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Ginny Stibolt, a naturalist
with a master's degree in plant taxonomy, moved from Maryland to
Green Cove Springs in northeast Florida. Follow along
and learn with Ginny as she tackles a wide range of Florida gardening
and environmental subjects: native plants, butterfly gardening,
plant mythology, stinkhorn fungi, rain gardens, rain barrels, and
more. Ginny is writing a book, "Sustainable Gardening for Florida,"
to be published by University Press of Florida.
 Read
Ginny's gardening articles
Ginny
is a community columnist for Jacksonville's
Florida
Times Union
Have
a Florida gardening question or an idea for a future column?
Contact Ginny
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Ginny's Gardening Articles
(The date indicates when originally
published in The Times Union's www.jacksonville.com
.)
Rain Garden Expansion(8/25/08) See
how Ginny expanded a rain garden and installed a blind drain under
a path.
Win a Gardening Book!!(7/31/08) Help Ginny
choose photos for her book for a chance to win a copy.
From Stump to Butterfly Haven(7/8/08) This
transformation created great habitat.
Tale of Two Parsleys(6/11/08) The best
laid gardens still surprise us, sometimes.
Planning for Microclimates(5/14/08)
Read this article to see the various ways Ginny has planned for
her microclimates.
The Lawn Less Mown(4/26/08) Ginny found
treasures in her lawn after a winter of no mowing.
A New Bed... and Standing Stormwater(4/4/08)
Ginny expanded her veggie bed, but ran into a problem with standing
water.
Rain Barrels Revisited(3/19/08) Everything
you wanted to know about rain barrels.
Pot Bound!(2/28/08) Ever end up with
pot bound plants?
Sweet Treat Carrots(2/2/08) Ginny's carrots
live up to their name: Burpee's Sweet Treat.
Follow the Yellow Mulch Road(1/21/08)
Tree trimmings is the most sustainable mulch.
Cutting Edges(1/6/08) Ginny makes
an annual tour around her lawn to keep the grass from escaping.
Poinsettias are NOT Poisonous(11/27/07)
Ginny busts this myth and covers more about this popular holiday
plant.
Just Say No to Poisons(11/7/07) Ginny's
rant on a business opportunity to install an automatic misting system.
Palmettos in the Landscape(10/30/.07)
Nothing says tropical like a palm or palmetto--get the skinny on
palms.
No Need to Beg for Beggarticks(10/4/07)
All the rain this fall in northeast Florida has encouraged Ginny's
weeds, but one is also a butterfly magnet.
Jewels of Summer(8/15/07) In this hot,
fairly dry summer, Ginny's zinnias have shown like jewels in her
meadows.
The Skinny on Onions(7/28/07) When Ginny
planted her onion sets last fall, there was alot she didn't know.
How did her onions grow?
A Scented Garden(3/4/07)--Herbs
have been in cultivation for 5000 years. Ginny's Rosemary has grown
a lot in just two years.
Gardening To Do List—2007(1/10/07)--Killing
off aliens and other exciting items on Ginny's list for the year.
Winter Solstice Poem(12/14/06)--A
bit of holiday fluff.
Fall Roundup in the Landscape(11/20/06)--See what's worked and
what hasn't in Ginny's gardens.
Pulsating Purple in the Fall Meadow(11/3/06)--The
color purple provided by an assortment of berries is appreciated
by birds and humans alike.
An Interview with Gil Nelson,
Noted Nature Author and Photographer(9/28/06)--Ginny's interview
with Gil Nelson.
There's Gold in Our Meadows (9/18/06)--After
a long dry summer Ginny's GOLDenrod shines in her meadows, but don't
blame it for your allergies. A more likely culprit is Ambrosia!
Sensational Sunflowers
(8/8/06)--Ginny has been experiementing with various types of sunflowers
and provides some background info. How did these North American
natives become Russia's national flower?
Managing a Natural Meadow
(7/11/06)--After two years of not mowing in several areas of Ginny's
lot, how does her meadow grow?
Tomatoes are for Summer
(6/19/06)--Ginny's growing three types of tomatoes this summer.
Ginny compares her experience so far with Burpee's sales hype.
Pond Pleasures(5/30/06)--A
natural pond graces Ginny's front yard. It's a continuing sources
of pleasure, but there's some upkeep required to keep it in balance.
Hidden Ginger Lilies and
Other Intriguing Monocots(4/29/06)--Ginny found some unusual
pink flowers in her garden and it's taken her a while to figure
out what they are.
Spring Garden Dectective
(4/13/06)--Ah, springtime in the garden, but what's a weed
and what is not.
Creating Backyard
Habitat (3/9/06)--Celebrate Earth Day and National Wildlife
week in April and get your backyard certified!
Composting for Your Garden
(1/30/06)--Every gardener needs to compost for better soil: whether
you have sandy soil or clay soil, compost is the answer. Plus it's
the right thing to do.
A Gardener's Resolutions
for 2006 (1/4/06)--Ginny has a gardening to-do list for 2006.
What are your gardening resolutions?
Seasonal Notes: Preparing
Christmas greens and other winter house & garden ideas (12/8/05)--
Wait! Before you bring in boughs of holly, magnolia, or other greens
for your mantle or a cut Christmas tree, prepare for a longer lasting
display.
Reducing the Lawn in your
Landscape (10/22/05) -- Less lawn in your landscape saves money,
saves time, and helps the environment.
Florida Natives for your
Landscape (9/28/05) -- presents a case for using natives in
your garden to increase regional diversity.
Instant Landscaping? (8/24/05)
-- It's accomplished in 2 days, but is it the best choice for your
landscape?
Vicious, Vigorous, and
Vibrant Vines (8/9/05) -- a look at some of north Florida's
most typical vines.
Troublesome Spot?
Convert to Containers (7/11/05) -- some ideas for container
gardens.
Ooh la la, French drains
(6/23/05) -- working around French drains in your gardens.
Homesick for a Real
Mid-Atlantic Spring (5/13/05) -- Spring in northern Florida
pales in comparison to the Mid-Atlantic's season.
I Covet My Neighbors' Ebony
Spleenworts! (4/25/05) -- a look at some common ferns in northern
Florida.
Rain Lilies for My Rain
Gardens (4/6/05) -- Rain gardens are designed to handle stormwater
runoff from gutters, French drains, driveways and other impervious
surfaces.
Rain Barrels (3/18/05)
-- Rain barrels capture rain water from downspouts and provide a
source of untreated water for your plants.
Pee-yew! Those Smelly Stinkhorn
Fungi (1/20/05) -- It's great to find surprises in your garden,
but not these obnoxious winter fungi.
Myths and legends of
Mistletoe and Magnolias (12/11/04) & Holly,
Ivy, Poinsettias and more… (12/21/04) -- Winter festoons of
plants in our houses pre-dates Christianity. These two articles
examine the myths, stories, and traditions of holidays & plants.
My Magnificent but Messy
Magnolias (11/15/04) -- The grand Southern Magnolias (Magnolia
grandiflora) seem to typify southern elegance for most people,
but there's a problem...
Hey! My Sago's not a Palm.
(10/23/04) -- While sagos look like short palm trees, they're Cycads.
What's
Been Eating My Bushy Seedboxes? (9/28/04) -- Bushy Seed Boxes
(Ludwigia spp.) volunteer on Ginny's property, but she noticed that
the leaves had been eaten...
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