Summer is upon us. The heat and humidity are in abundance as well as the frequent rains. Before we complain about rain, remember those times when we were in a drought.
Kids are out of school, grilling, traveling, all that summer entails is gearing up.
Traffic is a mess. A price we pay for living in a beautiful area that other folks want to enjoy as well. Our electric bills will be higher and remember to get that AC unit checked if you haven’t.
As much as we’d like to stay indoors on those really hot days, our gardens still need attention. Remember to stay hydrated, and try to limit your time outside in the heat. Don’t forget your pets as well! Pay attention to how you’re feeling and don’t overdue it. We’d rather see a few weeds in your perennial border and still be able to see you! So, pour a big glass of ice tea, enjoy a shady spot and plot the demise of those unruly weeds when the weather cooperates.
Plentiful Plantings
The Editors
UPDATED PUBLICATIONS
Ecological Benefit and Upkeep of Florida Lawns https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/ hort/2025/04/21/ecological-benefit-andupkeep-of-florida-lawns/
How to Identify and Propagate Different Types of Wild Coffee for Your Florida Garden https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP651
UF/IFAS Florida Trees Tutorial https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP650
The Master Gardener Bonsai Group consists of five Master Gardeners who are interested in the study of the art of bonsai and in developing a collection of trees and shrubs growing in the bonsai traditional manner.
The group was first formed at the request of two Master Gardeners around 2018. Membership is limited to five members to ensure that each member and their bonsai get individual attention. The group meets for an hour after normal nursery hours on the first Friday of each month. A new member may join when a current member leaves the group.
Each new member of the Bonsai Group is provided with a suitable tree or shrub to develop into a bonsai when they join the group. They may acquire more plants when they discover plants with bonsai potential at nurseries, big box stores or when established collections dissolve. The group studies bonsai styling techniques, terminology and philosophy.
The word "bonsai" is a Japanese word consisting of two parts: "bon", tree and "sai", tray, so a bonsai is a tree in a tray. The practice of growing trees in small, shallow pots
originated in China many centuries ago and was known as "pensai" or miniature landscapes. Ancient Chinese paintings portray plums, elms and other trees being maintained by Chinese elite. The practice was brought to Japan where it was refined and developed into "schools" where masters taught their techniques to students who spread those techniques throughout the country. American soldiers brought bonsai to the United States during World War II where it proliferated and it is currently practiced across the continent and throughout the world.
Some favorite trees for bonsai are Japanese maples, Japanese black pines, camellias, azaleas, boxwoods and many tropical varieties. Specialized tools are desirable but not required for pruning, styling and potting.
Photos: Left Stevie and her trident maple before. Below Stevie with her trident maple after
Below Pam’s Chinese elm bonsai.
Right Kathy choosing plants for kusumono (arrangements of grasses and flowers displayed with bonsai or as a stand-alone display
Photos:
Donna’s gloriosa lily (left) and bidens (right)
Reclaimed Water by
The amount of water on Earth is finite. The total amount of water is estimated at 1-2 billion cubic kilometers. This water is constantly recycling throughout the Earth. Water shortages occur not because the total amount of water diminishes, but because water becomes less available in areas due to increased demand, drought, or pollution. Enter reclaimed water.
What is it? Reclaimed water aka “water reuse” refers to water that is used more than one time before it passes back into the natural water cycle. A definition by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) states: "Water reuse is the method of recycling treated wastewater for beneficial purposes, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, and groundwater replenishing.” (EPA, 2004). Water is reclaimed from a variety of sources and is reused for many purposes including agriculture, potable water supplies, groundwater and environmental restoration, and industrial uses, Water reuse is an important alternative to existing water supplies and is essential to water sustainability and security. Planned water reuse refers to systems that are designed for the beneficial reuse of a recycled water supply.
Sources of Water for Reuse
Sources of water for reuse include municipal wastewater, industrial processes, stormwater, agriculture runoff, and water from natural resource extraction activities. These sources of water are adequately treated to meet what is called “fit-for-purpose specifications” for their next use. These specifications are the treatment required to bring water to the quality level needed, to ensure public health, environmental protection, or specific user needs. Water reclaimed for crop irrigation would need to be of sufficient quality to prevent harm to plants and soils, maintain food safety, and protect the health of farm workers. If there is greater human exposure, water requires more treatment.
Water Reuse Regulations in the United States States have the primary regulatory authority in developing and using water resources. The EPA, the states, tribes, and local governments implement programs under the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act to
Karen Harper
protect the quality of community drinking water, and waterbodies like rivers and lakes. Together, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act provide a foundation from which states can enable, regulate, and oversee water reuse as they deem appropriate. The EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse (Guidelines for Water Reuse | US EPA) represent the international standard for best practices in water reuse. The document was developed under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the EPA, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the global consultancy firm, CDM Smith. These guidelines provide a framework for states to develop regulations that incorporate the best practices and address local requirements.
Definitions:
Recycled vs. reclaimed water: These terms are used interchangeably. Both refer to water that is used more than once for beneficial purposes such as: agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, or replenishing a groundwater basin before the water passes back into the natural cycle.
Potable vs. non-potable water: “Potable” means water that is suitable for human consumption. “Non-potable” is the opposite i.e., water that is not of drinking water quality, but which may still be used for many other purposes, depending on its level of quality. “Non-potable” applies to recycled (or reclaimed) water sources, by definition.
Where does it come from? Potable water sources mainly are from deep wells that tap into the aquifer. Other sources include surface water, which may be from reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and watersheds, which collect rainfall and direct it to streams and rivers. These are all vital sources for clean drinking water, treated to ensure safety for consumption.
Non-potable water sources can vary from shallower wells that don’t meet water quality requirements; also wastewater (domestic, municipal, industrial or agricultural wastewater) but it could also come from runoff. Advances in municipal wastewater treatment technology allow communities to reuse water for many different purposes. The water is treated differently depending upon the source and use of the
Reclaimed (cont’d.)
water as well as how it gets delivered.
Why use it? The World Health Organization states the following principal reasons for municipal wastewater reuse: increasing water scarcity, increasing populations and related food security issues, increasing environmental pollution from improper wastewater disposal, and increasing recognition of the resource value of wastewater, and greywater. Fresh water makes up less than 3% of the world's water resources, and just 1% of that is readily available. Other reasons: Water recycling and reuse are of increasing importance, not only in arid regions but also in cities and contaminated environments. The groundwater aquifers that are used by over half of the world population are being over-drafted. Reuse will continue to increase as the world's population becomes increasingly urbanized and concentrated near coastlines, where local freshwater supplies are limited. Using reclaimed water for non-potable uses saves valuable potable water for drinking. Reclaimed water sometimes contains higher levels of nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, which may help fertilize garden and agricultural plants when used for irrigation. It is used to maintain or increase lake levels, restore wetlands, and restore river flows during hot weather and droughts, for street cleaning, irrigation of urban green spaces, and industrial processes. Reclaimed water has the advantage of being a consistent source of water supply that is unaffected by seasonal droughts and weather changes. When used water is eventually discharged back into natural water sources, it can improve
streamflow, nourish plant life and recharge aquifers, as part of the natural water cycle.
Who is using it in the U.S.? In the United States, Los Angeles County's sanitation districts started providing treated wastewater for landscape irrigation in parks and golf courses in 1929. The first reclaimed water facility in California was built at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park in 1932. The Water Replenishment District of Southern California was the first groundwater agency to obtain permitted use of recycled water for groundwater recharge in 1962.
The Federal Clean Water Act of 1972 mandated elimination of the discharge of untreated waste from municipal and industrial sources to make water safe for fishing and recreation. The US federal government provided billions of dollars in grants for building sewage treatment plants around the country. Modern treatment plants, usually using oxidation and/or chlorination in addition to primary and secondary treatment, were required to meet certain standards.
It was estimated that as of 2002, a total of 1.7 billion US gallons per day, or almost 3% of the public water supply, were being directly reused. California reused 0.6 billion gallons and Florida 0.5 billion gallons per day, respectively. Twenty-five states had regulations regarding the use of reclaimed water in 2002.
This article will conclude in our next issue! Stay tuned!
Donna’s hibiscus (left) and celosia (right)
Field Trip!
Field trips are another part of the Master Gardener program. This time a group got to enjoy (and envy) one of our member’s gardens.
There may (or may not) have been some cuttings taken but we won ’t tell.
Two of the world's most destructive termites made a hybrid in Florida. Check out this article in the Orlando newspaper to find out the icky and disturbing news discovered by UF/IFAS https:// www.clickorlando.com/news/ florida/2025/06/09/two-of-the-worlds-mostdestructive-termites-made-a-horrifying-hybridin-florida/
Since their last update, the Plant Protection Division (PPD) has continued its efforts to detect and manage Yellow Legged Hornet presence. Between May 29 and June 11, 2025 PPD discovered 24 hornets. PPD located one primary nest during this period, though no new nests were eradicated. The nest contained some larvae, but most of the adult hornets had already left, presumably relocating to a secondary site. Hornet detections remain steady, suggesting tht embryo and primary nests are still intact in some areas and have not yet fully transitioned.
While these hornets are currently in Georgia, you should pay attention and if you spot a hornet you don’t recognize, try to get it properly identified. This is an invasive species and can decimate honeybee colonies if it gets a stronghold.
Did you know? If an average sized golden-digger wasp walks 10 feet, carrying a cricket to its nest, that is the equivalent of a person carrying another person of equal weight on their back for the length of about 2 1/2 football fields! So imagine a person trudging across 2 football fields with another adult wrapped around their shoulders. No breaks, no help and they’re doing it just to stash the body underground! That’s an amazing wasp! (and illegal for humans so don’t do it!)
Anyone who has owned a pet knows all about the ‘zoomies.’ You really know about it if you have a cat. You really, really know about it if you have a cross -eyed, tuxedo/ Siamese with questionable cranial capacity.
Our Luna has these episodes and I was surprised to learn that they have a very official definition and name. FRAPs or Frenetic Random Activity Periods. During FRAPs, said feline can reach speeds of 25-30 miles an hour.
They failed to mention these speeds involve launching across tables, bouncing off of walls, and skidding along the floor taking carpets, water dishes and everything else along with it.
According to the ‘experts’ these periods are typically caused by a buildup of energy from periods of rest, hunting instincts, or even post-litter box relief. I don’t know about you but a trip to the bathroom never made me want to jump over the couch. As for after a period of rest...shoot I just make sure that all the body parts will actually move!
But the more I thought about it (while grabbing my iced-tea off the table to avoid a clean-up) don’t we do our own version of FRAPs in the garden? Ours is GRAPs or Gardening Random Activity Periods.
This would be defined by short, spontaneous bursts of intense gardening activity, often marked by a sudden compulsion to prune, dig, plant, or rearrange things in the garden with great energy and no clear plan.
Tell me that you can’t relate to walking outside to check on a tomato plant only to suddenly find yourself weeding the entire bed. Or you walk out on the patio and start repotting every plant just because one looked “a little off.” Then there’ s
the best one where you start trimming “just one branch” and an hour later you’re knee-deep in a topiary overhaul.
I’m sure that there’s no known cause for GRAPs any more than there is for FRAPs. I would hope that using the facilities wouldn’t make you have a sudden urge to weed the entire garden but if it does, let me give you my phone number because you ’re welcome to come over!
Plentiful Plantings
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
John Wooden
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Mission
To assist Extension Agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents.
Vision
To be the most trusted resource for horticultural education in Florida.
The Compost Pile is a quarterly publication created by the Okaloosa County Master Gardener Volunteers.
