May 2, 2026 • 39 mins
Garden expert and host Teresa Watkins welcomes Dana Venrick, owner of Quality Green Specialists Nursery, to talk about landscape trees, shrubs, and flowers that make great Mother's Day gifts. The show also covers weather topics such as drought and upcoming rain forecasts, plus Teresa’s Top Five Revolutionary medicinal plants. Teresa discusses her successful Revolutionary Garden Tour for the Sesquicentennial.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Good morning from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. Welcome to
Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm your host and garden expert,
Teresa Watkins. I'm a landscape designer, hort a culturist, garden author,
and I love helping people with their landscapes and gardens.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
So glad you could joined us this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Have to give a big, big hug and a shout
out to Lizzie.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, Lizzie. How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So I owe our listeners a little bit of an apology. Okay.
I know that I had said that when Teresa's out
that Tom mccufman would fill in, so don't stress.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
And then what happens.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I ended up having a massive allergy attack a reaction
to air I don't know what springtime, and almost landed
me in the hospital. To be honest with you, so
I had to cancel at the last well last second,
So I apologize.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
We just want you all better, yes, and you are.
You're looking tip on, tip top shape this morning.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I am full of six shots of espresso, so that
is why. And also Terrace brought me breakfast this morning.
It made me feel better, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
You go there you go.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I want to give a big shout out to the
Port Angelis Garden Club on the West Coast. As you know,
I was away last week with our Revolutionary Garden Tour
to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth birthday of the
United States. And it was a wonderful, wonderful tour. We
had great weather, albeit it was a little chilly.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
It was in the fifties.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Some mornings were forties, but then it went up to
the sixties and seventies. Great day for great days for
photographing photography because it was overcast and so the gardens
looked great.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We went to so many great.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Places the Revolutionary Garden Tours. So we started off in
the sixteenth century and at Age Croft Hall and then
went from there, which is a sixteenth century tutor home,
and from there we went to different venues like Maymont
Fairy Fairy Farm, and also the historic Kenmore Colonial Williamsburg,
(02:20):
and then also Mont Vernon and Monticello, and also the
United States Botanical Gardens where my good friend Kathy gent
who's been on the program many times.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
She is the Washington.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Gardener editor and Garden Communication International.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
She is all around genius. Yes, This woman is a genius.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
She is great and she toured us around. So it
was a wonderful tour. I want to say hello to
the Florida contingent. We had a great time and lots
of friends. And if you would like to join us
on another garden tour, we have so many coming up
this year and then also next year. Should have our
twenty twenty seven schedule up this month.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So if you'd like to join us, please let us know.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Just go to Art and bloomgardentours dot com and check
out all the tours and we do have some available, yes,
and also on himhah around.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
This isn't a himhigh round kind of thing because they
sell out. Yes, you'll find your prices there and some
of these you guys are going to be going international,
so you need to make sure that you catch passport.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, it's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So weather this week, we are going to get some
rain this week North Florida. Your temperature is going to
be in the seventy and eighties. We've got a cold
front coming through, so you've already had some rain, Thank goodness.
Rain this weekend and then next Thursday to Friday, so
pretty much I would kind of depending on how much
rain you get. You may not have to water this
week gain until you got thunderstorms coming today, and we
(03:51):
may have some in Orlando today too as well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Central Florida.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Hopefully we're going to get some rain Popka thunderstorms. Orlando's
going to be the nineties this week. We've got highs
eighties and mid nineties. It's too early to be ninety
three degrees here in Florida, but it's going to be that. Tampa,
you got rain today and tomorrow, which is good. We
desperately needed. Sixty percent of the southeast is in severe
(04:17):
drought conditions and there's a little little region in South
Florida that's not, but the majority of the state is
in very severe drought conditions. South Florida you got rain
this weekend and next weekend. Fort Lauderdale, Miami, you're going
to be getting some rain this weekend, just wonderful rain,
(04:40):
key West Sunday and Monday, and then partly cloudy temperatures
in the mid eighties, which is why you come to Florida.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Yes, I just had family here.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Well they're still here, they're leaving today, they're flying out
this evening, but yeah, they're from New England and they
were just like, man, it's so nice here, and I'm like,
I know, you really should have been here last week.
And then what next week or we're gonna have a
little bit of a cool down, a little bit a.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Little bit of a cool down, and it's gonna be
a little bit of a tease and then back up
into the nineties again. Yesterday was our Florida full Sea
Turtle full moon, Seed Turtle full moon, and Florida's sea
turtle gynastics season kicks off this month as female turtles
come ashore at night to lay their eggs on the beaches.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
The eggs are.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Expected to hatch in about two months. So this full
moon here in Florida, it's called the sea turtle full moon. Yes,
and this month we have a blue moon, so we
have another full moon at the end of May, which
is lots of fun. My May in your Backyard newsletter
is going to be coming out this week if you'd
like to receive it free each month.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It's free.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I don't spam, I don't sell your email addresses. I
keep them close to my heart. And so yeah, you
know they're such priority. She is, and so we are
going to have that coming out this week, tells you
what to do each month, give you some design tips,
and then also to my landscape malpractice, how to know
(06:10):
when to fire your landscaper, and then what to do
this month in your garden and landscape what to.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Plant yes, and if you missed last months.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
You can also go on our website Better Lawns dot
com because I post the articles up there as a
few weeks go by, so but you get a preview
if you end up signing up for the newsletter.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So you're so good. So right now we have Data
Dwick joining us. Mother's Day is May tenth.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
He's got some wonderful gardening gifts to spend time with
your mom or grandmother.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
You got to stay tuned from the summit Responsible Solution Studios.
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
May tenth is Mother's Day, and we all should be
honoring our mothers, whether they're you know, here locally or
you have to go visit them, or they're not here anymore.
It's just still a very special time to honor and
we can do that with our plants, shrubs and trees.
Joining me right now is Dana Venrick, owner of Quality
(07:32):
Green Specialist Nursery and sponsor of Better Lawns and Gardens,
and we so appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Good morning, Dana. How are you?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Oh, good morning? How are you? Teresa?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Well? I am great.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I've had a wonderful, wonderful week and I was looking
forward to talking to you.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Dana.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
So, speaking about Mother's Day, what did you do as
a child to honor your mom?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Well, my mother really loves of orange Boston and the
scent of the orange bossons in the air in the grove,
and so I would bring her a bouquete included some
some orange bossom so she could enjoy the heavenly scent.
But I got in trouble one year because there was
a little honey bee on it and pretty soon it
(08:18):
was bustling around the room. So I got in trouble.
Next year, I brought her some colored greens, which he
also loves.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
You poor thing, you probably were kind of watch those bees.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yes, that's that's funny, Dana. Okay, so you have a
great sale going on right now at your nursery. And
what Florida friendly and low maintenance plants would be good
to give mom.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Yes, indeed, we have a ten percent off sale. We've
got some ladies, lots of ladies now and we keep
increasing the number of an eighties, which is a good
thing for Florida. We have some gallon missus Schiller's naive v. Burnham.
We have black eyed susan choreopsis, which is the official
(09:05):
native forward the wildflower. And then we have Kunti, which
is like a small psychic head that's just that special
look like a little palm. We have Magnolia magnoi grand
folk floor, you know, the southern magnolia. Yes, spiderwards ball, cyprus,
live oaks, beautyberry wing, sumac, wax myrtles, milkweed, and yellow innise.
(09:31):
These are all natives I just mentioned.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Oh wow, that would be great. You know, we do
need to help.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I saw this morning that we're still having issues with
our bees and pollinators, and so you know it's important
to be planting natives and wildflowers like the choreopsis and
black eyed sea and red maple.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
We have red maple also.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
That is great and so native trees are good for
attracting wildlife and for beautifying the landscape.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
What are your favorites.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Well, my favorites are the southern magnolia, red maple, live oak,
red ceed er. I grew up with those. I used
to plant hedgerows of those is a wind break or
a buffer for the groves. And ball cypress that you
know would be in the low areas.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, no, ball cypress would be great. So you also
sell fruit trees and so which ones are low maintenance
and really quick to grow?
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Well, my favorites that quick to grow would produce quickly
actually when they're small, cattleygualva or strawberry guava. They're small
like a big marble. They're red in colored. It's delicious.
My mother used to make the most delicious jam, you know,
from those guavas. I would hunding the tree, you know,
(10:49):
and pick them, and she would make the most delicious
jelly maulberries. I would hide in the top of the
maulberry tree when I got in trouble there, you know,
because of the thick foliage.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I can't think of you getting into trouble.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
Yeah, exactly. You know how kids are, Yeah, and Japanese
palm or low quads. We all always had those pomegranates, the
pineapple guava for joa. Those are blooming right now.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And they are beautiful. Yes, they're beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
They have a kind of reddish pink flower with white
and really yellow stamens, and then mockingbirds pollinate them.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
And so yeah, I had a mocking bird that made
a nest in the joy every year.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Okay, So you also have a really nice exotic tree.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
But it delivers wonderful fruit.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Olive trees and these are beautiful in the landscape and
they do very well here in Florida, and they produce fruit.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
They do they do on a test tree. I've picked
lots of allays four years in a row. Last year
on one tree where I was using the special eight
or eleven fertilizer more alkaline like that they like, Lisa
an assistant, and I picked forty pounds of olives off
(12:13):
of that one tree. Wow, that's hard to believe. That
absolutely true. We wave them.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Okay, So answer me this. Do you brind them before
you press them or after you press them?
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Well, for pressing, you don't grind them. You've picked them
fresh within twenty four hours and press them or centrifugion,
you know, to extract the oil water and oil, and
then you separate y you know, viscosity. The oil rises
to the top, it's lighter, and then you drain off
the water from the bottom. But we also grind some
(12:48):
you know, like in ten percent to sea salt, and
that takes about six weeks and then you've got some
delicious brind olives.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Oh that's that's good.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
So, by the way, we have seven varieties Arbicina, chim Lali, corniki, Cortina, pequa,
and Mansonilia and licino. The first four we've have fruit
every year. The others I think I saw some on
the locino the other day.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Uh huh. Well, okay, So is there a difference in
height for them.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yes. Indeed, commercially in Florida, most of the growers are
going to arbicuinan, chim lali, and corniki because they are
smaller trees and they're easier to hedgerow like. Growers just
grow them like a hedgerow of citrus trees and keep
them trimmed to eight to nine to ten feet most
(13:42):
in height, keep them no more than like fifty inches wide.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Okay, So what kind of conditions do they need.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
They like a higher pH soil. You know, most plants
like somewhere six to six and a half. The OLiS
would rather have something like over seven to hold them
back a little bit so they flour and bloom rather
than just grow like crazy. They will grow and be
just lots of foliage if you keep the pH lower,
(14:14):
but they'll never have fruit, so you want to hold
them back a little bit of nitrogen. Volcanic palmis they
love that. It's a higher pH with all the trace
minerals and some dolomitic limestone. Is a good ratio of
calcium and magnesium. They like that higher calcium and magnesium
holding them back in the volcanic palmis, and the higher potassium,
(14:36):
which is very important.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Okay. So do they bloom on new growth or old
growth or both.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
Old growth the previous season's growth. That's why trimming is
an important part of the program. If they haven't bloomed
or fruited, you prune every year in March until they
set bloom and fruit, and then you bloom. You prune
after they set fruit, and after you pick them.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
And all harvest them.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, yes, okay, all right, So I really think that's
a nice tree because it's soft green. It's a soft
like minti green, and it's the leaves are really really pretty.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Yes, there's three in our neighborhood. The most beautiful trees
in the neighborhood just had frosty off colored green. They're
like a semi weeping effect.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Gorgeous they are.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Okay, So what other plants would make lovely gifts for
Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Oh my gosh. We've got all types of things, like
we have herbs like mince. We have rosemary, a nice
selection of rosemary cilantro. We've got some beautiful vegetables right now, tomatoes.
You won't believe in our potting soil. In a week
and a half. They want some little liners, the most
beautiful three gallons already blooming egg plants. We've got yellow lantana,
(15:57):
Mexican heather, begonias, red bigone and use Viking red, chocolate tents,
ruby red and milkweeds. We have some fertilizers orchids. You've
got to see her orchid trailed. I bet it's everybody
to see that they're blooming, lots of them blooming right now.
(16:17):
Soil is incredible.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
You know, I'm the all kinds of thing, Dana. I'm
one of the only I don't know.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I think there's a lot of mothers out there that
would like to have, you know, good soil for their
yard and and use that. Yes, put a bow on
it and happy Mother's Day, and I would be exact ecstatic.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Yes, And if if, if you don't get anything you
can't decide. We have gift certificates. Be sure to get
a gift certificate if you can't decide. There's so many
favorites here, and then.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
The children can can give the gift certificate to their mom,
and then they can bring mom to the nursery and
walk around and she can select what she wants.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Well. Absolutely, so bring, bring, bring the kids, you know,
Like the other day I gave two strawberries off the
strawberry plants. These kids were happy as a lark.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And I bet they would like the orchid trail too.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Oh, yes, blueberries. There's a few blueberries that can pick
and enjoy. There's always something, you know, and in season
later on there will be guavas the sample and of
course some of the citrus or kalamandons or kumquats or
sisters fruit.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That would be wonderful.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
There's so much, so much to enjoy here. There's so
much to see, beautiful flowers and colors.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
So Data tell everybody where you're located in the land.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
We're located very near downtown, just west of Stetson Campus
three thirty five West Michigan Avenue, right across from St.
Barnabas School and the website. Going there, you'll learn a
lot about how to grow plants and that is qualityspecialist
(18:01):
dot com.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Now, can they buy over the phone a gift certificate
and you can email.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
It to them?
Speaker 5 (18:07):
Yes, yes, we can do that.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
That would be great.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
That way, somebody could get it right away and you
can email it to them. They can print it out
on their own computer and they can get they can
give mama a gift certificate that way.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
That's a great idea. By the way, next weekend May
ninth and tenth, there's gonna be orchids under the Big
Top at the Lusia County Fairgrounds. It's gonna be the
beautiful event under the big tent with all types of orchids.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Oh, that would be a great event. I love the
perfect for Mother's Day. So Data give us your website
and your phone.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Number Qualitygreenspecialists dot com three eight six eight three seven
three eight seven eight. The nursery number is three eight
six seven three four eight thousand. It's easy to remember.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Thank you so much data. I'll post it on our
Facebook page. Thank you so much, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I have show thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
That's date of Vendorick, owner of Quality Green Specialist Nursery
in three point thirty three West Michigan Street in DeLand.
And you can go to this website which is Qualitygreenspecialist
Nursery dot com.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Qualitygreen Specialists. Go out there and check it out.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And the kids would love to take mom around and
have our select our own plants. If it's Saturday morning
from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios, you're listening to Better
Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And Entertainment Networks. Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens.
(19:57):
I'm Teresa Watkins.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I'm a gardener, lands designer, garden author, and I love to.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Help people with their yards.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
If you have a gardening question, this is the perfect
time to get your questions in now you can call
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven,
or you can text me at two three six eight
zero like Nancy and merritti Island and Linda in Zone
(20:27):
eight B and I'll be answering those in just a second.
I just want to make sure that Howie and Karen
Peterson's Nursery in Lakeland this morning at nine thirty they
are having a butterfly gardening class. It is BYOC which
is what Lizzie.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
Bring your own chair, bring.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Your own chair, and it's going to be outside, so
you may want to bring a little umbrella to as well,
just to say out of the sun.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
And so that's at nine thirty this morning Peterson's Nursery
in Lakeland, and it will be a great, great time.
And I will tell you they have wonderful butterfly plants
in Lakeland, so that's good.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Also.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Two, this is May, beginning of May, so the average
temperatures for May, the highs are eighty seven, that's the
average low is sixty two. We're going to get a
little bit more rain this month, so the rainfall is
three and a half inches.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Of rain normally, and then right now, if.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You don't have rain two times a week, irrigation is
just fine. Make sure you calibrate your sprinkler systems to
get the right application. You don't want to just turn
your irrigation system on for an hour or a half
an hour. That might be too much, it might not
be enough. So you got to check it out. And
you do that by getting tuna, fish or dog food cans,
(21:47):
cat food cans. Mark one half inch in the can
and place them out about ten in one zone. Turn
your sprinkler system on, turn that zone on, and time
how long it takes for that can to fill up
to half an inch. And then you do that twice
a week. That time twice a week and you get
(22:07):
an inch. So if you do an inch an inch
and a half of water a week, that's all your
grass needs. Even if we're in a drought. Just because
we're in a drought doesn't mean you over water or
you have to water, you know, three four or five days.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Just water the normal amount and then that way you.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Have a healthy root system, you have a healthy plant
and so one. So just make sure that your irrigation
system is calibrated correctly. Let me just say one more thing.
I saw commercial on TV this morning. Not I won't
say that it's not a commercial. It was a news
(22:44):
item not affiliated with us. I'm not gonna say who. Okay, listen,
I'm gonna true. And they talked about hurricane season coming
up in June and that we have to get our
trees cut. They were cutting palms that were normal and
the healthy fronds. If your palm tree has green fronds
(23:05):
on it, do not cut it off.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Cut off only the fully brown leaves.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
The more you cut on palms and you cut that
green frond, that is their nutritional system. That's the way
that goes to photosynthesis. They need those green fronds. Do
not cut off your green fronds, only cut off the
brown ones. Okay, they do not need to be cut.
In a hurricane, they will resist it. They're not the
(23:32):
palm trees are meant to grow and they're used to hurricanes.
They sway in the wind. It is the dead fronds
that will snap that and fall off and hurt something.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Yes, And if you are concerned, because it is the
first of May, get with an arborous asap and line
them up to come and evaluate your situation.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
That is true.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
That's a certified arborist. Okay, certified arborist is very important.
Let's go to cecil and Lakeland. Go morning, Cecil.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I'm sorry, it's Carol, My bad.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
I'm sorry you did say Carol, Carol, I'm sorry, Carol.
Good morning?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
How are you got a right?
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Good morning?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Good morning Carrol.
Speaker 6 (24:11):
Hey, I've got two questions unrelated. One is that we've
got a large yard, like a lot and a half,
and there's we spent thousands of dollars over the years
in pine bark mulch to go through the garden path
and all that kind of stuff. Well, and so we're
considering moving to pine straw and wondering what you think
(24:37):
about that? What should we keep in mind?
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Okay, great question. So do you have pine trees in
your yard? Naturally?
Speaker 4 (24:45):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So pine straw and pine mulch are great pathways and walkways.
The difference being I like to use the small chip
bark when you're doing the pathways. That way, you can
walk on it easier, but it will lasts longer than
the pine straw. Pine straw breaks down very quickly and
it will it'll last maybe nine months to a year,
(25:10):
possibly fourteen or fifteen months. You're gonna have to replace
it more often than you would the pine bark.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
So that is one thing.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
The other thing is is that the pine bark, depending
on the slope the elevation of your property, may may
wash away, whereas pine straw will not. Okay, So if
there's any kind of elevation or slope, you may want
to just go with pine straw and then matt it
down real quick.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
So I would just from the.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Design viewpoint, I don't know which one would look better
with your yard, but you might want to do like
three or four feet of the pine straw, see how
you like to look, and then do three or four
feet of the pine bark, see how you like to look,
and decide on which one looks better for your yard.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
But they both work pretty much the same in terms
of keeping weeds down.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yes, as long as so Eddie multual work as long
as it's three to four inches. So you're going to
need to have a little bit more of the pine straw.
It's not as expensive as the pine bark, but you
want at least three to four inches to block the sun.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
If you do that, then the weeds don't germinate.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
Gotcha, okay okay, and so Badelia the butterfly okay, huh okay,
but la okay. Well, so I got three of them
yesterday and planted them, and then when I was looking
about it online it said that it's invasive and that
(26:37):
I've got to dead head it and throw away the flowers.
I can't let them just go yeah to the ground.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
No, not true. Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
So up north, the butliest, the original budlly is that
first came out on the market have spread up north,
and they've even over in the UK have spread and
they've kind of naturalized outside, which is they're very AGGRESSI
of invasive.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I'm not really gonna go there.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
But the new ones that are out, the ones that
you bought, are sterile and they're not going to They're
not going to.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
They solved that.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Situation a couple of years ago, I would say probably
four or five years ago. They started coming out with
hybrid varieties that are sterile, so you don't have to
do that.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Gosh, you just saved me so much time. Okay, I
think I was gonna be out there cutting off the fun.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
In northern States, but not in Florida. They haven't. We
haven't seen them naturalize here. Thank you Carol for the call.
We're going to take more of your.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Phone calls one triple eight four or five five, two
nine sixty seven or text two three six eight zero.
But Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens.
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's talk and Entertainment Network.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Welcome back up Better Lawns and Gardens. Sand Now her
reasons top five.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
And my top five this week is in honor of
our revolutionary garden tour. It is the five top five
revolutionary herbs used medicinally now, even today and back in
the eighteenth century. Number five kem a meal. It was
used in colonial times to calm digestive upset, anxiety and sleeplessness.
(28:34):
Is still a go to for soothing teas and gentle skincare.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Number four mint, valued for easing stomach.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Cramps and nausea, remains popular in teas, balms and culinary uses.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Throw it in pots. Number three yarrow.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Crushed and applied to wounds to reduce bleeding and inflammation.
Also used for fever reduction and circulation. Number two, I'm
free applied externally to promote healing at bruises and broken leaves.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And number one.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Revolutionary herb used medicinally is sage used for respiratory ailments
and a general tonic. It is still available in dried
form and herbal lens. So that's my top five revolutionary
herbs still used today medicinally.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
It's cool to see that, you know, these things were
being used and we still have, you know, it available today.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
So yes, and so we in Colonial Williamsburg, we went
and we went to the apothecary and they showed us
all the different herbs they used, and then we saw
so many herb gardens and I was just really surprised.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
At how beautiful they are.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
And I'll be posting photos on my Facebook page, my
art and bloom facebook page too as well.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
So your tours aren't just like, oh, pretty flowers, Look,
that's a pretty guard.
Speaker 4 (29:54):
You guys actually get a little bit of a lesson
here and.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
There, I do.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
We talked to eve Omar, she was the master historian
of botanical gardening for Colonial Williamsburg, and she was just incredible.
So I'm going to be talking to her and speaking
to her around the fourth of July, so we'll be
doing a great interview with her. And then we got
to see Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry came in and what
(30:19):
was fascinating was Patrick Henry is all in his colonial
wardrobe and he's talking to us and he's very English,
his accent very proper. And then somebody fell on the
sidewalk behind him and he and he just was just
a wave of his hand says, excuse me, I have
to go help this this lady. And he went over
(30:41):
in in costume, just in his persona, and he made
wait sure she was all right.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
That he came back to us and he continued.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
So she didn't go hark, who fell there? No, no, okay.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
But it was just a great time. We had a
great time. If you'd like to know more about our trips,
you can go see. We have the Newport Flower Show
coming up, which is we're going to Martha's Vineyard as
well and into Boston and it's just going to be incredible.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
In July, we're going to the Buffalo, New York for the.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Largest garden walk in the United States, and also to Canada,
so you do need a passport. Then in August we're
going to France to the vineyards and chateaus and all
the wonderful, wonderful different gardens in France, and then except
October we're going to New Orleans. So check them all
(31:31):
out arntbloomgardenours dot com.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Now we want to tell you what to plant this month,
real quickly. Vegetables. This is what you can be planting
right now.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Amarinth boneata, calabasa, cassabas, chyotes and cherry tomatoes. It's too
late for tomatoes now, guys. So cherry tomatoes will produce
all year round, collards and dashen everglades tomatoes will produce
all year round, ginger and lima beans, longevity spinach, long squash,
(32:05):
lufa snap beans, malabar spinach and malanngas, New Zealand spinach
and okinawa spinach, okra and papaya, hot pepper, peanuts, pigeon peas, pineapples,
roselle and seminal pumpkins, southern peas and sugar cane, sweet
potatoes and Swiss charred tamoios, yam and yard long beans.
(32:28):
Those are the vegetables we could be planting. So let's
take care of Nancy and Merritt Island. She says, good morning.
I'm wondering if my plumeria will come back. I cut
off the dead frozen branches, but it looks like the
rest of the stems are hollow. Did I lose them completely?
She says she loves the show. Thanks Teresa and Lizzie. Well,
thank you Nancy for listening. We do appreciate that. So, Nancy,
(32:50):
you need to cut down and find where it is
still intact, so it's a complete stem.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
You might have to go down to the ground.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
And if you get down to the ground and it
is hollow, it may be gone.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Okay, we still have a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Time for growth, but that the cold was so damaging
that it might have frozen the inside and then it
just turns to mush.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So just keep cutting until.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You find some more and if not, then you know
you need to replace it.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I will tell you before a freeze. It's always a
good idea from.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The plumeria, which we did mention is to cut a
few stems and canes, cut it down and cut it
back out, put it in the garage, and then you
can replant it after the wintertime is over with, all right,
So Linda and zone ab. She needs an email to
send pictures. My email address is Teresa t er Sa
(33:45):
dot Watkins W A T K I N s at
live dot com.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Linda, send me those pictures. I love them.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Poor Fred and Eustace, he says, good morning, Teresa. Is
there any hope for my freeze damage? Ponytail palm trees?
I left all the fronds on and they're all drooping brown.
The stems are mushy. The last six to eight inches
or so, well, that's gonna be a tough one. You
don't say how tall it is, Fred, And so if
(34:14):
it's less than six feet tall.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
It may be dead.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
If it's a small ponytail palm, a larger one may
start producing from a different part of the bulb. So
ponytail palms are the ones with those great big bulbous
bottoms and bulbous bottoms.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
It should be my dirty word of the day. And
so ponytail palms, they if they get mushy, that area
is dead. But it still could spread out from another
portion of the bulb.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
There.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
So Fred, just keep hoping. Cut the dead fronds off
and see if another one comes up somewhere else. Okay,
and then maybe you could replant it if it's not
too big, and turn it to the area that it
is coming out.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Okay, check it out.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Just I would just say, let's try and wait another
month or so and see what's going on with these
warmer temperatures. Everything's going great, and so we should be
recovering shortly from that. Next we have Rebecca Caratim. She
is the United States marketing director for David Austin. Roses
(35:28):
my favorite roses. Gorgeous, they are gorgeous. They're English roses,
they are cabbage roses. They grow here in Florida, and
Rebecca is going to tell us all about them. So
you don't want to miss Rebecca there and do that.
So let me tell you what else can be planted
right now. So bulbs, we're talking about bulbs, acamenes and agapanthus,
(35:48):
Alacasia's and amarillis my ameralis, my burgundy ones. I've got
to get a picture posted of those. They were absolutely gorgeous,
just a burgundy red amarillis just gorgeous. BlackBerry lilies and
blood lilies, bulbine and kalladiums.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
The kalladiums are finally coming up.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
And later on next month, we're going to be having
uh the classic kalladiums. They're going to be on and
telling us how to grow. Oh, that's right, sadiums. So
they're festivals coming up. That's always a great one to
go to. Kali lilies and cannas, crimes and cosmia call
it Casia's and day lilies, Eucharus lilies, Gladiola's and Gloriosa lilies,
(36:30):
hurricane lilies, lily of the Nile, which is also called Agapanthus,
peacock ginger society, garlic, rain lilies. Oh, I love rain lilies,
spider lilies, and Saint Bernard's lilies and Star of Bethlehem,
and those are beautiful. We saw those up in Virginia,
and I was surprised, Lizzie, at how many Florida natives
(36:51):
I saw in Virginia that grow that grows here in Florida, right,
and just tulip trees. Tulip trees are native to Florida.
But these were eighty feet tall, absolutely gorgeous. The fringe
trees were in bloom this week in Virginia. And then
(37:12):
that is a native beautiful. It's also called Gracie's gray
beard or old Man's gray beard and it has little
little fringy flowers on them. It kind of looks like
a Laura peddlum flower the fringe, but there's all white,
just beautiful sweet spire and summer sweet shrubs.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
That were huge.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
That these would make wildlife happy and pollinators happy bringing
them to your yard. Sweet spire and also summer sweet
and then blackberries. The blackberries were all flowering as we're
going along going to these venues or locations.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
We were going to these gardening locations.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
The blackberries were all in bloom by the side of
the road, and I said, oh, we just got to
come back up here in July and pick blackberries. Yes,
but blackberries are native to Florida too, Yes, and get
big and huge here too as well. So it was
very interesting to see the Florida natives up there that
do well here in Florida, and we should just be
planting more of them, more trees, more shrubs.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
That attract wildlife and butterflies.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
So that was the tulip tree, sweet spiders, summer sweet
of French tree, and blackberries and they will do well
as well.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
It is a drought right now. We're in a severe drought.
We're going to be getting rain. Please check and see how.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Much rain you got to your irrigation system doesn't have
to come on. Just remember if it's Saturday morning. You're
listening to Better Lawns and Gardens from the Summit Responsible
Solution Studios. I'm Teresa wat Because and this is Florida's
Talk and Entertainment Networks.
Speaker 4 (39:12):
Cottet in distinct
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Diffulty to
Good morning from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios. Welcome to
Better Lawns and Gardens. I'm your host and garden expert,
Teresa Watkins. I'm a landscape designer, hort a culturist, garden author,
and I love helping people with their landscapes and gardens.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
So glad you could joined us this morning.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Have to give a big, big hug and a shout
out to Lizzie.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Good morning, Lizzie. How are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
So I owe our listeners a little bit of an apology. Okay.
I know that I had said that when Teresa's out
that Tom mccufman would fill in, so don't stress.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
And then what happens.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
I ended up having a massive allergy attack a reaction
to air I don't know what springtime, and almost landed
me in the hospital. To be honest with you, so
I had to cancel at the last well last second,
So I apologize.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
We just want you all better, yes, and you are.
You're looking tip on, tip top shape this morning.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
I am full of six shots of espresso, so that
is why. And also Terrace brought me breakfast this morning.
It made me feel better, so thank you.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
You go there you go.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
I want to give a big shout out to the
Port Angelis Garden Club on the West Coast. As you know,
I was away last week with our Revolutionary Garden Tour
to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth birthday of the
United States. And it was a wonderful, wonderful tour. We
had great weather, albeit it was a little chilly.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
It was in the fifties.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Some mornings were forties, but then it went up to
the sixties and seventies. Great day for great days for
photographing photography because it was overcast and so the gardens
looked great.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
We went to so many great.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Places the Revolutionary Garden Tours. So we started off in
the sixteenth century and at Age Croft Hall and then
went from there, which is a sixteenth century tutor home,
and from there we went to different venues like Maymont
Fairy Fairy Farm, and also the historic Kenmore Colonial Williamsburg,
(02:20):
and then also Mont Vernon and Monticello, and also the
United States Botanical Gardens where my good friend Kathy gent
who's been on the program many times.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
She is the Washington.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Gardener editor and Garden Communication International.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
She is all around genius. Yes, This woman is a genius.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
She is great and she toured us around. So it
was a wonderful tour. I want to say hello to
the Florida contingent. We had a great time and lots
of friends. And if you would like to join us
on another garden tour, we have so many coming up
this year and then also next year. Should have our
twenty twenty seven schedule up this month.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
So if you'd like to join us, please let us know.
Speaker 1 (03:06):
Just go to Art and bloomgardentours dot com and check
out all the tours and we do have some available, yes,
and also on himhah around.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
This isn't a himhigh round kind of thing because they
sell out. Yes, you'll find your prices there and some
of these you guys are going to be going international,
so you need to make sure that you catch passport.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Yeah, it's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So weather this week, we are going to get some
rain this week North Florida. Your temperature is going to
be in the seventy and eighties. We've got a cold
front coming through, so you've already had some rain, Thank goodness.
Rain this weekend and then next Thursday to Friday, so
pretty much I would kind of depending on how much
rain you get. You may not have to water this
week gain until you got thunderstorms coming today, and we
(03:51):
may have some in Orlando today too as well.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Central Florida.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Hopefully we're going to get some rain Popka thunderstorms. Orlando's
going to be the nineties this week. We've got highs
eighties and mid nineties. It's too early to be ninety
three degrees here in Florida, but it's going to be that. Tampa,
you got rain today and tomorrow, which is good. We
desperately needed. Sixty percent of the southeast is in severe
(04:17):
drought conditions and there's a little little region in South
Florida that's not, but the majority of the state is
in very severe drought conditions. South Florida you got rain
this weekend and next weekend. Fort Lauderdale, Miami, you're going
to be getting some rain this weekend, just wonderful rain,
(04:40):
key West Sunday and Monday, and then partly cloudy temperatures
in the mid eighties, which is why you come to Florida.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Yes, I just had family here.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Well they're still here, they're leaving today, they're flying out
this evening, but yeah, they're from New England and they
were just like, man, it's so nice here, and I'm like,
I know, you really should have been here last week.
And then what next week or we're gonna have a
little bit of a cool down, a little bit a.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
Little bit of a cool down, and it's gonna be
a little bit of a tease and then back up
into the nineties again. Yesterday was our Florida full Sea
Turtle full moon, Seed Turtle full moon, and Florida's sea
turtle gynastics season kicks off this month as female turtles
come ashore at night to lay their eggs on the beaches.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
The eggs are.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Expected to hatch in about two months. So this full
moon here in Florida, it's called the sea turtle full moon. Yes,
and this month we have a blue moon, so we
have another full moon at the end of May, which
is lots of fun. My May in your Backyard newsletter
is going to be coming out this week if you'd
like to receive it free each month.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
It's free.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I don't spam, I don't sell your email addresses. I
keep them close to my heart. And so yeah, you
know they're such priority. She is, and so we are
going to have that coming out this week, tells you
what to do each month, give you some design tips,
and then also to my landscape malpractice, how to know
(06:10):
when to fire your landscaper, and then what to do
this month in your garden and landscape what to.
Speaker 4 (06:16):
Plant yes, and if you missed last months.
Speaker 3 (06:18):
You can also go on our website Better Lawns dot
com because I post the articles up there as a
few weeks go by, so but you get a preview
if you end up signing up for the newsletter.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
So you're so good. So right now we have Data
Dwick joining us. Mother's Day is May tenth.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
He's got some wonderful gardening gifts to spend time with
your mom or grandmother.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
You got to stay tuned from the summit Responsible Solution Studios.
If it's Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk and Entertainment Network.
Speaker 2 (07:07):
Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
May tenth is Mother's Day, and we all should be
honoring our mothers, whether they're you know, here locally or
you have to go visit them, or they're not here anymore.
It's just still a very special time to honor and
we can do that with our plants, shrubs and trees.
Joining me right now is Dana Venrick, owner of Quality
(07:32):
Green Specialist Nursery and sponsor of Better Lawns and Gardens,
and we so appreciate that.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Good morning, Dana. How are you?
Speaker 5 (07:40):
Oh, good morning? How are you? Teresa?
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Well? I am great.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
I've had a wonderful, wonderful week and I was looking
forward to talking to you.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Dana.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
So, speaking about Mother's Day, what did you do as
a child to honor your mom?
Speaker 5 (07:58):
Well, my mother really loves of orange Boston and the
scent of the orange bossons in the air in the grove,
and so I would bring her a bouquete included some
some orange bossom so she could enjoy the heavenly scent.
But I got in trouble one year because there was
a little honey bee on it and pretty soon it
(08:18):
was bustling around the room. So I got in trouble.
Next year, I brought her some colored greens, which he
also loves.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
You poor thing, you probably were kind of watch those bees.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
Yes, that's that's funny, Dana. Okay, so you have a
great sale going on right now at your nursery. And
what Florida friendly and low maintenance plants would be good
to give mom.
Speaker 5 (08:44):
Yes, indeed, we have a ten percent off sale. We've
got some ladies, lots of ladies now and we keep
increasing the number of an eighties, which is a good
thing for Florida. We have some gallon missus Schiller's naive v. Burnham.
We have black eyed susan choreopsis, which is the official
(09:05):
native forward the wildflower. And then we have Kunti, which
is like a small psychic head that's just that special
look like a little palm. We have Magnolia magnoi grand
folk floor, you know, the southern magnolia. Yes, spiderwards ball, cyprus,
live oaks, beautyberry wing, sumac, wax myrtles, milkweed, and yellow innise.
(09:31):
These are all natives I just mentioned.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
Oh wow, that would be great. You know, we do
need to help.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
I saw this morning that we're still having issues with
our bees and pollinators, and so you know it's important
to be planting natives and wildflowers like the choreopsis and
black eyed sea and red maple.
Speaker 5 (09:49):
We have red maple also.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
That is great and so native trees are good for
attracting wildlife and for beautifying the landscape.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
What are your favorites.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
Well, my favorites are the southern magnolia, red maple, live oak,
red ceed er. I grew up with those. I used
to plant hedgerows of those is a wind break or
a buffer for the groves. And ball cypress that you
know would be in the low areas.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Yeah, no, ball cypress would be great. So you also
sell fruit trees and so which ones are low maintenance
and really quick to grow?
Speaker 5 (10:28):
Well, my favorites that quick to grow would produce quickly
actually when they're small, cattleygualva or strawberry guava. They're small
like a big marble. They're red in colored. It's delicious.
My mother used to make the most delicious jam, you know,
from those guavas. I would hunding the tree, you know,
(10:49):
and pick them, and she would make the most delicious
jelly maulberries. I would hide in the top of the
maulberry tree when I got in trouble there, you know,
because of the thick foliage.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
I can't think of you getting into trouble.
Speaker 5 (11:01):
Yeah, exactly. You know how kids are, Yeah, and Japanese
palm or low quads. We all always had those pomegranates, the
pineapple guava for joa. Those are blooming right now.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
And they are beautiful. Yes, they're beautiful.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
They have a kind of reddish pink flower with white
and really yellow stamens, and then mockingbirds pollinate them.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
And so yeah, I had a mocking bird that made
a nest in the joy every year.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Wow, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (11:35):
Okay, So you also have a really nice exotic tree.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
But it delivers wonderful fruit.
Speaker 1 (11:44):
Olive trees and these are beautiful in the landscape and
they do very well here in Florida, and they produce fruit.
Speaker 5 (11:52):
They do they do on a test tree. I've picked
lots of allays four years in a row. Last year
on one tree where I was using the special eight
or eleven fertilizer more alkaline like that they like, Lisa
an assistant, and I picked forty pounds of olives off
(12:13):
of that one tree. Wow, that's hard to believe. That
absolutely true. We wave them.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Okay, So answer me this. Do you brind them before
you press them or after you press them?
Speaker 5 (12:25):
Well, for pressing, you don't grind them. You've picked them
fresh within twenty four hours and press them or centrifugion,
you know, to extract the oil water and oil, and
then you separate y you know, viscosity. The oil rises
to the top, it's lighter, and then you drain off
the water from the bottom. But we also grind some
(12:48):
you know, like in ten percent to sea salt, and
that takes about six weeks and then you've got some
delicious brind olives.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
Oh that's that's good.
Speaker 5 (12:59):
So, by the way, we have seven varieties Arbicina, chim Lali, corniki, Cortina, pequa,
and Mansonilia and licino. The first four we've have fruit
every year. The others I think I saw some on
the locino the other day.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Uh huh. Well, okay, So is there a difference in
height for them.
Speaker 5 (13:21):
Yes. Indeed, commercially in Florida, most of the growers are
going to arbicuinan, chim lali, and corniki because they are
smaller trees and they're easier to hedgerow like. Growers just
grow them like a hedgerow of citrus trees and keep
them trimmed to eight to nine to ten feet most
(13:42):
in height, keep them no more than like fifty inches wide.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Okay, So what kind of conditions do they need.
Speaker 5 (13:50):
They like a higher pH soil. You know, most plants
like somewhere six to six and a half. The OLiS
would rather have something like over seven to hold them
back a little bit so they flour and bloom rather
than just grow like crazy. They will grow and be
just lots of foliage if you keep the pH lower,
(14:14):
but they'll never have fruit, so you want to hold
them back a little bit of nitrogen. Volcanic palmis they
love that. It's a higher pH with all the trace
minerals and some dolomitic limestone. Is a good ratio of
calcium and magnesium. They like that higher calcium and magnesium
holding them back in the volcanic palmis, and the higher potassium,
(14:36):
which is very important.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Okay. So do they bloom on new growth or old
growth or both.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
Old growth the previous season's growth. That's why trimming is
an important part of the program. If they haven't bloomed
or fruited, you prune every year in March until they
set bloom and fruit, and then you bloom. You prune
after they set fruit, and after you pick them.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
And all harvest them.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
Yeah, yes, okay, all right, So I really think that's
a nice tree because it's soft green. It's a soft
like minti green, and it's the leaves are really really pretty.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
Yes, there's three in our neighborhood. The most beautiful trees
in the neighborhood just had frosty off colored green. They're
like a semi weeping effect.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
Gorgeous they are.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
Okay, So what other plants would make lovely gifts for
Mother's Day?
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Oh my gosh. We've got all types of things, like
we have herbs like mince. We have rosemary, a nice
selection of rosemary cilantro. We've got some beautiful vegetables right now, tomatoes.
You won't believe in our potting soil. In a week
and a half. They want some little liners, the most
beautiful three gallons already blooming egg plants. We've got yellow lantana,
(15:57):
Mexican heather, begonias, red bigone and use Viking red, chocolate tents,
ruby red and milkweeds. We have some fertilizers orchids. You've
got to see her orchid trailed. I bet it's everybody
to see that they're blooming, lots of them blooming right now.
(16:17):
Soil is incredible.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
You know, I'm the all kinds of thing, Dana. I'm
one of the only I don't know.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
I think there's a lot of mothers out there that
would like to have, you know, good soil for their
yard and and use that. Yes, put a bow on
it and happy Mother's Day, and I would be exact ecstatic.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
Yes, And if if, if you don't get anything you
can't decide. We have gift certificates. Be sure to get
a gift certificate if you can't decide. There's so many
favorites here, and then.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
The children can can give the gift certificate to their mom,
and then they can bring mom to the nursery and
walk around and she can select what she wants.
Speaker 5 (16:56):
Well. Absolutely, so bring, bring, bring the kids, you know,
Like the other day I gave two strawberries off the
strawberry plants. These kids were happy as a lark.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
And I bet they would like the orchid trail too.
Speaker 5 (17:10):
Oh, yes, blueberries. There's a few blueberries that can pick
and enjoy. There's always something, you know, and in season
later on there will be guavas the sample and of
course some of the citrus or kalamandons or kumquats or
sisters fruit.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
That would be wonderful.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
There's so much, so much to enjoy here. There's so
much to see, beautiful flowers and colors.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
So Data tell everybody where you're located in the land.
Speaker 5 (17:40):
We're located very near downtown, just west of Stetson Campus
three thirty five West Michigan Avenue, right across from St.
Barnabas School and the website. Going there, you'll learn a
lot about how to grow plants and that is qualityspecialist
(18:01):
dot com.
Speaker 1 (18:01):
Now, can they buy over the phone a gift certificate
and you can email.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
It to them?
Speaker 5 (18:07):
Yes, yes, we can do that.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
That would be great.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
That way, somebody could get it right away and you
can email it to them. They can print it out
on their own computer and they can get they can
give mama a gift certificate that way.
Speaker 5 (18:20):
That's a great idea. By the way, next weekend May
ninth and tenth, there's gonna be orchids under the Big
Top at the Lusia County Fairgrounds. It's gonna be the
beautiful event under the big tent with all types of orchids.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
Oh, that would be a great event. I love the
perfect for Mother's Day. So Data give us your website
and your phone.
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Number Qualitygreenspecialists dot com three eight six eight three seven
three eight seven eight. The nursery number is three eight
six seven three four eight thousand. It's easy to remember.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Thank you so much data. I'll post it on our
Facebook page. Thank you so much, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
I have show thank you. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (19:04):
That's date of Vendorick, owner of Quality Green Specialist Nursery
in three point thirty three West Michigan Street in DeLand.
And you can go to this website which is Qualitygreenspecialist
Nursery dot com.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Qualitygreen Specialists. Go out there and check it out.
Speaker 1 (19:20):
And the kids would love to take mom around and
have our select our own plants. If it's Saturday morning
from the Summit Responsible Solution Studios, you're listening to Better
Lawns and Gardens. I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's Talk.
Speaker 2 (19:33):
And Entertainment Networks. Welcome back to Better Lawns and Gardens.
(19:57):
I'm Teresa Watkins.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
I'm a gardener, lands designer, garden author, and I love to.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Help people with their yards.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
If you have a gardening question, this is the perfect
time to get your questions in now you can call
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven
one triple eight four five five two nine sixty seven,
or you can text me at two three six eight
zero like Nancy and merritti Island and Linda in Zone
(20:27):
eight B and I'll be answering those in just a second.
I just want to make sure that Howie and Karen
Peterson's Nursery in Lakeland this morning at nine thirty they
are having a butterfly gardening class. It is BYOC which
is what Lizzie.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
Bring your own chair, bring.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Your own chair, and it's going to be outside, so
you may want to bring a little umbrella to as well,
just to say out of the sun.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
And so that's at nine thirty this morning Peterson's Nursery
in Lakeland, and it will be a great, great time.
And I will tell you they have wonderful butterfly plants
in Lakeland, so that's good.
Speaker 2 (21:06):
Also.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Two, this is May, beginning of May, so the average
temperatures for May, the highs are eighty seven, that's the
average low is sixty two. We're going to get a
little bit more rain this month, so the rainfall is
three and a half inches.
Speaker 2 (21:21):
Of rain normally, and then right now, if.
Speaker 1 (21:25):
You don't have rain two times a week, irrigation is
just fine. Make sure you calibrate your sprinkler systems to
get the right application. You don't want to just turn
your irrigation system on for an hour or a half
an hour. That might be too much, it might not
be enough. So you got to check it out. And
you do that by getting tuna, fish or dog food cans,
(21:47):
cat food cans. Mark one half inch in the can
and place them out about ten in one zone. Turn
your sprinkler system on, turn that zone on, and time
how long it takes for that can to fill up
to half an inch. And then you do that twice
a week. That time twice a week and you get
(22:07):
an inch. So if you do an inch an inch
and a half of water a week, that's all your
grass needs. Even if we're in a drought. Just because
we're in a drought doesn't mean you over water or
you have to water, you know, three four or five days.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Just water the normal amount and then that way you.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Have a healthy root system, you have a healthy plant
and so one. So just make sure that your irrigation
system is calibrated correctly. Let me just say one more thing.
I saw commercial on TV this morning. Not I won't
say that it's not a commercial. It was a news
(22:44):
item not affiliated with us. I'm not gonna say who. Okay, listen,
I'm gonna true. And they talked about hurricane season coming
up in June and that we have to get our
trees cut. They were cutting palms that were normal and
the healthy fronds. If your palm tree has green fronds
(23:05):
on it, do not cut it off.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Cut off only the fully brown leaves.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
The more you cut on palms and you cut that
green frond, that is their nutritional system. That's the way
that goes to photosynthesis. They need those green fronds. Do
not cut off your green fronds, only cut off the
brown ones. Okay, they do not need to be cut.
In a hurricane, they will resist it. They're not the
(23:32):
palm trees are meant to grow and they're used to hurricanes.
They sway in the wind. It is the dead fronds
that will snap that and fall off and hurt something.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Yes, And if you are concerned, because it is the
first of May, get with an arborous asap and line
them up to come and evaluate your situation.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
That is true.
Speaker 1 (23:53):
That's a certified arborist. Okay, certified arborist is very important.
Let's go to cecil and Lakeland. Go morning, Cecil.
Speaker 2 (24:01):
How are you?
Speaker 4 (24:01):
I'm sorry, it's Carol, My bad.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
I'm sorry you did say Carol, Carol, I'm sorry, Carol.
Good morning?
Speaker 5 (24:07):
How are you got a right?
Speaker 6 (24:09):
Good morning?
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Good morning Carrol.
Speaker 6 (24:11):
Hey, I've got two questions unrelated. One is that we've
got a large yard, like a lot and a half,
and there's we spent thousands of dollars over the years
in pine bark mulch to go through the garden path
and all that kind of stuff. Well, and so we're
considering moving to pine straw and wondering what you think
(24:37):
about that? What should we keep in mind?
Speaker 2 (24:39):
Okay, great question. So do you have pine trees in
your yard? Naturally?
Speaker 4 (24:45):
No?
Speaker 2 (24:45):
Okay, all right.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So pine straw and pine mulch are great pathways and walkways.
The difference being I like to use the small chip
bark when you're doing the pathways. That way, you can
walk on it easier, but it will lasts longer than
the pine straw. Pine straw breaks down very quickly and
it will it'll last maybe nine months to a year,
(25:10):
possibly fourteen or fifteen months. You're gonna have to replace
it more often than you would the pine bark.
Speaker 2 (25:16):
So that is one thing.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
The other thing is is that the pine bark, depending
on the slope the elevation of your property, may may
wash away, whereas pine straw will not. Okay, So if
there's any kind of elevation or slope, you may want
to just go with pine straw and then matt it
down real quick.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
So I would just from the.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Design viewpoint, I don't know which one would look better
with your yard, but you might want to do like
three or four feet of the pine straw, see how
you like to look, and then do three or four
feet of the pine bark, see how you like to look,
and decide on which one looks better for your yard.
Speaker 6 (25:55):
But they both work pretty much the same in terms
of keeping weeds down.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
Yes, as long as so Eddie multual work as long
as it's three to four inches. So you're going to
need to have a little bit more of the pine straw.
It's not as expensive as the pine bark, but you
want at least three to four inches to block the sun.
Speaker 2 (26:13):
If you do that, then the weeds don't germinate.
Speaker 6 (26:17):
Gotcha, okay okay, and so Badelia the butterfly okay, huh okay,
but la okay. Well, so I got three of them
yesterday and planted them, and then when I was looking
about it online it said that it's invasive and that
(26:37):
I've got to dead head it and throw away the flowers.
I can't let them just go yeah to the ground.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
No, not true. Okay.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
So up north, the butliest, the original budlly is that
first came out on the market have spread up north,
and they've even over in the UK have spread and
they've kind of naturalized outside, which is they're very AGGRESSI
of invasive.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
I'm not really gonna go there.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
But the new ones that are out, the ones that
you bought, are sterile and they're not going to They're
not going to.
Speaker 2 (27:11):
They solved that.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Situation a couple of years ago, I would say probably
four or five years ago. They started coming out with
hybrid varieties that are sterile, so you don't have to
do that.
Speaker 6 (27:22):
Gosh, you just saved me so much time. Okay, I
think I was gonna be out there cutting off the fun.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
In northern States, but not in Florida. They haven't. We
haven't seen them naturalize here. Thank you Carol for the call.
We're going to take more of your.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Phone calls one triple eight four or five five, two
nine sixty seven or text two three six eight zero.
But Saturday morning, you're listening to Better Lawns and Gardens.
I'm Teresa Watkins and this is Florida's talk and Entertainment Network.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
Welcome back up Better Lawns and Gardens. Sand Now her
reasons top five.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
And my top five this week is in honor of
our revolutionary garden tour. It is the five top five
revolutionary herbs used medicinally now, even today and back in
the eighteenth century. Number five kem a meal. It was
used in colonial times to calm digestive upset, anxiety and sleeplessness.
(28:34):
Is still a go to for soothing teas and gentle skincare.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
Number four mint, valued for easing stomach.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Cramps and nausea, remains popular in teas, balms and culinary uses.
Speaker 2 (28:47):
Throw it in pots. Number three yarrow.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Crushed and applied to wounds to reduce bleeding and inflammation.
Also used for fever reduction and circulation. Number two, I'm
free applied externally to promote healing at bruises and broken leaves.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
And number one.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Revolutionary herb used medicinally is sage used for respiratory ailments
and a general tonic. It is still available in dried
form and herbal lens. So that's my top five revolutionary
herbs still used today medicinally.
Speaker 4 (29:22):
Love that.
Speaker 3 (29:24):
It's cool to see that, you know, these things were
being used and we still have, you know, it available today.
Speaker 1 (29:30):
So yes, and so we in Colonial Williamsburg, we went
and we went to the apothecary and they showed us
all the different herbs they used, and then we saw
so many herb gardens and I was just really surprised.
Speaker 2 (29:42):
At how beautiful they are.
Speaker 1 (29:43):
And I'll be posting photos on my Facebook page, my
art and bloom facebook page too as well.
Speaker 3 (29:51):
So your tours aren't just like, oh, pretty flowers, Look,
that's a pretty guard.
Speaker 4 (29:54):
You guys actually get a little bit of a lesson
here and.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
There, I do.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
We talked to eve Omar, she was the master historian
of botanical gardening for Colonial Williamsburg, and she was just incredible.
So I'm going to be talking to her and speaking
to her around the fourth of July, so we'll be
doing a great interview with her. And then we got
to see Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry came in and what
(30:19):
was fascinating was Patrick Henry is all in his colonial
wardrobe and he's talking to us and he's very English,
his accent very proper. And then somebody fell on the
sidewalk behind him and he and he just was just
a wave of his hand says, excuse me, I have
to go help this this lady. And he went over
(30:41):
in in costume, just in his persona, and he made
wait sure she was all right.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
That he came back to us and he continued.
Speaker 4 (30:50):
So she didn't go hark, who fell there? No, no, okay.
Speaker 1 (30:54):
But it was just a great time. We had a
great time. If you'd like to know more about our trips,
you can go see. We have the Newport Flower Show
coming up, which is we're going to Martha's Vineyard as
well and into Boston and it's just going to be incredible.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
In July, we're going to the Buffalo, New York for the.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Largest garden walk in the United States, and also to Canada,
so you do need a passport. Then in August we're
going to France to the vineyards and chateaus and all
the wonderful, wonderful different gardens in France, and then except
October we're going to New Orleans. So check them all
(31:31):
out arntbloomgardenours dot com.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Now we want to tell you what to plant this month,
real quickly. Vegetables. This is what you can be planting
right now.
Speaker 1 (31:42):
Amarinth boneata, calabasa, cassabas, chyotes and cherry tomatoes. It's too
late for tomatoes now, guys. So cherry tomatoes will produce
all year round, collards and dashen everglades tomatoes will produce
all year round, ginger and lima beans, longevity spinach, long squash,
(32:05):
lufa snap beans, malabar spinach and malanngas, New Zealand spinach
and okinawa spinach, okra and papaya, hot pepper, peanuts, pigeon peas, pineapples,
roselle and seminal pumpkins, southern peas and sugar cane, sweet
potatoes and Swiss charred tamoios, yam and yard long beans.
(32:28):
Those are the vegetables we could be planting. So let's
take care of Nancy and Merritt Island. She says, good morning.
I'm wondering if my plumeria will come back. I cut
off the dead frozen branches, but it looks like the
rest of the stems are hollow. Did I lose them completely?
She says she loves the show. Thanks Teresa and Lizzie. Well,
thank you Nancy for listening. We do appreciate that. So, Nancy,
(32:50):
you need to cut down and find where it is
still intact, so it's a complete stem.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
You might have to go down to the ground.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
And if you get down to the ground and it
is hollow, it may be gone.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
Okay, we still have a little bit more.
Speaker 1 (33:06):
Time for growth, but that the cold was so damaging
that it might have frozen the inside and then it
just turns to mush.
Speaker 2 (33:14):
So just keep cutting until.
Speaker 1 (33:16):
You find some more and if not, then you know
you need to replace it.
Speaker 2 (33:21):
I will tell you before a freeze. It's always a
good idea from.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
The plumeria, which we did mention is to cut a
few stems and canes, cut it down and cut it
back out, put it in the garage, and then you
can replant it after the wintertime is over with, all right,
So Linda and zone ab. She needs an email to
send pictures. My email address is Teresa t er Sa
(33:45):
dot Watkins W A T K I N s at
live dot com.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Linda, send me those pictures. I love them.
Speaker 1 (33:53):
Poor Fred and Eustace, he says, good morning, Teresa. Is
there any hope for my freeze damage? Ponytail palm trees?
I left all the fronds on and they're all drooping brown.
The stems are mushy. The last six to eight inches
or so, well, that's gonna be a tough one. You
don't say how tall it is, Fred, And so if
(34:14):
it's less than six feet tall.
Speaker 2 (34:18):
It may be dead.
Speaker 1 (34:18):
If it's a small ponytail palm, a larger one may
start producing from a different part of the bulb. So
ponytail palms are the ones with those great big bulbous
bottoms and bulbous bottoms.
Speaker 2 (34:31):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
It should be my dirty word of the day. And
so ponytail palms, they if they get mushy, that area
is dead. But it still could spread out from another
portion of the bulb.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
There.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
So Fred, just keep hoping. Cut the dead fronds off
and see if another one comes up somewhere else. Okay,
and then maybe you could replant it if it's not
too big, and turn it to the area that it
is coming out.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
Okay, check it out.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
Just I would just say, let's try and wait another
month or so and see what's going on with these
warmer temperatures. Everything's going great, and so we should be
recovering shortly from that. Next we have Rebecca Caratim. She
is the United States marketing director for David Austin. Roses
(35:28):
my favorite roses. Gorgeous, they are gorgeous. They're English roses,
they are cabbage roses. They grow here in Florida, and
Rebecca is going to tell us all about them. So
you don't want to miss Rebecca there and do that.
So let me tell you what else can be planted
right now. So bulbs, we're talking about bulbs, acamenes and agapanthus,
(35:48):
Alacasia's and amarillis my ameralis, my burgundy ones. I've got
to get a picture posted of those. They were absolutely gorgeous,
just a burgundy red amarillis just gorgeous. BlackBerry lilies and
blood lilies, bulbine and kalladiums.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
The kalladiums are finally coming up.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
And later on next month, we're going to be having
uh the classic kalladiums. They're going to be on and
telling us how to grow. Oh, that's right, sadiums. So
they're festivals coming up. That's always a great one to
go to. Kali lilies and cannas, crimes and cosmia call
it Casia's and day lilies, Eucharus lilies, Gladiola's and Gloriosa lilies,
(36:30):
hurricane lilies, lily of the Nile, which is also called Agapanthus,
peacock ginger society, garlic, rain lilies. Oh, I love rain lilies,
spider lilies, and Saint Bernard's lilies and Star of Bethlehem,
and those are beautiful. We saw those up in Virginia,
and I was surprised, Lizzie, at how many Florida natives
(36:51):
I saw in Virginia that grow that grows here in Florida, right,
and just tulip trees. Tulip trees are native to Florida.
But these were eighty feet tall, absolutely gorgeous. The fringe
trees were in bloom this week in Virginia. And then
(37:12):
that is a native beautiful. It's also called Gracie's gray
beard or old Man's gray beard and it has little
little fringy flowers on them. It kind of looks like
a Laura peddlum flower the fringe, but there's all white,
just beautiful sweet spire and summer sweet shrubs.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
That were huge.
Speaker 1 (37:32):
That these would make wildlife happy and pollinators happy bringing
them to your yard. Sweet spire and also summer sweet
and then blackberries. The blackberries were all flowering as we're
going along going to these venues or locations.
Speaker 2 (37:47):
We were going to these gardening locations.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
The blackberries were all in bloom by the side of
the road, and I said, oh, we just got to
come back up here in July and pick blackberries. Yes,
but blackberries are native to Florida too, Yes, and get
big and huge here too as well. So it was
very interesting to see the Florida natives up there that
do well here in Florida, and we should just be
planting more of them, more trees, more shrubs.
Speaker 2 (38:13):
That attract wildlife and butterflies.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
So that was the tulip tree, sweet spiders, summer sweet
of French tree, and blackberries and they will do well
as well.
Speaker 2 (38:25):
It is a drought right now. We're in a severe drought.
We're going to be getting rain. Please check and see how.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Much rain you got to your irrigation system doesn't have
to come on. Just remember if it's Saturday morning. You're
listening to Better Lawns and Gardens from the Summit Responsible
Solution Studios. I'm Teresa wat Because and this is Florida's
Talk and Entertainment Networks.
Speaker 4 (39:12):
Cottet in distinct
Speaker 2 (39:21):
Diffulty to
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