Nassau Gardening Tips: Free March Horticulture Programs

Free educational horticulture programs. Florida gardening and landscape advice.

Florida Passion Flower, Egans Greenway on Amelia Island
Native Passion Flower (Photo taken in Egans Greenway)

It’s been feeling like an early spring, here in northeast Florida with temps in the mid-70s in recent days. After being more house-bound than usual during the colder months, many look forward to getting out into the yard and garden as the warmer season debuts. So it’s a great time to take a look around yards and see what needs attention during a spring cleanup.

The local Nassau County Extension offers free educational programs and advice, including evaluating troubled plants and providing local residents solutions for their gardening issues.

Here’s the March 2011 horticulture program schedule at the Extension:

March 3, 2011 — Becky Jordi, Nassau County Horticulture Extension Agent and Master Gardener Bea Walker will conduct a class on tree pruning 10 am until 11 am at the UF/IFAS Nassau County Demonstration Garden at the James S. Page Governmental Center. Correct pruning practices and tree maintenance will be discussed. There will be hands-on demonstrations. This session is free and open to the public.

ATTENTION K-MART SHOPPERS: March 5, 2011 — Becky Jordi, Nassau County Horticulture Extension Agent will conduct a Plant Clinic from 12 pm until 4 pm at K-Mart in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island. All Nassau County residents are invited to bring plant samples showing problems in their landscapes. Problems will be identified and solutions offered for correction. There is no fee for this service.

March 7, 2011 — Becky Jordi, Nassau County Horticulture Extension Agent will conduct a Plant Clinic from 10 am until 2 pm at the Yulee Extension Office (A1A and Pages Dairy Road). All County residents are invited to bring plant samples showing problems in their landscapes. Problems will be identified and solutions offered for correction. There is no fee for this service.

March 9, 2011 — Master Gardener Carol Ann Atwood will conduct a Landscape Matters class on container gardening – from beginning to end. Many color photographs with different plants, their cultural requirements, a hand out of surrounding nurseries and plant identification. The session will take place at the UF/IFAS Nassau County Demonstration Garden. In case of inclement weather, the session will be held in Conference Room A of the James S. Page Governmental Complex in Yulee. Class is free and open to the public. For more information, see “Landscape Matters at the Extension website or contact the Extension office by calling 904-491-7340.

March 21, 2011 — Becky Jordi, Nassau County Horticulture ExtensionAgent will conduct a Plant Clinic from 10 am until 2 pm at the Yulee Extension Office (A1A and Pages Dairy Road). All County residents are invited to bring plant samples showing problems in their landscapes. Problems will be identified and solutions offered for correction. There is no fee for this service.

For more information about all these programs, call the Nassau County Extension office at 904-491-7340.

Spanish Needle Attracts Butterflies (Gulf Fritillary)
Spanish Needle Attracts Butterflies (Gulf Fritillary). Photo taken in Egans Greenway.

THINKING ABOUT GOING NATIVE?

Many folks in Florida seek lower maintenance gardens and landscape, and a great way to accomplish this is going native. For one thing, many native plants are more drought tolerant, thus watering requirements are less, saving both time and money. According to the University of Florida IFAS Extension “native plants are adapted to climate and soil conditions of a given area and usually have fewer pest problems.”

(Note:  Florida natives pictured here, Passion Flower and Spanish Needle.)