Who says veggies have to be grown in the garden? Many do well in containers and mix beautifully with herbs and flowers. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box and get creative. There are a few rules to keep in mind. A soilless mix works best. It also pays to incorporate some balanced, time-release …
Now is the time is to start your vegetable garden. Our growing season runs from September through May. But remember that September and October are active hurricane months so they can ruin a garden with excessive rain. Some of the more popular and most successful vegetables to grow are: tomatoes (best in containers), peppers (heavy …
Get ready! This is prime season for growing vegetables here in South Florida. Before you know it, you will be enjoying the fruits of your labor. Here are some questions and answers from a recent vegetable gardening workshop at Mounts, led by Mounts Horticulturalist Mike Page and Agriculture and Economic Development Coordinator Arthur Kirstein. The …
Mounts Botanical Garden recently installed “Bird in a Tree,” a beautiful new sculpture. The artwork, made of Etowah marble and valued at $20,000, was donated by renowned local artist Gert E. Olsen of Jupiter, who wanted to share his botanical vision with the people of Palm Beach County. “The eye-catching sculpture is a marble disk …
While living in New York City’s West Village, I often walked my dogs though the grimy streets of the Meatpacking district. I used to marvel at the numerous wildflowers that had established themselves 25 feet in the air along the abandoned railroads tracks of the highline, offering sustenance to butterflies, birds and bees in the …
As a horticultural professional in South Florida, I am asked daily what to do about different landscape issues, conditions and situations in the garden. After 11 years, I have learned that there are no definitive answers. Every year is an “unusual” year for us. It’s too cold or too hot, too wet or too dry, …
There are many joys living in “paradise” and watching butterflies is one of those pleasures. More than a 160 species of butterflies are seen in Florida with about 80 species in Palm Beach County, and more than 20 species have been counted at the Mount Botanical Garden. No matter what size or type of garden, …
Cabbage palm (Sabal Palmetto) before pruning at Mounts. Cabbage palm after pruning. Proper pruning is much more than cutting off branches from a tree. There should be a reason for every cut. Properly-executed tree pruning reduces the risk of branch and stem breakage and provides clearances for vehicles and pedestrians. Properly done, it improves tree …
By all accounts, young Palmer Crippen took his vegetable garden to a whole new level. Last September, Palmer attended Mounts’ Vegetable Gardening workshop with his father, Mounts’ new horticulturist Joel Crippen. Growing vegetables at home was not new to him, but Palmer wanted to gather fresh ideas to improve and expand his garden. Palmer, a …
The selection of the right tree in the right place can save a lifetime of maintenance. The characteristics of a tree, such as mature height, spread, root growth and canopy density, are the first elements to be considered in tree selection. A specimen that is inherently too large for its location will have to be …