that the yard contains over 3,000 plants and numerous species.

The yard has evolved into a series of large annual beds and 22 palm trees that provide a dappled shade. The large beds currently contain 252 annual vinca, annual salvia, bush daisy, marigold (which reseeds itself annually), and caladium, which emerge each year from underground tubers.

In the winter, the same beds contain pansies, pentas and petunias. Besides large flower beds, the yard has an amazing variety of other flowering plants and tropicals. These run along the back and sides of the home as well as inside the lanai. It is truly an impressive display!

Larry estimates that he spends about ten hours each week working in his yard, including daily weeding. His advice for anyone planting flower beds is to raise the beds by adding soil to make sure that there is adequate drainage. His tip for keeping a fresh-looking, green lawn is to seed it lightly with annual winter rye in the fall. This keeps the lawn looking lush in the cooler months and provides a natural source of nitrogen when the rye dies in the spring.

Larry and Gwen lament that every year they lose something to freeze damage. Like passionate gardeners throughout Central Florida, they are undeterred. Each year they begin anew, trying out new plants and flowers. Larry, who happens to be in the construction business, says that he enjoys trying new color combinations. He describes it as “remodeling” his garden.

I encourage you to drive by 9903 Woodbay to take a look sometime. The yard is truly impressive. Don’t be discouraged to try your own yard remodeling. Larry states, “If I can do it, anyone can do it!”

Before you remodel your own front yard, be sure to submit your plan to the Modifications Committee for approval. For more on similar remodeling ideas, visit http://www.floridayards.org/landscape/FYN-Handbook.pdf

.

For more technical information on landscape design, including the choice of a design, the measurement of a site, and the use of color, visit http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/clce/news/hansen_alvarez.shtml

Happy remodeling!

By Shelly Stein

Master Gardener Shelly Stein is a resident of Village Green and can be reached at skstein2003@yahoo.com. Click here for a listing of the upcoming Master Gardener Clinics at the UTB Library.