Passionflower Chapter

By Katrina Stephenson

Earlier this year, Lake County employee, Veronica Dau, reached out to Passionflower Chapter asking us to collaborate on several projects in conjunction with Keep Lake Beautiful and America in Bloom (AIB). 

County officials and members of AIB wanted to learn more about FNPS, our mission, and Florida native plants for projects in public spaces throughout the county. They were also interested in installing roadside “pollinator pathways” as other cities have done. Melanie Simon of the Passionflower Chapter and Neta Villalobos-Bell from the Lake Beautyberry Chapter presented to a round table of elected officials and county employees in April 2021 about the benefit of planting Florida native plants.

Ms. Dau quickly identified Cagan Crossings Community Library in the Four Corners area of Lake County as a site that was interested in refurbishing their pollinator garden and reached out to the Passionflower Chapter to see if we could help.

The library already had a pollinator garden that had been thoughtfully installed by a local scout troop, but unfortunately, the only plants in the space included invasive Mexican petunia, non-native tropical milkweed, and fountaingrass. 

Fortunately, the site did have an (inactive) gopher tortoise burrow, a small self-seeded wild cherry tree, a fully functioning rain bird irrigation system as well as a hose hook-up, some stone benches and stepping stones, and a great combination of all-day sun and deep shade. There was real potential for creating a diverse wildlife habitat.

The first step was to rip out all that Mexican petunia and other non-native invasives. On August 29th, volunteers ripped out an entire truckload of invasive species, most of which had rooted themselves to landscape fabric that was hiding under the thick layer of pine bark. We did away with all of that as well (or at least as much as we physically could!).

We had also reached out to all Passionflower members asking for donations of plants. Keep Lake Beautiful donated funds to the project and Friends of Cagan Crossings started a fundraiser and advertised it to library visitors. With the money raised, we were able to purchase three trellises, a stone bird bath, additional stepping stones, and some more established native nursery plants from Green Isle Gardens. 

Amazingly, Passionflower members donated nearly 75 plants, most of which were volunteers from their yards. Native plants from a rescue site were also donated to the project.  

All in all, by September we collected over 130 plants and over 30 different native species to install on the site, which was roughly 30’ by 20’. A complete plant list has been included as an addition to this article. 

The project was definitely getting noticed and gaining traction in the local community.  When we showed up on September 16th to install the garden, we were greeted by over 20 eager volunteers who had heard about the project from Keep Lake Beautiful, Friends of Cagan Crossings and Give a Day Foundation.

Working off of a rough design sketch, Passionflower members placed the plants in the site starting with the shrubs and grasses, and then the smaller plants and wildflowers. Volunteers were given specific instructions on how to plant each plant and got busy digging. They also moved hardscaping, mulch, and logs into the space. 

Since many of the volunteers required direction and did not possess gardening or botanical knowledge, it was very important that FNPS members with experience circled around to answer questions, help give instructions, make quick decisions, and provide patient and friendly education when needed. If any other chapters attempt a project like this, we strongly advise having several knowledgeable “forepeople” overseeing the project so that your volunteers are not sitting idly. They may not possess knowledge of native plants and habitat restoration, but they want to do good and are eager to help!

The result: In less than three hours, all plants were in the ground and an incredibly biodiverse wildlife habitat full of colors, layers, and textures now sits in a public space at the Cagan Crossings Community Library. Visitors can enjoy sitting outside in the space or viewing it from inside through the large windows.

Passionflower unveiled the space formally on October 14th to celebrate Florida Native Plant Month. Friends of Cagan Crossings has expressed an interest in forming a garden club and have asked our members for guidance and garden maintenance instructions. 

Since this site is at a library, we thought it only appropriate to recommend a list of books and brochures to display so that visitors can learn more about Florida native plants, pollinators, and wildlife, as well. The library staff and volunteers are truly dedicated to educating the public about the benefits of native plants and they are thrilled to now host a demonstration garden in a public space for all to see.

We at Passionflower were very humbled and grateful that Keep Lake Beautiful, Friends of Cagan Crossings, and all the other volunteers involved in this project were fully committed to Passionflowers’s vision for the site and trusted our expertise. We consider ourselves fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with a group of dedicated people who - no matter what their background, experience, or knowledge of gardening or native plants - all united around the common goal of doing what is best for our local plant, insect, and animal wildlife. 

If you would like to know more about the Cagan Crossings Garden or have any questions, please reach out to us at passionflower.fnps@gmail.com.

Public Service Announcement on Behalf of Hummingbirds:

Hummingbirds can become unable to retract their tongues dues to fungal spores that germinate on their tongues or in their gullets caused by folks mixing honey or anything other than plain white sugar with water. The hummingbirds will die because they can no longer feed.

If you have feeders, PLEASE USE ONLY PLAIN WHITE SUGAR in your mixture of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. No organic or raw or brown sugar, no powdered sugar, no honey, no artificial sugar. Use plain white sugar/water mixture which is most similar to actual flower nectar. And no toxic red color liquids!

Change the sugar water mixture every couple of days, especially during high temperatures, as it will start to ferment if it sits out for days on end.

If you can't or won't do this, please do not put out a feeder at all.

www.ClermontNewsLeader.com

Jimmy Rogers - Passionflower member, Sustainability Coordinator at Cherrylake Tree Farm, and Certified Arborist - gave a hands-on pruning class at the Lake Louisa State Park Ranger Station Garden on January 26, 2023.  Using a Chickasaw Plum, Jimmy demonstrated pruning techniques and answered questions.

Jimmy’s advice - GO SLOW and make deliberate cuts.  Ideally, you want the tree/shrub to keep its natural shape and only remove what’s necessary:

• Don’t remove more than 13-15% of the tree growth.Pruning a mature tree can be a milt-year process.
• Remove branches that are protruding where people will walk, mow, sit, and weed.
• Look for the 4 Ds – Dead, Dying, Diseased, Decayed limbs.
• Guide future growth with directional pruning – cut ¼” from node so it will heal and hide the cut.
• Remove crossing branches – if branches are touching, especially if you can see where there has been rubbing.
• Don’t remove any limbs larger than 1/3^rd the size of the trunk.
• Don’t “clean out” the center of the tree – called “lion tail pruning” this puts all the weight at the end of the branches and eliminates wind buffer - leave some denser growth for nesting birds

Other topics covered -

• Safety – do not prune from a ladder, wear eye protection and gloves - if using a pole saw make sure it is long enough that you can stand far enough away that the branch will not fall on you
• Tools – prefers hand tools as they encourage going slow (compared to chain saws) and making deliberate cuts - sharp tools make a clean cut (best for the tree/shrub) and save your energy – when pruning a diseased tree, clean your tools before cutting a different tree - Jimmy’s favorites are Silky tree saws and Felco #2 pruners.
• Painting cuts – not recommended as it traps moisture.
• Removing large limbs - make 3 cuts - remove the weight of the limb and avoid tearing the bark, with 2 cuts at least 1’ from the trunk, first on the lower side of the branch and then from the top a few inches outside the first cut - then make the final cut.
• The right final cut location – cut at the boundary between the trunk tissue and branch tissue - do not flush cut at the trunk as cutting the branch collar will damage the tree.See reference below for diagrams.
• When to prune – fall and winter are best as the tree is not growing/dormant - do not prune when the tree/shrub is flushing (foliage is light green) - pruning in winter is also easier as you can see the branches and know what you’re cutting.
• Palms – best to wait until fronds are dead to remove - don’t “hurricane cut” – palm branches should go from 3:00 to 9:00.
• Suckers – don’t chop with a shovel – cut flush with ground.
• Use an extension saw on palmettos to avoid getting cut and watch for wasp nests.
• If you’ve pruned a lot, give the tree some extra water.
• There is no research showing that ball moss or Spanish moss harms trees.

The hour-long class went by quickly.  Jimmy recommended the UF/IFAS Pruning Trees and Shrubs paper for anyone who wants a refresher on the topics he covered and learn more.

If you’re not pruning yourself, find a certified arborist (ISA) International Society of Arboriculture (isa-arbor.com)

You can also watch a pruning video at https://youtu.be/DwEFdx8hfkI

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners proclaimed October 2022 as Florida Native Plant Month to recognize the beauty and ecosystem value of native plants as well as the volunteer work done by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) to benefit the citizens and environment of Lake County.

Commissioner Sean Parks presented the proclamation to representatives of the two Lake County FNPS Chapters at the October 24^th BCC meeting:  Lake Beautyberry and Passionflower.  The proclamation recognized both chapters' work to preserve, conserve and restore the native plants and native plant communities of our County and State. 

Neta Villalobos-Bell, President of the Lake Beautyberry Chapter, thanked the Commissioners on behalf of FNPS and the many Lake County residents who care about a healthy and balanced environment.  Additionally, she thanked the Lake County staff who battle invasive plants and restore habitat on County parklands. 

Neta also spoke about some of the activities of FNPS volunteers in the County: support for habitat management projects; native plant rescue and relocation; advocacy and support for policies to preserve and increase open space and conservation lands; and providing educational opportunities.  At the meeting Commissioners received a copy of the FNPS “Good Citizen Guide to Natural Florida”, a useful FNPS educational publication which helps residents learn about and preserve Florida’s natural treasures.

Photo courtesy of the Lake County FL Office of Communications.  Left to Right:  Neta Villalobos-Bell (LBB President), Lavon Silvernell (LBB), Commissioner Sean Parks, Melanie Simon (PF President), Nadine Foley (LBB)

On Saturday, May 14th, members and supporters of the Passionflower chapter were treated to a tour of “The Edge” at Cherry Lake Tree Farm in Groveland.  One of the ways Cherrylake is working to promote the use of native plantings in commercial and residential developments is with two native plant demonstration gardens - one "natural" and one "formal" – where they are testing the use, growth, and maintenance requirements of a palate of native species (see the Cherrylake Plant Survey). They are also working with a developer to install native landscaping in the Sunbridge development in Lake Nona.  See the full trip report - Notes from "The Edge".

Passionflower was one of 15 host organizations at the Lake County Conservation Symposium on April 30, 2022.  These organizations met at Trout Lake Nature Center in Eustis to learn about each other and collaborate and form partnerships to protect our county's amazing natural resources.

Over 1,000 native plants rescued so far this year!  As development in Central Florida continues to reduce pristine native habitat areas, plant rescues are vital to preserve genetic diversity and create (or supplement) native plant communities in conservation areas.  We only rescue on sites where landowners give us permission to remove plants, and the plants we have rescued have gone to Lake Louisa State Park, Oakland Nature Preserve, and the Little Italy restoration area at Lake Apopka's North Shore.  The added benefit for rescuers is the great opportunity to see native ecosystems up close and learn about native plants that are not cultivated or sold at nurseries.

See pictures and read about our 2021 Lake County Wildflower Festival.