Dig into Florida landscaping with this garden party of a class series

On Tuesday, April 2, I will begin teaching the Florida-Friendly Landscaping? class series. This class, which runs for eight Tuesdays (no class on April 9), will teach you how to grow plants here in Florida and provide you with answers to all your burning questions. The classes will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at our Cocoa office.

The first class, which I believe is the most crucial for gardening success in Florida (and any state for that matter), will cover gardening with the soil food web, composting, vermicomposting, and landscaping practices for promoting soil health. I will explain how the soil food web supports plants by providing them with nutrients and protecting them from diseases. In addition to their nutrient-cycling efforts, the soil food web also creates organic matter, increasing the soil’s water and nutrient-holding capacity. This increased capacity benefits the plants and protects water quality, which both the Indian River Lagoon and the St. Johns River are in desperate need of.

The soil food web also builds soil structure, producing deeper, aerobic soils so tree roots can grow deeper into the soil, resulting in more sturdy and stable trees during storms and hurricanes. Regarding composting, the goal isn’t just to create organic matter but also to produce the soil microbes that support the plants. Adding organic matter to our sand is beneficial, but when the soil food web is absent, it will only be a matter of time before it is consumed and eventually disappears. At the end of the class, I will discuss the landscaping practices that will protect and support the soil food web. For everyone who can’t or would rather not compost, I will also provide information on products that can be used to add life to the soil and on all plant surfaces.

Class No. 2 will cover attracting wildlife, ending with the nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping?. If you haven’t heard about our Keystone species of native plants that support migratory birds and our native bees, this will be exciting new information. I will also cover Information on attracting pollinators (including bees and butterflies) and hummingbirds. The class will conclude with a discussion of all nine principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping? which include the Right Plant, Right Place, Water Efficiently, Fertilize Appropriately, Mulch, Attract Wildlife, Manage Yard Pests Responsibly, Recycle Yard Wastes, Reduce Stormwater Runoff, and Protect the Waterfront.

The third class, on April 23, will begin with hands-on gardening. In this class, everyone will learn how to start their plants from seed, prune a plant, start new plants from cuttings, and divide plants. The last topic covered that day will be an introduction to landscape design. Landscape design, like fashion and interior design, is subjective, and if you have thought about what you are looking for in your landscape (attract wildlife, grow food, provide fragrance, be colorful, etc.) and aspects you don’t want, like a high maintenance yard, why not draw up a design yourself? An important aspect when drawing the design is to use the mature spread of the plants. Doing so will prevent you from spending excess money and eventually having to remove plants as they become crowded. I can also help class members with their designs as the class progresses.

More: Florida solitary bees keep flowers in bloom; here's how to attract them | Sally Scalera

Class No. 4 will be all about growing a healthy lawn and palms. Come learn how to maintain a healthy lawn that can benefit the Indian River Lagoon or the St. Johns River and not cause harm. If you are growing non-native palms and don’t have a full canopy of solid green fronds, this class will provide the information your palms need.

The fifth class will be all about trees, followed by a native plant walk around our office.  Trees provide many benefits, which include increasing property values. Topics that will be covered include the physiology of trees, tree structure, and buying, establishing, and maintaining trees. The second half of the class will be a walk around our office to check out the native plants you may want to add to your yard.

In class No. 6, you will learn how to grow edible plants. It is fun to grow food and easier once you learn some tips and tricks. Everyone can grow something to eat, such as vegetables, herbs, fruit crops, and/or citrus and other fruit trees. Food, like Swiss chard "Bright Lights," can even be grown in the landscape to add some color, as long as pesticides aren’t being sprayed on the lawn.

Class No. 7 will cover plant diseases and Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This information may not be needed when we get the biology back into the soil and over 70% of the plant. But until that time, you’ll learn how to diagnose and control disease and insect outbreaks with the least impact on the environment and your family’s health.

The last class will cover pesticide safety and synthesizing all the information covered. When pesticides aren’t applied correctly, they can cause harm to non-target organisms, such as bees, fish, pets, and the humans applying them.  This information is important for everyone who applies pesticides. The last portion of the class (and the class series as a whole) will be to review most of the common causes, both abiotic and biotic, that can harm or kill plants. This knowledge will help every gardener recognize the early warning signs when a plant is experiencing problems while there is still time to save it.

Gardening is a great hobby that gets us outside and active, plus it’s a fun way to stay limber. Of course, it’s the most gratifying when our plants are doing well. If you want a healthier, more attractive (or delicious) landscape, consider taking this $90 class. Follow this link https://2024FFLclasSseries.eventbrite.com to register. For those who can’t make the class in person, there are also Zoom tickets for sale at the same link. I hope to see you there!

Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Eight-session Florida landscaping class gets to root of great gardens