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April 2016
A quarterly online magazine published for Master Gardeners in support of the educational mission of
UF/IFAS Extension Service.
Take the plunge: Native Carnivorous Plants
are Easy to Care For by Shannon Palmer
April 2016 Issue 5
Take the Plunge: Native Carnivorous Plants
Are Easy to Care For
Like many people, my first experience with carnivorous
plants (CPs) was buying a Venus flytrap that the big box
stores sell in little terrarium cups. Unfortunately, like so
many people, I didn’t know how to care for it. I was
heartbroken as a child when mine inevitably died.
The Chocolate Bar
Splendid Seeds
Pest Control: Veggie Garden Edition
Creating a New Garden
I spent the next several years believing that all CPs were
difficult to care for. Thankfully, I was wrong. Hardy,
temperate North American carnivores are actually easy to
care for as either outdoor container plants or part of a bog
garden, once you know what they need to flourish.
A Tour of Private Gardens
Send in your articles and photos
Why choose carnivores?
They are attractive plants with a variety of shapes and
colors. They eat bugs. If you need more convincing,
Southeastern native CPs are well adapted to our local
conditions and can be kept outdoors year-round. There is no
need for fertilizer because they do a superb job feeding
themselves by catching bugs.
A variety of carnivorous plants exists worldwide. All have
developed ways to attract, trap, and digest insects as an
adaptation to survive in nutrient-poor environments,
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Venus fly trap. Photo credit: UF/IFAS
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April 2016
A beautiful bog garden showcasing at least three different species of Sarracenia pitcher plants. Photo
credit: IFAS. For more information on building a bog garden, see this guide:
http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/fyn/factsheets/Building_a_Carnivorous_Plant_Bog.pdf
especially in soils lacking nitrogen.
In North America, some carnivorous plants live as far north as Canada, although they’re
Pitcher Plants - Sarracenia spp. Left: White-top pitcher plant, S. leucophylla. Photo credit: IFAS.
especially rich in the Southeastern U.S. In fact, Florida has six species of pitcher plant (the
Right: Hooded pitcher plant, S. minor, with downturned yellow flowers. Photo credit: Larry Richardson,
most of any state) and several natural hybrids, as well as five species of sundew, six species
USFWS
of butterwort, and a whopping fourteen species of bladderwort. Venus Flytraps are native
to South Carolina but there are a few small naturalized populations in Florida as well. Most
of these plants have similar care requirements and can be planted in mixed-species
arrangements.
Below are some descriptions of these groups:
North American pitcher plants have a pitfall-type trap formed by hollow, funnel-shaped
leaves with an opening at the top. Spots and patterns on the ‘lid’ of the pitcher help attract
and confuse their prey, which then fall down the slippery interior wall into a pool of
digestive fluid at the base. Blooming generally occurs between March and May. Flower
colors range from yellowish-green to shades of red and purple.
Don't confuse North American Sarracenia pitcher plants with Asian Nepenthes pitcher
plants.
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Left: White-top pitcher plant, S. leucophylla. Photo credit: IFAS. Right: Hooded pitcher plant, S. minor, with
downturned yellow flowers. Photo credit: Larry Richardson, USFWS
plants. Sarracenia are temperate species, while Nepenthes are tropicals and have different care
requirements. There are also some tropical species of Drosera sundews, so make sure you know
which kind you have!
Sundews have sticky drops of sweet-smelling ‘dew’ along their leaves to attract and capture
insects. The leaves then slowly curl around the prey to digest and absorb the nutrients. Their
bloom colors are white to purplish pink.
Left: D. capillaris. Right: D. filiformis. Photo credit: UF/IFAS
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Butterworts - Pinguicula spp.
Butterworts have a sticky leaf
surface that acts like a flypaper
glue trap. Their blooms are blue,
violet, lavender, and yellow.
Pinguicula spp. Photo credit: UF/IFAS
Bladderworts - Utricularia spp.
Left: Bladderwort flowers. Right: Aquatic bladder traps on a submerged bladderwort stem. Photo credit:
Kerry Dressier
Unlike the other CPs, many Florida bladderwort species are fully aquatic plants, while others
are terrestrial. They are all rootless, with small bladder organs along their submerged stems
that suck in tiny animals like water fleas. Their blooms are mostly yellow, but some species
have lavender flowers. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of information about growing Florida
bladderworts, so they’re not included in the care instructions at the end of this article.
Venus Fly Trap - Dionaea muscipula is probably the most recognizable of all carnivorous plants,
these have modified leaves that form hinged ‘jaws’, which quickly close shut when an insect
lands inside and touches their trigger hairs. They have small white blooms.
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Natural Habitat
Most of these species live in or near acidic wetland habitats such as pinelands, bogs, banks, or
savannahs. Many areas experience regular wildfire which keeps them open and clear of woody
shrubs. The temperate geographic range of native CPs also means that they go dormant in the
winter. Pitcher plants, sundews, and Venus flytraps need 1) constant moisture and low-nutrient,
low-mineral water; 2) lots of direct sunlight; and 3) cooler winter temperatures to induce dormancy.
Unfortunately, due to shrinking habitat and over-collection, many CP species are now threatened or
endangered. Because of this, it’s very important to never collect carnivorous plants from the wild.
It’s illegal to do so! Always purchase your plants from a reputable source.
Flowering yellow trumpet pitchers in a seepage slope
located in Blackwater River State Forest in the western
Florida Panhandle. Photo credit: M. Brown
Caring for CPs:
(Some of these care tips are from the carnivorous plant fact sheet published by Hillsborough county
extension, found here:
http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/fyn/factsheets/CarnivorousPlants-BogGarden1.pdf)
1) Soil: It should be well-draining, yet paradoxically also able to retain water to keep plants moist.
Accomplish this by mixing equal parts peat (which is decomposed sphagnum moss) and coarse
builder’s sand (don’t use beach sand—it’s too fine and full of salt). Some recipes call for a 3:1
peat:sand ratio instead. You can add long fiber sphagnum moss into the mix or as an attractive top
dressing. Make sure you use real peat moss and that your peat and/or long fiber sphagnum do not
have added fertilizers. Containers should be deep enough to allow the plant’s roots to extend all the
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way down without crowding. The crown of the plant should be just above the soil surface.
2) Water: Poor water quality is often the reason CPs fail to grow. The water must be very low in
salts and minerals. Rainwater is best, followed by distilled water or water from a reverse
osmosis unit. The water machines in front of or inside grocery stores use this
method. City water usually has chemical additives. Well water has too many minerals. Avoid
water from soft-water systems that use salt as this will kill your plants! CPs like to stay moist at
all times, but not submerged. Consider keeping container plants standing in a shallow tray of
water.
3) Light: Sundews, Venus Flytraps and pitcher plants can take full sun and need a minimum of
4-5 hours a day. Butterworts do better with slightly diffused light.
4) Dormancy: All CPs must go dormant over the cooler winter months. Leave the plants outside
even in a hard freeze. It won’t hurt the plant. When the new growth begins to emerge, cut all
the previous year’s dead growth off, allowing light and air around the new growth. Plants don’t
need nutrients when they are dormant.
5) Fertilizing: CPs obtain all the fertilizer they need from eating bugs. Adding chemical fertilizers
can harm them.
For further reading about carnivorous plants and bog gardens, see these IFAS publications:
Native pitcher plants of Florida: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw378
Identification key to native Florida pitcher plants:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/delineation/featuredplants/sarrac.htm
Fact sheet: native carnivorous plants:
http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/fyn/factsheets/CarnivorousPlants-BogGarden1.pdf
Identification key to native Florida bladderworts:
https://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/bioassess/docs/plants/field-id-utricularia-species.pdf
Florida’s seepage slope wetlands: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw367
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Bog gardens:
http://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/design/types-of-gardens/bog-gardens.html
Building a carnivorous plant bog garden:
http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/fyn/factsheets/Building_a_Carnivorous_Plant_Bog
.pdf
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The Chocolate Bar
by
Sherry Dodson
In February 2016, I attended a threeday chocolate workshop at the Fairchild
Tropical Botanical Garden in Coral
Gables. The experience changed my
perspective of not only the industry but
also the chocolate bar itself. Now,
when I enjoy a piece of chocolate or a
cup of cocoa, I think about what I
learned about its source and
production.
Pinellas County is well outside of
Cacao Pods. Photo by Sherry Dodson.
cacao’s optimum growing region which is limited to the area 20° N to 20° S of the equator.
Cocoa originated from the Amazon region of South America. While Africa supplies the
majority of chocolate to the world, the Columbia, Peru, and Ecuador regions supply 70% of
the genetic diversity of cacao.
Mars, Inc. and the USDA determined the three basic types of cacao—Criollo, Forastero, and
Trinitario. Criollo, the rarest and finer flavored than the other two, is vulnerable to a number
of environmental threats. Forastero, more disease resistant, accounts for 80% of the world's
supply. Lacking complex flavors of its own, producers usually blend it with other, more
superior cocoa. The Trinitario is a hybrid of the Criollo and Forastero. It resulted from crosspollination.
Cacao has political and economic impact. The U.S. supports Columbia both financially and in
research and education to promote cacao (or cocoa) in “hot areas” in the Cacao for Peace
program. Peru's collaboration with the U.S. in this program has resulted in curtailing the cacao
(narcotic) market. Farmers receive assistance from diverse sources to:
 Obtain organic certification.
 Improve living conditions and education.
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Market their product and encourage environmental responsibility.
Obtain higher prices for fine flavored cocoa.
They may even taste the final award winning product—the chocolate bar.
Minors are not allowed to work in the cacao plantations yet at the same time are encouraged
to stay on their cultural farms and build their future. Driven by public interest in food
production quality and in environmental and social responsibility issues, the small percentage
of farmers and processors in the chocolate industry is increasing.
Most farms follow organic practices even if their farms are not yet officially certified. Private
chocolate companies, usually with the assistance of the USA or countries of origin
governmental agencies, collaborate with cacao farmers on all aspects of the cacao production
from the plant breeding programs to the complicated processing of the cacao seed. Most
farmers continue to follow the generations-old practice of forest farming. Each farmer
considers his methods trade secrets. They believe their methods are part of the terroir
important to each cacao’s region. Each cacao terroir is unique and provides different “flavors”
in the final chocolate product.
Quality cacao usually comes from a single bean or source (farms in same regional area). It is not
“blended” with other terroirs in order to maintain the uniqueness of each fine flavored
chocolate bar. Hence, a chocolate terroir can promote a banana or cinnamon flavor. A unique
terroir can produce the incredible limeade flavored cacao or even the highly sought after
porcelana (criollo variety). Terroirs not only affect the flavor but, combined with genetics, also
affect bean size and cacao color. Presently, the lighter “milk chocolate” color is increasing in
popularity over the “dark chocolate” color in chocolates. Dark chocolate can have cacao
percentages as high as 60% and 70%.
Tasting fine quality chocolate is similar to tasting a fine wine, engaging many senses. The taster
observes the color. She or he smells the aroma of the chocolate. They place the chocolate on
their tongue and allow it to melt, experiencing all the flavors and the smoothness of the cocoa.
What are the flavors? Is it spicy? Floral or fruity? Does it have a vegetative, caramel, nutty, or
earthly flavor?
It is unfortunate that bitterness has become a standard for measuring quality. A common
misperception is the more bitter the chocolate, the better the quality of that chocolate.
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However, even a 100% cocoa will not be bitter! It is over roasting of the seeds that causes
bitterness.
Whether you attempt to grow your own or purchase pods, seeds, or nibs, the chocolate making
process is very labor intensive. The basic steps from tree pod to a nice cup of hot cocoa are:
Source: Wiki Commons Photo, Author
unidentified
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Hand cut the pod from the tree and cut open the pod
Remove and ferment the seeds with the pulp (the pulp is edible but then you
will not be able to make the cocoa)
Dry seeds
Roast seeds
Grind seeds
Separate shell from seeds
Grind seeds (often called nibs) again until very fine
Add flavors and roll paste into balls
Dry and store
Grate as much as needed into hot liquid
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Splendid Seeds
by
Melinda Moreschi
Photo by Rob Kesseler & Wolfgang Stuppy. Permission to use the image
from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn! You bury it in the ground,
and it explodes into a giant oak! Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay.
~ George Bernard Shaw
Seeds, powerhouses of DNA, are portable, compact capsules filled with enough energy to
provide a baby plant with its first meal! Whether it's the minuscule mustard seed or the
immense, 40-pound Seychelles coco de mer palm seed, they are essential to life. Seeds also
provide fibers, food, fuel, oils, dyes, and spices.
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Seychelles coco de mer palm seed. Photo Credit: UC Davis
Able to withstand intense heat, chilling cold and the digestive tract of animals and birds, seeds
are equipped with an incredible endurance to germinate. Astonishingly, in 2012, the seed of a
little arctic flower, Silene stenophylla, buried by an Ice Age squirrel some 32,000 years ago in
Siberia, was regenerated into a current day flowering plant (see here).
(http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/science/new-life-from-an-arctic-flower-that-died32000-years-ago.html?_r=0)
There are three ways of breeding seeds—open-pollination, cross-pollination (which creates
hybrids), and through genetic engineering. Other methods of plant breeding will be left for
another discussion.
Open-pollination is the oldest method of breeding plants. Usually, insects, birds, or wind
pollinates an open-pollinated plant naturally. The resulting plants breed true to type, having the
same characteristics as their parent plant, as long as the parent plants have been isolated from
cross-pollination. Planting seeds of different varieties a good distance apart from one another is
usually sufficient to establish isolation.
All heirloom seeds are open-pollinated. However, not all open-pollinated seeds are heirloom.
The definition of heirloom seeds can be challenging. Some companies define heirloom varieties
as plants that have been around for more than 50 years. SeedSavers.org identifies heirlooms by
documenting their generational history.
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If you are seed saving, it is important to prevent mixing of varieties. If you want to save tomato
seed, then plant only one type of tomato in your garden.
If you like the plant variety produced by open-pollinated seeds, you can save the seeds and
plant them during the next planting cycle, enjoying them from generation to generation and
creating a self-perpetuating garden.
Creating hybrid plants through cross-pollination is more complicated. A hybrid is the offspring
of two plants of different species or varieties. For example, a grower will select parent plants
for specific traits such as its good color or its high yield. They then manually cross-pollinate the
two plants by hand. After the fruit matures and ripens, the grower uses the resulting seeds to
plant again. This creates a hybrid with the specific traits of both of the original plants.
The seeds from these hybrids do not produce true to type second-generation plants. To
continue to grow the plants that hybrid seeds produce, you must go back to the source from
which you initially sourced the seeds.
Genetic engineering is another type of breeding. It occurs in a laboratory. Instead of using
pollen, technicians insert specific genes into the plants. These inserted genes may come from
plants, bacteria, fish, and even viruses. Genetically engineered (GE) seeds are expensive and so
not usually sold in home gardening catalogs; big, commercial farms are the typical buyers. The
main GE crops grown are corn, soy, canola, sugar beets, alfalfa, papaya, cotton and squash.
With GE varieties, farmers are usually dependent on seed companies to buy new seeds each
year.
There are some concerns about GE seeds. First, is the GE pollen in the air that could
contaminate open-pollinated plants; second, is the freedom of access to the plant genetics.
Some terminology about seeds that is useful to know includes:

Treated Seeds: coated with fungicide or pesticide chemicals after harvesting.
 Cell fusion CMS (Cytoplasmic Male Sterility) technology: another form of genetic
engineering. These plants are grown in a laboratory specifically so they cannot produce
pollen. According to International Organic standards, this technology is considered
genetically engineered. However, in the United States it is not considered GE and the
procedure is currently unregulated.
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Certified Organic Seeds: certified by the USDA’s Organic Certification program.
 Open Source Seed Initiative (OSSI): founded to protect seeds from privatization and
patenting. “OSSI strives to keep unrestricted seed in the hands of growers now and in the
future by using the Open Source model to maintain access to plant genetic resources and
create a gene pool of vegetable varieties that will remain public forever…OSSI seeds
are not free seed but they are "freed" seed, germplasm liberated from the constraints of
patents and intellectual property restrictions.” For information about OSSI:
http://osseeds.org/
According to the Sustainable Food Trust, there are simple steps we can take to protect our
seed sovereignty:
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Buy open-pollinated varieties. Some sources are:
o
o
o
o
o
Seed Savers Exchange at http://www.seedsavers.org/
Bountiful Gardens bountifulgardens.org
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds rareseeds.org
Native Seeds/SEARCH http://www.nativeseeds.org/
Organic Seed Coop organicseedcoop.com
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Learn to save seeds
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Start community gardens to promote the sharing of seeds and gardening information.
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Start or join a seed library.
Resources:
 World’s largest seed:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26930-the-secret-of-the-worlds-largest-seedrevealed/
 Plant germinated after 32,000 years:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/21/science/new-life-from-an-arctic-flower-that-died32000-years-ago.html
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Find heirloom seeds at Seed Savers Exchange:
http://www.seedsavers.org/department/vegetable-seeds
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Here are some simple directions on how to save seed from some of the most commonly
grown garden vegetables: http://aggiehorticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/vegetables/SEED.html
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OrganicSeedCoop.com keeps all their seeds in the public domain. There are no concerns
about saving, multiplying, sharing or selling the seeds produced from their seeds
whereas some seed companies have utility patents prohibiting seed saving with their
seeds. They believe that: "Denying seed sovereignty and centralizing seed supplies that
are the basis for our food supply both threaten food security. To answer this problem,
we're putting all of our seed in the public domain for customers to reproduce and
improve, creating a worldwide, bio-regionally adapted, publicly held and genetically
resilient organic seed bank.”
 An Introduction to Seed Saving for the Home Gardener
http://extension.umaine.edu/publications/2750e/
 Organizing a Community Seed Bank:
https://exchange.seedsavers.org/storage/259DB749-7C2B-4122-A19F-995BA7CA7AB0.pdf
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Bountiful Gardens - Heirloom, Untreated, Open-Pollinated Seeds for Sustainable
Growing https://bountifulgardens.org/
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Organic Seed Alliance—Advancing the ethical development and stewardship of the
genetic resources of agricultural seed http://www.seedalliance.org/
 Seed Savers Exchange
www.seedsavers.org
 Seed Save -Online Seed School
http://www.seedsave.org/
 Sustainable Food Trust
sustainablefoodtrust.org
 Native Seeds/SEARCH
nativeseeds.org
 Baker’s Creek Heirloom Seeds
rareseeds.org
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
Excellent Guide to Seed Saving: “Seed to Seed” by Suzanne Ashworth
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Fascinating Book about Seeds: “The Triumph of Seeds” by Thor Hanson
“Can you find another market like this?
Where, with your one rose
you can buy hundreds of rose gardens:
Where, for one seed
you get a whole wilderness?”
~ Rumi (c.1273)
US Department of Agriculture
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/14464606763
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Pest Control: Veggie Garden Edition
by
Theresa Badurek, Urban Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener
Coordinator
Growing your own vegetables is a fun way to eat healthy and be more active. If you
grow enough you can even save some money on your grocery bill! Florida is a great
place to grow your own food because with our warmer temperatures you can garden
just about year-round. However, the same warm climate and great growing conditions
can contribute to a host of vegetable garden pests. Some pests seem to pop up
randomly; others seem to show up repeatedly as if on schedule. To complicate matters
there are also plenty of good bugs at work in the garden that you will want to protect.
What’s a Florida gardener to do?
Just like a great garden takes planning and preparation, a productive garden also needs
an insect management program. This program should include scouting your garden for
problems early on—when it is easier to tackle them. So, what should you be looking
for? You must know how to tell if a pest is harmful, helpful, or harmless before you
react. There are pests that attack roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits, and they
might show up at any stage of growth, from seedling to mature plant. We will discuss
these “bad” pest bugs according to the part of the plant that they attack. Then we’ll talk
about how to fight back!
Attack from below!
Gardens in areas once covered by turfgrass are especially susceptible to these soil
dwelling insects. It is recommended that a new plot in that kind of space be thoroughly
tilled and kept clean and free of grass for 30 or more days before planting. For some of
these pests, the addition of organic matter to the soil along with regular irrigation can
also help. The common pests that live in our garden soil are wireworms, cutworms,
mole crickets, grubs, and lesser cornstalk borers.
Leaf and stem chewers
Caterpillars are the major suspects here—and they can do a lot of damage if left
unchecked. Many of the caterpillars you find in your garden can be handpicked and
drowned in soapy water or squished—depending on your preference. You can reduce
Armyworms by planting crops such as corn, beans, peas, potatoes, and tomatoes as
early in the spring as possible. If a caterpillar problem gets out of hand, you can use Bt
(Bacillus thuringiensis), which is a bacteria that kills caterpillars but is safe for people
and even other “good” bugs. Beetles can be handpicked and destroyed, but you may
need to do this continuously throughout the growing season. Common leaf and stem
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chewers include armyworms, cabbage loopers, tomato hornworms, bean leafrollers,
beetles, and leafminers.
Plant vampires!
These garden pests have specialized mouthparts that they insert into the plant to suck
out plant sap. In addition to reducing the vigor of your plants and generally stressing
them out, some of these pests can even transmit plant viruses from one plant to the
next as they feed. Some even inject toxins into the plants that can cause abnormal or
distorted growth. You can often control aphids and spider mites with a squirt of water
from the garden hose. If you encounter severe infestations of these plant-sucking
pests, you may need to use an insecticide such as horticultural oils and soaps. Take
care when using these as they will kill even the “good” bugs. Handpicking and
destroying stinkbugs and leaffooted plant bugs may offer enough control if routinely
done but for a severe infestation you may need an insecticide. Use insecticides only in
targeted areas where the infestation exists. Plant vampires you may find in your garden
include aphids, leafhoppers, stinkbugs, leaffooted plant bugs, thrips, spider mites, and
silverleaf whitefly.
Fruit and seed feeders
We’ve saved the most potentially damaging group of pests for last. These buggers go
after your harvest! In some cases, planting early and harvesting as soon as you can will
go a long way in preventing damage. For most pests in this category, prevention is the
most important tool—as the damage they do directly impacts your precious vegetables.
Many of them are caterpillars that can be controlled using Bt mentioned in the leaf
chewing pest section above. To be effective you must do this early and often—when
blossoms first appear. Some fruit and seed feeders that may be a problem in your
Florida garden may include corn earworms, pickleworms, cowpea curculios, pepper
weevils, potato tuberworms, and stinkbugs.
Pest Management Tips for any Florida Garden
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Rotate crops each season.
Till or plow the soil long before planting- and keep it free of weeds.
Add organic matter such as compost or composted manures to your garden.
Buy only insect, disease, and weed free transplants.
Water and fertilize appropriately- too little water can stress plants and too much
fertilizer can encourage pests.
Monitor the garden daily or at least twice a week to catch problems early.
Learn the “good” bugs and protect them.
If you must treat with chemicals- even organic ones- spot treat only affected areas.
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Harvest crops as soon as they are ripe.
Remove plants once they are no longer producing- or cut them down and plow them
into the soil at the end of the season.
For information on protecting bees from pesticides:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN/IN102700.pdf
For a full UF/IFAS Fact Sheet on the topic, including specific control measures
and images of each pest: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/VH/VH03600.pdf
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Creating a New Garden
by
Dianne L. Fecteau
In 2006, my husband and I found a 50' x 118' lot for sale, near the water, in Crystal Beach.
Within its small space were two large, sprawling Live Oak trees. By designing an L-shaped
house, we were able to save one of them, a beauty who sat nearly on the eastern property line
and whose majority of branches boldly arched over 25 feet of the lot of the home next door.
Last year, the owner of the house next door put it up for sale. Worried that a new buyer might
not appreciate the tree and trim its branches back to the property line (which would kill it), I
bought the small, run-down bungalow. I had the bungalow torn down, appropriated 25 feet of
the lot to add to my own (almost exactly the spread of the Live Oak's branches), and placed the
remainder up for sale.
The tree's future was now secure. In addition, I, who had pretty much run out of gardening
space in my small lot, now possess an additional 25' x 118' feet within which to garden. This
was a most welcome gift.
(This is a picture of the Live Oak tree that was the trigger for the entire endeavor)
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I immediately had the fence moved to encompass the new space. In the front, I inherited a
camphor tree. Whereas before I had a row of Wax myrtle and Florida privet that had formed a
hedge of sorts, I moved them in front of the fence. I also planted Muhly grass, Blanket flower,
and Coonties.
For the back, though, the majority of the space, I lacked ideas. On the other hand, perhaps it is
more accurate to say that I had too many ideas. For the past several months, I have let the new
strip of land sit fallow. Whereas much of my existing gardening space is shaded, this new area
has almost full sun. I have fantasized over pictures of butterfly gardens. I bought a book on
labyrinth construction and have imagined a seven-circuit labyrinth at one end—a place for my
walking meditation. What about a small, dry stack stone wall somewhere, bordering an
informal wildflower bed? So many ideas would require three times the space available. Some
parameters, though, were clear. Most of my existing garden contains only Florida natives; this
new piece of property would as well. I will not fill it with as many plants as I have in my existing
garden because my dog, Chloe, loves the new space and romps about every morning.
Here are some pictures. First, is a picture of the back northeast corner of my garden before I
moved the fence to my new property line.
Photo Credit: Dianne L. Fecteau
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April 2016
Here is a picture of the northeast corner, now, with the fence on the new property line:
Photo Credit: Dianne L. Fecteau
Here is a picture of the new space within the fence looking south:
Photo Credit: Dianne L. Fecteau
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April 2016
I have contracted with someone to dig up the space to get rid of the weeds and patches of
grass. That should happen within the next few days. I am finally ready to sit down and construct
a plan.
Umberto Pasti, the writer and horticulturist wrote that we should begin our garden design
honestly.
Plant what you really like—what the happy child inside you, not the doubtful
adolescent into whom life has transformed you, likes. Your garden,
notwithstanding all the mistakes you'll make, will be marvelous….Listening to
your garden, abandoning yourself to its voice, means abandoning yourself to
the wildest, most secret voice inside yourself" (New York Times Style Magazine,
June, 2015).
In the next few issues, I will show the transformation of this empty space into that wild, secret
space inside of me.
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April 2016
A TOUR OF PRIVATE GARDENS
On Sunday, May 1, 2016, the Florida Botanical Gardens Foundation invites you to step “beyond
the garden gates” into the verdant wonderlands of 5 private homeowners and the Florida
Botanical Gardens, all located in the mid-county area. Meet at the Extension Building at the
Florida Botanical Gardens starting at 10:00 a.m. for guided tours of our own special Gardens,
and to pick up a map to guide you to the other participating sites. From 12 noon until 4:00 p.m.,
participating gardens will welcome visitors. In one, a master orchid hybridizer will share his
treasures and techniques. At another, we will be treated to a diverse mix of butterfly, native,
fruit and vegetable gardens, complete with a plant nursery and clever use of art. A quick jaunt
out to the beaches will bring us to three other sites. One demonstrates a five-year conversion
to native plants and the owner’s interest in Ikebana. Another is an eclectic mix of reclaimed
cobblestones and English chimney pots in a mini Florida jungle, complete with a fish pond.
Lastly, visit a floral garden with outdoor art work and a mixture of palms and ornamental trees,
featuring a unique pool with an island overlooking Clearwater Bay.
Tickets for this event will cost $15, or $10 for FBGF members, and can be purchased at the
Botanical Bounty Gift Shop in the Extension Building, or online at flbgfoundation.org. Join us to
celebrate the glories of springtime in Florida, “beyond the garden gates”!
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April 2016
Send your Articles and Photos
The next Issue of The Dirt is July 2016. The Deadline for articles is June 10. Share your passion
for gardening with your fellow Master Gardeners by writing an article for The Dirt. Include
images where possible. However, if you include images they must fall under one of the
following guidelines:
 your own
 UF/IFAS image
 open access image, as in wiki-commons, where all rights are open and then
photographer is credited
 used with the express permission of the photographer
When you do send images, please do not embed them within the article. Include them
separately.
I would like to start a photographer's gallery within the newsletter so if you take photographs
of plants or trees, send them in with a description, even without an accompanying article, and
I'll publish them with the description as well as a credit to you, the photographer.
Send your articles, images, and your photos to Dianne Fecteau at [email protected]. My
phone number is 727.366.1392.
All articles are subject to editing. In addition, Theresa Badurek, Urban Horticulture Extension
Agent and Master Gardener Coordinator, reviews and approves all articles prior to publication.
The Dirt
Published quarterly for Master Gardeners by Master Gardeners:
April, July, October & January
UF/IFAS Advisor: Theresa Badurek, Urban Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener
Coordinator
Editors: Dianne L. Fecteau and Shannon Palmer.
Staff: Jane Furman, Shannon Palmer, Linda Smock, Melinda Moreschi, and Lainy McPhee
Contributing Writer: Debi Ford
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