http://www.marconews.com/news/lifestyles/home-garden/?partner=RSSmarconews.com Stories: Gardeningen-uslifestyles/home-gardenhttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/apr/26/rains-are-good-they-bring-pest/?partner=RSSThe recent rains may have been enough to be somewhat of a relief for our parched lawns. While this rain will help to slow the damage caused by the drought it is also going to cause a population of chinch bugs to hatch and begin feeding along the borders of the damaged, brown areas. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:49:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-307401-734619news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Rains are good, but they bring a pestmarconews.comrains-are-good-they-bring-pesturn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-307401-734619Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/apr/12/bougainvillea-bloom/?partner=RSSWhen the bougainvillea is in bloom, everyone wants to know what the beautiful flowering plants seen all over the island are. This plant is without a doubt one of our most bright and colorful tropical plants. Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:17:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-306125-734605news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMARCO ISLANDGardening: Bougainvillea in bloommarconews.combougainvillea-bloomurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-306125-734605Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/apr/06/gardening-water-we-need-feed-our-lawns/?partner=RSSIt’s spring and we need rain. This much needed water would help to refresh our drought stricken lawns and gardens. It would also activate the fertilizer applied this spring which will add strength to help them better survive the rest of the dry season. In spite of future rainstorms our sandy soil puts us right back into drought conditions within a few days when the temperatures are in the 90s and the wind is blowing during the day. Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:43:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-305590-734599news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: The water we need to feed our lawnsmarconews.comgardening-water-we-need-feed-our-lawnsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-305590-734599Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/apr/06/top-seeded-properties-sweep-marco-island-city-land/?partner=RSSTraveling around Marco Island, it’s easy to see why five area landscapers walked away with the city’s highest awards in the Marco in Bloom competition. Their creations married breathtaking beauty with practical non water-wasting gardening, a requirement for high honors. The awards were announced at the beginning of Marco Island’s City Council meeting Monday by members of the Beautification Advisory Committee. Taking first place in residential properties, Steve and Elaine Cormick of 660 S. Barfield Drive joined bronze and blooms, adding two miniature statues to street-side plantings creating the fanciful illusion of children at work in the garden. The couple’s home featured fountains, blooming plants, variegated greens and containers to add height and depth to the varieties of vegetation presented. The couple worked with a remarkable mix of shade and sun to complete the illusion of refreshing quiet on the edge of a traveled street. Fri, 06 Apr 2012 13:33:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-305587-734599lifestyles/featuresCHERYL FERRARAMarco Island, FLTop seeded properties sweep Marco Island city landscape awardsmarconews.comtop-seeded-properties-sweep-marco-island-city-landurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-305587-734599Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/mar/30/gardening-preparing-summer-growing-season/?partner=RSSAfter our colder winter months it is time to start thinking about pruning the shrubs in the yard to remove any cold damage or just to renovate, reduce size and prepare them for the summer growing season. We were lucky this year and did not have much serious cold weather or damage to our more tropical plants. It is never a good idea to heavily shear shrubs during the colder winter months and so when spring arrives it is a good time to get everything back into shape. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:26:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-304924-734592news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Preparing for summer growing seasonmarconews.comgardening-preparing-summer-growing-seasonurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-304924-734592Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/mar/15/fruit-our-labors/?partner=RSSSo many fruit trees are flowering and setting fruit right now. Citrus, mango, avacado, pineapple, and many more. Two of my favorites are the jaboticaba and surinam cherry. Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:47:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-303415-734577news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: The fruit of our laborsmarconews.comfruit-our-laborsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-303415-734577Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/mar/08/there-are-poisonous-plants-marco/?partner=RSSMany shrubs and trees we plant in our landscapes can be poisonous to humans and animals. Some are toxic if ingested and others may be irritating to the skin. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:29:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-302754-734570news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FL Gardening: There are poisonous plants on Marcomarconews.comthere-are-poisonous-plants-marcourn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-302754-734570Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/mar/01/winter-recovery-calls-fertilization/?partner=RSSMarch has arrived. It is time to fertilize lawns, plants and trees. While this was a very warm winter some are very cold and this fertilization helps plants recover from any cold damage done in the winter months. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:03:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-302118-734563news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Winter recovery calls for fertilizationmarconews.comwinter-recovery-calls-fertilizationurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-302118-734563Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/feb/23/spring-harkens-hot-and-dry-ahead/?partner=RSSMarch is here. It is usually the start of our dry season but, unfortunately, we have been in a dry season for a while. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:34:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-301390-734556news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Spring harkens hot and dry aheadmarconews.comspring-harkens-hot-and-dry-aheadurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-301390-734556Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/feb/16/gardening-do-you-have-snails-or-cutworms/?partner=RSS It is nice to see the flower beds full of annuals like impatiens, begonias and petunias in yards around the island. Unfortunately, some voracious flower eaters are also delighted to see the flowers. If you have holes in the flower petals and leaves or it looks like someone stepped on them chances are you have snails and/or cutworms. Both are very active eating and thoroughly enjoying all of the annuals that have been planted. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:59:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-300762-734549news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Do you have snails or cutwormsmarconews.comgardening-do-you-have-snails-or-cutwormsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-300762-734549Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/feb/02/gardening-learning-how-propagate-plants-exciting-w/?partner=RSSPlants can be propagated by sexual or asexual means. Sexual propagation is starting plants from seed. Multiplying of plants from vegetative plant parts such as shoots, roots and leaves or bulbs and corms is called asexual propagation. Asexual propagation will grow plants with the same characteristics as the parent plant. It is the best method of reproduction when a plant produces seeds which are difficult to germinate. The most common method of asexual propagation is from cuttings. Cuttings can be made from stems, roots and leaves. Cuttings should be taken from healthy plants and placed in a warm, humid environment to encourage root development and prevent them from drying. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:12:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-299330-734535news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Learning how to propagate plants is an exciting way to share your plants with othersmarconews.comgardening-learning-how-propagate-plants-exciting-wurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-299330-734535Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/jan/28/fruit-trees-bear-essentials/?partner=RSSBlossom and fruit drop and fruit splitting are fairly common problems for fruit trees. While losing blossoms and small fruit from your fruit trees can be disturbing it is usually a natural process. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:19:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-298859-734530news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Fruit trees ... the bear essentialsmarconews.comfruit-trees-bear-essentialsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-298859-734530Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/jan/19/gardening-protecting-your-pink-hibiscus/?partner=RSSAs I mentioned in my last column, many pests can feed on hibiscus making this a very high maintenance choice for your landscape. Chewing insects include caterpillars, grasshoppers, snails and slugs, beetles, cut worms and leaf miners. Piercing-sucking insects include scale, mealybugs, spider mites, aphids, whiteflies and thrips. These pests are more of a problem in areas of poor circulation. The grenade scale can be hard to see because it blends with the bark. This soft scale will cause branches to die back. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:56:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-298014-734521news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Protecting your pink hibiscus marconews.comgardening-protecting-your-pink-hibiscusurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-298014-734521Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2012/jan/12/hibiscus-has-tremendous-flower-variations/?partner=RSSHibiscus plants are blooming profusely all over Marco right now. This plant seems to love the cold weather. Perhaps it is because the severe cold helps control some of the insects that constantly cause the blossoms to drop. Whatever the reason enjoy the beauty of these glorious flowers. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 16:04:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-297362-734514news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Hibiscus has tremendous flower variationsmarconews.comhibiscus-has-tremendous-flower-variationsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-297362-734514Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/dec/15/gardening-education-nonnative-plants/?partner=RSSI have often encouraged Marco Island residents to become better stewards of our land by learning good horticultural practices and how to identify and remove invasive, exotic plants. When nonnative plants spread extensively and displace native plants they become invasive and cause damage to the native ecosystem. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 21:11:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-295188-734486news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: An education on nonnative plantsmarconews.comgardening-education-nonnative-plantsurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-295188-734486Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/dec/08/gardening-your-plants-and-cold/?partner=RSSThe winter cold has not really arrived yet this year! As a northern transplant, I love the cold weather because it always puts me in the holiday spirit. It makes my work a lot easier as well and this is always a welcome break for people in the landscaping business after a long, hot grueling summer of backbreaking work. Unfortunately, we will have to keep mowing and trimming a bit longer while we wait for the lower temperatures to arrive in. Our landscapes have gone into a slight dormancy as the recent lower temperatures have been low enough to cause a slight slowing of growth for tropical and subtropical plants. Tropical plants and annuals do not normally adapt to withstand temperatures below freezing and can be injured when temperatures reach below 50 degrees F. Fortunately, freezing temperatures are rare for South Florida and even more rare on coastal islands like Marco. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 19:38:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-294470-734479news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Your plants and the coldmarconews.comgardening-your-plants-and-coldurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-294470-734479Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/dec/02/gardening-its-not-snow-its-patch-florida-pusley/?partner=RSSWhat is that weed that reminds us northerners of snow on our lawns? The weed is Florida pusley (Richardia scabra) and is a native to Florida. Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:45:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-293844-734473news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: It's not snow, it's a patch of Florida pusleymarconews.comgardening-its-not-snow-its-patch-florida-pusleyurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-293844-734473Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/oct/27/gardening-are-weeds-invading-your-turf/?partner=RSSCooler weather means that it will be safe to have your lawn treated with a herbicide to try and bring those pesky weeds under control. Treating your lawn for weeds with temperatures in the 90s can stress and damage your turf. There are herbicides labeled for use in hot temperatures but my observations show stress to the grass with these products as well. I watched as several spray companies did serious damage to St. Augustine lawns trying to kill weeds this summer. The result was a thicker bed of weeds as the grass was unable to compete. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:35:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-290425-734437news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Are the weeds invading your turf?marconews.comgardening-are-weeds-invading-your-turfurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-290425-734437Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/oct/13/gardening-feeding-green/?partner=RSSIt is time to think about fertilizing your shrubs, trees and lawns. Our sandy soil allows nutrients to readily leach from the soil so it is important to replenish these nutrients with fertilizer. You want to apply fertilizer while it is still warm, as the plants won’t take in the nutrients if they become dormant with the cold weather. It will be important for your plants to be strong and healthy going into the cold months of winter. Healthy plants will withstand stresses from cold weather better than underfed, unhealthy plants. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:26:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-289268-734423news/columnists/eileen-wardEILEEN WARDMarco Island, FLGardening: Feeding the greenmarconews.comgardening-feeding-greenurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-289268-734423Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2011/oct/13/naples-orchid-societys-bustling-plant-sale-opens-s/?partner=RSSIt’s a little too early yet to start lining up for the Naples Orchid Society’s annual plant sale, but it will help to be at the Moorings Presbyterian Church at 791 Harbour Drive, Naples, before noon this Saturday. When the doors open then, crowds pour in and orchids are gone in several hours. More than 500 orchids of all kinds, most will be for sale. Raffle tickets ($1 or six for $5) will be sold to waiting customers in line until 12:30 p.m. At that time, three winning tickets will be drawn and the winners will receive special blooming orchid plants. Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:24:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-289267-734423lifestyles/featuresKit Kitchen-MaranMarco Island, FLNaples Orchid Society’s bustling plant sale opens Saturdaymarconews.comnaples-orchid-societys-bustling-plant-sale-opens-surn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-289267-734423Change0Usable