Once a year the Naples Garden Club joins the garden in a flower-packed festival for two days. As a gardener I always appreciate living color, arranged tastefully. Here are some creations…
American Farms in Naples runs new plant trials from numerous breeders around the world. They commit valuable production space and efforts to discover: How will they grow here, are they really improved, and lastly, do consumers like them? Here are a few outstanding plants from those trials that concluded in January, 2019.
My compliments to growers Justin Orion and Steffi Hugo and the many workers whose talents and labor go into producing this massive, beautiful crop of color.
Bidens ‘Duo Firewheel’ 
Flame-like plumes of Celosias 
Celosia ‘Atomic Neon Pink’ 
Proven Winners ‘Eternal Love’ combo’ 
Strawberry ‘Berried Treasure’ 
Cool colors: ‘Rainy Days Mix’ 
Plant-namers have fun with ‘Brainwave Purple’ celosia 
Striking two tone Gerbera daisy ‘Color Bloom Bicolor’ 
Lobelia ‘Hot Snow Flurries Mix’ 
A bowl of embers: Celosia ‘Kelos Fire’ 
Gerbera daisy ‘Color Bloom Deep Rose’ 
More warm colors with coleus, bidens and calibrachoa. 
This verbena has excellent plant form but will bloom more with warm days. 
‘Color Bloom’ gerbera daisy 
This open, rangy celosia will fit well in a combination.
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Tropical Plant Industry Exhibit 2019
Once a year, for three days in January, people from around the nation visit Fort Lauderdale, Florida to see the natural beauty produced by local greenhouse and nursery growers. Over 200 vendors display their best under one roof for a tropical extravaganza.
Ever had a lamp make you smile? 
This vendor supplied their own light system to best display the bloom colors. 
Fragrant roses, dwarf Periwinkle/Vinca. 
Floral designers having fun with Pop art and tillandsias. 
Clever use of a closet shoe storage. 
New African violets ready to ship. 
Sorry, these leaves are silk. 
We can import plants from other countries but they must not contain soil. These don’t even have roots yet. 
A new, dwarf Paspalum grass that tolerates salt water. 
No leaf shine here: This orange Anthurium is naturally glossy. 
Hand-shaped Sansevierias ready to root. 
Succulents artistically arranged. 
Many variations on the Ti plant theme. 
Cut flowers of Peonies (not from around here but showing how they ship them) 
Asclepias ‘Hairy Balls’. 
A new way to display an old orchid: Bend the stems down. 
Orchid blooms arranged. 
Fashion fun: Plant head. 
Close up of Botanical Betty’s head. 
Wreath-like arrangement of Tillandsias. 
In the new plant room, a new Aglaonema. 
Strong variegation on this new Dracaena. 
Calathea ‘Network’. 
Old retail slogan; “Stack ’em high, make ’em fly.” 
Green walls don’t need to be all plants. Wood, stone, and moss. 
The few minutes I stood here, every person that approached this wall ran their hands across the textured bark. 
Amaryllis drama.
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Fairy House on the Rock
I made this miniature house as a gift for a friend who is retiring from sales and moving to Tennessee to build cabins in the woods. So I made a cabin out of woods.
He is a Christian and I was inspired by Jesus’ sermon in Matthew 7 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.”
So I started with a chunk of Tennessee flagstone as the foundation, mounted on a matching slab of Florida cypress. The oak door and windows were cut from a piece of recycled pallet.
The front door sets the scene and scale of the building. 
Flagstone base on cypress. 
This little door knob took about an hour to cut, sand, oil, and attach. 
Functioning hinge and oak twigs as window panes. 
Back wall, front door made from oak bark. 
I found this hollow log in the woods, then drilled the hole for the window. I’ll hide the black battery pack with ivy leaves next. 
You can’t see the green wallpaper I hung inside but I used felt as a ceiling and bamboo as rafters. 
Black felt will support the pine cone shingles. 
It took four pine cones sectioned, sorted by size and color, then glued. 
Grape vines with tendrils. 
Attached silk grape leaves, then landscaping. 
The lichens are natural but I added various mosses. 
Nestled in the Zinnias. 
Shadow approves. 
Soft sunrise. 
Bushy plastic Protea in the front yard.
One photo I forgot to take would have revealed the 30 miniature LED lights, both in the main floor and tower.
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Trees on the Go
November 29, 2018
Fish Branch Tree Farms in Zolfo Springs hosted the Trees on the Go educational seminar in partnership with FNGLA, Roots Plus Growers and ASLA Florida. Their nursery is a model tree farm emphasizing quality and consistency.
Speakers: Dr. Ed Gilman (U.F. Professor Emeritus) on the state of the urban forest and early tree root training, John Conroy, owner of Fish Branch, about Grades and Standards, Lloyd Morgan about ideal handling and shipping of large trees, Joe Samnik, about legal issues regarding contracts/specifications (how not to get sued for negligence), Russell Adams about mass planting palms in difficult situations (Orlando highway sides), Mike Marshall, Marshall Tree Farms demonstrating grading trees and discussing the future of tree supply/demand.
Here is a link to the Florida Grades and Standards: https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Plant-Industry/Business-Services/Florida-Grades-and-Standards-for-Nursery-Plants-2015
Flanked by Mule palms. 
Dr. Ed Gilman addressing urban tree challenges. 
Mike Marshall teaching how to grade a tree: Florida Fancy, #1 or #2. 
LLoyd Morgan showing proper tree handling and protection. 
Uniformity on display. Live Oaks. 
Dr. Gilman showing good roots versus defective roots and how they are formed. 
New pots that air root-prune to form a dense, fibrous system. 
Elle pots made of paper that also encourage a fibrous root system. 
These tree roots were grown in a typical plastic pot that forced the roots to grow in circles: Defective! 
These lower branches contribute to a thicker stem (caliper) that will be removed before shipping. 
These young oaks are selected, then directed to create the best shade tree…five to seven years down the road.
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Moon over Copper Roof
Here is my latest project: A “fairy house” with a copper roof surrounded with lots of wood. We mounted it outdoors as a welcome by our front door.
I cut this stump slab in half for the base.
This angled slab is Camphor. When you cut and sand it, it smells like root beer.
Danish oil brings out the grain.
The box top is an ideal form to trace for the moon and it’s matching hole in the background.
Florida live oak has nice grain.
Sanded smooth and coated with Danish oil.
Base and moon epoxied and bolted in place.
The left wall is an open knot hole from a pine tree. The right wall is oak bark. The door is recycled oak pallet wood. Green tiles epoxied to the face.
Copper roof attached with copper tacks.
Silk, variegated ivy leaves soften the edges. Landscaping for color. One battery powered tea light shows through the faux stained glass windows.
The wood burner made the craters too dark. I sanded them, then gave a light coat of gray oil stain.
The original image I worked from.
A little white paint adds depth.
Time to weatherproof the back. It soaked up the Teak oil like a sponge. This is going to hang outdoors.
Nearly done with Teak oil.
Hanging on French cleats that are mounted with Tapcons.
Warm reflection off the copper roof.
Front door.
Left wall.
Right side.
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The Landscape Show, Orlando
I am a sucker for variegated plants. Long ago, when a gardener or plant breeder found a plant with white streaks or spots in it’s leaves, it was discarded as weak and inferior to it’s green-leafed parent. But, color sells and anything-but-green leaves turn heads. Also, a plant with less chlorophyll in it’s leaves tends to grow slower, driving up it’s price and demand.
Here are a few of the variegated leafed plants that stood out at this years Landscape Show held by the Florida Nursery Grower Landscape Association (FNGLA) in Orlando.
‘Roman Candle’ Podocarpus.
Variegated Kumquat tree.
‘Candy Cane’ heliconia.
‘America’ aechmea bromeliad with other variegated neoreglias.
Chalk-like leaves of Alcantarea.
Earth Stars: ‘Absolute Zero’.
‘Ice’ Vriesea.
Variegated Fish Tail palm.
Yes, variegated is more than just green and white.
Bullis Bromeliads created a spectacular bromeliad tree.
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Log Gnome Home
I found this log at a place selling firewood in Plant City, Florida. The rotted knot makes a perfect entrance to a “fairy house” leading into a hollow cavity. It took about three weeks to construct this little work of art. It’s heavier than most that I’ve built because of the solid wood and piles of rocks. (But not quite to Dade County hurricane standards).
A little crooked, that’s o.k.
Welcome.
Hollow.
Recycled oak from a pallet.
Brass knob to match the hinges.
Good fit.
Bamboo nailed down with fence staples for the rafters.
Felt.
More bamboo with raffia hot-glued.
Melaleuca bark attached…but it looks too much like a teepee, so I tore it off and started over.
Oak branches glued into 3/8″ holes.
Melaleuca bark glued onto a lampshade.
Carved holes for the windows to allow light to shine through the stained glass windows.
Window frames scroll-sawed out of another oak board.
Cardboard templates on the right, finished frames on the left.
“Plaid Gallery Glass” allowed for great flexibility. I made a leaf-pattern to stick with the botanical theme.
Cardboard cut out for the sidewalls, covered with Melaleuca bark.
I capped the roof with a slab of oak bark creating a stained-glass peep.
Aluminum foil is an easy to mold base.
Concrete seal acts as a natural looking, permanent grout with these rocks. I used bark strips to conceal the plywood face.
A few lights downstairs but most upstairs.
Threshold.
Done. I used pinecone segments as trim.
The ivy vine starts at the ground and wanders up.
Lucy-approved.
08/10/2018. (Reuters) – “A California jury on Friday found Monsanto liable in a lawsuit filed by a man who alleged the company’s glyphosate-based weed-killers, including Roundup, caused his cancer and ordered the company to pay $289 million in damages…
…The jury at San Francisco’s Superior Court of California deliberated for three days before finding that Monsanto had failed to warn Johnson and other consumers of the cancer risks posed by its weed killers.”
Have you ever served on a jury? It was my duty to do so a few years ago. It was a civil case involving a car accident with injuries.
We heard evidence, the testimony of witnesses and lawyer’s arguments. We discussed, deliberated, and sent notes back to the judge twice. We almost forced a mistrial because we needed more information. His Honor stated we have all we needed to give a verdict. After we gave the ruling, the judge cleared the courtroom, thanked us for our service and then we had a frank discussion.
“Why didn’t they give us an accident report? Did the police write a ticket? Was there alcohol involved?” we asked. The judge confided that both sides did not think presenting those facts would help their cases.
Ever since then I have heard of verdicts and awards that were extraordinary. But, thanks to that brief inside experience, I will never question the outcome of a trial for one reason: only those twelve people have all the facts needed to pass a judgement.
My heart goes out to the gentleman who sued Monsanto. He is dying from cancer. No amount of money will cure him. No punitive damages will salve the hearts of his family.
One fact from this story surprised me: This man was a pest control manager for a school system and applied Ranger (generic, made by Monsanto) 30 times per year. Um, I know people who spray the stuff thirty times a day. (Although there were two incidents when he was “drenched” with the product because of a hose break.)
A key document that was referred to throughout this trial is published by the World Health Organization: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). “Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans” This list ranks 1069 items by their possible effect on human health. Their system goes from one to four, one being the worst. Here is my summary of some of the common items. (I skipped many long-named, mysterious chemicals like cyclophosphamide, a chemotherapy drug in the Group 1!)
Group 1: The agent is carcinogenic to humans. (120 agents).
Leather dust. Outdoor air pollution. H.I.V. Asbestos. Plutonium. Alcoholic beverages. Engine exhaust, diesel. Estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives/menopausal therapy. Hepatitis B, C, (chronic infection). Consumption of processed meat. Salted fish, Chinese style. Solar radiation. U.V. radiation. Wood dust. Tobacco smoking, chewing, second hand smoke.
Group 2A: Probably carcinogenic to humans. (82 entries).
Red meat (consumption). Malathion. Napthalene (mothballs). Glyphosate. Diazinon. DDT. Hairdresser or barber (occupational exposure as a). Malaria. Working nights. Very hot beverages at above 149 degrees.
Group 2B: Possibly carcinogenic to humans. (302 entries).
Pickled vegetables (traditional Asian). Gasoline. Ginko biloba extract. Engine exhaust, gasoline. 2-4-D. Diesel fuel (marine). Aloe vera, whole leaf extract. Carpentry. Talc-based body powder (perineal use). Goldenseal root powder.
Group 3: The agent is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans. …” evidence is inadequate in humans and inadequate or limited in experimental animals.” (501 entries).
Many common pesticides (carbaryl, captan, thiram, atrazine, permethrin). Fluorescent lighting. Acetaminophen, saccharin, mercury, coal dust, coffee drinking, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen peroxide.
So, all kidding aside, according to the World Health Organization, if you drink wine, lay out in the sun, are on the pill, eat Spam, and smoke Marlboro’s, your days are numbered.
And the group 2A items are just as disturbing: Eating a steak, working nights and drinking very hot beverages can be as carcinogenic as glyphosate or malaria.
Look at group 2B: Have you ever touched gasoline or breathed car exhaust? They are considered as “possibly carcinogenic” as aloe vera and woodworking.
Whether there is a warning label or not: Protect yourself at all times.
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Royal Poinciana Parts
Large trees are best admired from afar. But this Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) deserves a closer inspection to appreciate all its beauty.
I found this tree on the grounds of the Edison Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida.
‘Flamboyant’ is another common name for this spectacular flowering tree.
This is one leaf: a compound leaf made up of hundreds of leaflets.
It’s in the legume (bean) family. These foot-long seed pods form every year and litter the ground.
These buttressed roots spread wide to support a tree that can often spread more than 50 feet wide.
But these exposed roots intrigued me. They’ve been run over by cars and scalped by lawn mowers for years, creating these organic whorls.
Like a turbulent river of wood.
Knots above and roots below.
