UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
Feature
Article - for release the week of
Dan
Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent
Stormscaping
Last week’s cold front and rain will probably be the last of the winter, and we can expect rising spring temperatures and lengthening days to bring on new growth. What greens up and what stays brown may be a result of delayed damage from last year’s hurricanes. Horticulturalists all over Florida are waiting to really see what happens as a result of last year’s unprecedented hurricane season.
If
you are tired of the bombed-out, blown-away look, and need some suggestions on
what to plant that will make it through the next one, consider searching out
one of the hottest home gardening books in the Sunshine state. Pam
Crawford, a landscape designer from Lake Worth, has recently
produced a new book entitled StormScaping,
and she is making the rounds talking about what landscapers have found out
about planting for hurricane survival.
Ms. Crawford is trying to make two key points to consumers with this book:
- Remove any dangerous trees that might threaten your home during a hurricane.
- Plant strong trees in clumps so that they can protect your home and garden in high winds.
In the rush to replace damaged plants, mistakes are being made which may again result in property damage when the next tropical cyclone blasts through our peninsula. In researching her book, Ms. Crawford reports “I am hearing about tons of mistakes made by homeowners and communities in replacing trees that fell in the hurricanes. Many south Floridians are replacing Ficus with laurel oaks, which are just about as bad. One lady I know replaced her Tabebuias with queen palms, which fall just about as easily.”
Her book is based largely on anecdotal reports of what landscape plants were damaged by the storms. Her new book is a first effort in Florida to put together a colorful, readable summary of what didn’t work. In some cases, there is not a lot of information on certain kinds of plants, and the effects of the storms on these plants may not be as clear. And if a plant tended to survive Charley, Ivan, Frances or Jeanne, this book offers a tentative suggestion of what may work in future storms.
Here are some of the conclusions highlighted in this new book:
- On the whole, palms tolerated winds better than shade trees. However, not all were wind tolerant. Queen palms fell easily. (I personally found Washingtonia palms to be just as bad.)
- No blanket statements can be made about survivability of native plants. Some natives generally did well (Bald Cypress, Live Oak), others did poorly (Laurel Oaks). Likewise some exotics like Crepe Myrtle and date palms were survivors, while other like Ficus were generally damaged.
- The three worst trees were Australian Pines, Weeping Figs, and Laurel Oaks. If they were left standing in your landscape, carefully evaluate if they will be a hazard in future storms.
StormScaping is full of colorful photos showing the good and the bad, and has capsule summaries on how suitable landscape plants are for our Florida Yards. Sixteen UF Extension Agents contributed their observations and knowledge about the storms of 2004, and nearly 50 other botanical gardens, horticultural groups, and emergency managers contributed their knowledge and experiences to this book, including yours truly.
While in some cases there is insufficient information to make a definite recommendation concerning particular plants, pro or con, this book is a wonderful first attempt at putting this all together for Florida landscapers and property owners. In talking with Ms. Crawford, her plan is to revise and update this book as plants are evaluated more fully for hurricane survivability.
If you want to catch Ms. Crawford at a local presentation on StormScaping, consider traveling down to the North Palm Beach Library on Tuesday March 8th, or head over to McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach on Saturday March 12th. Contact our office if you would like more information about these two seminars. Likewise, I can guide you to the ways to obtain a copy of this book if you are concerned about Stormscaping for Florida Yards.
I’ve placed more information on Stormscaping our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on landscaping with hurricanes in mind, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 5 PM on Tuesday afternoons.
-30-
Trade
names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific
information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products
named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida
Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to
provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals
and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age,
handicap, or national origin. Florida
Cooperative
Extension Service / IFAS /
University
of
Florida.
Larry
A. Arrington, Dean Last update: 03/07/2005
. This page is maintained
by Dan Culbert
references
The
Last Trees Standing
". Tampa Tribune,
Culbert, Daniel F. " Are your Trees ready for the next one?" Okeechobee: UF/IFAS Extension Service, August 26, 2004. http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/Storm%20Damaged%20Trees.htm
Gilman, Ed. "What we learned from the recent hurricanes and tropical storms 2004." Storm Preparation and Dealing with the Aftermath (webpage). Gainesville: UF/IFAS Extension Service, August 2004. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/maturetreecare/whatwelearned.htm
Mullins, Dan. "New Book Sure to be a Hit with Gardeners in the Hurricane Zone." Columns Page. Pensacola: Gulf1.com NW Florida's Home on the Internet, February 2005. http://www.gulf1.com/columns/mullins/0201a.htm
Schaub,
Charlyne Varkonyi. "Area author offers ideas for
planning landscapes that can withstand storms." March 6, 2005. http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/home_and_garden/article/0,2544,TCP_1039_3591636,00.html