Discover the Fun of Gardening

September 6, 2012   

 
 Abby loves to help in the garden.


Hopefully you used the sunny weather this week to prepare the soil in your vegetable gardens. Abby helped us turn the soil and add some fresh peat and cow manure to our veggie beds in preparation for this season's garden. Veggie plants arrived this week at the nursery, including favorites like cabbage, collards and of course plenty of tomatoes. It is definitely time to start planting your gardens, just make sure you keep them watered, especially on days without rain.

 
 Cardinals are year-round residents.

As the sprinklers in our veggie garden were running this past week, we saw the funniest thing. A beautiful male cardinal perched himself a few feet away from the sprinkler and started ruffling his feathers, like he was taking a shower. Pretty soon a female cardinal joined him, and then a little sparrow got in on the action too. We didn't realize that our sprinklers would double as a bird shower. Abby enjoyed watching them play in the water and it reminded us of how cool the wildlife can be in our gardens.  If you want to make your garden wild, see the tips below and come out to Kerby's this Saturday, September 8th at 10am for the wildlife gardening workshop.

Happy Gardening,
Kim, Joey and Mark
 

In This Issue
Featured Plant


Gardening for Wildlife

Upcoming Events
 

Fall Veggies and
Seeds are In

 


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Featured Plant

Beauty Berry
Callicarpa americana
This Florida native is a must-have for wildlife gardens. The purple berries provide food for birds and other little critters and as the shrub grows tall, it provides some cover for nesting and resting. Beauty berry is best planted in part shade and grows up to 8 feet tall. Berries appear in summer to early fall.


Gardening for Wildlife

It's so peaceful to watch hummingbirds and butterflies flit about the garden in search of the best nectar. Or to watch a group of squirrels and a family of cardinals vie for the best position at the birdfeeder. Whatever your favorite critter is, how you plant and tend your garden can have an impact on the type of wildlife you'll see.  So as you are planting and pruning, think about how it may affect the wildlife that you enjoy watching. See our tips below or check out Kerby's information sheets on wildlife gardening and butterfly gardening for even more information. And come out to Kerby's his Saturday, September 8th at 10am to go wild in your garden at the Wildlife Gardening Workshop.

 

Provide a food source -  For butterflies and hummingbirds, red, tubular flowers are a favorite. Pentas, firebush, firecracker plant and coral honeysuckle have lots of nectar and are frequented by both butterflies and hummingbirds. For other wildlife, fruit and nut trees as well as berry bushes can provide some food, as long as you are willing to share. There are plenty of plants that aren't edible for people, but that birds and critters love like, hollies or  simpson's stopper. Of course, for birds, it is hard to beat a birdfeeder for getting a good look at the variety of birds that come through our area.

Provide a water source - Food is important, but water is critical for all animals. A birdbath is a great way to give birds a place to clean themselves, get a little water and play around too. Ponds or fountains can be used too, as long as you don't put harmful chemicals in the water.

Limit lawn areas - A lawn provides no cover and no food or water, so it is for all practical purposes, useless to wildlife. Consider replacing grass with groundcovers, which are much easier to care for and provide wildlife with cover and shelter. Also plant different areas of shrubs and trees to break up lawn or groundcover areas
 



Provide cover - Many neighborhoods have very little area for cover, shelter and nesting. In your own garden, plant trees and large shrubs that over time will make great spots for birds to nest, butterflies to go into chrysalis and that will create a food source for a variety of wildlife. Even a simple privacy hedge can be a place that birds can nest in or other animals like bunnies and squirrels can use to keep out of the rain. Keep in mind, your yard doesn't have to look wild to have wildlife. Nectar plants and shelter plants can easily fit into a landscape design, creating both a garden of beauty as well as a place for your favorite wildlife to call home. Need help designing a wild garden? Come in and see us. We'll make sure that you unleash your wild side.  
 

 


 

Upcoming Events

 

 

 

Gardening to Attract Wildlife
Saturday, September 8th at 10am

Fall is a great time to see many different birds in Florida as they migrate south for the winter. At this workshop we'll teach you tips and tricks to make your garden the place for birds (and other wildlife) to stop on their way south. 

 

 

 

 

Fall Veggie Gardening in Raised Beds
Saturday, September 15th at 10am

Florida is a wonderful place to live, because while our northern neighbors are starting to hunker down for winter, we are planning our fall vegetable gardens. Fall is a great time of year to grow leafy favorites, like cabbage, collards, mustards and broccoli. We'll talk about all of the great vegetables that grow through the winter in Florida, and we'll also discuss gardening in raised beds (a great way to grow veggies in smaller yards).

 

 

 

Fall Porch Pots
Saturday, September 22nd at 10am

Your front porch is the first thing friends and guests see when they enter your home, so why not make a stunning first impression. Porch pots are an easy way to create amazing, colorful displays that will invite everyone into your home. We'll show you how to create and maintain an amazing porch pot. Come early to pick out your pot and we'll even help you plant it!

 

 

 

Rose Care in the Fall and Winter

Saturday, September 29th at 10am

Roses always need a little TLC after the summer time. At this workshop we'll talk about pruning and caring for roses in the fall and winter. We'll also talk about pest & disease control and fertilizing to get the best blooms out of your rose bushes. 

 





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Kerby's Nursery

2311 S. Parsons Ave.

Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 685-3265
www.kerbysnursery.com


Store Hours
Open Seven Days a Week
Monday - Saturday,  9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday,  11:00am - 4:00pm