It’s been a hot fall, but there is snow on the grass
Every where you look nowadays there is a blanket of pink snow on lawns and vacant lots as well as our swales. This pretty covering is actually a native weed.
It will not grow tall, loves the hot sun and doesn’t care too much about any rains.
It will only be here for a couple of months and then die off until next fall.
We might as well just admire it because it is not easy to get rid of. You can pull it up in clumps but it will just keep sowing its seeds in every bare spot available.
St. Augustine grass is pretty thick so it cannot always get going in that, but Bahia grass grows more sparsely and it settles right in.
The common name for this pretty little weed is Snow On The Grass, Florida Pusley, or its botanical name Richardia Grandiflora. Englishman Richard Richardson gets the credit for this plant.
Living next door to a vacant lot or a poorly maintained yard, it will be next to impossible to stop its spread. There are hundreds of the tiny flowers and they spread thousands of seeds. They are low growing and lawn mowing may not bother them at all. You can call the Lee County Extension service for information on possible herbicides use.
Bees and butterflies like them so just enjoy the humor of having some Florida snow on the grass, and just like any snow, it will not last.
The local Garden Club took a tour last weekend at Trafalgar Middle School, to see how they managed to grow about 1,000 pounds of food this year. This big task is a student project. They dug holes and spread mulch and planted and planted.
It all went well and they had a great harvest that they shared with the community in many happy ways. They also shared a tasty garden picnic out along side the gardens with some Master Gardeners and students doing the menu. It took about an hour to see everything that is going on over there.
We shared fresh blackberries and cherries and fresh moringa tea., as well.
The club also had a tour over at Cape Coral High School where they have been very successful with their gardening and environmental projects. High school students presented a PowerPoint program for the Garden Club meeting, the week before. They made turning some flat grass spaces into a food gardening and eating area and learning about environmental soil projects sound easy.
As we gardeners know, serious gardening requires many hours of physical work and planning. These students are working not just for today but for tomorrow and the environmental well being of their world. Congratulations.
Watch for other schools as they step up and do some serious gardening. I should mention many local businesses are lending a helping hand with projects. Congratulations to them, too.
This is the season for giving thanks, let’s do it now.
I would also like to say thanks for some nice really cool autumn weather, but cannot quite say that yet. This is not the time to do heavy clipping and pruning unless you have some damage to repair. It will be cooler and even cold later on and freshly cut horticulture does not like that cold.
The lovely frangipani trees look a little worse for wear, but this is the time of year they shed their leaves and spend the winter standing strong in their naked beauty until spring
Orchards are coming into bloom, mums are everywhere. I have seen some beautiful bromeliads in the grocery store and also some really beautiful tulips.
Around here tulips are definitely a splurge. They will not last long at all but are so colorful.
Thanksgiving’s coming up. Some of us will have a $50 floral centerpiece on our holiday table, some will have a scattering of colorful leaves and some fruit.
Some of us will have lots of family to share the holiday, some will not.
We can all share a smile, or a phone call with someone and I give thanks for all who will share this year.
Happy gardening till we meet again.
-H.I. Jean Shields is Past President of the Cape Coral Garden Club.