May 18th, 2009 by Leisa Pichard |
Looking for something to do with that old bonsai pot–the one with the dead bonsai plant in it? Well, I have the answer: succulents. These hardy little plants come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They are just adorable. The major hardware stores now typically devote an entire section of their gardening department to them. Succulents typically like shallower pots, as their roots don’t grow very deep. A large shallow pot gives you the opportunity to create an entire succulent garden. Succulents typically need indirect light, and can endure periods of drought.
Another benefit–succulents are fairly inexpensive. On a recent trip to Lowe’s, I went a little berserk and filled a whole flat with succulents. It only set me back about 20.00 and I was able to create about 5 succulent garden dishes. Another benefit is easy propagation: Just lay a petal on top of soil, and it should root and form a new plant.
For more information about succulents, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succulent
May 7th, 2009 by Leisa Pichard |
Below are the dates and times for the work days at Hope through the summer. Please keep Hope in mind as you make your plans. Let’s all try to get in at least one workday this year!
Saturday, May 16: 9-12 AM
Friday, June 5: 8-11 AM
Saturday, June 20: 8-11 AM
Friday, July 10: 8-11 AM
Saturday, July 25: 8-11 AM
Saturday, August 8: 8-11 AM
Friday, August 21: 8-11 AM
Saturday, September 12, 8-11 AM
Apr 22nd, 2009 by Leisa Pichard |
This Saturday at the Tallahassee Mall parking lot (Monroe street side), the City of Tallahassee is sponsoring a compost bin sale. These awesome composters are a steal at $30.00 each. The sale happens from 9:00 am until 3:00 pm. From past experience, I can tell you that they will sell out long before 3:00 and if you don’t want to wait in line for a couple hours, you best get there well before 9:00. If anyone is planning to go, you might want to let the group know. Some teamwork might be helpful in this endeavor.
Apr 9th, 2009 by Andrea Johnson |
There are several garden and nature related workshops coming up:
“Ants: The Little things that Rule the World” lecture at Goodwood, Friday, April 10
Part of the Brown Bag lunch series, noon to 1 pm, Jubilee Cottage, 1600 Miccosukee Road
Call 877-4202 for details
Colorful Container Gardening Workshop
Learn how to choose plant combinations that provide interesting spring and summer color and texture
Hands-on class at Native Nurseries, Saturday 10 am, 1661 Centerville Road, Fee: $5
Class size is limited. Call 386-8882 to reserve your spot.
Gardening Friends of the Big Bend Bulb Workshop
April 18, Call Jim Williams 850-663-2280 or Gary Knox 850-875-7162
Hydroponic Seminar at Esposito’s
Saturday, April 25
The seminar will be in 2 parts: Introduction to Hydroponics & Advanced Garden Techniques
Extensive question and answer period afterwards. Factory Trained Representatives.
You must register to attend. Call Esposito’s for details.
Apr 2nd, 2009 by Andrea Johnson |
I know for some of us, every month is garden month, but April is officially National Garden Month! How will you celebrate it? The National Gardening Association has got some great ideas and articles, as well as helpful how-to videos. To celebrate National Garden Month, there’s also a contest you can enter to win a gardening package valued at $1000 http://www.nationalgardenmonth.org/.
And, don’t forget–Arbor Day is April 24th. Both of these events are a great way to share with children the importance of stewardship of our land and resources.
Mar 30th, 2009 by Andrea Johnson |
Have you been gardening here in the Deep South believing that bulbs just will not thrive here? Join Gardening Friends of the Big Bend to learn about those lovely flowers produced by bulbs, corms, or rhizomes that will flourish, reproduce, and naturalize in our climate. Seventh generation South Carolinian gardener Jenks Farmer will educate and inspire us in his presentation on lovely, diverse crinum lilies. Jenks has specialized in gardening to take advantage of long, hot summers and short cool winters. He writes about and photographs gardens throughout the country. His articles appear regularly in Carolina Gardener, Fine Gardening, Organic Gardening, Horticulture, American Nurseryman and several scientific journals. Tallahassee’s own Linda Van Beck will tell us about the multitude of daffodils, jonquils and other narcissus that prosper here. North Florida Research and Education Center’s Dr. Gary Knox will share his passion for rain lilies. Local plantswoman Sue Watkins will wrap up the afternoon telling us about other bulbs that please Deep South gardeners. Registration will begin at 1:45 pm on April 18, 2009 with the program beginning at 2:00 pm, ending with door prizes at approximately
5 pm. As with all Gardening Friends events this event will be held at UF/IFAS’s North Florida Research and Education, 155 Research Center, Quincy, FL 32351. NFREC is located two miles south of Quincy at the intersection of Hwy 267 and I-10, about 20 miles west of Tallahassee. To cover costs of this event the pre-registration for non-members will be $10, pre-registration for GFBB members will be $5. Registration at the door will increase to $15 for non-members, $10 for members. Those attendees pre-registering will receive two door prize tickets. Please pre-register by 5 PM, Wednesday, April 15, 2009. You may call NFREC at 850-875-7100, e-mail Jill Williams at B419@aol.com or register on our new website, www.thegfbb.com. If using the GFBB website click on “Event Reservations” in the menu on the left.
Mar 27th, 2009 by Andrea Johnson |
Participate in Earth Hour on Saturday, March 28, by turning off your lights for one hour (830 PM to 930 PM). The light-out is a symbol of consolidarity among people of different nations to “VOTE EARTH.” Each person to turn off their lights is considered one vote. Earth Hour is trying to reach one billion votes which will be presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009. The Earth thanks you!
For more information, please visit: http://www.earthhour.org/home/
Mar 19th, 2009 by Andrea Johnson |
On Mark Bittman’s NY Times blog Bitten, there’s an interesting article by Kerri Conan on keeping a garden log. She describes how she has kept garden logs that detail planting times and layouts. This is a great idea, I think, especially for a visual person like me. http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/tracking-the-garden/
Also, Gardener’s Supply has a great Kitchen Garden Planner. You can design the layout of your beds and they show you how much of each plant you can fit for maximum results. Or, just use one of their premade plans if you’re feeling lazy. http://www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html
Also! This just in…there is a new group starting in Tallahassee: Homegrown Food . This group will get together and trade labor, equipment, seeds, and inspiration. For more information on the Homegrown Food group visit: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/homegrownfood/
Looking for something to do with that old bonsai pot–the one with the dead bonsai plant in it? Well, I have the answer: succulents. These hardy little plants come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They are just adorable. The major hardware stores now typically devote an entire section of their gardening department to them. Succulents typically like shallower pots, as their roots don’t grow very deep. A large shallow pot gives you the opportunity to create an entire succulent garden. Succulents typically need indirect light, and can endure periods of drought.
