|
|
|
Contact
Webmaster
|
Plant Exchange Table Online Plant Clinics for May What to Plant in June Love Bugs Summer Plants The Oleander Moth The Landscape Garden ClubThe Villages Landscape Garden Club meets the 3rd Monday of every month, September through May.The steering committee regrets that we are unable to hold a regular meeting in April. Hopefully things will change in May and we can have our meeting at Laurel Manor. Hopefully, the next meeting is:
Monday, September 21st
|
 |
Monday, May 18th Friday, May 15th, 22nd & 29th 9:00 a.m. |
Link to Zoom Ask the MG: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/175138796 (9:00 a.m. link) |
|
|
Monday, May 18th Friday, May 15th, 22nd & 29th 1:00 p.m. |
Link to Zoom Ask the MG: https://ufl.zoom.us/j/465937155 (1:00 p.m. link) |
 |
No online Plant Clinics on May 25th.
On the date and time listed above, copy the specified web link for 9:00 a.m.
or 1:00 p.m. and paste it into your web browser.
This will take you to the Q&A Session with Master Gardeners.
| Annuals |
Annuals that
can take full sun
during the increasingly hot summer months include celosia, portulaca,
vinca, and some coleus.
 |
Click on Annuals. |
| Palms |
Summer's
warm, rainy months
are the perfect time to plant palms. Make sure not to cover the trunk with soil. 
 |
Click on Palms. |
| Herbs |
Plant
heat-loving
herbs, including basil, Mexican tarragon, and rosemary. Pinch back regularly to prevent flowering and enhance branching. 
 |
Click on Herbs. |
| Vegetables |
Plant okra, southern pea, calabaza, Malabar
spinach, and sweet potato. It is too late to plant tomatoes. 
 |
Click on Vegetable Gardening in Florida. |
So,
why
do love bugs show up in May? Turns out, they’re active between 10 a.m. and 6
p.m. and they love temperatures above 84 degrees, and May marks mating
season for the nuisance bugs. They mate for four weeks in May and again in
September, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences. The University suggests
keeping your car waxed
to make it easier to remove bug guts from your hood and the wax will also
protect your car’s paint. I searched online to see what was recommended to
remove these pesky critters and here is what I found:
To remove love bugs from your car, you can try using wet dryer sheets (Bounce). Wash and soak as much of the bugs off with water and then lightly scrub the area with a wet dryer sheet. Rinse often and use new dryer sheets. Because it may leave a residue, soap and rinse the area after with hot water and soap.
What
do love bugs really love? They are attracted to decomposing plant debris,
but sometimes they confuse those odors with chemicals and exhaust fumes so
that’s why you may see more and more on the highways and splattered on your
vehicles.
Where did love bugs come from? In the 20th century, the bugs migrated from Central America and traveled through Texas and Louisiana before arriving in Florida.
Nancy King
(click
on link for email address)
I have put together a PDF
file of plants you might want to include in your garden
this season. Please click on the blue bar below and it will take you to the
attachment, then scroll down through the pictures/descriptions of plants.
Stay safe. ~ Nancy
|
|
|
|
|
The
colorful
oleander moth (sometimes called the "polka-dot wasp moth" or "Uncle Sam moth")
lays its eggs on new leaves at the branch tips of Oleander bushes, where the
larvae will feed. Oleander caterpillars can inflict serious chewing damage if
left unchecked; they can completely defoliate a plant in as little as a week.
If you find oleander caterpillars, it's not
too late.
Removing
larvae-infested foliage is the most environmentally friendly method of control.
Oleander sap can cause skin and eye irritation, so be sure to wash your hands
immediately after touching any cuttings, or better yet, wear disposable gloves
while pruning. Hand-pick the non-stinging caterpillars or cut off damaged
foliage and the larvae feeding on it. Young caterpillars only scrape the leaf
tissue, so this initial damage is easy to spot and can help cut short a full-on
infestation.
Put
caterpillars (or the plant matter covered with them) in a plastic bag and freeze
for 24 hours to kill the pests.
Mature caterpillars often migrate up walls of nearby buildings and pupate near the eaves. Removing these cocoons can help manage the next generation of this pest.
If
you've divided your plants, bring them along for someone else to enjoy at the 