Pensacola News Journal

For:  Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005

By:   Daniel E. Mullins

        Extension Horticulture Agent

        Santa Rosa County

 

New Book Sure to be a Hit with Gardeners in the Hurricane Zone

 

            Which plants held up best during Florida’s four recent hurricanes?  What trees proved to be the weakest?  Why were some plants destroyed, while others displayed only minimal damage?

            These and other topics are addressed in a timely book entitled, Stormscaping – Landscaping to Minimize Wind Damage in Florida.  Just off the press, it was written by Pamela Crawford with the assistance of Barbara Hardsell.  It is 168 pages of down to earth information that is provided in plain language.

            Over one hundred high quality photographs are provided that help to explain the cause and effect of trees that succumbed to the storms.  Some will break your heart.  The story of the John Atkins family of Jay is included and reveals the amount of damage that a single tree can do.  That family’s house was completely destroyed by a single tree and it could be three years before it can be rebuilt.

            Chapter titles include “Understanding Hurricane Basics,” “Know Your Plant’s Wind Tolerance,” “Other Reason’s Why Trees Fall,” “Designing to Minimize Wind Damage” and “Proper Storm Aftercare.”

            I like this book for several reasons, mainly because a lot of hard work went into its preparation.  Too often reference books are written by someone who provides most of the content themselves.  That is not the case here.  The contributor list contains 54 names from all over Florida.  Pamela and Barbara traveled the state consulting with Extension agents, foresters, botanists, county officials and other affected citizens.

            During several conversations with the author it became obvious that she was seeking as much objective information as possible.  She is quick to point out that the content of the book is anecdotal – mostly information that is passed from person to person.  However the bibliography also has 54 entries, and scanning the list I see many of the experts that I also rely on for this kind of information.

            This is not just another South Florida gardening publication.  At least a fourth of the book is about the effects in our local area.  Pamela used 20 tree photographs that I sent and four pages are dedicated to showing and explaining how Santa Rosa County has dealt with debris cleanup since Hurricane Ivan.  

            I am not in the book business, and rarely comment on commercial references unless asked.  This one however is a keeper.  It is amazing that so much information and high quality photographs could be gathered and published in such a short period of time following the storms.

            Stormscaping is published by Color Garden, Inc., 5596 Western Way, Lake Worth, FL 33463.  The web site is http://www.easygardencolor.com/.  It will also be sold by local book sellers, in some garden centers and through Amazon.com.  The ISBN number is 0-9712220-2-9.   

                    

Question of the Week:  I would like to grow garlic in my garden.  Can you tell me how to do this?

Answer:  Garlic is a fun and relatively easy crop to grow in Northwest Florida.  It is best established in the fall, grown as a winter crop and harvested in early May.  Plant individual cloves six inches apart and one to three inches deep, with the pointed end up.  On sandy soil, lightly fertilize twice during the winter and early spring to keep plants vigorous.

            A University of Georgia publication is available that provides some essential details.  I recommend that you download and review this information before getting started next fall.  You can easily find this document using a good search engine and typing in “UGA Garlic Production for the Gardener.”

 

  An image of the book cover.