OCTOBER lawn and garden tips start with the recognition that atmospherically, this month equates to shorter, cooler, drier, and windier days. That extra wind dries up available water faster. Three days without water creates drought stress conditions in Northeast Florida lawns, inviting weeds, pests, and diseases. And with cooler nights, fungus will be of increasing threat to your turf. Take advantage of two-day per week watering until November 7, the end of Daylight Savings Time, when Jacksonville water restrictions return to one day per week. Note that there are no restrictions for hand watering.
Quick Facts: “In Jacksonville, the average sunshine in October is 6.9 hours,” according to the Weather Atlas. “October, the same as September, is another warm autumn month in Jacksonville, Florida, with temperature in the range of an average low of 65.8°F (18.8°C) and an average high of 80.8°F (27.1°C).” -Longest day Summer Solstice June 20: 14:09:01 –October 1st is 11:53:55 hours long, whereas Oct 31st is 11:01:49 a loss of 53 minutes of daylight. -Shortest day Winter Solstice December 21st 10:13:57 -Daylight starts to increase again on December 22nd. -New York by comparison has just 9:18:24 of daylight on the Winter Solstice a full 55 minutes less sunlight than Jacksonville.
What Can I grow In the Garden Now?
October is a good time to begin preparing your garden beds for the Fall and Winter growing season. If your garden beds are laying dormant consider cleaning them up and fortifying them with soil amendments and organic matter including Bio-tone, compost, and manures. A few of our in-stock recommended vegetables ready to plant as seedlings or seeds include broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, kale, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and Zucchini. Garden Center Matthew Barlow discusses these plants and their growing requirements for optimum success in the video below.
Schedule Your Annual Pond Cleanout Service Now
We urge our clients with ponds we’ve built to schedule their annual Winter Pond Cleanout now for your best choice for service dates. As an incentive, Earth Works provides discounts on pond cleanouts scheduled during the cooler months for the health of your pond ecosystem and to accommodate your year-long enjoyment. Jason Duffney explains the importance of regular pond cleanouts in the video below.
We hope you find our October lawn and garden tips useful and encourage you to contact us with your questions. For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online or at 904-996-0712.
Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Using a mix of Florida landscape plants, create Fall planter arrangements that hold up to our cool season temperatures while providing seasonal color. Cypress, Maple, and sweetgum are a few of the trees that provide us seasonal color later in the season. As Florida’s forests say “not yet” to the September 22 start of Fall, we can speed up the process in beautiful pottery placed in entranceways, on patios, and around pools. Start by planning your Fall planter arrangements to include seasonal colors such as orange, red, purple, and yellow. Terri and Kevanie created these examples of Fall planter arrangements from a mix of plants that provide color and hold up to our cool season climate.
The TALL container contains Coleus, Alternanthera, Red Fountain Grass, Sloppy Painter Croton, and Sweet Potato Vine. The MEDIUM container contains Coleus (2 varieties) and Bulbine. The SHORT container contains Coleus (3 varieties), Mammy Croton, and Foxtail Fern.
1. Combinations of foundational plants such as Blue Point Juniper makes a stately impression at entrances and as a focal point. makes a stately impression at entrances and as a focal point. 2. Around the base of the juniper consider adding cool-season Flowering Cabbage for an instant pop of color. adds an instant pop of color to the Fall/Winter container garden. 3. Alternate placement of Dusty Miller with its silver foliage for contrast to this now colorful arrangement.
1. Platinum Dynasty Cabbage is an early main-season cabbage that can be rotated from the garden into your planter arrangements. 2. Ornamental Cabbage with its purple rosette center and wavy greenish-purple outer leaves is an attractive relative of garden cabbage best suited for planter arrangements and as landscape decor. 3. Licorice plant has the fragrance of licorice without the taste and is best used as a velvety planter spiller that puts on a show with its cascading foliage.
1. Poinsettias are recognizable as a holiday plant with brilliant red leaves in winter that serves as a thriller in any arrangement. 2. Dwarf White Pentas have a mounding habit and vibrant white star-shaped blooms. 3. Ornamental Cabbage is a go to cool-season choice setting the tone for seasonal arrangements. 4. Aztec Grass is a cold hardy clumping plant that spills beautifully its variegated silver and green.
1. Creeping Jenny is a light green perennial favorite with its trailing habit. 2. This variety of Ornamental Cabbage has a creamy white center and rich green outer leaves. 3. Dreams Red Picot Petunias have a mounding habit with blooms with wide white edges and red centers.
Plant your choice of seasonal color or strictly place the plant’s pots and all in your Fall plant arrangement. Monitor your containers to keep up with their watering requirements or consider a drip irrigation system on a timer for periodic watering. As the plants grow, they can be given a haircut trimming or switched out with other plants.
If you’d prefer to have Earth Works maintain your planter arrangements contact Matthew Barlow who provides this service for Earth Works clients. And remember for comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online or at 904-996-0712.
Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Earth Works builds ecosystem ponds that work with natures’ nitrogen cycle for pond owners wanting to provide a healthy aquatic environment for plants and animals. Organic debris, including fish food, animal, and plant waste, accumulate in ponds and are broken down by nitrifying bacteria making nitrogen available to plants in a process called nitrogen fixation. “Nitrification constitutes a two-step process,” according to the Journal of Microbiology. “In the first step, ammonia is oxidized to nitrite by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), followed by the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate by ubiquitous nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.”
High organic nutrient concentrations from runoff pollution are often in the news causing oxygen depleting algal blooms and high levels of harmful bacteria that kill fish and other wildlife. Earth Works offers annual pond cleanouts as part of regular maintenance for the healthy pond ecosystem. We stock both cold and warm water activating beneficial bacteria for dosing your pond filter to fuel the eco-friendly nitrogen cycle for pond owners. While it sounds complicated, the properly constructed and engineered pond with adequate filtration, skimmer, pump turnover rate, and properly stocked fish and plants with annual cleanouts are ecologically balanced and easy to maintain. “Nitrosomonas bacteria first convert nitrogen gas to nitrite (NO2-) and subsequently Nitrobacter convert nitrite to nitrate (NO3-), a plant nutrient,” according to Lenntech. Nitrates become unhealthy for fish at 120 ppm where plants are insufficient for absorption. While these processes are invisible Earth Works supplies various water test kits and water additives to treat and regulate pond water parameters.
Under dirty conditions, certain bacteria species threaten the health of fish and other pond wildlife populations. “Aeromonas Alley” is described as when water temps are between 42F and 62F when Aeromonas bacterial strains at high concentrations in dirty ponds can result in fish ulcers, hemorrhagic septicemia, brown blood disease (caused by nitrite toxicity), and death. Good and bad bacteria populations are increasing their activities as water temperatures increase, making nitrogen bioavailable over what pond plants can use, which is why we encourage clients to schedule their pond cleanouts in winter heading into spring. Complicating matters, some of these Aeromonas bacteria species convert nitrates back into nitrites in denitrification. Nitrite levels over 0.15 milligrams per liter in fish inhibit their absorption of oxygen. Regular dechlorinated water changes are the best low-tech approach to reducing levels of nitrites and nitrates in the pond.
The nitrogen cycle explains the basics for converting nutrients into plant food. Earth Works and a network of Certified Aquascape Contractors provide information, products, and services to improve biosecurity to beautiful, low-maintenance ecosystem ponds.
For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Understanding curb appeal landscaping principles benefit you regardless of whether you’re looking to buy, sell, or spruce up a home in Northeast Florida. In the accompanying video, Earth Works Owner Jason Duffney provides examples of curb appeal landscaping principles used in developing a plan for a new homeowner in Jacksonville.
The landscape should fit the architecture. The color, form, texture, and scale of plants compared to the home affect curb appeal, as do their arrangement and maintenance. “So when doing landscapes for homes, the first thing I consider is the windows, columns, and walkways…,” Duffney said. “The windows are the eyes of the home. And whatever you do like in the makeup world, you are going to accent around those eyes.” If you decide to have hedges in front of the home, consider trimming them or utilizing a dwarf variety to avoid obstructing the view. Trees likewise should not obstruct windows unless the intent is for them to provide a privacy block. However, the privacy benefit of blocking the street view can become and pitfall if potential buyers can’t see the home. Duffney demonstrates how the sight of columns blocked by hedges is enhanced by removing those hedges and installing Blue Point Junipers.
“Design principles include unity, balance, transition, focalization, proportion, rhythm, repetition and simplicity,” according to Basic Principles of Landscape Design published by the University of Florida. “Landscaping combines elements of art and science to create a functional, aesthetically pleasing extension of indoor living to the outdoors.” These principles aren’t an exact science but a good guide for improving curb appeal in the eyes of many.
“We always try to focus on having balance in the yard,” Duffney said. “A home like this, you can do things symmetrical. Certain homes you can’t, but you can always create balance.” Both symmetrical and asymmetrical types of balance help a landscape make sense. “Symmetrical balance is used in formal landscapes when one side of the landscape is a mirror image of the opposite side,” according to Principles of landscape published by Michigan State University. “These landscapes often use geometric patterns in the walkways, planting beds, and even how the plants are pruned into shapes. This type of balance appears to be rather stiff in appearance and often is highly maintained. Asymmetrical balance, also known as informal balance, differs from one side to the other and appears to be relaxing and free-flowing.”
As ongoing maintenance and upkeep are essential for curb appeal landscaping, consider replacing annual flower beds with various colored evergreen plants. “A lot of people get fixated on doing lots of flowers,” Duffney said. “For homeowners that don’t mind being in the garden a lot, that’s a great option, but you can actually create with lots of evergreen material a landscape that is very easy to sustain. You can do it with evergreens and not have so much work.” Annual beds and flowers during the off-season can leave an area of the landscape looking bare and unkempt. That’s problematic for home buyers and sellers potentially burdened with untimely upkeep. Duffney likewise demonstrates how to layer plants and use plant material to hide utilities along with a host of other considerations. You can do curb appeal landscaping projects yourself or reach out for assistance to a professional landscape design firm like Earth Works for a design consultation. We are here to help.
For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact us at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Considering there are more dog-friendly plants than those that cause them harm, we’ve cross-referenced the Chewy.com, PetMD.com, and ASPCA lists of plants toxic to dogs and provided below. Grass tends to be the most commonly consumed plant by dogs. The science is not clear as to why dogs eat grass. It could be a primordial deworming process or something they do when sick to induce vomiting. Still, thankfully dogs, typically leave our landscape flowers and plants alone as many cause them to have upset stomachs and have varying degrees of toxicity.
Common Plants Toxic to Dogs:
Aloe
Alocasia
Amaryllis
American Mistletoe
Ambrosia Mexicana
American Mandrake
American Yew
Angel Trumpet
Apple tree plant parts contain cyanide.
Apricot (stems, leaves, and pit contain cyanide)
Arrow-Head Vine
Arum
Australia Nut
Autumn Crocus
Asparagus Fern
Azalea
Baby’s Breath
Barbados Pride
Bay Laurel
Begonia
Bergamot Orange
Bird of Paradise Flower
Bishop’s Weed
Bitter Root
Bittersweet
Black Calla
Black Cherry
Black Laurel
Black Nightshade
Black Walnut
Bleeding Heart
Bog Laurel
Borage
Boxwood
Brunfelsia
Buckeye
Buckwheat
Burning Bush
Buttercup
Butterfly Iris
Caladium
Calamondin Orange
Calla Lily
Cape Jasmine
Caraway
Cardboard Palm
Castor Bean Plant
Carnation
Ceriman
Chamomile
Chandelier Plant
Cherry (stem, leaves, and pit)
Chinaberry Tree
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Jade
Chives
Chrysanthemum (also known as Mums)
Clematis
Clivia Lily
Coffee Tree
Coleus
Coontie Palm
Cornstalk Plant
Cow Parsnip
Cowbane
Cycads
Cyclamen
Daffodil (especially the bulbs)
Dahlia
Daisy
Desert Rose
Deadly Nightshade
Dieffenbachia
Dog Daisy
Eastern Star
Elephant Ears
Elephant-Ear Begonia
English Ivy
Epazote
Eucalyptus
Fetterbush
Fiddle-Leaf Fig
Fig
Fleabane
Foxglove
Garlic
Gardenia
Geranium
Giant Dracaena
Gladiola
Gloriosa Lily
Gold Dust Dracaena
Grapefruit (skin and plant parts; fruit isn’t toxic)
Hawaiian TI Plant
Heavenly Bamboo
Hellebore
Holly
Hops
Horse Chestnut
Hosta
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Rubber Plant
Iris
Iron Cross Begonia
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jade Plant
Japanese Yew
Jerusalem Cherry
Jonquil
Kaffir Lily
Kalanchoe
Laburnum
Lambkill
Lantana
Larkspur
Laurel
Lavender
Leek
Lemon (skin and plant parts; fruit is non-toxic)
Lemon Grass
Lemon Verbena
Lily of the Valley
Lime (skin and plant parts; fruit is edible)
Lobelia
Locust
Lovage
Macademia Nut
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Maleberry
Mapleleaf Begonia
Marijuana
Marjoram
Mayapple
Mayweed
Metallic Leaf Begonia
Milkweed
Mint
Mistletoe
Mole Bean Plant
Morning Glory
Narcissus
Nightshade
Oleander
Onions
Orange (skin and plant parts; fruit isn’t toxic)
Oregano
Ornamental Pepper
Painter’s Pallet
Parsley
Peace Begonia
Peach (stem, leaves and pit)
Peace Lily
Pencil Cactus
Peony
Perennial Pea
Periwinkle
Philodendron
Plum (stem, leaves and pit)
Poinciana
Poinsettia
Poison Hemlock
Portulaca
Pothos
Prayer Bean
Prickly Ash
Primrose
Privet
Purslane
Ragwort
Ranger’s Button
Red-Marginated Dracaena
Red Sage
Rex Begonia
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Sago palm
Shamrock Plant
Schefflera
Skunk Weed
Sorrel
Snake Plant
Split Leaf Philodendron
Spring Parsley
St. John’s Wort
Stinging Nettles
Striped Dracaena
Sweet Pea
Sweet William
Tahitian Bridal Veil
Tarragon
Thorn Apple
Tobacco
Tomato Plant
Tulips
Vinca -Virginia Creeper
Wahoo
Wandering Jew
Watercress
Winter Cherry
Winterberry
Wisteria
Yarrow
Yucca
We hope this information about plants toxic to dogs is useful to you. For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden and landscaping need, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online and at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Understanding the essential tree facts for hurricane season is crucial to reducing the threat of damage from storms here in Florida. Hurricane season is officially from May 22 until November 30, 2021. This is the time when many Floridians will face tropical storms and possibly hurricanes. The Florida Panhandle is currently facing landfall of Tropical Storm Fred with rain bands impacting Jacksonville while Tropical Depression Grace is tracking through the Caribbean, and Tropical Depression 8 that could become Henri is gaining strength near Bermuda.
The following are a few tree facts for hurricane season preparation.
1. Older trees may need pruning to reduce the risk of overhanging limbs to structures and power lines. Remove dead, diseased, cracked, and broken limbs at risk of falling during high wind events and hurricanes. A licensed arborist can provide professional assessments of what needs to be done to protect the specific trees before and after hurricane season. With eighteen inches of rain in the last six weeks, the ground is saturated with water that weakens root systems.
2. Some trees are at greater risk of attracting lighting, with those struck most often being oak, pine, and palms. When hit, the tree will attempt to repair itself but should be monitored over some months. Ultimately the damaged tree may require pruning or complete removal.
3. Tree species with shallow roots and large canopies, when combined with saturated soil, are at higher risk of coming down during high wind and rain events. Examples are Maples, Willows, Elms, and Birches.
4. Recently planted younger trees’ root systems may still be inadequate to protect against extreme wind and rain and can be at serious risk of falling. Staking trees when planted and leaving them staked throughout the season is best. Many can be stood back up, replanted, and secured if they fall. Still, they can be badly damaged in such events where the roots become ajar, exposed, or damaged.
Though tragic, it’s hardly a surprise when we see news coverage of a limb or large tree that fell into a home or that crushed a vehicle during high wind and rain. Regardless of the conditions of our trees, when faced with an impending storm event, it is best to assess the situation. Be aware of your surroundings, especially what is above, and take necessary precautions to protect friends, family, and yourself.
Visit our garden center for all your plants and gardening supplies. Contact Earth Works Landscaping department to schedule a consultation for all your landscaping, hardscaping, and drainage solution needs. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations.
Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Earth Works of Jacksonville provides comprehensive drainage solutions for Northeast Florida homeowners and businesses to protect your home and property from flooding and other harms associated with prolonged standing water. Earth Works Owners Douglas McGregor and Mark Fechtel have been providing drainage services for over 30 years. We offer customized drainage services and solutions with multiple configuration options discussed in our consultation process tailored to your specific needs.
Typical configurations include: -GRAVITY DRAINAGE WITH DRAIN BOXES for points of collection and hard pipe (PVC or sewer and drain) or an ADS Corrugated Pipe to move water from the problem area to a lower outflow area to provide proper drainage. A transit or automatic level is used to shoot the grades and elevations to ensure that there is proper gravity flow. If there is not adequate fall, a sump pump drainage system can be installed to move the water out of the problem area.
-French drains to catch runoff and provide gravity drainage solutions. French drains can be connected to systems of various configurations and type of pipe.
-Channel drains are appropriate drainage solution for pool decks, outdoor kitchens, hardscaping, and driveways. Connect channel drains to downspouts and route off property with hard pipe to outflow boxes or connect into one of our custom drainage systems.
-Swales and cisterns are examples of options for onsite water retention required in many Northeast Florida counties due to presence of environmentally sensitive ecosystems. We can also provide underground water retention with aqua bloxs or a dry well if the soil is sandy enough. The aqua bloxs could be combined with a pond or pondless water feature.
All of Earth Works drainage solutions meet federal, state, and local regulations designed to protect your property, safety, and the environment. Our drainage systems are guaranteed to work and are warranted for 1 year on parts and labor.
CONTACT US (904)996-0712 to schedule a consultation to create a design plan to accommodate your comprehensive drainage solution needs. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations.
Earth Works proudly serves clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
July Weather & Predictions for August The hot and muggy weather of July and August, often referred to as the Dog Days of Summer, are a hot and humid benefit to heat loving plants, but are a breeding ground for pests in our landscapes. Areas of Northeast Florida had nearly twice the typical July rainfall. More rain is coming in August as higher ocean water temperatures increase the possibility of intense tropical storms and hurricanes. Consider our “Hurricane Season Landscape Preparation” tips as saturated soil increases the threat of uprooting trees and flooding in the event of hurricanes impacting the region.
Nearly a foot of rain (11.76 inches) fell in July, as The National Weather Service (NWS) reported at Craig Airport. That’s over three feet of rain accumulation in Northeast Florida thus far in 2021. With the water came the heat. July’s highest temperature was 96F, set on Saturday the 31st at the end of the regions’ hottest week of the year. According to the NWS, July 27 saw a record high dew point temperature of 80 degrees at Jacksonville International Airport (JIA). Dew points above 55 degrees feel sticky, but over 65 degrees can make breathing difficult, especially for those with respiratory conditions. Combined, the high temperature, dew point, and rainfall were a recipe for more pests and disease. Likewise, the Earth Works Landscaping Division’s drainage business is booming as a result!
Emerging Pest Threats in August Our lawn spraying techs saw an increase in grasshoppers and gray leaf spot fungus during the July phase of the Dog Days of Summer. We recommend bifenthrin treatments for grasshoppers that likewise targets sod webworms. Gray leaf spot is a fungus that forms brownish-gray, often diamond-shaped areas on St. Augustine turf during wet and humid weather conditions. During dry periods their spores settle in the thatch waiting for favorable weather conditions to emerge. Gray leaf spot is in a genus closely related to species that likewise threaten global rice production. As such, there is a tremendous amount of ongoing research into treatments. “The fungus Pyricularia oryzae causes blast diseases of rice, wheat, and other cereals (e.g., millets),” according to The American Phytopathological Society. “In addition, P. oryzae is also responsible for the gray leaf spot disease of ryegrass, a major problem for golf courses in the United States. A host jump from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) onto wheat was recently reported and is suspected to be at the origin of strains causing severe epidemics on wheat in South America.”
Earth Works Lawn Care Operations Manager Chad Lakin encourages good cultural practices as the best way to limit gray leaf spot damage. Keep mower blades sharp and cut the grass high, only removing the top third of the grass leaf blades when mowing. Do all you can to reduce stress to the turf, including avoidance of herbicides during outbreaks, and be sure to limit irrigation during periods of excessive precipitation. While you can’t stop the rain, you can adjust sprinklers manually, turn them off on rain days, and consider a Smart Sprinkler Controller that considers weather conditions before watering.
August Plantings Look for tomatoes, peppers, and a selection of herbs at Earth Works as we say goodbye to the oppressive heat and rain of the Dog Days of Summer. Plant Buyer Dennis Hamilton likewise notes later in Fall, we will start getting cool-season veggies, including lettuce, broccoli, and collards. So now is an excellent time to start thinking about preparing your beds for the fall garden. In August, a few in-stock plants that we don’t always have available include Mojito Colocasia, Canna Tropicana, Sweet Almond Bush, Citrosa, and Horsetail reeds along with other water lilies and marginals.
Matt Barlow, Garden Center Manager, discusses care requirements for a variety of plants in the Earth Works greenhouse that are suitable as houseplants in our area, including: -Alocasia Grey Dragon: Alocasia maharani has a silver hue to the leaves, almost metallic. They are easy to grow and suitable for low light conditions. –Alocasia Black Velvet: Alocasia reginula is quite popular with garden center visitors last time we had it in stock. As the name suggests, they have a soft and velvety look to the foliage. They are easy to grow like the Alocasia maharani. –Alocasia Pink Dragon: Alocasia CV.’ Pink Dragon’ at first glance, has a similar appearance to the Alocasia amazonica or Alocasia polly with a slightly different irregular leaf shape and dark veins on the underside, which provide a beautiful contrast with their striking pink stem. These are a terrific choice for low light or bright indoor situations. –Calathea orbifolia, a prayer plant variety is a spectacular plant. Let them grow, and as they grow, bump them up to a larger and larger container. The larger the plant gets, the more dramatic, the larger leaves get. Calathea orbifolia is a fantastic low-light plant for here in Northeast Florida. –Ficus Audrey: Ficus benghalensis is very similar to the rubber plant. However, it has a lovely light green leaf with very distinct lighter-colored venation. Our available selection appears full in this size and very easy to grow. These will make excellent houseplants and outdoors in medium to rather bright light. Super easy to grow and relatively fast. They can be grown in shrub or tree form. –Moon Valley Pilea: Pilea mollis’ Moon Valley’ has a bumpy texture that is soft and velvety with a little bit of coarseness to the light green leaves with purple venation. –Ficus Umbellata is a new feature at the garden center that’s a good choice as a houseplant in a bright situation or outdoors in lower light with its vertical form and large floppy leaves. Be prepared to bump these up into larger containers as they will grow into a much larger plant. These large leaves are dramatic. It has the distinct ficus sheath on new leaves similar to what you will see on other ficus. Ficus Umbellata can make a striking focal point on the patio, lanai, porch, or corner of a room. Now is a good time to consider planting trees, which are the focus of our August Plant of the Week campaigns, including; Crape Myrtle, Japanese Maple, Magnolia, and Red Maple. Visit the Earth Works garden center and consider a purchase with 10% off depending on the particular plant of the week when you shop.
For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden and landscaping need, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online and at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
What company doesn’t want employees that are knowledgeable and passionate about their products and services? We salute our knowledgeable and passionate employees educating the public every day about our products and services. We also celebrate and recognize outstanding performance at our monthly employee meetings and support our employee’s professional development.
Our marketing department consists of Terri McGregor, Kevanie Counts, and John Hawley. They together produce and distribute Earth Works media content. Employees from all our divisions are the familiar faces and voices for their departments in that content. What you see on camera is what you get when you visit the garden center or when they roll up to complete an assignment at your property.
Earth Works phone message is the voice of Christina Lowe, a professional deejay who spends her days sharing her love of plants with garden center clientele.
Matthew Barlow speaks masterfully about all-things-plants along with Rhonda King representing the garden center.
With an unquenchable passion for their craft, Michael Quatromoni, Jason & Sean Duffney cover our water feature construction projects.
Chad Lakin provides lawn tips on camera and blogs supported by Mark Fechtel who likewise speaks for all aspects of company operations with Doug McGregor.
Mike Oaks as hardscaping foreman, discusses paver patios, retaining walls, driveways, and outdoor kitchen construction.
Every member of the design team makes it on camera, most frequently being John Cacchione and Patti Sanders, to discuss showcase projects they design and implement.
You can watch all the Earth Works landscape foremen discussing what they encounter implementing those landscape and landscape lighting designs. They include Chris Cooprider, Nick Scott, David Arthur, Tim Gipson, and Glenn Stanza.
On any given day, a camera is in their face without warning for the purpose of employees educating the public about plants, landscaping, landscape lighting, hardscaping, water gardens, drainage, and lawn care. In doing so, our audience gets to know more about our products and services and the individuals that make up the Earth Works family that serve you here in Northeast Florida.
We don’t have staff on camera to strictly focus on saying nice things about the company. Instead, they are encouraged to share their knowledge and expertise as employees educating the public about our brand as part of their everyday experience. In turn, our audience gets information directly from who they would be speaking with if they become Earth Works clients. Via this process, our staff members sharpen their verbal skills while being shown trust and recognition by Earth Works, which serves as further professional development.
While companies expect employees to perform their jobs well, most don’t make them the company’s voice. It works for us in various ways, such as seen when staff is informed by new clients that they feel like they already know them from having watched them in video content on www.earthworksjax.com. “A study in 2019 found that majority of professionals (70%) did consider their jobs a reflection of their identity, with 87% saying they’d want to work somewhere where they feel like they’re a part of something and “part of a family,” according to Human Resources Director (HRD). “Sadly, only half of professionals said they actually knew what their company stood for or represented.”
Our core values at Earth Works are integrity, teamwork, excellence, and fun. Besides being a business operating here in Northeast Florida for over thirty years, we are family and welcome like-minded people interested in growing with us. And thank you to our loyal followers for watching and sharing our content!
For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, pond, and landscaping needs contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online and at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations.
Proudly serving clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Hilliard, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
The signs of damage from heavy rain and over watering can take weeks to appear. Some damage in the form of fallen limbs and trees occurs quickly and is easy to see. In July 2021, Hurricane Elsa passed Jacksonville with tropical-storm-force wind and rain. It added to a week with more than 5 inches of rain that mostly fell on July 4th and 7th. While that amount of rain wouldn’t stop fireworks and doesn’t warrant alarm bells going off, it came during a month-long period of above-average rainfall that contributed to bringing down part of a tree that crushed one of our owner’s automobiles. We scurried about during the last week of September 2022 as Hurricane Hermine was approaching to hopefully avert similar damage from high winds and rain.
Chad Lakin, Earth Works Lawn Care Operations Manager recommends that your lawn should receive a half-inch of water three times per week from rain and/or irrigation. During weeks when it rains for three or more days dropping an accumulated weekly total of 1.5 inches of rain or more you should consider turning off the automatic timer on your sprinkler system and only water as needed. And be aware that irrigation regulations in Duval County restrict sprinkler system operation to twice per week. Be sure to check and abide by your county guidelines.
SEVEN FACTORS AFFECTING LAWN AND GARDEN DAMAGEFROM HEAVY RAIN include elevation, grade, soil composition, percentage of impervious area, drainage system, landscape design, and fungal pathogens.
Elevation: Much of Northeast Florida is at or slightly above sea level with a high water table. “Almost 25,000 kilometers of Florida’s coast is below 3.5 meters in elevation,” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. “The northeastern region of Florida is one of varied natural, geographical, and topographical environments. The region is a part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and contains an assorted mix of land cover types that span from coastal marshes to upland hammocks and scrub areas.”
Grading: Proper site grading requires a slope of the landscape away from home and other structures and into drainage systems that include swales and retention ponds. “The ground immediately adjacent to the foundation shall be sloped away from the building at a slope of not less than one unit vertical in 20 units horizontal (5-percent slope) for a minimum distance of 10 feet measured perpendicular to the face of the wall,” according to Florida Building Code 1804.4 [Excavation, Grading and Fill] Site Grading. “If physical obstructions or lot lines prohibit 10 feet of horizontal distance, a 5-percent slope shall be provided to an approved alternative method of diverting water away from the foundation. Swales used for this purpose shall be sloped a minimum of 2 percent where located within 10 feet of the building foundation. Impervious surfaces within 10 feet of the building foundation shall be sloped a minimum of 2 percent away from the building.” These measures reduce the threat of flooding and erosion from rainwater that doesn’t percolate into the soil.
Soil Composition: Our Northeast Florida soils tend to be sandy, allowing better percolation of water than clay soils. Heavy rains can saturate soil that can’t absorb additional water resulting in increased flooding, erosion, and runoff. “When soils become saturated from heavy rainfall, loss of nitrogen (N) becomes a major concern,” according to Kruger Seeds. “After soils are saturated, the two processes that can reduce the amount of available N are denitrification (microbial conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gases) and leaching.” Leaching of nutrients from the soil during heaving rains can change soil pH. “Rain leaches alkaline elements including calcium, magnesium and potassium from the soil into runoff water, leaving acidic elements like hydrogen, aluminum and manganese to replace the bases,” according to SFGATE. “This means that areas with high annual rainfall amounts, such as parts of New England, generally have more acidic soil than the arid deserts of Arizona.”
Impervious area: Impervious areas include driveways, walkways, decks, and patios. Municipalities in Northeast Florida have restrictions on the percentage of impervious surfaces allowed. Coastal communities have the most strenuous rules. Atlantic Beach limits impervious area to 45% and requires onsite water retention storage. Hardscaping projects must take into consideration all sources of water conveyance to comply with the city code. “The downspouts from the house they are all connected underground and run to the swale,” said John Cacchione, Earth Works landscape designer. “So all of the water from the roof is collected. Nothing is going out into the street.” Make sure your landscaping company understands and readily complies with applicable regulations.
Drainage system: The wide variety of drainage system designs available require routine maintenance to work effectively. Clogged gutters, French drains, and storm drains won’t function as designed. Standing water over time becomes lethal for turf and many varieties of plants. “During a flood, the greatest danger to your grass is suffocation,” according to the Turfgrass Group. “Grass needs sunlight, water, air—CO2, to be precise—and nutrients to grow. When your turf is submerged, the grass cannot get the CO2 it needs. It can survive this way for a day or two, but after four of five days, the chances of survival drop significantly. Generally, cool water and cool temperatures are the least destructive. If the air temperature is above 80 degrees and the water is shallow enough to be warmed, even a day or two could kill the grass.”
Landscape Design: Your choice of plants can have a significant impact on whether your lawn and garden are damaged or flourish after heavy rains. Native plants evolved in the local environment doing better in native soil and weather conditions than many non-natives. A professional landscape designer takes rainfall, soil composition, and drainage into consideration when establishing your landscape plan. Xeriscaping is popular but could require bringing in soil and regrading the landscape if the ground holds a lot of water during raining season. Alternatively, cannas, hostas, Japanese maple, and taro are a few examples of plants well suited for moist soil. Plant choices should be appealing to your taste and be in conditions to succeed and not succumb to damage from heavy rain.
Fungal Pathogens: Fungus thrives in wet conditions above and below the soil surface, growing on wet leaves while attacking roots. “Although the upper plant parts can deal with rainy periods pretty well, the roots are where most problems occur,” according to The Times-Picayune. “Excessively wet soil (especially combined with warm temperatures) can create stressful, and potentially destructive, conditions for the roots of bedding plants, perennials, vegetables, shrubs and even trees — especially newly planted ones.” Two serious fungal diseases are Gray leaf spot, Pyricularia grisea and Take-all root rot Gaeumannomyces graminis var. graminis. Gray leaf spot can infect blades when they are wet for less than a day at temperatures between 70F and 95F. “This fungus slows grow-in, thins established stands and can kill large areas of St. Augustine grass turf,” according to the University of Florida. “In Florida, St. Augustine grass is the only warm season turf grass affected by this important disease.”
Take-all root rot commonly attacks stressed lawn turf that destroys turf root systems over weeks leading to yellowing and irregular brown patches. “Take-all root rot is a stress-related disease, and the following stresses may trigger the disease: soil compaction and poor drainage, drought, excessive irrigation, improper mowing height, excessive thatch buildup, improper fertilization, excessive shade and the overuse of herbicides,” according to Louisiana State University.
Earth Works offers regular aeration that prevents soil compaction and top dressing for improving percolation and replenishing nutrients. For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden and landscaping need and to minimize lawn and garden damage from heavy rain, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations.
We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
