Top Ten Green New Year?s Resolutions!

Plant garden plants which will attract birds and butterflies to your garden. Birds and butterflies add a certain magic and movement to your garden; and if you sit and relax in the garden for a short time, you?ll be surprised how many appear, and how enjoyable it is to watch them. Plants with berries, small trees such as dahoon holly (females) or any of the stoppers are gorgeous and prolific fruit producers; and will attract lots of birds. Smaller bushes such as wild coffee, rouge plant, firebush, and marlberry also make excellent additions to any garden. Butterfly attracting plant abound, and you can certainly find something to fit your color theme and your budget.

Have some type of water in the garden; a small, child-safe pond is a wonderful, restful addition, but even a birdbath becomes a magnet for wildlife, and you?ll be surprised to see the number of visitors.

At the very least, lessen your lawn. Maintaining a lawn in Florida requires fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides and too much water! Consider drought tolerant ground covers, such as flowering peanut or sunshine mimosa. Also, from the perspective of most wildlife, lawn is virtual desert. Unless you are trying to attract starlings to eat grubs, much better choices are available. Besides, mowers, edgers and blowers cause far more air and sound pollution than most vehicles,

Lighten up on yourself. Don?t attempt to have every inch of your garden manicured. First of all, it takes away too much of the fun of gardening, and secondly, many birds like rooting around under cover, searching for an elusive snack.

Mulch with organic material, preferably something other than cypress mulch. Oak leaves are wonderful, and often free for the asking or picking up. Crushed pine bark (not the old-style large pieces) or eucalyptus mulch are also excellent choices. My personal favorite is horse stall cleanings. Most stables will allow you to have it?free for the pick-up, or will deliver it for a modest price. It doesn?t smell, and looks great. A three inch layer of organic mulch will not only conserve a lot of water, but as it decomposes its nutrients help fertilize the surrounding plants, and by moderating the moisture level and temperature of the soil, it also attracts lots of beneficial organisms. Think earthworms. They are attracted to the decomposition, and as they tunnel their way through your garden, they convert the decomposing organic material into fertilizer; all the time leaving tunnels behind them to improve drainage and allow air to the plants? roots. For vegetable gardens, consider putting down a 4-5 sheet layer of newspaper (which is made from recycled paper, with soy based ink), covered with a layer of straw. Just be sure when mulching, to leave a few inches between the plant and the mulch, to avoid rotting the stems.

Commit to planting some Florida native plants in the garden. You will be amazed at the variety, and if the selection is planted in the right place, they require virtually no care from you, once they are established.

Select one area of the garden to begin a xeriscape. Particularly, an area which requires no supplemental watering at all! There is an astounding variety of cactus and succulents alone, which add drama and architecture to any garden; and many of our natives blend very well in this type of setting.

Learn to accept a reasonable amount of insect damage. Often birds locate the problem area, and come in to clean it up for you. If you absolutely must treat the infestation, use the least toxic method possible. The best mix I know is to use 1/3 cup of Murphy?s Oil Soap, mixed into one gallon of water. Mix very well, and spray the tops and bottoms of all affected leaves. Spray in the morning or evening to avoid burning the foliage in the midday sun. If you are having a problem with fungus as well, add one tablespoon of baking soda to the mix. Fungi do not like abrupt changes of pH.

Create a compost pile. Layers of brown and green matter, with an occasional layer of native soil yields a wonderful fertilizer, not unlike the natural humus which accumulates on forest floors. It is free for the making, and is a great way to use your trimmings, rather than sending them to a landfill. The process will be even faster if you can keep the pile slightly moist, and turn the pile from time to time.

Buy or create a rain barrel. This is another way to collect a surprising amount of water for your garden. Even a small shower will result in a 50 gallon barrel full of rainwater, ready to use on your potted plants, on color spots around your patio, or to keep that compost pile damp.

Sunken Gardens is a botanical paradise in the midst of a bustling city. As St. Petersburg's oldest living museum, this 100 year old garden is home to some of the oldest tropical plants in the region.

Unwind as you stroll through meandering paths, lush with exotic plants from around the world. Explore cascading waterfalls, beautiful demonstration gardens, more than 50,000 tropical plants and flowers and a walk through butterfly encounter.

Sunken Gardens provides garden tours, horticultural programs, special events, field trips, weddings, private and corporate rentals. Call (727) 551-3100.

1825 4th Street N., St. Petersburg, FL 33704, 727-551-3100

www.sunkengardens.org