EDITOR'S NOTE: A University of Florida faculty member and Nassau County Extension Horticultural Agent, Rebecca Jordi addresses some of the questions she receives about landscaping and gardening in northeast Florida, in GARDEN TALK. The Extension also offers helpful clinics throughout the year, providing assistance to local gardeners in the Amelia Island and surrounding areas of Nassau County, Florida. __________
QUESTION: My elephant ear plant was frozen during the last few freezes. Will it come back? SW
JORDI: Elephant Ear, Alocasia spp., is extremely hardy and I would be surprised to hear it did not return from the cold. We will be better able to determine the full extent of the cold damage once summer is fully upon us.
You may cut away and dead tissue now. The large leaves come up from the ground without any stem and can reach lengths up to 3 feet. There are many varieties ranging from solid colored to variegated to new cultivars with purple hues.
Some of the Elephant ear cultivars are of concern to those monitoring invasive plants. We would suggest homeowners be mindful of selecting this plant especially those living near a green belt area, a nature preserve or waterway.
Landscapers use this plant as a back drop for other tropical perennials or around specimen trees. Elephant ear has the potential of growing 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide, therefore, it is important to allow enough room for growth. In addition, you can see this would not be the best plant to put under windows of any home or business.
The cold hardiness zone is from 8B to 11, which means it can be grown throughout most of Florida. Elephant ear tolerates partial sun and shade but it will show signs of burn in full sun situations. It prefers a moist, well drained soil but requires no specific pH range. Elephant ear is an easy plant to grow and thrives with little or no attention once it is established.
JORDI: Andrenidae is the family which contains mining bees. These bees build nests in the ground and they are generally solitary creatures. Mining bees are usually darker in color and smaller than the honey bees. Large, empty areas in the lawn provide the perfect site for the female mining bee to lay her brood. If the lawn has plenty of barren areas then this insect has been known to have more than one female nesting site. Males are seen in the spring hovering close to the ground which often catches our attention. These bees are important pollinators and the site selection must have an abundant source of flowers to provide nectar. Mining bees are not aggressive and rarely sting unless provoked, unlike the yellow jacket wasp which has been known to sting numerous times. These valuable creatures are a normal spring occurrence and we would not recommend an application of any chemical to control them. The entrance holes to the burrow are about ¼ inch in diameter and the bees will often create small mounds of sand in order to excavate the burrow. Some people assume the bees are damaging the grass or grass roots but the real truth is the lawn started out weak. In your case, it probably died as a result of the freezing temperatures this past winter. Once the grass dies and leaves an area with no vegetation the mining bees take advantage. The best control is to have a healthy, thick lawn. Remember to use slow release nitrogen lawn fertilizers with a 1:0:1 or 2:0:1 (N-P-K) configuration. The mining bee is one of those examples of “grin and bear it" which require no action from you.
QUESTION: What are these small dark bees coming in and out of the ground in my lawn? SC
QUESTION: I am growing a small garden with several varieties of beans. I would like to have some of them dried. How do I go about doing that? JB
JORDI: Normally beans are left in the pod and on the vine to dry. Navy, kidney, Northern, and black beans are common varieties used as dry beans. There have been few successes here in Florida because the beans prefer to dry in the pod for 120 days in temperatures ranging from 65 – 75 degrees with low humidity. That is not a condition normally describing Florida for any length of time.
You could try to remove the mature pods and hang them in a cool, dry area. If you decide to try this tactic please keep me posted on your progress; it would be fun to hear you had succeeded. Beans are a very important source of minerals and fiber.
Rebecca L. Jordi, University of Florida/IFAS,
Nassau County Extension, Environmental Horticulture Agent
543350 U. S. Highway #1, Callahan, FL 32011
904-548-1116 or 904-879-1019