With Florida’s humidity and spurts of droughts, many Venice residents have resigned themselves to typical yards with basic turf.Thanks to Sarasota County Master Gardeners and the Friends of Shamrock Park, volunteers are on hand every first Tuesday at the Shamrock Park Nature Center to give tours of seven Florida-friendly demonstration plots, encouraging residents to plant environmentally friendly and sustainable, yet attractive, native and non-native plants.
“Florida Friendly plants are plants that actually work with the environment as opposed to against it,” said Master Gardener Lu-Anne Rhoten. “And that’s the importance of these demonstration gardens: to show people other things they can put in their yard besides the typical St. Augustine turf.
“For instance, most people think that you can only grow edibles in the winter time here,” said Rhoten. “But the edible plot shows that you can grow edibles year-round. “There are certain varieties of beans and whatnot that can withstand the Florida humidity.”
The seven plots, which were planted in early December, include ground covers, a wildlife garden, shrubs, edibles, ornamental grasses, turfs, and cacti and succulents. All of the Master Gardeners on site are trained volunteers who share a passion of gardening and dispensing knowledge.
Linda Cholakis, who has been a master gardener for three years, maintains the wildlife garden plot. “This whole garden is to encourage wildlife, including gopher tortoises, birds and butterflies,” said Cholakis. The wildlife garden consists of all native plants, including prickly pear and wild lantana.
“We have bee balm to attract bees so everything gets pollinated and yellow and blue bushels that attract butterflies,” Cholakis added. “Encouraging wildlife support is so important. They are being squeezed out and all they have left are our yards or parks,” Rhoten said. “People can have such a big impact on the wildlife in their own yards by doing something as simple as changing the grass to something that doesn’t require pesticides and chemicals.”
The turf plot highlights Sea Isla Paspalum, a drought and salt-tolerant new variety of turf, which emphasizes the Master Gardeners’ mission to get residents to employ an environmentally friendly yard. “Sea Isle Paspalum is something anyone can grow and it’s perfect for people along saltwater canals and areas where there is no freshwater available,” said Rhoten. “Another nice thing about it is that it’s a low-growing grass, therefore you don’t need to cut it as often and there less carbon emissions from your lawnmower,” said Carol Liddy, who tends to the edibles plot.
“It doesn’t need pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers either,” added Rhoten. “We are really trying to encourage people to try and grow Florida-friendly plants as opposed to what they’re used to in the North,” said Cholakis. “We say in Florida that the first year, when you plant something, it sleeps, the second year it creeps, and the third year it leaps. It all takes patience, but it pays off.”
To learn more about the Sarasota County Master Gardeners, visit: sarasota.extension.ufl.edu or call 861-9801. Our Mother’s House in need of volunteers Our Mother’s House of Catholic Charities in Venice is searching for volunteers to babysit in the child care center.
Volunteers work for four-hour shifts and the center is open from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. High school students are welcome and can earn volunteer hours. Our Mother’s House is a residential program committed to helping homeless mothers and their preschool children attain self-sufficiency. On-site child care is offered for the mothers while they attend school or work.