Blooming With Bent Oak Nursery

With a lifetime of experience in the Ponte Vedra area, the cold of 2010 set a record – at least in my memory. We have certainly had colder days but never the sustained cold that we had in January.

At the nursery, we have several fountains that did not thaw over a week.

The sustained low temperatures will certainly have a detrimental affect on our more tropical plants. After a few days of warm weather, the true damage is showing up.

Over the last few days, I have had numerous people ask the same question.  “Should I trim the dead out of my plants now?”  My answer is “no”. If you can stand to look at the unsightly plants for a few more weeks you will have the best opportunity to save them. The “melted”  leaves do help to protect the tender root system from further damage. I would leave them at least until late February.

If you really just need to go out and trim something, trim your crape myrtles. This is the perfect time to trim them or have them trimmed. Trim your trees into a vase shape. Do not cut them straight across the trunks. This creates unsightly knots that butcher the tree. The only reason this is ever done is because it is fast and easy, but it is always the wrong way to trim the plants.

We are all getting antsy about rushing into spring planting, but we are a month too early. We are still subject to freezing temperatures at least until the first of March.

We will start to restock our nursery with the hardiest of plants in mid February and with tropicals and spring flowers in early March.

We look forward to seeing you all very soon. If you have landscape questions that we can help you with, please email us.

For now, be patient, enjoy the cold weather and look forward to a beautiful spring.

Thanks!

Keith

Bent Oak Nursery

Bent Oak Nursery in Ponte Vedra was honored to host the Late Bloomers Garden Club on Tuesday, November 17th.

More than 30 women from the club met at the nursery to work on a couple of projects.  The women belong to the Garden Club of Jacksonville and are also part of a national organization, Garden Clubs of America.

The meeting was a combination lesson on horticulture and conservation. As part of a national tree conservation project, garden clubs across the United States select a tree to grow, measure and photograph for a restoration project in their area.

The Late Bloomers Club selected a Longleaf Pine for their restoration project. Longleaf pine is the legendary southern yellow pine of forest history. While the tall, stately longleaf pine once covered 30 to 60 million acres of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain, 200 years of logging and land clearing have greatly reduced its range. Longleaf pine takes 100 to 150 years to become full size and can live to 300 years old. Modern methods of reforestation are helping to restore longleaf pine to previously cleared land.

In the future, through garden club projects like this one, we may expect to see more of these majestic trees in the Florida landscape. The club will be contacting local school organizations about planting the pines. Third to fifth grades will participate in the project.

They have also contacted the Jacksonville Zoo and will be planting Longleaf Pines at the Zoo’s entrance. There will be a sign with the organization’s name commemorating the project at the zoo.

Part two of the class was a horticultural lesson on bulbs.  Carolyn Marsh Lindsay selected Erlicheer, a member of the Daffodil family for this project.  Erlicheer Daffodils are delightful miniatures that have a wonderfully fragrant scent and lovely cream white and yellow double blossoms. Demonstrating how to plant the bulbs, Ms. Lindsay filled an 8” clay pot with approximately 1/3 soil.  Seven bulbs fit perfectly in the pot.  They should be planted “cheek to jowl” – side by side and close together.

The last step of the lesson was to pour potting soil over the top, filling the pot to just over the bulb tops.  To ensure development of a good root system, the pots should be stored in a cool dark place for approximately 7 days to two weeks, until the bulbs start to sprout.  They should be kept moist, but not too wet.  When you see green tips coming through the soil, the pot should be placed outside in full sunlight.

Daffodils are the most cost effective, pest-free perennial plants available and make wonderful companions with other bulbs, perennials, annuals and flowering shrubs. They grow in almost all areas of the United States as long as there is a discernible winter. They are pest-free and when given ample sunlight, water and proper nutrition, will provide early spring color for many years.

Mrs. Lindsay suggests enjoying the pot of blooming Erlicheer Daffodils and then planting them in the ground to enjoy the following year.

For information on hearty bulbs visit the nursery at www.bentoakonline.com

To learn more about joining a gardening circle in your area, contact the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc. at www.ffgc.org