By Master Volunteer Lesley Arrandale
mail@floridanewsline.com
As the hurricane season reaches its peak, in Jacksonville we’ve been lucky, so far, to escape the worst that the weather might throw at us. Despite that, some areas of town have experienced bad flooding. If your yard was under water for any length of time, as the water subsides and you start to clean up, let plants and lawn recover and then determine what permanent damage there is, if any.
Immediate clean up might simply involve removing debris that has washed onto beds and lawns. Lawns especially could suffer as it doesn’t take long before diseases can take hold, so rake it off carefully and dispose of it, either by composting or bagging it for collection if you suspect problems with sewage. In any case, wear disposable gloves, long pants, and waterproof boots that can be washed easily. Plants will need their crowns cleared of debris so remove anything that has washed into the center of the plant. If it isn’t contaminated, and there isn’t a lot of it, that material could simply be pulled away from the plant and left in place as mulch.
Here are some links to an article with more advice: https://tinyurl.com/4up4hszy.
Fall migrating birds are moving through our area, and in my garden, where there are wildflowers to attract them, I’m seeing a wide variety of pollinators feeding on dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata) and anise scented goldenrod (Solidago odora). Two particularly lovely warblers, the American redstart and black-headed blue warbler, have been taking advantage of the insects as well as the fruits of the beautyberry bushes (Callicarpa americana). I had a great view of a male black-headed blue warbler as it feasted on beauty berries just a couple of yards from my kitchen window.
It’s tricky to get a show of flowers throughout the year. The Xerces Society has compiled lists for most regions of the US which include the flowering times of common wildflowers. You can find the list for Florida here: https://tinyurl.com/49cjpwpw. Make sure to check soil, water, and light requirements. Even so-called “low maintenance” native plants must be in the right place if they are going to be successful in our gardens. Otherwise they become high maintenance!
When growing native wildflowers from seed, some are more successful if they are sown in the fall, which is often when seeds naturally mature and drop from the plant. The Florida Wildflower Cooperative sells a variety of wildflower seeds. Check out what’s available here: https://tinyurl.com/4z3p3uvb. Make sure to take advantage of all the information available on the website, particularly if you envision a wildflower bed. To be successful, you will probably need to deal with weeds before you start. For me, I sow seeds in small trays, not directly in the garden, and pot them on until they are large enough to plant out. I have found it takes time for some perennials to mature, but it can be satisfying for anyone who enjoys new plants for almost free!
If you want to simply purchase plants, and I completely understand why, there are only a few local native plant nurseries. You can search online for information and for online nurseries here: https://www.plantrealflorida.org/professionals. Duval County master gardener volunteers hold a popular plant sale in the spring, usually with a good selection of native plants, and so do surrounding counties. You may know that sourcing native plants propagated in their home range makes it more likely that you have “the right plant in the right place.” They are genetically a good match to local conditions, whereas the same species grown further north will likely be from seed that is adapted to entirely different conditions. If you see “Florida ecotype” in a plant’s description, it means it’s truly a Florida native.
The latest issue of A New Leaf newsletter is available here: https://tinyurl.com/65frterd. As you will see, the format has been updated and has links to articles of current interest. Enjoy!
