There and Back Again
Mar
1
Written by:
Master Gardener Terry Engels
3/1/2012 11:52 AM
I’m back! Oh, you didn’t realize I was gone -- well, I was. I’m back from southern climes full of vim and vigor and eager for a new season. And I can prove it.
There and back again!
Oh, no, is there anything worse than someone else’s vacation pix? Don’t worry, the rest are of plants and I know you’ll be eager for those.
My husband and I have the excuse to spend time in Florida visiting our son’s family. To give our tourist-ing a garden slant we toured the exhibits at Marie Selby Botanic Gardens as well as the plantings around the John Ringling Museum in Sarasota, the native plantings in the Everglades, and state and national parks along the Keys.
Green refreshed the eye
It was refreshing to see the truly green and feel the moist air. But it’s been dry there too, and a little warmer than normal---except for an earlier cold patch that nearly went to freezing. Are unusual weather patterns becoming the ‘norm’ everywhere? However, being at a different part of the globe than Minnesota, the days were longer and the quality of light seemed so much brighter. Wonderful!
Spring was a week or two away for many plants but the tropicals were in fine bloom in Marie Selby Botanic Garden orchid collection.
One effect I noticed was the great use of foliage plants to carry color. That is certainly the message preached by garden designers, and I saw some wonderful examples, not just in the botanic gardens, but also in upscale commercial plantings. They have the budget and can dedicate the maintenance.
A fountain of color at the botanic garden
Curbside plantings, at a shopping center-- fabulous foliage carries the display whether the flowers are in bloom or not.
We can do that here too---just not quite yet
Best of all this type of display is sustainable, requiring fewer inputs of fertilizer, water, plant maintenance (like deadheading--clipping spent bloom, changing out annuals). And there was lots of mulch, used for decoration and serving the practical purposes of keeping down the weeds, making the roots cooler in the hot sun, and retaining water.
It works here too
This is just the stuff we talk about for Minnesota too. Despite our different places on the globe we share the same environmental concerns; sustainable plantings, managed water use, and lower season-long maintenance are our goals while pursuing beauty in the garden.
SPEAKING OF BEAUTY FOR THE GARDEN
Join us March 24 at our 15th Annual Stearns County Master Gardener Horticultural Education Day: “Gardening with Nature” at St. John’s University. We have two fantastic nationally recognized keynote speakers, and a number of smaller special interest sessions to choose throughout the day. We’ll get you started on a great gardening year.
All this, plus free take-home info, a continental breakfast, complimentary beverages, lunch, afternoon snacks, door prizes, and a great selection of vendors.
There is a break-even fee to cover costs of speakers, venue, food, printing. Some generous area merchants and Master Gardeners have donated great door prizes.
This is an event we use ourselves to start our annual re-education. And we invite everyone to share the fun. Fee: $30.00.
To follow up this opportunity plus find many more items of interest, go to our Extension website: www. extension.umn.edu/county/Stearns. You see the Hot Topics button? A click on that will give you all the info you need.
Direct link:
www.extension.umn.edu/county/Stearns/news/2012_Hort_Ed_Flyer_Web-sm.pdf
Registration is limited, but there’s still room for you. I’d love to see you there!