Sustainable Gardening for Florida
by Ginny Stibolt
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past events

August 17, 2010 Volusia County Paw Paw Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.  Their meetings take place at Sica Hall Community Center 1065 Daytona Ave Holly Hill, FL.  This was another great group.  Thanks to Elizabeth and everyone who came.  This was my 53rd event!

Master Gardener training in August: Thursday 8/5/10 in Palm Beach County; Saturday 8/7/10 in Pasco County; Tuesday 8/10/10 in Putnam County; Wednesday 8/11/10 11am in Alachua County.  All well-attended events--surprising for summer programs..

August 3, 2010 I had a great time talking about Sustainable Gardening & Some Old Gardeners' Tales at the Florida Native Plant Society's tarflower chapter  meeting in Orlando. Thanks to Julie and everyone for a lively discussion.  This chapter will be the host of the next FNPS conference.

July 10, 2010 I was invited to speak to the Apalachee Bay Yacht Club on Sustainable gardening basics. While a yacht club may seem a little out of the ordinary for this topic, everyone likes to save time and money in his or her gardens and general landscape care.  It was fun!  Thanks for the great questions!

June 9, 2010 I talked to The Villages Garden Club.  We discussed sustainable gardening in general to at this garden club on the north side of The Villages.  We all went to  Anne Lambrecht's home to see her gardens and eat delicious sandwiches and desserts. Thanks Anne for having me. 

After the garden club I headed south to talk with the Sumter County Master Gardeners in Bushnell about developing habitat in your landscape and why it's important.  I love talking to master gardeners--they ask such great questions and I know that my information will be really used and passed on multiple times.

June 5, 2010: I spoke about Rain Gardens and Sustainability at Tallahassee Nurseries' Saturday morning lecture series. We had an interesting, wide-ranging discussion this morning at the beautiful setting by the blue ceramic fountains in the middle of grounds.  More than twenty people came out including the Florida DEP's technical program manager for Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program.  The thunderstorms held off until after the talk was over.  Thanks to Sharon and the staff at the nursery for hosting this appearance.  Tallahassee Nurseries 2911 Thomasville Road, in Tallahassee 

May 20 - May 23, 2010 30th Annual Meeting of the Florida Native Plant Society in Tallahassee. My presentation on sustainable gardening with an emphasis on rain gardens on Friday morning was well-attended and well-received.  I learned a great deal at other presentations and met so many folks who are actively participating in conservation and education projects all over Florida. Plus there was a summit there with other native plant societies from all over the southeastern US at this meeting.  It gives me hope for the future.  Next year the meeting is in Orlando--make plans to attend this worthwhile event.  Oh yes, this group also knows how to throw a great party.

For more information see: www.fnps.org and the new blog http://fnpsblog.org (I'm one of the bloggers.)

May 15, 2010 Party for the Planet!! at Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  This was a combined party for Maude & Mary, ZOO Roo, and the Earth (Party for the Planet).  I was excited to be there as a vendor as the zoo "goes green."

April 29, 2010 The Garden Club of Ft. Pierce hosted the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs – District X Spring Meeting. Afterwards many of the members came to Heathcote botanical gardens and I was there to greet them and talk about my book.  On Saturday, May 1, 2010 I was back again with garden walk with me and a book signing.  Thanks to all for arranging this.  Heathcote will be expanding and is slated to be part of a greenway project with bike paths and hiking trails from downtown.  Very exciting. www.heathcotebotanicalgardens.org  

April 24 & 25, 2010 St. Petersburg Green Thumb Festival: I spoke on both days and I had a vendor's booth.  What a great event!! I've been to a lot of festivals this year and this was one of the best ones.  They celebrated Arbor Day and Earth Day at this annual city festival. Now in its 24th year, the Green Thumb Festival featured environmental and horticultural exhibits, vendors (with every kind of plant imaginable), the Garden Club of St. Petersburg Flower Show, a grow and share program, a diagnostic clinic (you could bring soil and water samples), a recycling rally, free mulch, plant auction, more than 2,000 trees for sale for $3, free Butterfly plants (500 each day), tool sharpening booth, entertainment, children's programs, other environmental programs and exhibits, and a food court! www.stpete.org/parks/greenthumb.asp 

(Earth Day) April 22, 2010 Inkwood Books: "Everyday is Earth Day when You Garden Sustainably." Thanks to Carla and her staff for helping me celebrate the day.  www.inkwoodbooks.com 

April 17 & 18, 2010 I was invited to speak on both days and I was a vendor for the St. Augustine Flower & Garden Expo which was presented by Epic Community Services and St. Johns Garden Clubs. www.gardenclubofstaugustine.org/show.html Another great garden fest.

April 15, 2010 It might have been tax day, but I spoke about rain gardens--in the morning to the Sumter County Master Gardeners and in the evening to the Pine Lily chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society in Kissimmee. Here is the link to their website. Thanks to all for your great questions and lively discussions.

April 10 & 11, 2010 Spring Fever in the Garden in Winter Garden: What a great event with lots to do and see.  The weather was perfect and folks were friendly.  There were lots of great questions when I manned the "Ask the experts" booth on Sunday afternoon.  www.springfeveringarden.com 

April 7, 2010 Improve the State of our State with More Sustainable Landscaping.  My presentation for the Sierra Club of Fernandina Beach was well received.  I'd discussed: reducing lawns and improving lawn care for the remainder, sequestering stormwater, creating habitat, using better gardening techniques, edible gardening, plus saving time and money. Green gardening matters and Florida's ecosystems can be enhanced.

April 3, 2010  I made two presentations at B.B.Brown's Gardens in Clermont, FL.  The weather was perfect and we were comfortable under the shade of a spreading oak tree and the donkeys did not interrupt our discussions.  Participants were asked to make a $5 donation: this money was divided between the Nature Conservancy of Florida and to the Scrub Jay trail right there at the nursery.  Email Cathy to reserve your place for the next classes there on August 14th..

April 1, 2010 Use Sustainable Landscaping: Don't be an April Fool! This themed talk for the Hampton Glen Community Association led to a  lively discussion on what to do after a winter like this one.  Many answers are in the book.

March 27, 2010 The weather was perfect for the 4th Annual Wildflower and Garden Festival in DeLand.  It was sponsored by the Florida Wildflower Foundation (www.floridawildflowerfoundation.org), which is funded by Florida's wildflower license plates, members, and more.  DeLand is a wonderful town and was a perfect setting for this celebration. 

March 19 & 20, 2010 Tallahassee Book Festival "Books Make a Difference" & associated writers conference was impressive!  Thanks to Donna and the Tallahassee Writers Association for organizing such a great event an thanks for including me. It was fun.  http://twaonline.org 

March 13 & 14, 2010 Marion County Master Gardener Spring Festival: This was a great event.  There will be seminars, in-garden demonstrations, more than 60 vendors, and thousands of gardeners!  Thanks to Marilyn & Al at Nature Nook Books for their efforts. The weather, except for the wind, was beautiful! 

March 11, 2010 Coral Springs Garden Club Discussion on Sustainable Gardening--thanks to Marci and her dynamic group for hosting this.   And on March 10, 2010 "Save Time and Money with Sustainable Gardening" discussion with the Garden Club of Ft. Pierce.  Thanks to June and everyone.  Garden clubs do so much good work.

March 6 & 7, 2010 Amelia Island Garden Show: This was the first annual garden fest, which is modeled after the Vero Beach event and run by the folks that put on the weekly Fernandina Beach Farmers' Market.  Thanks go to Jan and her team, who did a great job.  I teamed up with James, owner of  Reflections of Nature Nursery which sell mostly native plants.  Weather was a little chilly, but I enjoyed talking to folks about greener gardening 

February 27, 2010: Key West at Voltaire Books: "Save Time and $$ by Gardening Sustainably" We had a great discussion including those old gardeners' tales like compost tea. (See this GardenRant compost tea discussion.)  Thanks to Peter and Steve for hosting this event.  Support your independent bookstore!  Voltaire Books, 330 Simonton Street Key West, FL 305-296-3226 www.voltairebooks.com 

February 25, 2010:A Garden Walk on Sanibel Island and a Book Signing at Sanibel Island Bookshop.   Well because of the chilly weather, we didn't take much of a walk, but it was great talking to people about gardening.  The cold has tested many gardens for sustainability this year, so that was the main topic.   Thanks to Hollie and her staff for hosting this event & all their work. Sanibel Island Bookshop 1571 Periwinkle Way Sanibel, FL www.sanibelbookshop.com 

I did get out to the Ding Darling National wildlife refuge.  Definitely worth the trip.

February 20, 2010:  Sustainable Gardening Talk in St. Augustine: I was invited to speak by the St. Augustine garden clubs at their garden center.  My topic was "How Sustainable Gardening Saves Time and Money."  Thanks to Sue and the organizers.  It certainly was a lively discussion and I loved the tour of the landscape planted with lots of native plants.  What a good example!  The Garden Club Center, 3440 Old Moultrie Rd., St. Augustine www.gardenclubofstaugustine.org 

February 19, 2010: Alachua County Master Gardeners Meeting.  I discussed sustainable gardening with an emphasis on rain gardens and how they help reduce water pollution.  Thanks to extension agent Wendy Wilber and the 60 or so master gardeners who had wonderful questions.  My presentation followed a propagation workshop:  you know when you've got a group of gardeners when folks have rosemary sprigs stuck in their pockets! They smelled good , too.

February 6 & 7, 2010 Vero Beach Gardenfest at Riverside Park  Thanks to all the organizers and attendees of this great event.  Thousands of folks came despite cool breezy weather.  My "Sustainable Gardening presentation" on Sunday afternoon was well-attended in the "Ask-the-Expert" tent.  Most of the rest of the time I spent  the Vero Beach Magazine booth.  I've been writing the garden columns for this great magazine for the last couple of years: www.verobeachmagazine.com.  The Indian River Garden Club hosted this event.  For more details see their website: http://www.gardenclubofirc.org/Gardenfest.html 

January 23, 2010 Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary: "Sustainable Gardening Builds Habitat."  This is one of my favorite places in Florida.  I had a great time talking about habitat right there in an Audubon Sanctuary. Thanks to everyone! If you go, this is a wonderful venue: be sure to bring your binoculars.  Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 375 Sanctuary Road West Naples, FL 239-348-9151 www.corkscrew.audubon.org 

January 20, 2010 Jacksonville (Ixia) chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society meeting: I talked about how rain gardens help reduce water pollution and how you can build one using tough native plants that tolerate standing water and drought.  Thanks to everyone who came.   http://ixia.fnpschapters.org/ 

Saturday November 14, 2009 Jacksonville Arboretum One-Year Anniversary Celebration. What a great event and fabulous weather.  Thanks to all the arboretum folks for all their hard work.  I saw this gopher tortoise right behind my table.  He was more than a foot across and was scurrying back into his hole. What an important habitat and it's right in the middle of Jacksonville.  www.jacksonvillearboretum.org 

Tuesday November 10, 2009 Gators for a Sustainable Campus This impressive group came out even in the rain to hear me speak.  Thanks to David Eardley and the other members for organizing this event.  www.sustainablegators.org  

Monday November 9, 2009 Sierra Club: Northeast Florida (Jacksonville) Branch.  Thanks to Janet and the rest of this organization for the good work they do.  We had a good time talking about lawn reform.  http://florida.sierraclub.org/Northeast/ 

Saturday & Sunday October 24 & 25,  2009

Fall Harvest and Scarecrow weekend at Fairchild Tropical Garden: What a great event this was 1500 people came to the gardens for the Sustainable Harvest event on Saturday despite some rain and at least twice that many on Sunday.  In addition to lectures, there were demos and vendors of food and plants.  

Thanks to Melissa Contreras and all the staff at Fairchild.   www.fairchildgarden.org  

Saturday, October 17, 2009 9:00am - 4:00pm  Ethnobotanical Day at Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Ft. Pierce, Florida was great, but it would have been better if it hadn't rained.  Fortunately, it did not start raining steadily until later in the afternoon, but my demonstration on how to create habitat in your own yard was well attended under the cover of the chickee hut.  Thanks to the staff at Heathcote, the other vendors and especially the local chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for making this a great event.  Maybe next year Mother Nature will recognize that she needs to give us a break so we can help spread the word about how to take better care of her.

Saturday September 26,  2009

Sustainable Gardening for Florida: "How sustainable gardening saves time, money & the environment"  It was fun to talk with folks about sustainable gardening in Florida. Thanks to Cynthia and the rest of the staff at Vero Beach Book Center (www.verobeachbookcenter.com) for a fabulous event.  Supporting interview by Peter Pringle in the Treasure Coast Palm newspaper.

Saturday
September 19,  2009
11:00am - 1:00pm
No fee: an open event

Author Round Table at Clay County Library: Authors will talk for 10 minutes and after we speak, we'll sign our books and talk to attendees. Bring your gardening questions. Light refreshments. Headquarters Library: 1895 Town Center Blvd, Orange Park, FL 904 278-3728  Thanks to the Friends of Clay County Library for putting on a terrific event.