FLORIDA FRIENDLY
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WINTER/SPRING 2010
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The Florida Botanical Gardens’ ten-year evolution
is pictured here. Our hope, with your help, is to
bring back the gardens to their former glory.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
2
President’s Message
3
Gift Shop
Children’s Trail
Going Green
4
Our Refreshed and
Revived Gardens
5
Nursery Discounts
Welcome New Members
6
Holiday Lights
7
Garden Sponsorship
What’s In Bloom
Thanks to the Parks
department and volunteers!
Their cooperative efforts
restored the Wedding Garden
for the Valentine’s Day
group wedding ceremony.
The Florida Botanical Gardens
Foundation
12520 Ulmerton Rd.
Largo, FL 33774
727-582-2205
www.flbg.org/foundation.htm
A Message from the FBGF President
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chuck Scaffidi, Chair
Terri Ziegler, Vice Chair
Mary Sweeny, Treasurer
Sue Hamill, Secretary
Dianne Wheatley-Gilliotti,
Parliamentarian
I’m still shivering. Thanks to Jack Frost’s unusual and
extended visit, I still am reluctant to remove my six layers
of clothing. Were the plants in the gardens layered?
Unfortunately not. We took a hit and some/many of those
brown or leafless plants may not be alive. The experts say
don’t panic and don’t start pruning now. The advice we’re
following here at the gardens, and recommend as well for your
own gardens, is to wait until spring arrives, look for green life and
only prune down to that point on the plants. The Extension Diagnostic
Desk can help you with pruning advice.
Terry Berube
Alicia Chivers
Pat Dieterich
Emma Eshbaugh
Barbara Goss
Vivian Haicken
Gail Rasmussen
Carrie Shelby
The country still is suffering from unemployment and the economic downturn. Florida in
particular has been hard hit, resulting in more potential reductions in the County Parks
resources budget. The gardens will survive, but we cannot do it alone. I call on every
citizen in the county to please help us. A donation of your time and money can foster the
care and improvements these gardens need. Take ownership and pride in them and be
patient with us while the gardens recover.
ADVISORS
Mary Campbell, Extension Director
Paul Cozzie, Parks & Recreation
Director
Representative from Board of
County Commissioners
LIAISONS
Master Gardener Liaison
Emma Eshbaugh
Heritage Village Liaison
Wayne Ayers
Any comments about
The Florida Friendly Footprint
may be directed to Chuck Scaffidi,
Editor or Carrie Shelby, Assistant
Editor at 727-582-2117 or email
to [email protected]
Printed using 100% recycled
paper using 100% wind energy
in a carbon neutral process.
The Florida Botanical Gardens will celebrate its ten-year anniversary in December. Since
we have time to plan, I welcome suggestions to mark this auspicious occasion. One already
in the works is a refurbishment project to bring back the look of the gardens we have
enjoyed over the past 10 years. (I became a Master Gardener in the FBG in 2000 so I will
also be celebrating a tenth anniversary this year.)
The 2009 Lights in the Gardens was a huge success. More than 60,000 people attended,
expressing in “oohs and aahs” how much they enjoyed the magnificent decorations,
the variety of volunteer performers, not to mention the hot drinks obtainable on those
especially cold nights. I want to thank the lights team that worked so diligently and
tirelessly to stage this wonderful show as well as the many volunteers who greeted the
visitors. We also thank the University of Florida/IFAS Master Gardeners for helping to
staff this event and for their continuous dedication in maintaining the gardens. Many
thanks also to Commissioner Karen Seel for getting the word out to many of her
constituent contacts who volunteered, and for the time she spent as a volunteer with us.
The money earned by the holiday lights show will be heading back to the gardens to assist
in their recovery and enhancement.
One heart-felt observation I made is that in these difficult times we were able to give the
public an inexpensive place to go for a memorable family outing which allowed them to put
their worries aside for a little while. I think you’ll agree that’s a real gift the gardens gave
to our community.
The FBG Foundation is dedicated to making your gardens a reciprocity national garden
that member gardens across our nation can be proud of. We will be working in partnership
with Pinellas County Parks to make this happen.
—Chuck Scaffidi
The Florida Botanical Gardens
Foundation, a non-profit
501(c) (3), was formed in
2003 for the primary purpose
of raising capital needed to
add new gardens and other
facilities to the Florida
Botanical Gardens.
Look What’s Coming to the Gardens!!
We are excited about an eco-friendly demonstration building known
as the Green Home. This facility is in the planning phase and will be
situated near the entrance to the gardens. The project’s objective is
to showcase alternative energy and water conservation techniques.
It will provide hands-on learning opportunities for homeowners and contractors and will
further enhance the green programs available at the gardens, such as the Florida Friendly
Gardens. For all you garden lovers and energy savers, we will keep you informed as the
Green Home evolves.
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Spruce Up
Your Nest
Stacey Zidi, Botanical Bounty Gift Shop Manager
I don’t know about
you, but as the end
of our winter months
approach, I feel the
need to change and
update the interior
of my home. After
cleaning the windows,
I put out some new
floral arrangements,
perhaps some new throw pillows and candles, and consider
a fresh, updated wall color. All these can be completed for
very little cash but provide a big impact in your “nest.” Just
rearranging the furniture in your living spaces can give you a
feel-good boost!
Wildlife Station on the Children’s Trail
Childrens Trail Adds Charm
Pat Dieterich, Committee Chair
Change out your dinner plates and drinking glasses from your
usual supply, use a new brand/scent of dryer sheets, try a new
flavored coffee in your cup or just add a few drops of vanilla
extract to your current favorite. So drag all your extras out
of storage, re-purpose, re-use or donate what you can.
Seats for garden spirits? Chairs for your child or grandchild?
A throne for a frog prince? Or a spot for your favorite
to rest while exploring our Children's Trail?
Whatever the label, we are delighted to
receive rustic log “furniture” to
enhance our special garden spots.
Loren Westenberger of Westenberger
Tree Service, a founding member of
the Friends of the Florida Botanical
Gardens, has carved and donated
the wonderful creation you see here.
Watch for more to come and keep
an eye open for the wee folk!
I found a tall glass bottle and added extra virgin olive oil and
fresh rosemary from the garden; I can use it for oven-roasted
vegetables, a dipping sauce for baguettes or drizzle it over
meat prior to grilling outdoors.
Botanical Bounty has lots of new items to help you freshen up
your space, such as candles, wind chimes and books for birding
or gardening. We have bright, new art work to make your space
botanical, as well as beautiful. Please visit and support the
Foundation while making your world a better, prettier place!
In addition to reformatting our FBG Foundation newsletter to
create a new look, we have gone “green.” Shifting to a "green
culture" is our way of embracing the idea that environmental
responsibility is everyone's responsibility. In fact, the issue you
are viewing uses eco-friendly paper and ink. We are also in the
process of converting this newsletter to an electronic version
that we will e-mail to you. As we explored this option it became
evident that we need to create our own Foundation website
to allow us the capability to post and archive articles on the
Internet. We are taking a comprehensive approach to building
a web presence for the Foundation that will allow us to use
current technologies such as Facebook, YouTube and blogs.
we see opportunities to use this site for interacting with fans.
Please visit us on Facebook by searching for “Florida Botanical
Gardens Foundation.”
The Foundation will continue to e-mail the monthly Master
Gardener Newsletter The Green Leaf. It contains gardening
articles, sustainability news and a schedule of events, including
special fee-bearing seminars that you can attend for free by
showing your membership card.
As we switch over to an e-newsletter, we will need you to send
your e-mail address to [email protected] or call the
volunteer office at 727-582-2117. For those who do not have
computer access, we will keep a limited number of print copies
of both newsletters at the Pinellas County Extension Office at
12520 Ulmerton Rd, Largo, FL 33774.
We launched a Facebook fan page during the Holiday Lights to
see how this type of social media would work for our purposes.
Research showed that many botanical gardens, such as Marie
Selby, Bok Tower and Fairchild Tropical, are using Facebook to
promote their gardens. With our fan base gradually increasing,
Thank you for your cooperation and remember
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Our Refreshed and Revived Gardens
Carrie Shelby, Marketing Chair
On a recent stroll through
the botanical gardens I was
dismayed by its appearance.
A chilly start to the year caused
some areas to be severely hit by
the freeze. I was encouraged
to learn that the freeze damage required
the Park’s maintenance staff to evaluate how to move forward
with limited resources and still maintain a first class botanical
garden. With support of hard working and dedicated volunteers,
many of them Master Gardeners, there are several landscape
projects on track to return the gardens to a sustainable and
inviting garden oasis in the midst of urban Pinellas County.
The dry waterfall
fountain along the
tropical walk also got
attention. The water
level in the pool was
cleverly raised using
monument-size stones
to reduce water usage.
The beds along the
fountain’s back wall are
cleaned up and ready for new
plants. This is now a delightful place to
sit and ponder while the waterfall gently cascades into the pool.
One of the first projects was to spruce up the Wedding Garden
as a beautiful backdrop for the group wedding ceremony on
Valentine’s Day. Freeze-damaged trees were trimmed, withered
plants were
replaced with
thriving colorful
plants and beds
refreshed with
mulch. Topiary
forms were
reestablished and
the freestanding
fountain near the
Jazz corner now
flows and gurgles
over the river
rocks.
Treat yourself to a stress-free outing at the Florida Botanical
Gardens. Sit awhile at one of our shady tables in the Palm
Garden and enjoy a picnic. Take time to stroll through the
gardens. Besides seeing the gardens come back to life after
a harsh winter you will notice the care taken to restore and
improve the gardens. Thanks to the profitable 2009 Holiday
Lights the Foundation can now fund some of the garden
projects for this upcoming year. As we work closely with our
partners in Pinellas County government we will evaluate how
best to use the funds to enhance the gardens and showcase
environmentally-friendly techniques.
OUR
EXCUSE
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The tropical courtyard is getting a new look. The extensive
bromeliad collection is moving from the area south of the
vacated Gulf Coast Museum of Art to the courtyard. This
bromeliad collection is one of the largest in the southeastern
United States. The overgrowth was cleared in the courtyard
making way for transplanting the bromeliads. The charming
pineapple fountain is bubbling once again.
Jack Frost Stalls Landscape Project
The Florida Friendly Landscape Demonstration Project is
designed to educate about the types of landscapes for different
levels of watering. It is at the front of the Extension Building
and is made up of three distinct learning areas: moderate water
use (twice a week), low water use (once a week) and rainfall only.
The Foundation and Master Gardeners funded the initial
plantings.
Terry Berube, Membership Chair
To ensure that live wood is not removed, the team will follow
Florida guidelines and delay pruning of the affected plants until
new growth appears. In the meantime, an irrigation system is
being designed for the low water section and landscape design
is being completed for the moderate water section. Planned
project completion is this summer.
Please consider making a
designated donation to the Florida
Friendly Landscape Demonstration
Project that will help to replace
damaged plants and continue to
expand this garden.
Unfortunately the project came to a screeching halt when
temperatures dropped to record lows during early January.
Many of the plants that were installed in the low water area
were impacted by the cold and are now brown with frost
damage.
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MEMBERSHIP INCENTIVES!
Great news!!
The Pinellas County Extension offers
classes that as a member you are
entitled to attend for free! To view
the on-line catalog of course offerings,
go to http://pinellas.ifas.ufl.edu/
and click on the bright orange
“online class registration” button
in the upper right corner. A variety
of classes are scheduled at the
Extension, Palm Harbor Library and
West St. Petersburg Community Library.
Examples of future classes:
• Florida Friendly Lawn Care
• Rain Harvesting Workshop
• How to Re-pot Orchids
Be sure to take advantage of these
educational opportunities.
Nursery Discounts to Members
One of the benefits of membership is the savings you have earned at some of your local
nurseries. We have identified nursery owners in our communities who are willing to offer
a discount to members of the Florida Botanical Gardens. When you make a purchase at
these businesses, please present your FBGF membership card for the discount.
Art Stone Orchids
10% off all purchases
3611 Tyrone Blvd
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
727-345-6733
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Carroll Brothers Nursery
10% off all purchases
4950 38th Ave N
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
727-527-5418
www.cbnursery.com
Kathy’s Korner
10% off Trees
Nursery Inc. & Tree Farm
6095 Haines Road North
St. Petersburg, FL 33714
727-525-9640
www.kathyskornernurserystpete.com
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Country Club Nursery
10% off all purchases
9850 Starkey Road
Largo, FL 33777
727-397-4438
www.countryclubnursery.com
Palm Harbor Nursery & Landscaping
10% off Cash and Carry
450 Riviere Rd
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
727-784-2992
www.palmharbornursery.com
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Earthscapes Garden Room
10% off all purchases
816 Alt. 19 N
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
727-786-4859
www.earthscapesgardenroom.com
Twigs and Leaves
10% off all purchases
1013 MLK St. S (9th St)
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-822-5400
www.twigsnleaves.com
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Jene’s Tropicals
10% off all purchases
6831 Central Ave.
St. Petersburg, FL 33710
727-344-1668
www.tropicalfruit.com
Wilcox Nursery
10% off all purchases
12501 Indian Rocks Road
Largo, FL 33774
727-595-2073
www.wilcoxnursery.com
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Pat Dieterich (left), FBGF Board Member,
promoting membership.
Thanks to these members for their
generous gifts.
$1000 Garden Patron Donor
Elsie Sestrap Brown
$500 Garden Steward Donors
Terri and Lane Ziegler
Patricia Sams
$250 Supporting Gardener Donors
Tim and Gail Anderson
Sue Hamill
Michael Lopez
Willow Tree Nursery
10% off all purchases
4401 49th St. N
St. Petersburg, FL 33709
727-522-2594
www.willowtreenursery.com
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Welcome New Members
Behan, Loren, Clearwater, FL
Brown, Harold, Treasure Island, FL
Campbell, Scott, Niles, MI
Chernesky, Mary, St. Petersburg, FL
Folkers, Nora, St. Petersburg, FL
Graziani, Robert, Bay Pines, FL
Jobson, Elaine, St. Petersburg, FL
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King, Marilyn, Belleair, FL
Kramer, Debra, Largo, FL
Lancaster, Ron, Clearwater, FL
O’Toole, Margaret, Niles, MI
Retchless, Karen, Palm Harbor, FL
Watrous, Jim, Belleair, FL
West, Byron, Wheatridge, CO
Absolutely beautiful! Our favorite part was the wedding garden
and all the bumblebees, butterflies and dragonflies, so creative.
Everyone should take an opportunity to see what a fantastic
job has been done in these gorgeous gardens.
—Ruskin
Wonderful! Terrific!!
A must-see each year.
It was great – I was here two years
ago and it’s better than ever.
—J. Kipp
—Lillian Teituro,
Staten Island, NY
Anyone needing to get the “Spirit of Christmas”
should see this wonderful display. The lights, the
decorative displays and Santa make it magical.
Throw in the sweet voices of the children’s choir
and spirits are lifted. Thank you for all the hard
work I know it took to put this together.
—Marion House and James Conroy, Clearwater
Holiday Lights in the Gardens
I am amazed at the gems we have in our community that
people are not aware of and this is definitely one of them.
—Pete Rivellini, Clearwater, whose daughter performed
in the St. Cecilia's school choir
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What a wonderful sight!
We are so happy tonight!
—Kathryn Swift and
Myron Roseman,
St. Catharines, Ontario
We thoroughly enjoyed the colorful decorations.
What a perfect setting for watching the
St. Cecilia’s Christmas carolling, and watching
our granddaughter. Thank you.
—Jean and Dale Moch, Treasure Island
Such a beautiful setting – what a joy!
—Deb, Seminole
This is the most fun experience I have EVER had in
volunteering in the past three years. I have volunteered all
over Pinellas and across the bay in Hillsborough.
—Melissa Wilson, the Krewe of Agustina
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WHAT’S IN
How You Can Support the Gardens
The Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation (FBGF) is a fundraising entity (501c3) created to provide leadership and financial
support for the Florida Botanical Gardens (FBG). The FBG is a
150-acre Pinellas County Park that was developed to inspire
and educate visitors by showcasing flora, fauna and natural
resources in motivational surroundings that promote
environmentally friendly techniques.
BLOOM
Check out what’s in bloom for this
upcoming spring season. The FBG
web site is a wonderful resource of
colorful photographs and plant information.
The lists are grouped by season as
to what’s in bloom in the gardens.
Click on the middle right side of
the FBG home page
“What’s in Bloom”
www.flbg.org.
FBG practices resource conservation and minimizes
environmental impacts, all in a continuing effort to promote
green initiatives. FBG, with the support of the FBGF, provides
community and school programs that support sustainable
practices. Two of the most recent educational programs
supported by the FBGF include the Children’s Trail and the
Florida Friendly Landscape demonstration garden. In 2008,
the Foundation contributed $5,000 for the creation of the
first four stations (one station is pictured on page 3) of a
Children’s Trail that winds through the gardens. Each of the
four stations (butterfly, tropical fruit, woodlands, and wildlife)
teaches youngsters about the plants, flowers and animal life
unique to each station. As more funds become available, FBGF
hopes to increase the number of trail stations.
Jatropha
(Jatropha interrigma)
these evergreen shrubs
attract hummingbirds and
butterflies. Flowers are usually
red but there is a pink variety.
In 2008 the Foundation assumed the responsibility for
producing and funding the annual Holiday Lights in the Garden
event. This event is designed to raise awareness of the gardens,
and most importantly to generate funds to support the
educational programs. At this past year’s event visitors were
delighted by wonderful family entertainment nightly, all donated
by generous performers, including
The Suncoast Dixieland Jazz band,
the Duke Earl Jazz band, a two-time
state champion juggler, several
pianists, teen ballroom dancers,
roving guitarists and many others.
Several area church choirs
entertained the crowds. This holiday
event was capped off on the final
day by a well-attended pet parade
by both people and their pets.
Countless people who had never
been to or even heard of the Florida
Botanical Gardens expressed the
sentiment “I can’t wait to come back
during the day!”
Butterfly Bush
(Buddleia cvs) is a tall,
sprawling shrub with
six-inch bunches of
tiny, fragrant flowers
in colors of purple or
white. It prefers full
sun, has salt tolerance
and is not particularly
fussy about soil.
Blanket Flower
(Gaillardia pulchella)
with its daisy-like flower
adds splashes of color.
Blanket flower needs full
sun and a well-drained,
sandy soil for best
flowering, and is very
tolerant of drought and
poor, infertile soil.
Flowers come in red,
yellow, orange and
combinations of the
three. They can reach a
height of 18 inches and don’t
seem to be bothered by
root-knot nematodes.
This past event was supported by a large volunteer base and
private donations in partnership with Pinellas County Parks.
With over 60,000 visitors enjoying the show between Nov. 28
and Jan. 3, the Foundation achieved its goal of increased
public awareness of the Gardens, as well as increasing funds
available to reinvest in the gardens themselves. We already
are looking forward to the 2010 holiday light display.
The Foundation is looking for your financial commitment to
enable us to continue providing the community with green
initiatives and educational programs. To get more information
about becoming a sponsor or donating to the FBGF, contact
[email protected] or call 727-582-2205.
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Non-Profit Org
U.S. Postage
PAID
St. Petersburg, FL
Permit 4032
Bulletin of The Florida Botanical Gardens
Foundation, Inc.
12520 Ulmerton Rd.
Largo, FL 33774
Take a walk in our gardens
to enjoy10 years of growth.