{"id":2367,"date":"2016-09-23T17:11:26","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T21:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=2367"},"modified":"2016-10-27T14:20:02","modified_gmt":"2016-10-27T18:20:02","slug":"gardening-storms-autumn-delights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/gardening-storms-autumn-delights\/","title":{"rendered":"Gardening: Storms and autumn delights"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Lesley Arrandale<\/em>
\nmail@floridanewsline.com <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

As September rolled in, so did Hurricane Hermine. We watched with bated breath as the track gradually shifted and lifted to the north and breathed again as we were spared the worst of the storm. Not everyone was so lucky.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately this storm heralded a change in the weather forecast; the <\/span>National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration <\/span>projects an increased number of storms \u2013 17 to 20 named systems, of which five to eight could be hurricanes, and two to four of those could be major. Not a comforting prospect \u2014 and if you are unprepared, now would be a good time to take stock.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the event of another storm, your irrigation system should be off. Trees and shrubs should already be trimmed so they don\u2019t hit the house or other buildings during high winds and trimmings should be moved off your property so they don\u2019t become projectiles; dead and hanging palm fronds should be removed. Gutters need to be secure and running freely, and rain barrels should be disconnected from downspouts to avoid water backing up. Mulch may wash away, so be prepared to tidy and replace it.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a storm is coming, don\u2019t fertilize, even if it\u2019s on your schedule, since it will be probably be washed away and end up polluting the river. Move potted plants to a sheltered area or lay them down close to the house if they are too heavy to move easily. Patio furniture needs to be inside or perhaps at the bottom of the pool. Once a storm hits, wildlife will have a hard time, so expect more insects trying to move inside the home and be aware of snakes. For more information, see <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/hfbhazj<\/span>. It\u2019s worth reflecting that there is still a chance of storms until the end of November.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of my current garden delights is the dotted horsemint (<\/span>Monarda punctata<\/span><\/i>) blooming in my yard. It simply hums with pollinators. Watching for just a few minutes, I counted at least a half dozen species, including several impressively large wasps (behaving very benignly, I should add), and pretty little green sweat bees, as well as honey bees. By mid-September, blue mistflower (<\/span>Conoclinium coelestinum<\/span><\/i>) will be blooming and is equally attractive to pollinators. Both are wildflowers which can be seen locally, along some of our roadsides. A word of warning, they both spread readily \u2014 the former by seed, the latter both by seed and by sending out roots, so be prepared. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the veggie patch, the sweet potatoes are also flowering profusely, feeding small bees and wasps. My late tomatoes are looking unlikely to succeed (still too hot?), the okra is just about finished, but the eggplants (Ichiban type) are producing well. In a small space those sweet potatoes may seem an odd choice, but when they\u2019re harvested there will still be time to plant some beautiful Chinese greens, assorted brassicas (like cabbage, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi), carrots, onions and hardy herbs, before a potential cold snap comes along. (See the \u201cFlorida Vegetable Gardening Guide,\u201d http:\/\/edis.ifas.ufl.edu\/vh021 and \u201cHerbs in the Florida Garden,\u201d http:\/\/edis.ifas.ufl.edu\/vh020.)<\/span><\/p>\n

I recently discovered a page on the University of Florida website which lists links to the various programs we access so often: <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/jtcc7hb<\/span>. I encourage you to take a look. The current issue of \u201cA New Leaf\u201d is available at <\/span>http:\/\/tinyurl.com\/haw5wet<\/span> and contains lots of information about suitable flowers to keep your garden blooming into the fall and beyond. And don\u2019t forget that Master Gardeners are available to answer questions every weekday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 at (904) 255-7450.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time of writing, beautyberries are looking their colorful best and most of our backyard birds are relishing the juicy magenta berries, which seem to appeal to seed- and fruit-eaters alike. Hummingbirds are busily zipping around the firebush and it\u2019s so comical to see them chase off any rival despite the abundance of blooms \u2014 no sharing of territory for them. It won\u2019t be long before migrating birds start coming through our area and overwintering birds move in for the season. Much like spring, the transition to autumn feels like a new beginning. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lesley Arrandale is a Master Gardener with the Duval County Cooperative Extension Service\/City of Jacksonville Agriculture Department, which is a partnership between the United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF\/IFAS) and the City of Jacksonville.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lesley Arrandale mail@floridanewsline.com As September rolled in, so did Hurricane Hermine. We watched with bated breath as the track gradually shifted and lifted to the north and breathed again as we were spared the worst of the storm. Not everyone was so lucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":880,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,5,4],"tags":[12],"class_list":{"0":"post-2367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns","8":"category-mandarin","9":"category-ponte-vedra","10":"tag-gardening"},"yoast_head":"\nGardening: Storms and autumn delights - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CreekLine, Mandarin NewsLine, Ponte Vedra NewsLineBy Lesley Arrandale mail@floridanewsline.com As September rolled in, so did Hurricane Hermine. 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