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July 2001
Milestones: New Puppies! Milestone: Growing Up Big
Many years ago a longleaf pine near the front of the house was hit by lightening and the following year it was attacked by pine borers. By the next year it was dead. It was a pretty ugly sight as the last of the bark fell from its skeletal trunk. The only reason that I didn't cut it down and burn the carcass was (is) because I'm lazy. As I procrastinated, the trunk cleared itself of limbs dropping them one by one until it towered like a totem above the yard. My laziness was rewarded when I realized that it had became a wildlife habitat. Old dead pine as it came to be called, hosted regular dinner parties for our neighborhood woodpeckers. It also served as hunting lookout for red-shouldered hawks with a taste for squirrel and a nesting site for some sort of bird that is too small for me to see with my not-very-well-corrected middle aged vision. So it was a minor tragedy for me and the local critters when old dead pine took a topple. Fortunately its fall caused little damage to surrounding vegetation. Unfortunately it missed my crappy house. Farewell old dead pine.
Just days after old dead pine crashed I followed Petey down to inspect the sinkhole that we call Little Cypress Sink. I immediately sensed something was amiss. After several minutes of astute observation and keen analysis I determined that the towering tupelo tree that had once vied for sinkhole dominance with a nearby giant bald cypress had bit the dust. It had crashed into the side of the sink pinning several smaller tupelos into uncomfortable configurations. As is their nature when growing in swampy areas, this titanic tupelo had rotted out leaving its base hollow and empty. This is a disastrous tendency that structurally weakens the tree that will eventually cause collapse. In addition, this rot may extend down the tupelo's long tap root. The root becomes hollow and essentially behaves like a pipe causing the host body of water to rapidly drain. This can have unfortunate results when toxins carried by surface water use this route to flow directly into the underground aquifer. For this reason tupelo is NOT recommended for planting in retention ponds intended to reduce stormwater runoff from parking lots and structures - bald cypress is a much better choice.
It is mostly shades of green here at Floridune this time of year but some favorite summer bloomers are providing a few colorful highlights. Especially notable are the crape myrtles. The crapes are one of my favorite plants because they're fast growing, easy, and come in a wide selection of brilliant colors. The dependable impatiens are creating carpets of color in shady areas and the clear blue of the plumbago is cooling off the hot sunny hillside. Other plants that are putting on a show now (but I haven't got around to profiling for Floridata yet) are cigar plant (Cuphea igneae) gazania daisies, crinum lilies and scabiosa. One plant that isn't blooming, but should be, is the moss verbena. This is because they are dead. For several years in a row I have planted them. They immediately get shaby and then die from what looks like a fungus or other disease. Moss verbena thrives on roadside shoulders under the harshest conditions yet I cannot grow them - I'm really irked.
As we enter dog days of summer you might notice that some of your annual and perennial plants are totally crapping out. They have become masses of scraggly bare stems with few flowers and look so nasty that you want to compost them. Much better is to rehabilitate them with tough love. Cut back the stems to within 2 inches of the crown of the plant. Give them a shot of liquid fertilizer and then in a few weeks they'll be good as new and ready to put on another show of flowers. If you're getting lots of rain you'll also want to cut back rampant growth on plants like wisteria and ivy. If you have kudzu I recommend that you use a flame thrower and a herd of goats on it (but not simultaneously).
If you are lazy like me and have sandy or otherwise crappy soil then you should try my conveniently carefree composting method. Essentially you dig a shallow hole in your garden, throw stuff in it and then cover it up. In the summertime the stuff will either rot or germinate very quickly, especially if the soil is moist. Many of our favorite kitchen composting wastes contain seeds so you can expect to see scores of cantaloup, watermelon, orange and tomato seedlings spring forth. They are fresh and tender and green and full of hope so destroy them quickly by turning them under so that they too will rot into humus, the amazing organic substance that improves any type of soil.
This is a saucer magnolia that has become befuddled by the warm climate here in North Florida. Magnolia x soulangeana trees are deciduous hybrids that typically bloom in late winter or early spring before the foliage emerges. This one freaked and bloomed in mid-June. It put forth about a dozen blossoms and they looked very handsome against the deep green foliage! Perhaps it's trying to compete with nearby southern magnolias who are currently putting forth their big beautiful blossoms?
Because of the heat and mosquitos I didn't spend much time out in the garden in June. I did manage to plant out a dozen Sabal minor and ten Sabal mexicana palm seedlings that I had germinated last year. Because of the nice rains of late they have happily settled into their new homes and THAT should be enough gardening effort to hold me until August. During July I expect to accomplish even less as it will be hotter, there will be even more mosquitos and I will be even lazier than ever. I resolve instead to go to the springs for many swims and to spend much quality time in the lawn chair. I hope that your July will be as enjoyable as the one that I plan to have. Thanks for enduring another rambling edition of my Gardener's Journal - you are persistant, courageous and generous with your time. Have a fun and productive month and be good and grow. John Scheper 07/08/01
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