By Master Gardener Volunteer Lesley Arrandale
mail@floridanewsline.com
Gardening confronts us with new challenges almost constantly. Currently in the second week of December, we’ve had our first cold weather. Some gardeners try to hold on to their late summer gardens for as long as possible before conditions make it impractical. My front yard is an example. I garden more for wildlife, especially birds, pollinators and other invertebrates than I do for people, so shelter and sustenance are important. This means that my less than orthodox front yard is not a green and tidy sward. The brown twiggy flower stems of my favored plants (dotted horsemint, Monarda punctata) still predominate. Clumps of now shaggy-looking lance leaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) are scattered in. Straggly Indian blanket (Gaillardia pulchella) is still producing a few flowers, and the clumps of Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis) are limping along, waiting for rain to pull them back from the brink. Most of these plants provide shelter. Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is holding on to its berries, as are the beautyberry shrubs (Callicarpa americana), both of which are relished by mockingbirds and cardinals. Whatever we think of autumn, this is how nature works. It’s just not neat and tidy.
There are plenty of useful resources which explain how and why to be more wildlife friendly, particularly through the winter, and this article in the November issue of The Neighborhood Gardener is a great start: https://tinyurl.com/4env94k6. To receive The Neighborhood Gardener in your inbox, you may subscribe here: https://tinyurl.com/38u7ftfu.
This year, I’m delighted to say that my yard is brightened by our Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), the leaves of which have turned more red than brown. A first! Apparently, this is the result of a drier summer, followed by a cool down. The anthocyanins in the leaves have reacted to this and the red coloration is the result.
As the human year winds down, so does the natural year. By the time you read this, it will be our New Year and hopefully we will all be looking forward to a bright spring. In the meantime, vegetable growers will be tending to their crops, as well as planning for the spring garden. Historically our last frost date was around mid-March, but with the recent changes to our official climate zones, our spring may be earlier than usual. If you intend to grow flowers or vegetables from seed, forward planning is essential to make the most of the coming year.
Early January is a little late to sow some native wildflowers, but if you collected or bought any recently don’t let that put you off trying. Annuals should bloom the first year, as the term suggests, but be prepared to wait longer for some perennials to flower. Sow seeds in small seed trays or cells in a seed-starter mix and keep them under grow-lights or on a bright windowsill. A heat mat could give them a head start. Try to avoid the seedlings getting leggy. Water them from below to reduce the risk of overwatering and causing damping off. For advice on this, see https://tinyurl.com/ysnw3tdt. Once seedlings have a pair of true leaves, begin a weekly application of a dilute liquid fertilizer.
These general instructions apply to most types of seed, but some vegetables don’t transplant easily, so check the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide for all you need to know to start a successful spring garden: https://tinyurl.com/2rneraa7.
The first Extension newsletter of the new year will be available here: https://tinyurl.com/3b3fx8xd, as are all previous editions. Check it out for upcoming classes and timely articles. The Jacksonville library also hosts speakers, and some of the Life Lab classes might interest you. Check out https://tinyurl.com/mtszmadb for January’s offerings.
