Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
I had diner last night with an environmental consultant, his wife, her father and a couple friends. We discussed the fertilizer ordinance and retoring my sandhill. The wife grows shitake mushrooms and can use the laurel oaks from the land. We need to get the feuls down so that we can burn the eight acres. By letting her harvest the laurel oak sapplings for mushrooms we are achieving our goals cooperatively.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Florida Native Plant Society visits San Felasco Hammock
On November 21 st the Paynes Prarie Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society organized a field trip To San Felasco Hammock State Park.
Alan Shapiro of Grandiflora Nursery formerly San Felasco Nursery stands beside the frond of what we believed to be a seedling of Sabel minor.
This is an old pump we encountered on the trail.
This is one of the infamous white oaks, Quercus alba, that lives in the Hammock.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Today I Initiate Plans to Put Metal on my Roof
I am hoping to resurface the roof using shhet metal according to code and apply for a permit to do so. If this is successful I hope to build a shed in back of my house that has a green roof. Hardware for the green roof is readily available. Building it according to code would be a challenge.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Native Floridian Milkweeds
This was an exerpt from the minutes of the Central Florida Native Plant Society Meeting:
SPEAKER--Steve Farnsworth “Milkweeds of Florida”
When he agreed to do this talk, Steve Farnsworth thought that Florida was host to 10-12 native milkweed species. He has since found out that there are 21 species. At one time the milkweed plants belonged to the Asclepiadaceae family, but that changed. They are now in the Apocynaceae family. Milkweeds have a number of identifying features:
1. Milky toxic sap
2. Annual tops and perennial roots. When transplanting by roots, make sure to dig 2-3 feet in order to ensure plant survival.
3. Unusual five-petaled flowers with staminal hoods. These are designed to get an insect's foot inside the hood to pull out the pollinia. Milkweeds generally do not self-pollinate.
4. Long seed pods--The silky hears on the seeds in the pods are good insulation; better than down in vests and comforters.
Sandhill Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata)--Has pink veins on leaves. Flowers bloom in spring. grows along road shoulders. Difficult to transplant.
Velvetleaf Milkweed (Asclepias tomentosa)--Grows in Sumter and Citrus counties and is also found in northern, central, and southwestern Florida.
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)--Grows throughout Florida. Identified by little clusters of white flowers. It is a very wispy plant with opposite whorled leaves that is common in sandhill regions.
Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)--Purple/pinkish flower that is found in northern and central Florida, including Citrus County.
Carolina Milkweed (Asclepias cinerea)--Wispy plant that grows in northern Florida.
Largeflower Milkweed (Asclepia connivens)--Robust, frilly large flowers that can grow in wet pineland areas.
Florida Milkweed (Asclepias feayi)--Very attractive white flower that grows in the drier side of pinewoods located in central and southwestern Florida.
Longleaf Milkweed (Asclepias longifolia)--Grows throughout Florida with 6 in. leaves and whitish-purplish flowers.
Pineland Milkweed (Asclepias obovata)--Only found on the Florida Panhandle. It is the only milkweed with distinctively wavy, curly, hairy leaves. It has yellow flowers with orangish hoods.
Michaux's Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii)--Has clusters of pinkish flowers with greenish petals. It grows in northern Florida.
Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) This milkweed is found throughout Florida in wet flatwoods. Flowers are greenish-yellow, sometimes cream colored.
Southern Milkweed (Asclepias viridula) Grows in northern Florida in wet grassy flatlands. The greenish flowers are not showy. This is a threatened specicies.
Curtiss' Milkweed (Asclepias curtissii) This milkweed is one of the easiest to transplant because its big fat root is not buried very deeply. It grows in scrub habitat and is endangered in Florida.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)--Grows 5-6 ft. tall like a small shrub. It has pinkish flowers. The plant can easily host a number of butterfly larva without being destroyed like most other milkweed plants.
Fewflower Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata)--Grows to approximately 2-3 ft. tall along the edge of marshes or wetlands. It has showy orange flowers that attract butterflies as a nectar source.
White Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) - This milkweed is shade tolerant unlike most other milkweed species. It also doesn't have tufts of hairs around the seeds to help carry them into the wind. Regular seed distribution is by floating on water.
Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra) - This gorgeous purple or lavender flowered milkweed with long, narrow leaves grows in the Florida Panhandle.
Redring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)--Grows on edges of hammocks in northern Florida.
Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis)--This is a rockland milkweed that grows on limestone outcrops near the surface scattered throughout Florida. It has purplish stamens on large clusters of flowers that attract butterflies.
Bloodflower (Asclepias curassavica)—This flower attracts Monarch Butterflies and can survive better than native milkweed species being eaten as a larval food plant. It is a Florida exotic that is native to tropical America. If grown instead of native milkweeds, please keep it in check as it will spread, especially in wetland.
SPEAKER--Steve Farnsworth “Milkweeds of Florida”
When he agreed to do this talk, Steve Farnsworth thought that Florida was host to 10-12 native milkweed species. He has since found out that there are 21 species. At one time the milkweed plants belonged to the Asclepiadaceae family, but that changed. They are now in the Apocynaceae family. Milkweeds have a number of identifying features:
1. Milky toxic sap
2. Annual tops and perennial roots. When transplanting by roots, make sure to dig 2-3 feet in order to ensure plant survival.
3. Unusual five-petaled flowers with staminal hoods. These are designed to get an insect's foot inside the hood to pull out the pollinia. Milkweeds generally do not self-pollinate.
4. Long seed pods--The silky hears on the seeds in the pods are good insulation; better than down in vests and comforters.
Sandhill Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata)--Has pink veins on leaves. Flowers bloom in spring. grows along road shoulders. Difficult to transplant.
Velvetleaf Milkweed (Asclepias tomentosa)--Grows in Sumter and Citrus counties and is also found in northern, central, and southwestern Florida.
Whorled Milkweed (Asclepias verticillata)--Grows throughout Florida. Identified by little clusters of white flowers. It is a very wispy plant with opposite whorled leaves that is common in sandhill regions.
Clasping Milkweed (Asclepias amplexicaulis)--Purple/pinkish flower that is found in northern and central Florida, including Citrus County.
Carolina Milkweed (Asclepias cinerea)--Wispy plant that grows in northern Florida.
Largeflower Milkweed (Asclepia connivens)--Robust, frilly large flowers that can grow in wet pineland areas.
Florida Milkweed (Asclepias feayi)--Very attractive white flower that grows in the drier side of pinewoods located in central and southwestern Florida.
Longleaf Milkweed (Asclepias longifolia)--Grows throughout Florida with 6 in. leaves and whitish-purplish flowers.
Pineland Milkweed (Asclepias obovata)--Only found on the Florida Panhandle. It is the only milkweed with distinctively wavy, curly, hairy leaves. It has yellow flowers with orangish hoods.
Michaux's Milkweed (Asclepias michauxii)--Has clusters of pinkish flowers with greenish petals. It grows in northern Florida.
Savannah Milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) This milkweed is found throughout Florida in wet flatwoods. Flowers are greenish-yellow, sometimes cream colored.
Southern Milkweed (Asclepias viridula) Grows in northern Florida in wet grassy flatlands. The greenish flowers are not showy. This is a threatened specicies.
Curtiss' Milkweed (Asclepias curtissii) This milkweed is one of the easiest to transplant because its big fat root is not buried very deeply. It grows in scrub habitat and is endangered in Florida.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)--Grows 5-6 ft. tall like a small shrub. It has pinkish flowers. The plant can easily host a number of butterfly larva without being destroyed like most other milkweed plants.
Fewflower Milkweed (Asclepias lanceolata)--Grows to approximately 2-3 ft. tall along the edge of marshes or wetlands. It has showy orange flowers that attract butterflies as a nectar source.
White Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias perennis) - This milkweed is shade tolerant unlike most other milkweed species. It also doesn't have tufts of hairs around the seeds to help carry them into the wind. Regular seed distribution is by floating on water.
Red Milkweed (Asclepias rubra) - This gorgeous purple or lavender flowered milkweed with long, narrow leaves grows in the Florida Panhandle.
Redring Milkweed (Asclepias variegata)--Grows on edges of hammocks in northern Florida.
Green Antelopehorn (Asclepias viridis)--This is a rockland milkweed that grows on limestone outcrops near the surface scattered throughout Florida. It has purplish stamens on large clusters of flowers that attract butterflies.
Bloodflower (Asclepias curassavica)—This flower attracts Monarch Butterflies and can survive better than native milkweed species being eaten as a larval food plant. It is a Florida exotic that is native to tropical America. If grown instead of native milkweeds, please keep it in check as it will spread, especially in wetland.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Urban Farming and Revitalizing Communities
I have a nursery in my back yard. This makes me an Urban agrarian. At the same time I am helping my neighbor with his musical career. His performances reflect the heart and soul of the community.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Demystifying Illicium in Florida
Illicium floridanum has red flowers and dark green leaves alternatly spiralled around the stem with a bluntly pointed leaf tip. There are two synonyms which are thought of as commercial cultivars by the horticultural community.
Illicium floridanum forma album F.G. Meyer & Mazzeo, (Sida 15:285 1992). These plants have white flowers instead of red. It was found along a stream NW of Monticello on 14 Apr 1988 and I have heard has a very restricted range in Florida and Alabama. This forma is available at Breezy Oaks Nursery in Hawthorn and sold as an “albino” flower.
There is a Mexican population of I. floridanum which is sometimes referred to by what is considered to be its synonym
Illicium mexicanum A.C. Smith (Sargentia 7:39 1947). – The type specimen was collected in Veracruz Mexico in 1912. Some horticulturalists make a distinction between the two for commercial reasons. It has been referred to in the paleobotanical literature trying to determine the origin of angiosperms.
Illicium parviflorum is available locally. Its dark green leaves have rounded tips. Yellow flowers bloom in early summer are ½ inch wide. It has been suggested as a replacement for Photinia X fraseri. Its range extends from zones 6 to 9. It is found in the wild around central Florida and in southern Georgia.
Illicium anisetum is the imported species from China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyus and Taiwan. It has elliptic lighter green leaves than those of I. parviflorum that are very aromatic. Mid spring flowers are white to creamy yellow but are often sheared off to maintain the size of the rapidly growing shrub.
Illicium henryi (Henry anise-tree) comes from western China. It has a pointed apex on the leaf and variegated pink, white, red flowers. It grows throughout growing ranges 7 to 9.
For a good summary on the variety of Illicium grown in the United States I found this summary:
(http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/publications/newsletters/ncsu_arboretum_newsletters/News23_92-08.html)
Illicium floridanum has red flowers and dark green leaves alternatly spiralled around the stem with a bluntly pointed leaf tip. There are two synonyms which are thought of as commercial cultivars by the horticultural community.
Illicium floridanum forma album F.G. Meyer & Mazzeo, (Sida 15:285 1992). These plants have white flowers instead of red. It was found along a stream NW of Monticello on 14 Apr 1988 and I have heard has a very restricted range in Florida and Alabama. This forma is available at Breezy Oaks Nursery in Hawthorn and sold as an “albino” flower.
There is a Mexican population of I. floridanum which is sometimes referred to by what is considered to be its synonym
Illicium mexicanum A.C. Smith (Sargentia 7:39 1947). – The type specimen was collected in Veracruz Mexico in 1912. Some horticulturalists make a distinction between the two for commercial reasons. It has been referred to in the paleobotanical literature trying to determine the origin of angiosperms.
Illicium parviflorum is available locally. Its dark green leaves have rounded tips. Yellow flowers bloom in early summer are ½ inch wide. It has been suggested as a replacement for Photinia X fraseri. Its range extends from zones 6 to 9. It is found in the wild around central Florida and in southern Georgia.
Illicium anisetum is the imported species from China, Japan, Korea, Ryukyus and Taiwan. It has elliptic lighter green leaves than those of I. parviflorum that are very aromatic. Mid spring flowers are white to creamy yellow but are often sheared off to maintain the size of the rapidly growing shrub.
Illicium henryi (Henry anise-tree) comes from western China. It has a pointed apex on the leaf and variegated pink, white, red flowers. It grows throughout growing ranges 7 to 9.
For a good summary on the variety of Illicium grown in the United States I found this summary:
(http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/publications/newsletters/ncsu_arboretum_newsletters/News23_92-08.html)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Today is my Birthday
On this day 51 years ago in the evening I was born in Toronto in the middle of the city. World War II was fresh on everybody's minds and reform was fervor. Humanity was determined not to repeat the same mistake. I would eventually be absorbed into the spirit and participate at an early age in the civil rights movement and later the peace movement.
The environmental movement was subservient to the to both the civil rights movement and the peace movement. In the 21 st century the environmental movement eclipses both movements and often includes them. My interests in Botany and Chemistry were stimulated by the assault over population was having on nature. As world population explodes fresh water supplies no longer seem infinite as the used to.
When I started what would become Paul Cohen's Earth Friendly Plant Care it was a spur of the moment. The grower at Grandiflora Nursery (then San Felasco Nursery) asked my what my business name was. I was previously using Amaryllis Landscaping but thought Earth Friendly Plant Care was more appropriate. Thus Earth Friendly Plant Care was born in order to buy a handful of landscape plants. Soon afterwards the motto "Building a better ecosystem one yard at a time" was invented.
Today a closet full of equipment, a yard full of natives, and eight acres of Florida sand hill for seed stock are incorporated into the business. Three cold shelters keep the plants warm in the winter when the temperatures dip below freezing, as it is apt to do a few times in the North Central Florida in December, January and February. A few strategies are implemented to maintain native plants from a wide range of ecosystems.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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