Friday, August 12, 2011

“The Ever Changing Garden”

This is the title of our new e-book which we will present in chapter form over a period of time. Our first efforts will feature flowering trees and we will present the “Best of the Best’ for the tropical and subtropical conditions we have in Florida. The new book should be useful for readers who have similar climate conditions world wide. Co-author nurseryman, Jesse Durko has traveled around the world collecting colorful plants appropriate for our growing conditions. Plants are tested for 3 years before introduction to see if they have invasive characteristics under garden conditions. Florida is suffering from plant, animal and reptile invaders. Pythons and iguanas are the latest receiving publicity on the news. Our climate is ideal for harboring these pests as there are no controls to stop their spread.

I just added ‘Pink Pet’ to my collection of easy care roses. This is a small China class rose and so far is doing beautifully. The plant should grow about 3x3 feet in size with small clusters of pink blooms for most of the year. This plant is not evergreen has attractive fall color before the foliage falls. The plant grows on its own roots so does not suffer from possible graft failure. This is a major benefit as most roses must be grafted here because of nematode problems. My “tough” ‘Knock Out’ rose has black spot free foliage but chili thrips and Sri Lankan weevils decimate the foliage at my home. This plant will be retired and I will select something more durable. Jesse Durko has a collection of old roses at his nursery which is located at 5151 SW 70th Avenue, (Viele Road), Davie, 954-792-2297.

Robert Haehle

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