The Early Bloomer seven acres of inspiration
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
JULY 2014
Booming Outdoor Spaces in this issue Booming Outdoor Spaces Florida’s State Tree Star-Spangled Beauties A Few of Our Favorite Things Seminars How Does Your Garden Grow?
hardscapes
Booming Outdoor Spaces Outdoor spaces are becoming increasingly popular as more homeowners recognize that what surrounds the home is just as important as what’s in it. Whether it’s a manicured lawn, stone paver pathway, pool deck or intricate garden design, these spaces benefit from the same attention to detail as any bath or kitchen. Welldesigned landscaping and hardscaping will complement your home’s architecture. The right plants and flowers coupled with the right hardscape design greatly enhance your curb appeal by adding color, texture and even fragrance to your landscaping. When planning and designing it, first think about aspects that make you happy and then consider what your friends and family will enjoy. For instance, you can add accessories like birdbaths and feeders to encourage birds to visit. For the ultimate entertainment area, incorporate a pool and patio with a fire pit, outdoor fireplace, barbecue or outdoor kitchen. If you’re an active, sports-loving family, consider a play area that naturally blends in with the environment – such as a croquet court. Outdoor spaces are for entertaining and relaxing, so incorporate seating, dining areas, pathways and shady relaxation spots.
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hardscapes
Rock City Gardens offers full-service design and installation of outdoor spaces, including landscape, hardscape, container gardens, and outdoor furniture and accessories. Summertime is a prime time to start your new project so it’s ready to enjoy by fall. For more information, visit us at our seven-acre garden center or contact Wade Baxley, General Manager at 772.589.5835.
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gardening
Florida’s State Tree: best kept in its natural state Unbeknownst to many, pruning a Sabal Palm can be harmful to the tree and
native and migratory songbirds,
to the environment. Sabal Palm fronds
woodpeckers, butterflies,
do not need to be trimmed unless
honeybees, tree frogs and more.
their fronds are interfering with foot
• Brown fronds provide habitat for
traffic, power lines or building/home
tree frogs. In nature, there is no
maintenance. Fronds drop naturally
waste. Fallen palm fronds can be
when ready, and brown fronds are
recycled as mulch or used as a
beneficial to the environment. The
habitat for wildlife.
practice of pruning these palms was
• Palm berries are vital sources of
only started about 30 years ago in
highly nutritious food for birds
Florida, unfortunately at the expense
and wildlife.
of many property owners who spent
• Palm “boots” (the leafbases) are
money on this unnecessary service. If
habitats for other plants, including
you look elsewhere, like the low country
endangered and beautiful rare
area of Charleston, South Carolina,
ferns.
Sabal Palms have lush crowns – as they
For more information about caring
naturally should be allowed to grow!
for your beautiful palm trees, please
Rock City Gardens does not
contact Rock City Gardens. And if you
recommend unnecessary pruning of
have pictures of Sabal Palms that are
palms. Following are a few key facts to
growing with pride on your property,
know before you trim our state tree:
please send them to us at admin@
• Cutting green fronds stunts growth,
rockcitygardens.com. We’ll post it on
invites disease, and reduces the
our Facebook page as a guideline for
palm’s natural resilience to high
others.
winds. 6
• Harsh pruning is harmful to
Source: plantrealflorida.org
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container garden of the month
Star-Spangled Beauties Red, white and blue instantly remind us of Independence Day and the freedoms we celebrate at this time of year. Set the festive mood to last all summer long with beautiful container gardens.
July’s red urn contains Regina Iris, Salvia “Black & Blue,” variegated Plectranthus, white Gaura and blue daze. The white planter displays Pentas “Starcluster Red,” white upright Angelonia and Torenia “Summer Wave Blue.” The blue container boasts red Phygelius, Pentas “Graffitti Red,” white upright Angelonia, Caladium “Miss Muffet” and Nierembergia “Blue Eyes.” 8
How Did July 4th Become a National Holiday? Following the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, people rarely celebrated the event for the first 15 or 20 years. It was too new and too much else was happening in our young nation. By the 1790s, a time of bitter partisan conflicts, the Declaration had become controversial. The Democratic-Republicans admired Jefferson and the Declaration. But the other party, the Federalists, thought the Declaration was too French and too anti-British, which went against their current policies. By 1817, John Adams complained in a letter that America seemed uninterested in its past. But that would soon change. After the War of 1812, the Federalist party began to fall apart and the new parties of the 1820s and 1830s all considered themselves inheritors of Jefferson and the DemocraticRepublicans. Printed copies of the Declaration began to circulate again, all with the date July 4, 1776, listed at the top. The deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826, may have also helped to promote the idea of July 4th as an important date to be celebrated. Celebrations of the Fourth of July became more common as the years progressed and in 1870, almost 100 years after the Declaration was written, Congress first declared July 4th to be a national holiday as part of a bill to officially recognize several holidays, including Christmas. Additional legislation about national holidays, including July 4th, was passed in 1939 and 1941.
Source: ConstitutionFacts.com
of us City at Rock City Gardens, From all ofFrom us atallRock Gardens,
Happy of July! Happy 4th4th of July!
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garden boutique
A Few of Our Favorite Things Throughout the season we feature different collections from our Garden Boutique in each issue of The Early Bloomer. This month, we thought it would be fun to highlight a few of our favorite things from previous issues. So if you missed them then, here’s your chance to catch up on our unique garden accessories and home dÊcor!
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seminars
Seminars Thank you to all who attended and participated in our seminars and special events this past season. The response was fantastic and the range of topics allowed something for just about everyone. We hosted our final two seminars of the season in June. We are already planning exciting and informative events, including luncheons, cocktail parties, and multiple informative seminars for next season. Watch for new seminars and special events coming up in late fall and winter! We’ll send save-the-date emails and include details in our monthly newsletters.
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How Does Your Garden Grow? Rock City Gardens is dedicated to providing you with continuous outdoor living inspiration. We’re renovating several areas of our garden center, including the garden boutique, our famous flower house, and we’re even adding a deck on our beautiful pond. Look for dramatic “before” and “after” shots coming soon!
CLOSED FRIDAY, JULY 4TH REOPENING JULY 5TH AT 9AM
seven acres of inspiration
9080 U.S.. Hwy 1 Wabasso, Florida 32970 772-589-5835 RockCityGardens.com
Hours Monday through Friday Saturday and Sunday
8:00am – 6:00pm 9:00am – 5:00pm
The Early Bloomer © Rock City Gardens