Hurray for Volunteers!

I had this post ready to go and then decided to hold off because of the Memorial Day holiday.  Memorial Day is a special day when we should pay our respects to those who whether they were drafted or volunteered, they gave their lives in service to our country.  It seemed a little disrespectful on Memorial Day to equate a self-seeded plant with a service person.  So I really mean no disrespect when I say with enthusiasm HURRAY FOR VOLUNTEERS!

I call plants that self-seed and sprout "volunteers" as do many gardeners.  These sprouts are plants just doing what nature intended.  The seeds fall or are blown then land and sprout.  If you have plants that freely self-seed you should consider these volunteers a blessing.  You didn't have to buy the seed or plant the seed, it just volunteered to grow for you.  I count them as blessings for the most part.

Of course, volunteers rarely volunteer to grow exactly where we want them to be.  I see no harm in requesting that the volunteers relocate; and in my garden they participate in the VRP (volunteer relocation program).  When I spot a volunteer, I usually dig it up and put it in a small pot until I can decide its permanent location.  When it is either a plant that will grow very large (like an Everglades tomato) or a plant that will stay very small (like a torenia) I skip this step because I usually know where my large and small spaces are located in the garden.

All Volunteer Basket

So when you are weeding, pay attention to what you are pulling up.  For example, this pretty hanging basket has a sunny yellow purslane in it right now.  This entire basket self seeded from last rainy season.  During the dry season, it was full of zinnias.  But, the zinnias all have died back and the purslane started to sprout. I recognized the sprouting plants and I just let it go.

I was weeding the gravel area under where the pot hangs and spotted this.

So I dug it up and put it in a little pot.  You should see it now!  I think I will start another basket if I get a few more volunteers.

Lately, I have been crazy for polka dot plants.  I don't know what it is about the mixture of pink and green on the leaves but it always make me smile just to look at it.  I have polka dot plants growing in both my Florida and North Carolina gardens.  They don't get very large, but sometimes when you look around where they are growing you will see these. 

Volunteer Polka Dot Plants

When I find them, I am digging them up and collecting them until I have enough to start a large pot.  I don't want to put them in the ground because as slow growers they will get choked out by the more vigorous growers.

And speaking of vigorous growers.  My cuban daisies think it is their purpose to take over every inch of soil everywhere in Florida.  I confess that I pull many of these up and toss them as weeds.  However, I do relocate plenty because the butterflies and bees are just crazy for this plant. 

Cuban Daisy

The blooms only last one day, but the plant is a prolific bloomer and the butterflies and bees will wear out a bloom in one day with so many visits.  I don't know if the bloom could stand a second day with so much company.

Cuban Daisy Volunteer & Weed

One year my mother had a volunteer watermelon plant sprout in the crack in the paved area behind her house.  She left it alone and in addition, didn't let anybody park there. We were amazed as the watermelon took over the area, flowered and fruited.  If she had intentionally planted the seed in that crack it would have never sprouted, much less produced.

Transplanted Purslane Volunteers

Volunteer Polka Dot Army

 

 

 

So what are your favorite volunteers and what is the strangest place one has every sprouted?

Floaters versus Sinkers - Seed Wars

When it comes to planting okra, I always like to soak my seeds for a day before planting.  I am sure there is a highly scientific reason that okra seeds should be soaked, but I do it because my father always told me "Cheryl, soak your okra seeds before you plant them."  He has been dead over 15 years, but I still do what he says.

Soaking this last batch of Cajun Jewel okra seeds, I noticed something strange.  Some of the seeds floated on the top and some sunk to the bottom.  As many times as I have planted okra, I couldn't remember if I had ever seen this before.

Floaters and Sinkers

It is possible this happens every time and I have never paid attention before.  Honestly soaking the seeds is usually one of those "Oh Crap" things you remember just before you go to bed.  You are in your jammies, turning out the lights and locking up the house when you remember that you were planning on starting those okra plants the next day.  So the standard practice is usually to find the seeds, dump them in a glass of water and go to bed without giving it another thought until I am ready to plant them the next day.

This time I remembered so far in advance that I paid attention to what I was doing when I popped the seeds in the glass.  Immediately I noticed floaters and sinkers.

I had a theory about floaters and sinkers.  I decided that the floaters didn't have much to get them started and that they would probably not germinate at all.  I hypothesized the sinkers were better seed and would have a higher germination rate and would grow faster.

So, the next day I carefully separated the sinkers from the floaters.   The floaters went in one starter flat and the sinkers went in another starter flat.  They were placed in the same area so that they would receive the same amount of water and sun.

I planted them on Thursday afternoon and as you can see that by Sunday morning there was a definite difference in the germination between the floaters and sinkers.  The floaters were sprouting away and the sinkers not so much.

Sinkers on Sunday May 11

I waited until Tuesday to check on them again.  At that point, the floaters and sinkers were the same size!!!!

So, the sinkers germinated quickly, but once germinated didn't grow up any faster than the slower germinating floaters. 

Floaters on Sunday May 11

Unless you are in a really short growing season and you need those extra two days, there is no difference between your floaters and sinkers, except that some float and some sink.

I transplanted both floaters and sinkers into flood and drain grow beds.  I have one bed filled with lava rock and the other filled with hydroton.  I also set a couple of floaters and sinkers in a DWC raft.  I also put one each floater and sinker in soil.

Since transplanted on Saturday, floaters and sinkers in the lava rock have produced their first true leaves.  The floaters and sinkers in the hydroton and the DWC raft have not produced true leaves yet.

As you can see in the photos I took today (Monday), in the lava rock grow bed, there is no difference between a floater and sinker.

Floater and Sinker on May 19

So, don't throw out your floaters. 

Stay tuned for updates during the growing season.

The Survivor's Garden

In this blog I have covered what it takes to survive in the garden and what it takes to survive gardening.  Today I am privileged to tell you about a very special garden for survivors.

This past Saturday I was honored to visit the Alexander "Sandy" Niniger Veteran's Nursing Home in Pembroke Pines, Florida.  This facility may be small (only 120 beds) but it provides dedicated care to our nation's veterans with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

The facility had a small, rarely used garden area that had fallen into disrepair.  Enter a young man by the name of Jake Cairo.  Jake had a vision to make this small space a place where the veterans could get some sunshine and fresh air, enjoy the singing of birds, and watch the flittering of butterflies and the buzzing of bees.

Jake met with landscapers and nurserymen to determine what would grow best in the area.  He figured out how to work with the foundation plants and irrigation that were already in place.  The podacarpus could stay if it were trimmed to a hedge and the Firespike could be saved as well.  Then he pondered how to honor these veterans of the various branches of the military.

 A plan began to form and he consulted with some trusted adults to see if he was on-track.  Then Jake went to work.  He ordered special stones engraved with the different branches of the military.  These are real stones, not plaster or plastic imitations!

 He recruited friends, family, and fellow teens.  They went into a frenzy and transformed the area into a place of beauty that could bring joy to people whose lives were growing dim due to the ravages of dementia, Alzheimer's and other deteriorating mental conditions.  Hedges were trimmed, birdhouses refurbished, plants installed, and mulch spread thick enough to slow down those relentless weeds.

The day I visited, there were butterflies aplenty and a mockingbird went from rooftop to treetop.  This bird sang every song in its repertory. A song fit for survivors of all stripes.  Those who never give up, those who keep pushing on, those who we must remember...even as they themselves forget and are forgotten.

Native Porterweed

Oh, did I mention that the young man who took on the planning and execution of this garden rehabilitation is Autistic?  Yes, Jake Cairo is on the Autism Spectrum; and this garden was his Eagle Scout project.  Jake took on what most kids wouldn't dream of, much less accomplish.  From the time he began scouting Jake was determined to become an Eagle Scout and give back to the community.  I would say he has met his goal. Jake says this is just the beginning and plans to be an adult volunteer in the Boys Scouts of America.

So let's pause now to honor those who serve, like the veterans at the Sandy Nininger Nursing Home and those like Jake Cairo who are willing to overcome their own obstacles to serve those with greater obstacles.