The Gardens Gate – September 2021

2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd.

Port St. Lucie, FL 34952

Phone: 772.337.1959

Fax: 772.237.5952

Email: info@pslbg.org

Web: www.pslbg.org

Pavilion & Gift Shop Hours:

Wednesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Sunday 12:00pm - 4:00pm

Garden Center Summer Hours

Thursday - Saturday 10:00am - 1:00pm

Gardens Summer Hours

8:00am– 8:00pm • 7-days a week

PETS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN THE GARDENS SKATES, BOARDS & BICYCLES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON THE WALKWAYS IN THE GARDENS

Suggested Donations: Adults $5 • Students $2 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: Jeff Chambers

Vice President: Heather Furnari

Secretary: Mary Petrone

Treasurer: Brenda Gustafson

Directors: Mark A. Barnes

Valerie Davis-Bailey

John Erickson

Laura Mehr

Judy Nash-Wade

Arthur Pearlstein

Tim Sutton

Standing Committee Chairs...

Election Committee: Stephanie

Alessandrini-Giarraffa

Finance Committee: Brenda Gustafson

Gift Shop Committee: Laura Mehr

Horticulture Committee: Brenda Gustafson

Membership & Volunteer

Committee: Mark A. Barnes

Resource Development Committee: Heather Furnari

Strategic Planning Committee: Arthur Pearlstein

Newsletter...

Editor & Design: Mark A. 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.

CONTENTS

Monthly Calendar Link

The Gardens Through The Eyes of Mary Petrone

Garden Center Specials

Florida Gardening for New Residents

Time For Some Laughs

Volunteer Spotlight

Out & About with The Gardens

Pictures from our Guests

Public Events at The Gardens

Ask the Experts: Orchids

Upcoming Events

Pg4

President’sMessage

Dear Friends,

Now that we have entered the Hurricane season full force, I hope everyone has taken time to be prepared. Part of being prepared is to

We have several events coming up in the Fall and I am sure there will be something for 16th, and of course, our very own BOOtanical Halloween on the 31st. Please join us for If interested in being a member or a volunteer, visit our website or come see us at the

As always I thank each and everyone of you for your interest, and time you give to the

What’s Going on at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens in

Florida Gardening for New Residents

If you're new to Florida, we recommend taking a look at the nine Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles to help you learn how to have a healthy and beautiful landscape that protect Florida's natural resources.

For gardeners who have recently moved to Florida, adjusting to the Sunshine State's unique climate, seasons, soil, and species can be challenging. With eight distinct USDA Hardiness Zones, the variety of ornamental, edible, and native plants that happily grow in Florida is staggering. Here are our top 5 suggestions for adapting your gardening practices to your new home.

Rethink Growing Seasons

Here in Florida the winters are mild but the summers can be brutal. You may need to re-think which months are part of the "growing season," based on where in the state you're located. Below are our suggestions for understanding the growing season in your area:

North Florida (North of S.R. 40)

North Florida includes USDA Hardiness Zones 8 and 9. These zones enjoy a true year-round growing season. You can find the best time to plant, check for pests, prune, and fertilize in the North Florida Gardening Calendar. The Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide can help you find the correct planting dates for annual crops in your area. Traditional "summer crops," like summer squash, are usually planted here in the winter, for example.

Central Florida (Between S.R. 40 and S.R. 70)

Central Florida includes USDA Hardiness Zones 9 and 10. The weather in this region varies from year to year. Some years Central Florida goes without a hard freeze. Other years a cold snap can knock tropical plants back to the ground. You can find the best time to plant, check for pests, prune, and fertilize in the Central Florida Gardening Calendar. The Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide can help you find the correct planting dates for annual crops in your area. Late summer is so hot and wet that most garden crops decline sharply at this time. Check the recommended planting dates and vegetable varieties to avoid losing your harvest.

South Florida (South of S.R. 70)

South Florida includes USDA Hardiness Zones 10 and 11. Summers in these zones are long and hot. You can find the best time to plant, check for pests, prune, and fertilize in the South Florida Gardening Calendar. The Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide can help you find the correct planting dates for annual crops in your area. You'll recognize many crops that are also grown up north, but they're planted in the fall in South Florida. They will produce through the end of the spring, almost a mirror image of the growing seasons in the northern United States.

Plan for the Rainy Season

In Florida we have true rainy and dry seasons. Winter and spring are our driest months of the year. Beginning in summer the rainy season stretches from June to October. You can expect afternoon rains almost every day during these months. These cloudbursts are usually short and the sunshine returns quickly, so they're easy to plan around.

Water flow becomes a serious landscaping concern during the rainy season. It's best to address drainage problems as soon as you notice them, and before heavier rains and seasonal storms compound the problem.

For your plants, the rainy season means abundant water, but also an increased risk of fungal pests. Some turfgrasses are also sensitive to excess moisture. Adjusting your irrigation can make a big difference in your lawn's health. On the other hand, all that rain makes summer a convenient time to plant palms, shrubs, and small trees.

You'll find more information here on Gardening Solutions:

Irrigation articles

Weather articles

Dealing with Heavy Rain

Consider the Soil, Sand, and Salt

One of Florida's many charms is that no matter where you are, there's likely to be a beach nearby. Gardening in a state with such an extensive coastline requires a little extra planning to deal with the relentless sand, limestone, and salt.

"Mayakka fine sand" is the most common soil type in the state. It extends far inland and covers more than a million acres of land. The panhandle region is less sandy, but gardeners there battle tough clay deposits. Further south the soil is very shallow and the limestone bedrock raises the pH to alkaline levels. A jackhammer is sometimes required to begin a new garden in South Florida. Regardless of your soil type, we suggest beginning with a soil test. Detailed directions come with a soil sample kit, which you can get from your county Extension office or the IFAS Extension soil testing laboratory. More than three-quarters of Florida's population lives in coastal counties. There, salt plays as major a role as the sand. If you live within an eighth of a mile of the coast, we suggest landscaping with salt-tolerant plants. The Gardening Solutions articles below can help you choose annuals, perennials, and turf that can thrive in coastal environments: Working in Your Florida Soil

Organic Soil Amendments

Coastal Landscapes

Salt-tolerant Plants

Salt-tolerant Lawngrasses

"Ask IFAS," the UF/IFAS publications database also has articles on Salt-tolerant Plants.

Know Your Invasive Species

A year-round growing season and plenty of international commerce make Florida a hotspot for invasive plants, pests, and wildlife.

Many species that are beloved up north are a problem here in the Sunshine State. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and European blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), for example, are on the Florida Noxious Weeds list.

You can help keep Florida as beautiful as the day you arrived. Stay up to date on threats from invasive plants and wildlife with the links below:

UF/IFAS Invasive Species Council

UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas

UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

Call

Your County Extension Office

Florida is a marvelous place to live, but it certainly requires some adjustment. As you adapt to your new home, the county Extension office is here to help. Our local Extension staff and volunteers would be happy to help answer questions about plants, pests, irrigation, lawn care, and much, much more. Give us a call or send an email to your county Extension office.

Why did you choose to volunteer at the PSL Botanical Gardens?

On my very first visit I was so impressed with the beauty and peacefulness of the garden, and I wanted to be part of the community.

Do you have any goals for your time here as a volunteer?

To help make it even more beautiful in any way I can.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering at pslbg?

The people I am volunteering with, as I have made some great friends.

What do you like to do when you’re at the Gardens?

Field work and special projects.

Who was the most instrumental person who influenced your love of gardening?

Martha Stewart

What’s your favorite tree or plant, and why?

Impatients and Royal Palms….29 years ago when I arrived in Florida that was the first thing I noticed when I got off the plane. I came from the concrete jungle (New York City) and life here was very different as there were flowers everywhere and it was summer all the time.

Outside of the Gardens, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I am a Guardian ad Litem and the voice for foster children in the court system, it is my way of giving back to the community and helping children. I love visiting other Botanical Gardens, hiking, and cooking.

Tell us a little bit about your family.

I am third generation Italian American, my grandmother and grandfather came here from Italy for a better life through Ellis Island, and I am very proud of my heritage. My father was a World War II Veteran and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, my husband is a Vietnam Veteran and served as Sargent Ranger LRRP. I have one son Jason who is married and one Grandson Sebastian. My son has a master’s degree from Nova, and worked for six years for the late great Rush Limbaugh.

Tell us something about you that’s interesting, or that not many people know about you. I love to cook and entertain, I love fashion, and love chocolate!

What’s your favorite quote or saying? Missy!!!!

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF EDIS

UF/IFAS has had a long history of providing electronic access to publications, beginning in the early 1990s when it began producing handbooks of documents on CD-ROMS. In 2021, we recognize that it’s been 25 years since the Florida Agricultural Information Retrieval System (FAIRS) website first went online. In 1998, the name was changed to Extension Data Information Source (EDIS) to reflect changes in its scope and function. EDIS became the single source for all Extension publications and was also adapted to permit Extension units to print documents on an as-needed basis. More recently in 2006, the UF/ IFAS Solutions for Your Life web initiative has brought EDIS publications together with other valuable web resources within the framework in a single web-user friendly theme and framework. Now that Ask IFAS is carrying on this tradition, who knows where we’ll be at the end of the next 25 years?

Another Great Resource: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/

Garden Center Volunteers having fun at the Garden Center Hut

The succulent sales area in the Garden Center. Stop by for great deals!

Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Members at Jazz Jam at The Gardens.

Jazz Jam at The Gardens

A new secret sitting spot at the Gardens

Have you visited our Faerie Forrest and located all the Faeries?

A I’m watching you.

The Butterfly Garden Volunteers enjoying their day.

The education Department’s new “Dicovery Backpack” graduated today!

Stop by and see all the new items at the Gardens Gate Gift Shop

Are You Looking for Fun and Educational Children’s Activities?

The Gardens is the Perfect learning environment!!!

We now have our NEW Scavenger Hunt sheets available inside the Pavilion for parents to take their child on hunt through The Gardens to find plants, wild life, flowers, trees and much more.

Additionally, our Children’s activities have begun on select Saturdays and continue monthly. Please be sure check the calendar for registration dates and requirements.

Thank You.

Can you give us as little as 3 hours per week of your time?

The Friends of the Port St Lucie Botanical Gardens are looking for Volunteers to assist in various positions throughout the Garden. Become a part of a very active garden, meet fellow volunteers, have fun, and enjoy being part of a team.

Gift Shop, Welcome Center & Guest Services

Wednesday - Saturday (3 hours) • 10am-1pm or 1pm-4pm* Sunday - 4 hours • 12pm-4pm

Garden Center - Summer Hours

Thursday - Saturday (3 hours) • 10am-1pm

Garden Rooms Daylily Garden, Bromeliad Garden, Secret Garden - Name your hours. We need help with weeding, trimming, and maintaining the gardens.

Contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@pslbg.org or call The Gardens at 772-337-1959 and leave a message.

Above: Nan Billings initiates The Gardens new How-To Series with her highly popular Pressed Flower Art. The attendees participated in a hands-on instruction and a good time was had by all. Next month John Erickson, presents our Ask The Experts with Growing & Potting Orchids.

Below: St. Lucie Cultural Alliance and Debby Coles-Dobay present a workshop to local artists and citizens on an Introduction to Public Art - How to Successfully Submit Your Work to become Public Artists.

Public Events at The Gardens

Visit Our Gift Shop

for a selection of fine gifts & more, one of a kind items & works from local Artists.

Join the Saturday Wacky Weeders’

When: October 9, 2021

Where: PSL Botanical Gardens

Time: 8:00am - 12:00pm

The Gardens appreciates your help to continue keeping our beautiful Gardens in perfect shape for upcoming events and the holiday season.

Please help us attack those weeds and win the war!

Join us for a fun morning – All Volunteers Invited. Consider yourself less than able-bodied? There are jobs for everyone, no matter age or ability. Bring gloves, clippers and any personal tools you prefer.