June 7, 2018
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| Get outside and have some fun! |
Finally some sunshine! We wanted the rain, we needed the rain and then just like that, way too much rain. Feast or famine. But now we're back to typical summertime weather. Gorgeous long days, plenty of sunshine and OK maybe there is more humidity than we'd like. But these warm, sunny days are perfect for outdoor activities of all sorts. What's your favorite? Gardening, I hope. But when you aren't gardening, what do you love to do outdoors? I was reminded of an outdoor activity that I love doing a few weeks ago when I was hunting for a Mother's Day picture: canoeing.
It's this picture that reminded me, but the funny thing about the picture is, we've had trouble identifying one of the people in it. I'm the paddler on the right making a face, but when I first saw this picture I thought that the girl on the left looked like my daughter Abby. The resemblence to her profile is uncanny. So then I figured if it looked that much like Abby, it was probably Kim. It seems like it's from the early 90s, when we would have been in high school. To confirm who it was, I went to the folks who would know the best: our moms. Neither one was sure. Although, then we started thinking that it could be my sister. So I sent her the picture, and still no definitive answer. I think we've settled on it being my younger sister and that fits with a trip to the Suwannee River, but the fact that no one could ID the person with certainty and the flurry of texts in the attempt, still has me laughing. And who knows, if it's not Kim and it's not my sister, then it is a canoe expedition that I don't remember.
So anyways, it reminds me that we need to try canoeing again. The last time we did it, Madeleine screamed 'I don't like this' most of the time and scared all of the birds out of Lettuce Lake Park. But Kim and I realized that was two years ago, so maybe she's ready for another try. So watch out wildlife, here we come!
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Happy Gardening, The Kerby's Nursery Family 
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| Keep an eye out for black-spot on your roses. |
Rose Care in Summer
So here it is, the big challenge for growing roses in Florida: Summer! They don't mind the sunshine, they don't mind the temperature, but the humidity can really cause them problems. To keep your roses in top shape, follow the tips below and if you need a few more roses to complete your garden, all of our Fortuniana-Grafted roses are buy one get one free until they are gone for the season.
1) Water Well - Healthy rose bushes resist disease problems. Weak roses get infected more quickly. If your roses were planted this spring, keep up with your intial watering schedule until they are established. If they are plants that are over a year old, one deep soaking each week is sufficient, and mother nature is certainly providing that now.
2) Keep Roses Strong - To stay healthy, a rose bush needs its fertilizer. Fertilize monthly with Kerby's 8-4-8 or use a liquid fertilizer such as FoxFarm's GrowBig to keep roses filled with the nutrients they need to grow and bloom.
3) Spray for Disease - Spraying rose bushes for disease issues is unavoidable. If you want to keep things on the natural side, spray weekly with Neem Oil or Copper Soap Fungicide. For something a little stronger, you can do a monthly spray of Liquid Systemic Fungicide.
4) Limit Pruning - Don't do heavy pruning on rose bushes once the rainy season arrives. They often don't recover. Save heavy pruning for the cool winter months. Dead-heading to promote blooms and light pruning of individual branches is fine.
5) Keep on Enjoying - Healthy rose bushes will bloom almost year-round in Florida, so stay ahead of the game, keep your roses healthy and you'll have bouquets of roses to bring inside each week of the year.
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Summer Blooms |
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Almond Bush Sweet-smelling flowers. 10" Pot - $19.99 |
Premium Mulch Black Cypress, Red Pine Bark and Dark Brown Cypress 2 cu ft Bag - $2.99 |
Summer Sale
All Fortuniana-Grafted Roses Buy One Get One Free Regular Price - $29.99 |