Blooming Beauty Starts Here

The good side is that gardeners can enjoy their gardens year round. However, we also have more pests, diseases, and weeds to contend with -- not to mention the lack of organic matter in our Florida sandy soils.

Some 98 percent of our residents come from outside Collier County. To help the new or seasoned gardener sort through the challenges of Zone 10 home gardening, the Collier County University Extension will host the first Southwest Florida Yard and Garden Show next weekend -- 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 15 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 16. It's at the Southwest Florida Horticulture Learning Center, 14700 Immokalee Road.

Collier County actually has diverse growing zones, from the tropical plant palette of Marco Island to the more subtropic landscape plantings of Golden Gate Estates. Collier County's University of Florida's trained master gardeners bring you this garden show to answer your home gardening questions. Equipped with thousands of University of Florida's fact sheets based on research and the most up to date recommendations, volunteer master gardeners are ready and willing to guide you on your quest to the perfect garden, one that is maintained with minimal pesticides, fertilizers and water.

If you are concerned about the pests chewing your beloved ornamental, your yellowing palm fronds, how to maintain your landscape in a Florida-friendly way, or where to find that banana for your child's garden, the Southwest Florida Yard and Garden show is the program to attend. The show includes children's programs throughout the weekend.

"This event will be a great opportunity for the residents of this area to one-stop shop for research-based information," said Denise Blanton, director of the Collier County University Extension Service. "Residents can learn about services and products for their yards and gardens at home. The show will include exhibitors of every kind of service and product applicable to yards and gardens."

All proceeds benefit further development of the Southwest Florida Horticulture Learning Center. The center is an 8-acre planned, hands-on demonstration garden for the home gardener or landscaper.

Two gardens have been newly added. One is Naida's Native Plant Garden, with more than 55 different Florida native plant species in 9,000 square feet. The other is the nearly completed Garden of the Senses, a universally adaptable horticultural therapy garden with an emphasis on sensory plants, in 4,200 square feet.

Four other gardens are complete: the Citrus Garden, perennial peanut display, the Vegetable Recycling Garden, the Master Gardener Color Garden and the 4-H Children's Garden. The Aquatic garden is currently in the design phase.

To support further development of the Southwest Florida Horticulture Learning Center, Naples naturalist and watercolor artist Marjorie Renfroe has donated two of her paintings to a silent auction at the event. "Angel Trumpet" and "Orchid Tree" will be on display and available for bidding during the two-day program. Renfroe has been a Naples resident since 1957, painting flowers and plants native to this region. She is known for her attention to detail, as faithful in reproduction as a photograph.

When you come to the show, stroll or take a guided tour through Naida's Native Plant Garden. The garden showpieces the beauty and serenity plants hold for local gardens while attracting butterflies and wildlife. A special feature is a three-tier 12-by-16 foot water garden designed by landscape architect David Driapsa and constructed by Brad Hazelett of Driftwood Garden Center.

The water feature is modeled after scenic Blue Lake, a naturally occurring spring in eastern Collier County known for its pristine beauty and picturesque trees. Native limestone rock outcroppings, crushed seashell pathways, pine straw mulching and pathways winding through created native habitat demonstrate what a homeowner can accomplish using Florida's native resources. Materials and services were donated by Pergola Inc., James C. Abney & Associates Inc., Gulfcoast Irrigation, Superior Interlocking Pavers Inc. and Doria's Landscaping Inc., Mr. Driapsa, and Driftwood Garden Center.

Show exhibitors include Going Bananas, RoseGlen Gardens, Landscaper's Choice, Hopkins Nursery and nonprofit organizations such as the Collier Fruit Growers Council and the Naples Chapter of the Native Plant Society. Professional gardeners and landscapers will be present. Come and have your gardening questions answered by the people who know and walk away with a blue pea vine, rubber tree vine or a Florida lilac tree to add to your home garden.

Wae Nelson, editor of Florida Gardening magazine, and Barbara Oehlbeck, well-known garden author/presenter of "For the Love of Roses" and other home gardening books, will share their gardening secrets with you. State and local gardening experts will shed light on how to garden in the "garden city on the gulf."

Admission is $3 for adults and free for children younger than 12. While parents sit in on a workshop, youth can participate in the 4-H Children's Garden activities.

Collier County's University of Florida Master Gardeners will exhibit rare plants for sale, along with University of Florida gardening books. They also will offer plant diagnostic services through the Master Gardener Plant Clinic. Master gardeners will lead garden tours of the Horticulture Learning Center Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, contact the Collier County University Extension at 353-4244 or call the Master Gardener Plant Clinic at 353-2872.

SCHEDULE

There is a list of events for the Southwest Florida Yard & Garden Show next weekend at the at the Southwest Florida Horticulture Learning Center, 14700 Immokalee Road, just north of Waterways and Orangetree developments. Admission is $3, free for children. For information, call 353-4244.

Saturday Nov. 15, presentations

10 a.m.: "Bugs and Shrubs," by Doug Caldwell, horticultural entomologist and commercial horticultural extension agent

11 a.m.: "Backyard Citrus Culture," by Mongi Zekri, Hendry County multi-county extension agent

Noon: "Flowering Trees for Southwest Florida," by Stephen Brown Lee County Extension Agent

1 p.m.: "Florida Gardening," by Wae Nelson Editor Florida Gardening Magazine

2 p.m. "For the Love of Roses," by Barbara Oehlbeck, gardening author and expert

3 p.m. "Palm Culture and Disease Prevention," by Bob Petersen, Collier County median project manager

Sunday, Nov. 16, presentations 11 a.m.: "Perennial Peanuts -- The Answer to Lawn Problems," by Elan Miavitz, Collier County urban horticulture agent

Noon: "Purple Martins," by Bill Dietrich, past president, Purple Martin Society, and builder of the martin colony behind the Extension building; and "How to Grow Above Average Plants in Below Average Soil," by Bob Cook,

1 p.m.: "Lifestyle of Butterflies in the Garden," by Alana Edwards, Florida Atlantic University

2 p.m.: "The Hot and Cold of Tropical Fruit Trees," by Luci Miller and Jon Adams of the Collier Fruit Growers Council

3 p.m.: "How to Grow Above Average Plants in Below Average Soil," by Bob Cook, "The Plant Doctor" radio and TV program host

Especially for kids Both days there are 4-H program youth activities in the 4-H Children's Garden.

10 a.m.: Stem brushes and coconut painting

11:30 a.m.: Leaf-pattern art

1 p.m.: Herb heads

2:30 p.m.: Garden scavenger hunt

Elan Miavitz is the urban horticulture agent with the Collier County University Extension Service. E-mail gardening queries can be sent to colliermg@ifas.ufl.edu , or call 353-4244.