By Lynn Barber
It’s that time of year when we are rethinking some of our decisions from times past. For this article, we will focus on gardening.
I have several landscape resolutions to work on for 2015.
- I will try to cease landscape plant adoptions. There must be other needy gardeners that want them.
- I will prune more frequently, hoping that someday I can see my backyard from the street.
- I will decrease the number of potted plants on my front porch because I can’t walk from one end to the other safely.
- I will spend more time on the front porch swing, reading interesting gardening books, preferably fiction with gardening content.
- I will replace plants that are merely surviving, but not thriving, with those that attract pollinators and other wildlife.
My co-workers at the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County shared their resolutions which follow:
Susan Haddock, commercial horticulture agent, said: “I will finish pending gardening projects before I start new ones, spot-check my irrigation system monthly to be sure it is functioning properly and incorporate more edible plants in my landscape.”
Nicole Pinson, residential horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator, provided us with her list: “My resolutions include removing Skyvine from my tiny backyard, dividing my spiky bromeliads after I get gauntlet gloves for Christmas, using a preemergent for basketgrass control and laying down a fresh layer of pine straw all over my landscape beds. “
Alicia Whidden, agent – vegetable crops, will not fertilize her lawn, will mow regularly in the summer and install yard art in her landscape, like a chandelier in a tree.
Denise Kantak, senior secretary, has resolved to decrease the amount of turfgrass without a purpose in her landscape and replace it with Florida native plants.
Lisa Meredith, compost, school and community garden program coordinator, will rebuild her vegetable bed and trim her China Doll plants under her Plumeria.
As you can see, even those of us that work in horticulture have New Year’s Gardening Resolutions on projects we want/need to address in 2015. So, don’t feel too badly about your list in view of ours. For assistance with gardening-related questions, call 744-5519 or visit hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu.
