August Table of Contents: Timely Gardening Tips for Marion County. by Dr. Norma Samuel, Urban Horticulture Agent. Creating a Lasting Impression

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1 MARION COUNTY GOVERNMNT Table of Contents: August 2015 Timely Gardening Tips for Marion County Creating a Lasting Impression Hot! Hot! Hot! Upcoming Events Published by Norma Samuel UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Horticulture Agent Timely Gardening Tips for MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Master Gardener Did you know that rain water contains natural nitrogen that enhances plant growth? This is why the rain lily will only bloom after a rain, and not when watered by you. It is a shame that thousands of gallons of water run off the roof and down the storm drains. Rain b a r r e l s u n d e r t h e downspouts capture a large amount of that water. It can be used to irrigate your gardens between rains. A rain garden, in areas where water rushes across the ground, can slow down runoff and act as a mini water retention area. Creating a Lasting Impression by Dr. Norma Samuel, Urban Horticulture Agent You only have one chance to create a lasting first impression. In the real estate industry a home s curb appeal is that first impression you create on a person looking at your home from the street. It can be positive or negative and might be the only way for a passerby to form an opinion of the people who live there. Research has shown that excellent landscaping can increase a home s value 7 15%. If you spend 5% of the value of your home on landscaping you can expect a recovery value of % when you sell your home. Before you go overboard and start to put plants in, take a look at your landscape from the eye of an onlooker or a potential buyer. The amount of time you expect to live in your home might Source; stockphoto.com determine how much you are willing to spend on your landscape. Here are six ways you can boost curb appeal through home landscaping. 1. Take care of your lawn. Keep your lawn well manicured. Do not allow weeds to flower as you will only be providing a source of seed for the next generation. Rake dead areas of your lawn and seed or plug to fill in these areas. Re-seed bahia lawns about every other year to keep the lawn thick. Mow the lawn at the recommended height for your grass type. If you have a shady area where you have a problem getting grass to grow consider planting a ground cover such as peacock ginger or liriope. 2. Prune overgrown trees and shrubs. These should not block windows or doors. Keep shrubs below the level of the window sill. Coontie and dwarf podocarpus are two good choices to use under windows. Run pruned

2 Page 2 Timely Gardening Tips for MARION COUNTY by Josephine Leyte-Vidal, UF/IFAS Extension Marion County Master Gardener (continued from page 1) Information on building a rain garden can be found online by searching for rain gardens or call the Master Gardeners at Our lawns are growing rapidly now that the temperatures are up in the 90s. Therefore, you should mow regularly. If not, the grass tends to grow straight up seeking light. Then, unless you set the mower blade at its highest you are likely to remove most of the grass blade, which weakens the grass. If you mow once a week however, the blades tend to lie more parallel to the ground, giving you a stronger grass and richer color. Cana lilies are nearly finished blooming. Remove spent flowers to encourage more blossoms. New flower stalks will grow from the stem just below where the old one was. This is also a good time to add compost and organic materials in all areas, to enhance your fall gardens. Creating a Lasting Impression by Dr. Norma Samuel, Urban Horticulture Agent (continued from Page 1) branches through a chipper/shredder then add to your compost pile. I also like to take cuttings from the pruned branches to make new plants. These you can use in other areas of the landscape or give to friends and family as gifts. 3. Flower beds. Curved beds are more pleasing to the eye than straight beds. Do not make your curves too tight or you may encounter problems when mowing. Use a garden hose to outline the shape of the bed. Stand back a few feet and observe and adjust the hose if needed before you make the bed. Consider using some type of landscape edging to demarcate beds. Keep beds mulched (2 3 inches of mulch) to give a finished appearance and conserve moisture in the landscape. Keep beds weed free. 4. Mass plantings of color. Add some punch to your landscape by adding some color to liven up the green shrubbery. Keep the number of colors used to a minimum. Plant a mass of yellow marigolds or burgundy and yellow coleus to add instant color. Plant them in odd numbers 3 s, 5 s and 7 s and repeat the pattern. Odd numbers appeal to the eye and create a sense of natural balance. 5. Use container gardens. Place a large container with plants on each side of the front door. Hang window boxes. Strategically place containers throughout the front yard to draw the eye to a particular area. Petunias, Swedish ivy, ornamental sweet potatoes, geraniums, spider plant, salvia, and coleus are a few plants that perform well in containers. Dead head or remove spent flowers and water regularly. 6. Spruce up around your mailbox. Place a small bed around your mailbox and add a few plants that might be of interest to you, for example lantana or gaillardia. Or you may prefer a vine such as mandevilla or clematis. Whether you plan to stay in your home or sell, improving your curb appeal will definitely enhance the value of your home. Your home will stand out and will be a pleasant sight to the people in your neighborhood.

3 Page 3 Hot! Hot! Hot! by Jo Leyte-Vidal, Master Gardener Whew! It s how out there! This is the time of year that finds gardeners working at sunrise or after dinner in the evening. It is also the time of year when plants become stressed. Palms may begin to show yellowing of their leaves. A good remedy is the addition of magnesium sulphate, commonly known as Epsom Salt. A good practice is to spread one pound of Epsom Salt around the tree and water it in lightly or let our afternoon rains do it. Late August is the time to begin planting cool season vegetables. Give yourself two weeks before planting to prepare the soil by adding organic matter, or slow-release pelletized fertilizer, and a light tilling. Plant cucumber, squash, peppers, peas, beans, corn, collards, cabbage, kale, spinach, beets, and potatoes. Educational seminars and events are presented by UF/IFAS Extension Agents and/or Master Gardeners. Unless otherwise indicated, to pre-register, please call or terry.holt@marioncountyfl.org. September Master Gardener Series: Invasives September 1, :00 11:00 a.m. Silver Springs State Park 5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd, Ocala Dunnellon Satellite Plant Clinic September 4, :00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Freedom Library: September 4, :00-11:30 a.m. Freedom Public Library 5870 SW 95th St, Ocala Master the Possibilities Series Managing Weeds September 11, :00 10:30 a.m. On Top of the World 8415 SW 80th St, Ocala Reddick Library: September 12, :00 a.m. Noon Reddick Public Library NW Gainesville Rd, Reddick Dunnellon Library September 15, :00 3:00 p.m.

4 Page 4 Fort McCoy Library: September 19, :00-11:00 a.m. Fort McCoy Public Library NE Highway 315, Fort McCoy Forest Library: September 19, :00-3:00 p.m. Forest Public Library 905 South Hwy 314A, Ocklawaha October Dunnellon Satellite Plant Clinic October 2, :00 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Freedom Library: October 2, :30-11:30 a.m. Freedom Public Library 5870 SW 95th St, Ocala Master the Possibilities Series: Turf Pests October 9, :00 10:30 a.m. On Top of the World 8415 SW 80th St, Ocala Fort McCoy Library: 10:00-11:00 a.m. Fort McCoy Public Library NE Highway 315, Fort McCoy Reddick Library: Winter Flowers 11:00 a.m. Noon Reddick Public Library NW Gainesville Rd, Reddick

5 Page 5 Forest Library: 2:00-3:00 p.m. Forest Public Library 905 South Hwy 314A, Ocklawaha Dunnellon Library Winter Gardens October 20, :00 3:00 p.m. Florida-Friendly Landscaping Book of the Month Sale Each month, we will be offering one of the books available in the Extension Bookstore at a substantial discount (sorry, walk-ins only). August s offering is Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes by Craig N. Huegel Regularly $29.95 on sale for $ % off until the end of August For those of you born in August your birth flower is the gladiolus. This flower signifies remembrance, infatuation, and strength of character. Its name comes from Latin's "gladius" meaning "sword" for its sword shaped leaves. Grown between July and September, the gladiolus requires full sunlight and is easy to grow and care for. For this reason and because of its stunning beauty, these flowers are extremely popular.