Monday, November 19, 2018

September Yard of the Month



Home of Paula & Mike Zeman          

The Mandarin Garden Club has selected Paula & Mike Zeman as Yard of the Month for September for its 100% Florida-Friendly Landscaped home.



Paula and Mike have worked in construction and building and currently own a landscape business.  However they take great pride in maintaining their own yard.



With unique experience as an ecologist, Paula creates and experiments with germination, soil, composting, planting, and, incorporating the (9) Principles in a Florida Friendly Landscaping Yard.  Using these principles and her experience in her own yard and others she is known throughout the business and her community for her unique gift of design and creating a yard of art and beauty.  She gives of her talents and shares her tools of knowledge and experience with others.



The Zeman home showcases a wide variety of assorted tropical, cactus, succulents, trees, scrubs, perennials, and beautiful decorative pots of flowers with various heights for an eye-catching style of nature and beauty in any season.



 Pavers guide you through walkways and beds building the beauty and intensity of the yard.  Some of my favorite plants spotted were the beautiful Dwarf  Podocarpus, Sunshine Dwarf Ligustrum, Dwarf Sunshine Anise, Dwarf Azaleas and many other native flowering plants.



Welcoming cats lounge about enjoying a special place in this most attractive beautifully landscaped work of art.



SPECIAL THANKS:  September Yard of the Month Nominated By, Karen Rowe, Dogwood Member of the Mandarin Garden Club.  



Article/Photos Submitted By:  Wanda Bosworth, Community Education


Paula Zeman









Thursday, November 15, 2018

Mandarin Winter Celebration

The Mandarin Garden Club is proud to once again assist the Mandarin Museum and Historical Society with their Winter Celebration by providing the greenery in the historical buildings. 

The event gives you a glimpse of old Mandarin as well as activities for young and old alike .


Wednesday, November 14, 2018

Monarch Milkweed Initative Update


We would like to thank everyone who came out on Saturday, October 13th to the Mandarin Garden Club's 30 Years of Blooms Celebration. The only thing more impressive than the perfect weather was the attendance numbers. The level of interest in the Monarch-Milkweed Initiative was overwhelming. Visitors asked impressive questions about native milkweed plants and the Monarch butterfly migration crisis.

        The exchange of information provided us direction on what the community needs to join in our conservation cause. To keep the dialogue going, please check back to the Mandarin Garden Club's news blog for updates and scheduled events as we slowly march to the Spring season. Comments & questions are also welcome posts to: mandaringardenclub.blogspot.com










From the fall and through the winter months, we will be stratifying hundreds of native milkweed seeds for early
2019  plantings.  Plans are in motion to offer milkweed planting clinics next Spring at the club. Starter plants & kits (Asclepias tuberosa and incarnata varieties) should be available for purchase. If you can't attend a clinic, no worries, the annual garden club plant sale is offered every April.   


Submitted By -       

Candace Barone

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Bromeliads


Common Bromeliads The ones I am talking about are the epiphytes (air plants) growing in our trees.  

The two most common ones are called mosses, though they are not.  Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) and Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata) are the two most common, though there is another which is not rare, but rather uncommon -- Bartram’s Airplant (Tillandsia bartramii).  Many people think that these are dead plants, but if you look closely after a rain, you will see a faint green color within the grey foliage.  These plants are not mosses, since they have blooms – Spanish Moss has tiny (1/4”) flowers which you might miss if you don’t inspect them minutely.  Ball Moss flowers are about 3 times as big, and you will notice their seed pods (out on long stalks) more than the blue flowers.  Bartram’s Airplant has large pink spikes and brownish-grey seed pods which really stand out among the grey needle-like foliage.  

All of these plants use their roots for clinging onto their “home” (usually trees), but obtain their necessary minerals from dust particles and dissolved material within rain.  Unlike Mistletoe (which is a killing parasite), these air plants do not kill the trees upon which they are located.  If a tree is extremely heavily laden, these Bromeliads can inhibit the available light and limit the available sites for forming sprouts so that the tree may  “decline” a bit.  Unless you take the time to inspect these plants (ideally with a magnifying glass), you may miss their many unique features – keep your eyes open !!!

May your horticultural results be as fulfilling as your gardening diligence.      

Martha Dysart.


Thursday, November 1, 2018

Thank you ...



OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY


Every leaf was polished, every flower nodded, the sun shone brightly , and a gentle breeze
stirred the temperate air for our celebration,  “ 30 Years of Blooms, ” the 30th Anniversary of the Mandarin Demonstration Garden and our partnership with Duval County Extension IFAS. It was a beautiful day on Saturday, October 13th when  200 + visitors graced our grounds.

A  special thank you to the following for being part of the day:  Mary Howe and Terry DelValle,
founders of the garden; Jacksonville Fire Department Firetruck 42 and the crew of firefighters, who  were on hand;  North Florida Bonsai Association, Jacksonville Herb Society, the Men’s Garden Club of  Jacksonville, and Florida Yards and Neighborhoods, who set up  displays and  provided information;  Master Gardeners and Club - member Gardeners, who prepared the grounds and answered questions from the visitors; Mary Forester who led tours full of inquisitive people; Vic Groner,  Master Gardener with Duval County Extension, who entertained us while demonstrating Tool  Care & Sharpening; City Councilmen Sam Newby and Matt Schellenberg, who supported us, read Mayor Lenny Curry’s Letter of  Congratulations, and presented a Certificate of Recognition from the Jacksonville City Council;  Donna Crosby, who created fantastic items for our drawing; our giant Monarch Butterfly ( Candace Gerding ) and George DeMarino,  Monarch Milkweed Initiative, who  spent the afternoon informing a steady stream of people about saving native milkweed;  Jim Montgomery, who donated much appreciated water for  the volunteers;  our neighbors, Masonic Lodge 343, who loaned their property for parking; and Dom Colanero, who creates labels for every single plant in the gardens. 

Before the celebration and behind the scenes of the day our Mandarin Garden Club members worked for months to bring this First Public Garden Day to the Community.  Some even rallied their spouses, children, and grandchildren into volunteering their time and talent! Not only that, but they are excited about the next  Public Garden Days in February 2019 and are eagerly beginning to plan for them.  Thank you  all for making this beautiful day!

Thank you to the Community for supporting us, and for attending our celebration. We hope you
enjoyed the program and learned something new and helpful to you. Remember: Master Gardeners are on the property every 1st and 3rd Wednesday Mornings! They are here to learn and  to maintain the Garden, but they are  also here  to  be available to the community.  Stop by !

Sandie Ingram
President
Mandarin Garden Club