FEBRUARY 2007 , Volume 18 Number 3
Community Paper
copyright ©2007 by Community Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN
by Nick Francisco, Blodgett Gardens
3821 Edgewater Drive, 407-295-2363
See this month's ad!


Spring is here Yes, No? WOW, Hot, no Cold, no Hot the roller coaster winter is here. Winter can't seem to make up it's mind although we do love the Goldilocks principle. The Almanac predicts a very mild winter for us in Central Florida which it has been as I'm writing this. Not too HOT not too COLD JUST RIGHT temps are great. It's great for us but really confuses our landscapes. It's supposed to be cool when days are short with a few freezes or frosts that help keep annual weeds like crabgrass down. This winter that's not going to happen so what will we do to keep the weeds from taking over. Hi Yield Dimension ( a pre-emergent weed control) will keep crabgrass and most broadleaf weeds from springing up with the warm temperatures were having. This material must be reapplied every 120 days to keep an active vapor barrier at the seed level. If you have emerged broadleaf weeds (if you’re not sure, bring in a sample to Blodgett's for ID) apply fertilome Weed-n-Feed for St. Augustine. Please follow label directions as watering too soon reduces the effectiveness of this product. If you’re not sure how to apply this or any chemical please ask us, we'll be happy to help you apply products correctly.

Decorate your landscape with pots of color to accent the entry of your home for a bright cheerful greeting every time you enter. Attract some butterflies with some black & blue salvia tucked behind your formal plantings or in a butterfly garden. Brighten up the house with fresh flowers from your cutting garden.

Blodgett Gardens is now channel 9's local garden expert. Channel 9 has a forum through their website where individuals may ask specific questions to their problems and we (the experts) will answer their specific questions rather than having to come into the store. Of course visual ID is required for some solutions but many may be answered without seeing a sample.
http://www.localsolutionsnetwork.com/expert/expert.cfm?cfapp=11&from=1&expert=96&eid=12969&specialID=1