September Gardening Guide By Patricia Porchey

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September Gardening Guide. By: Patricia Porchey. A recent trip to Tallahassee led to tours of two estates from the late 1800s and early …

Website: sarasota.extension.ufl.edu | Filesize: 23kb

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September Gardening Guide
By: Patricia Porchey
A recent trip to Tallahassee led to tours of two estates from the late 1800s and early
1900s. One estate’s landscape was dominated by spring-blooming azaleas, camellias and
formal boxwood hedges which were all being irrigated. The other estate was unassuming
and even had signs throughout the landscape assuring visitors that the imperfect look was
intentional to be true to the original landscape. Shade from the grand old oaks provided
much relief from the 100+ temperatures. What does this have to do with gardening in
Sarasota?
The importance of planting drought-resistant plants has never been more important than
this year when even our summer rains have been disappointing. We have seen that those
plants indigenous to this area can tolerate stresses better than most of the imported
“pretty” exotic plants. When water is at a premium, it makes sense to minimize waterguzzling
plants and return to native plants.
Another noteworthy lesson from the tours was the need to be self sustaining and grow our
own food. In those early days, growing their own food was essential to their survival.
Now is a good time to embark on the road to sustainability…