The Neighborhood Gardener – May

gardenia

Happy gardening!

safesubscribe logo

Peanuts

Peanuts in the shellPeanuts, also known as groundnuts or goobers, have a long history of cultivation dating back 3,500 years. Most likely originating in ancient South America, Spanish conquistadors took them back to Europe, where their popularity spread across the globe, eventually making their way to the United States. They remain a popular snack throughout much of the world. But did you know that North and Central Florida gardeners can grow them at home? More


Calibrating Your Irrigation System

Containers catching irrigation water, photo by Michael Gutierrez, UF/IFASWith your lawn coming out of its dormant season, you're likely back to using your irrigation system. Calibrating your system regularly is an important bit of landscape maintenance. A properly calibrated system will save you money and protect your turf and plants from pests and diseases. And all you'll need is some tuna fish cans (actually, any straight-sided cans will do). More


Wendy's Wanderings

Wendy Wilber I started keeping books in the car—not to read in traffic, but to have quick references for the world around me. Behind my driver's seat you will find a Florida Wildflower ID book (Taylor), a bird book (Sibley), and since October of 2015, the book "Trees: North and Central Florida," by Koeser, Hasing, Friedman, and Irving. We have needed a good Florida tree ID book that covers native and non-native species for a long time. This purse-sized field guide will help you identify trees in your neighborhood, parks, and natural areas. More


Manatee Gardens Win Award of Excellence

Demonstration garden signThe Manatee County Master Gardener volunteers' Educational Gardens and Greenhouse is the fruition of years of plant sales and other fundraising activity. These gardens were created with the purpose of teaching residents about Florida-friendly gardening principles and providing them with tactile examples of those conceptual principles. There are gardens that feature vegetables, butterflies, and wetlands, a state-of-the art greenhouse, orchard, goldfish pond, sensory garden, and a large garden sundial. There's also a children's garden, complete with a kids' maze and teaching area. More


Plant of the Month: Starburst Clerodendrum

starburst clerodendrum flowerFast-growing starburst clerodendrum grows well in zones 9b to 11 and can be used as a shrub or tree. Also known as shooting star clerodendrum, this plant is so named for its flowers that resemble delicate white stars shooting forth with a lovely pink tail trailing in their wake. Hummingbirds and long-tongued butterflies love to visit these tubular flowers for their sweet energizing nectar. For the best flowering results, choose a location with full sun. This shrub prefers moist, well-drained soil; however, once established it's quite drought tolerant. More


May in Your Garden

okra flowerMay is a great time to get into the garden and plant heat-loving ornamentals like coleus, salvia, and ornamental peppers. In the vegetable garden, it's time for Southern favorites like okra and sweet potato. Think about which plants in your garden will make it through the hot summer, and which plants will need to be changed out with more heat-tolerant options.

For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida's gardening regions—North, Central, and South.


Yellow Jackets

Southern yellowjacket; photo by Lyle Buss, UF/IFAS.While yellow jackets do perform an important ecological role as predators of landscape pests, it's understandable that people don't want to live and play near a colony. You may discover a nest when you notice a few yellow jackets flying low to the ground; a far less lucky way to discover a nest is to run it over with your lawnmower, likely angering the inhabitants. These stinging insects can be aggressively defensive when there's a disturbance of their colony, so the safest removal option is generally to hire a professional. More


What's Going On?

If your Master Gardener program or Extension office is having an event, be sure to share it with us.