May 2020 The Gardens Gate Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens

The Gardens Through The Eyes Of Zaily Romero

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Horticulture Happenings

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Out & About at The Gardens

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Drive-Thru Plant Sale

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2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 Phone: 772.337.1959 Fax: 772.237.5952 E-mail: info@pslbg.org Web: www.pslbg.org Hours: Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday Noon - 4pm Closed Monday, Tuesday & Some Holidays Suggested Donations: Adults $5 Students $2 Children 12 & Under Welcome Free for FPSLBG Members and Active Military with family (IDs required)

Mission Statement... Friends’ mission is to create and maintain a beautiful, serene sanctuary in the center of Port St. Lucie that is environmentally sound and naturally diverse and to provide educational, cultural and recreational opportunities for all who visit.

Officers & Directors... President: Vice President: Secretary: Treasurer: Directors:

Michelle Peterson Heather Furnari Claire Clark Brenda Gustafson Jeff Chambers John Erickson Dale Johnson Laura Mehr Judy Nash-Wade Mary Petrone Tim Sutton

Standing Committee Chairs... Election Committee:

Stephanie Alessandrini-Giarraffa Brenda Gustafson Claire Clark Brenda Gustafson

Finance Committee: Gift Shop Committee: Horticulture Committee: Membership & Volunteer Committee: Judy Nash-Wade Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari Strategic Planning Committee: Michelle Peterson

Newsletter... Editor & Design:

Mark Barnes

The Gardens is managed and operated by Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) public charity organization, that was founded to help support the daily operations of The Gardens. Friends volunteers provide hands-on daily oversight of the facility, including staffing to handle the many visitors year round. Please consider becoming a member of Friends. Friends' is a 100% volunteer organization. In all cases, donations are deductible to the extent allowed by law.

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It’s hard to believe that the Gardens Pavilion, Office, Gift Shop and Garden Center still remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent precautions. As soon as City and County public facilities open, so will we. Please visit our website at pslbg.org for any status update. We know how difficult it must be for gardeners and garden-lovers to be apart from friends and gardening acquaintances during this season of botanical buds and blossoms. Yet we understand it is for the greater good, and we will be more grateful when we are able to move forward and get our hand dirty again – both literally and figuratively. In response to the toll this epidemic has taken on non-profits, such as the Gardens, many wise and caring people have created a global movement, launching a National Day of Giving on May 5, 2020, also dubbed GivingTuesday. This day is meant to garner support for and strengthen local organizations in our community. We hope you will consider the PSL Botanical Gardens in your giving plans. Please send in a donation, whether by check, through our website, or by clicking HERE. We are grateful for your support, and anything you can give, large or small, is greatly appreciated.

I cannot end without remarking that Earth Day 2020 was April 22nd. I hope everyone was able to celebrate our 50th Earth Day in some way shape or form during the month of April. Whether you recycled more, ran less tap water, or consumed less fossil fuel, I know you did your part. If you just forgot, here are some links to things you can do because every day is earth day: 10 Simple Things to Do to Celebrate Earth Day Celebrating Earth Day Earth Day 2020 – Going Digital Wishing you all the best of health and wellness!

Michelle Peterson

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Click Here For The Current Calendar Listings

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Above: Sampson Tr ee r emoving a pine tr ee in the Pr opagation area. What a great job! Left: Volunteer , Laur a Br ady r emoving the last of the epiphytes. Good day for the Gardens

Tony Jonek, Volunteer and Chair of the Cactus & Succulent Gardens shows his fantastic talents refreshing the Pavilion Walkway. Be sure to take a walk through the Cactus & Succulent Garden maintained by Tony & John Erickson. It is one of our favorite gardens.

Volunteer, Goldie Steele, showing off her talents creating beautiful planters for Botanica. 12

Our Favorite Fix it and Build it Duo! Merv Yearwood & Gene installing posts and shade covers with Laura Mehr & Laura Brady and Dale Johnson below who assisted in digging the holes for the new sign. Merv built the frame for the new sign.

WISH LIST - The Garden Center is asking for donations of clay & ceramic pots as well as yard art (in pretty good condition).

We’re all dressed up for the Botanica Sale! What a great success for the Gardens! Thank you to all our volunteers throughout the Gardens

The Garden Center Team: ( l to r bottom), Laura Brady Brenda Gustafson and Laura Mehr, (l to r, top Sherri Catalina, Tony Jonek, Ben Woodruff and Dale Johnson

VOLUNTEERS Helping To Make Our Gardens Grow

Lucie

... Horticulture’s new Mascot

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Vegetable Gardening by Season A vegetable hand-picked from your own garden tastes better than anything you can buy in a store. And here in Florida, home gardeners can grow vegetables all year long. Home gardens are convenient and may encourage you and your family to eat more fresh vegetables. The choices are endless, with vegetables of all sizes, colors, and shapes. Start with a plan: decide what vegetables you want to plant, and where in your garden they'll be located. Make sure your site gets plenty of sun (at least six hours) and is near a source of water. Get your soil tested to find out what nutrients it needs. Your county Extension office can help with this process. Purchase or start your own transplants or plant seeds directly in the soil. Water and fertilize as needed, and keep an eye out for pests. The most important thing when beginning is to pay close attention to planting dates. Where you live within the state will affect that—planting dates for North, Central, and South Florida are very different. 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.

UF/IFAS Sites Florida Gardening Calendar Vegetable Gardening

UF/IFAS Publications Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide Central Florida Gardening Calendar North Florida Gardening Calendar South Florida Gardening Calendar Vegetables A - Z

Spring There's nothing like having homegrown vegetables right at your back door, and spring is the perfect time to prepare your beds for vegetables. If this will be your first vegetable garden, you may find Getting Started with Your Vegetable Garden very helpful. Spring crops include sweet corn, cucumber, tomato, watermelon, and several kinds of beans. For best results, choose varieties recommended for Florida. You can plant seeds directly in the soil, use transplants, or start your own transplants six to eight weeks before planting time. For spring gardens in North and Central Florida, the planting time for most frost tender plants is in March. If you plant earlier, be prepared to cover your tender vegetables to protect them from late frosts. Frost hardy vegetables may be planted much earlier. Of course, in South Florida, you can plant "spring" vegetables in the fall and winter, up until February or March. Plant early enough so that your vegetables have time to mature before the heat of summer kicks in. See Table 3 in the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide for planting dates for specific crops.

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SUPPORT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS AS YOU SHOP

Got toilet paper? While you are shopping for necessities online, don't forget to use AmazonSmile! When you choose Friends of the Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens as the charity you support, Amazon will donate 0.5% of an eligible product's price to support the Gardens.

Shop now with AmazonSmile

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My Mother kept a garden, A garden of the heart. She planted all the good things That gave my life its start. She turned me to the sunshine And encouraged me to dream. Fostering and nurturing The seeds of self-esteem. And when the winds and rain came, She protected me enough. But not too much because she knew I’d need to stand up strong and tough. Her constant good example Always taught me right from wrong. Markers for my pathway That will last a lifetime long. I am my Mother’s garden. I am her legacy. And I hope today she feels the love Reflected back from me.

MAY GARDENING DAYS National Wildflower Week: May 4 th - 10 th (First Full Week starting Monday) Gifts from The Garden Month National Public Gardens Week: May 8th - 17th Link Salute to Moms 35+ Week: May 10 th - 16 th (Starts on Mother’s Day) National African Violet Week: May 24 th - 30 th Dandelion Day: May 1 st - 2 nd World Naked Gardening Day: May 2 nd Link (First Saturday) World Laughter Day: May 3 rd Link (First Sunday) Garden Meditation Day: May 3 rd Bird Day: May 4 th Link International Migratory Bird Day: May 9 th (2nd Saturday) Link World Bee Day: May 20 th Link Learn About Composting Day: May 29 th

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Dale Johnson & Lucie

Melinda DeMarco Striking a Pose!

The Gardes is a popular place to take a walk or a jog

Laura Mehr’s Beautiful Floral Displays 

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John Erickson talking about the Orchid Room

Gardens Founding Members’ Enjoying the March Anniversary Festivities

Guests Enjoying The Gardens

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Visit JOIN OUR TEAM:

We have availability in the Gift Shop, Welcome Center, Propagation, Garden Maintenance, Event Planning

for a selection of fine gifts and those one of a kind items.

VOLUNTEER AS LITTLE AS 3 HOURS A WEEK., MEET SOME GREAT PEOPLE, AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY. Call Judy NashWade or Angie Reese at 772-337-1959.

Volunteer Orientation ** Dates Will Be Announced Soon ** Learn about volunteering at the Gardens, meet other volunteers and offer Suggestions. Prospective and current volunteers welcome!

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VISIT WWW.PSLBG.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION