Tree Walk March 20, 2010

March 20, 2010 at 1:37 PM  We officially entered the spring season.  Deciduous trees on the walk, however, were still in "hibernation mode".    Nonetheless, the pollen count for evergreens had been consistently high since February.  After one of the coldest winters in 3 decades and an exceptionally rainy year, trees and other pollenators were busy reproducing.

Trees planted along the retention pond here at the St. Johns County Extension Service Center, UFL receive no artificial irrigation.  Most of them are only around 5 years old.  They represent good, bad (invasive), and under-appreciated species that thrive in the Jacksonville-St. Augustine (zone 9A/B) area.  With the exception of the "bad ones" they can be obtained through local nurseries, usually by request.  And many are worthwhile additions to residential and commercial landscapes.

Japanese Blueberry Elaeocarpus decipiens

The Japanese Blueberry can be classified as a shrub or tree. Left lightly pruned, it makes an attractive privacy hedge. The fruits are inconspicuous, but they are appreciated by birds, and do not cause staining and litter on paved surfaces. Read about the plant at Dave's Garden.

Magnolia, D.D. Blanchard Magnolia grandiflora

A cultivar of Southern Magnolia. See publications, Checklist of New, Improved and Underutilized Trees for North and Central Florida for a description of D.D. Blanchard cultivar. See Magnolia grandiflora: Southern Magnolia for a discussion of magnolias in general.

Winged Elm

Tung Oil Tree

Eastern Red Cedar

Bald Cypress

Red Maple

Jerusalem Thorn

Live Oak, Cathedral

Chickasaw Plum

Nuttal Oak

Pindo Palm

Green Ash

Olive

Sabal Palm

Weeping Willow

Sycamore

Shumard Oak

Spruce Pine

Bradford Pear

Loquat

Items of interest:

Holes made by sapsucker  

Problems caused by man

Even man-made ponds can harbor alligators

Arbor of Crepe Myrtles

Resources for Further Exploration

Online resources for learning about plants:

Tree Selector Tool – Helps you find a tree suited to your needs http://lyra.ifas.ufl.edu/FloridaTrees/FloridaTreeSelector.swf

Florida Landscape Plants (University of Florida) – Trees, Shrubs, Groundcover, Palms http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody

Solutions for Your Life, (University of Florida) – Lawn and Garden http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/lawn_and_garden/

Educational Publications from University of Florida.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ (Enter a Search Term)

Neighborhood Guide to Stormwater Systems - http://sjrwmd.com/publications/pdfs/bk_stormwatersystems.pdf

Floridata - an Encyclopedia, photo album, database and forum for the Florida gardener/horticulturalist - http://www.floridata.com

 

Nearby County Agricultural, Extension Services.

 Look in the Lawns and Gardens section for the newsletters and programs.  You do NOT need to be a county resident to participate in a class, event, or receive a newsletter.

St Johns Agricultural Extension Service - http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/

Duval Agricultural Extension Service - http://duval.ifas.ufl.edu

Clay Agricultural Extension Service - http://clay.ifas.ufl.edu

Organizations and Events

Florida Arbor Day Tree Seedling Giveaway – January (see December Horticultural newsletter for details http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/lg-localnews.shtml

Greenscape of Jacksonville – Flowering Tree Sale http://www.greenscapeofjacksonville.org (February)

Agricultural Center Plant Clinics – St. Johns 9-noon weekdays at the Ag Center; other locations as noted in the Newsletter

EPIC Spring Flower and Garden Show, St Johns County Ag Center 4/17-18 (see newsletter http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/lg-localnews.shtml ),

St Johns Home and Garden Show at the Ag Center (usually October, see  http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/lg-localnews.shtml )

St Johns County Agricultural Fair at the County Fairgrounds (usually October, see newsletter http://stjohns.ifas.ufl.edu/lg-localnews.shtml )

North Florida Land Trust – Painting the Region http://www.northfloridalandtrust.org/index.html  (October)

Library Resources:

http://www.sjcpls.org St Johns

Florida yards and neighborhoods handbook

Trees, shrubs and flowers for Florida landscaping

Your Florida landscape : a complete guide to planting and maintenance : trees, palms, shrubs, ground covers and vines

   Tree / written by David Burnie  (children’s book)

The secret life of trees C. Chevallier (Children’s Books)

 

OnLine Resources for Children:

Discovering Florida Scrub:   http://www.archbold-station.org/discoveringflscrub/index.html  (grades 3-5)

What Tree is That? (elementary school and younger)  http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/  Interactive Tree ID section and online reference

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/index.html  Help Professor LePlant unlock mysteries in the plant world (4^th-5^th graders).  See for description of lessons:  http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/tg/index.html

http://www.foresthistory.org/Education/Curriculum/Activity/activ7/activ7.html#NCSSS  Trees in Your Own Backyard   from the Forest History Society:  http://www.foresthistory.org/Education/