What will our March weather be like? It will probably be warm, with a colder than usual day or two. (How’s that for a wishy-washy prediction??) Our ground temperature contributes to the health of our plants just about as much the “above ground” temperature, allowing the roots to survive a freeze. This allows plants that have frozen and died above ground to come back from the roots. So, many plants in my garden are sprouting from established roots right now: the lion’s ear, the ironweeds, the native hibiscus to name a few. Truly a renewal, and a joy to watch!
Other plants are blooming already, and pollinators are appearing out of nowhere. In my yard, I have several plant species that attract the southeastern blueberry bee. This small bee looks like a baby bumblebee. Primarily, I see them on the blueberry family species (Vaccinium) — Darrow’s blueberry, Elliot’s blueberry, then Sparkle Berrys and edible rabbit-eye blueberries. Georgia savory and conradina have a similar flower shape and are used by this bee. They are truly the “busy” bees, buzzing as they collect pollen from plant to plant. The buzzing comes from the rapidly beating wings, and accomplishes two things: the buzzing contributes to increased body heat, allowing the bees to collect pollen even when the days are chilly. The buzzing also shakes the pollen loose from the stamens, so that more pollen can be collected.
Last year I found southeastern blueberry bees buzzing away in a native shrub called St. Andrews Cross — except there were no flowers on the shrub at the time. The bees were buzzing away in the hard sepals that had held the flowers. I was mystified that there were so many bees on a plant with no flowers! So, I called a “well-known” entomologist (my grandson, Ben. He is well-known to me!) to see if he could explain this odd behavior. His explanation: “Grandmama, the bees are getting drunk!” He explained that the bees are after the leftover nectar in the sepals which has fermented. Very interesting, that other species might like a party!
Although the flowers look more like berries, wax myrtle (one of our native shrubs) is also blooming right now. Wax myrtles are evergreen, thrive in most of our local growing conditions, and can be trimmed as a small tree or a hedge. Wax myrtles can be used as a screening shrub — they are fast growing. The flowers are pollinated by wind, but wax myrtles do host the red-banded hairstreak butterfly. The berries (produced only by the female wax myrtles) are wildlife staples, used by birds, squirrels and other mammals, and turtles.
One of the fruiting trees leafing out early this year is my green fig (Ficus ischia). This fig tree puts out huge figs that are still slightly green at maturity. (The “selling point” is that birds won’t eat figs that are green — although no one told the birds!). This fig gets wide and tall, with huge leaves, and produces very large fruit — a lot of bang for the buck!
Other common fig varieties grown here are “brown turkey”, and “celeste” — both produce delicious fruit. I always wondered why people planted fig trees right next to buildings. When I once asked about that, a woman told me “Figs are social — they like to be around people”.
I got a hint about the origin of that “old wives’ tale” thirty years later. One of our local extension agents, Dan Mullins (now retired) explained that figs are often affected by a soil nematode that prefers sunny sites. By planting figs where the roots were shaded (like close to a building), they had a better chance of avoiding the nematode damage.
Most figs ripen in early to mid-summer. Fig preserves are a staple for breakfast in my family. My grandson’s (yes, the entomologist) birthday is in mid-July when the figs were ripening. He always requested fig ice cream. But you don’t need a birthday to add finely chopped figs to home-made ice cream.
Several of our native vines are blooming or budding right now — just in time for the hummers migrating through. Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) is lighting up the woods with bright yellow trumpet-shaped blooms. These evergreen vines are able to climb high in pines and other trees. That makes Carolina jessamine useful as screening on a trellis in a spot that needs privacy, but may not have the space for a large shrub.
Carolina jessamine is an aggressive grower, spreading from suckers that come up from the roots. This can be a maintenance challenge. One way to enjoy this beautiful vine is to grow it in a container. Be sure to put the container on a stepping stone or concrete so that the roots are contained. Add some small “risers” (3 or 4 one-inch tiles work well) to allow the plant to drain.
Many vines are starting to grow expansively right now. My coral honeysuckle (both the red and the yellow) are in full bud. This always occurs when the main hummingbird migration starts. Coral honeysuckle is my favorite vine for landscape use. It is native, evergreen, stays in one place, and attracts hummingbirds and orchard orioles, and other pollinators.
There are three native vines that I hear many complaints about: poison ivy, Virginia creeper, and the dreaded “sticker vine”— smilax. There is an older book that I have learned so much from over the years about plants and their relationship to wildlife. It’s called “American Wildlife and Plants – A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits”. Guess which three vines are most used by wildlife? Yep… poison ivy, Virginia creeper, and smilax. They are used for food (all have berries, but the smilax stems can also be eaten) and for habitat (spiny or poisonous stems, and a viney growth habit are good predator deterrents). If you have one or more of these vines in your landscape, I hope that you can find a way to leave a little for habitat. You will be rewarded by a variety of birds. And I hope you taste the very newest growth of smilax — it tastes much like asparagus!
As for asparagus, that too is popping up in my garden. Asparagus is a perennial that dies back in the winter, and re-emerges in early spring.
Asparagus “crowns” (live root systems with buds for asparagus stems) are sold by plant and seed vendors. These crowns are planted in early spring. The first year asparagus is planted, don’t harvest the stems. This will help the plant to establish. (Eat your smilax instead! Ha!) When the second-year stems emerge (usually late February), enjoy fresh asparagus until May, then let the plant grow without harvesting, so that it will store energy for next year’s harvest.
It’s time to plant spring veggies! My potatoes are planted, and I am preparing pots to grow my beans. I like to grow “rattlesnake” beans to climb a small wire fence, making them easy to harvest. Rattlesnake beans get their name because they are mottled with red patches on the green bean (like rattlesnakes are mottled to disappear in the surroundings. The mottling disappears with cooking). These prolific beans produce early in the season, and continue to do so until frost, if they are picked before the seeds fully ripen. Easy to prepare and cook, rattlesnake beans are easy to freeze for later meals. Blanch in boiling water for four to five minutes, cool, and freeze.
There are lots of local gardening and nature events coming up this month, including Night of Nature, March 7th; UWF Arbor Day, March 8th; an edible plant sale March 15th; and Spring Open House and Baby Shower March 22nd. (Please click on the links here or visit or Events Page.)
Last but not least is an event that we will be presenting: “Serenity Gardens”. I suspect that all of us have a slightly different idea about what a serenity garden might include. For example, The Garden Gate was my shop on loud and busy Highway 98. It seemed surprising that people would come there in times of stress or loss, but many people did come. Walking through the gate to be surrounded by nature, leaving the bustle behind, brought relief from their state of mind. Flowers, foliage, butterflies, birds — all the nature – was a place of peace.
The elements that represent serenity are personal, but we recognize them as we encounter them. We hope to inspire you with ideas, showing examples to consider to create your own serenity garden. Please join us Wed, March 12th at Gulf Breeze Senior Center (10:00 to 11:30)!
Leave a Reply