In Your Backyard
Podocarpus ‘Pringle’ – Podocarpus macrophylla ‘Pringle’
Small Leaf Clusia – Clusia guttifera
Dwarf Simpson Stopper – Myrcianthes fragrans ‘Compacta’
Camellia spp. ‘Yuletide’, ‘Pink Perfection,’ ‘Kramer’s Supreme’
Black Diamond Crape Myrtle – Lagerstroemia indica ‘Black Diamond’™
There once was a new home being built in a wealthy, very celebrated community. It was time for the sidewalk to be poured. The hardscape contractor noticed that the irrigation spray head was in the sidewalk and asked the landscape irrigation contractor to move it. He asked nicely three times. The landscape irrigation contractor didn’t move it. So the hardscape contractor couldn’t wait and because he was a professional, he went ahead and poured the cement but made sure the head wasn’t covered. Now landscape irrigation contractor and the hardscape contractor and the builder all got paid and lived happily ever after.
This home was built ten years ago, and my client wanted to renovate their front yard. I noticed the irrigation head and couldn’t believe that it was allowed to happen. Coincidentally, the hardscape contractor was working on a patio next door and he was the one who actually told me the story. Not a lick of shame as he told me that he just went and poured the cement anyway. I don’t know if the spray ever worked but it was never going to work now.
Just a blatant reminder of the lack of initiative and poor workmanship to move the irrigation pipe out of the way or demand from the builder that the problem needed fixed.
If you see something, say something.
Wildlife use vegetation for a number of reasons: food, water, protection, physical and territorial behavior. A deer’s diet includes foliage, fruit (acorns), flowers and flower buds, but not necessarily all on the same plant, while young stags use the bark of small trees to “rub the velvet from their antlers and mark their area.” (Appleton, 2008) Deer like to eat plants that are young, easily accessible, over-fertilized, overwatered, pruned often, and have new growth. Deer do not like to eat plants that are odoriferous, have either grayish, leathery, or thorny foliage, or have foliage that has milky or sticky sap.
Reducing landscape damage by deer needs to be a community-wide effort. Feeding deer will only lessen their natural fear of humans and encourages them to encroach on residential areas. There are several options to keeping deer off your property. Installing seven-foot fencing will reduce chances that deer will jump onto property. Using chemical repellents are not always effective and can be expensive, foul-smelling, and need to be applied before plants are eaten and on a continuous basis.
To read the rest of my article and download my least preferred plants for deer in Central Florida, click this link.
How are you doing? Two hurricanes in the first two weeks of October – we haven’t seen that in Florida ever, and it’s worse further north in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and surrounding border states. This is a month for recovery for millions. With the deluge of over 15” of rainfall in some areas, the loss of thousands of trees, and flooding still affecting Florida, gardening may not be on your to-do list.
Take a deep breath, do what you need to do to take care of your property and you. All those that have been devastated in North, South, and west coast of Florida, know that you are in Lizzie’s and my prayers. Check in with us on our Facebook page. Send us your photos, questions, and comments.
Take advantage of Summit Mosquito Bits and Dunks in stagnant waters around your home, and Green Armor Shield to prevent mosquito bites while working out in your yard. It prevents mosquitos from biting you through your clothing, shoes, tents, out in the woods, clearing out your brush and fallen trees.
If you need help with your landscape, here are a few resources:
Find a certified arborist or check credentials: https://bit.ly/483PJKI
Talk to your local County Extension Office: https://bit.ly/30CvrVh
Disaster Relief and Recovery: https://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/
It’s been a chaotic month, so keep focused on yourself, family, home, and what you need. If you do need a break and you have gardening questions, especially about your landscape issues, hope you will listen to Better Lawns and Gardens every Saturday morning 7am to 9am on your iHeart station or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
My design tips will be back next month with special emphasis on recovery. Send me your questions, thoughts, or ideas you would like.
Hope everything is back to normal for you and Florida soon. Take care,
Monthly gardening information for Florida-friendly landscapes,, what to do in your garden, design advice, and more!
