What survived and what didn't

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fnpsorg

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on: July 23, 2005, 08:58:56 PM
Posted by Joan Bausch

For example, my yard is on the Indian River lagoon, quite low but with some higher spots. I planted 3 fiddlewood after having seen them blooming beautifully on Munyon's Island in Palm Beach Cty.

During both Frances & Jeanne these plants were covered with (salty) water for a period of time. Now after almost 2 months they do not show signs of recovering. How do I know when to pull out and replace?

Similar problem with Wild coffee. But some of those plants are beginning to show new leaves this week  A paradise tree, wild lime and firebush still look dead. Some short cabbage palms are also dead in the center. Randia are sporadic, mostly "dead" sticks but a few have begun to leaf out.Some beach creeper and a limber caper could not stand up to the double whammy and washed away.

Would appreciate hearing others experiences with natives in their yards. Next time I'll tell you what survived, even thrived!
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Trudy in Naples

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Reply #1 on: October 31, 2005, 09:37:10 PM
I noticed this topic started way before Wilma hit S. Florida.  Our natives (we have 95% native plants), on our 3 acres faired well.  Lost one middle sized slash pine and a fair number of branches from the pines and a few pond cypress trees.  Was very happy to see that a butterfly orchid in one of the pond cypress trees is also unharmed.
In town, the newpaper bemoaned how the beautiful banyan trees were victims of the storm.  I hope they do not allow these exotics to be replaced.  They are beautiful trees in their native environment...but not in Naples, Florida.  Wilma hit a lot of landscaping hard.  The people without a large number of more wind resistant natives have a big problem.  Sadly many of the native mahogany trees along Horseshoe Dr. were badly damaged.  I also saw a number of wax myrtles almost flattened.  The couple I have on our property faired well.  Palmettos just seem to smile at the wind, even if one or two tilted a bit.

Joan B

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Reply #2 on: November 01, 2005, 12:21:39 PM
That first post was after Frances & Jeanne! I see that I did not tell you what did beautifully...
The Simpson stoppers did very well. One or two had some upper branches break but I believe those were weak in some way prior to storms. New growth is coming from those roots, and all the others are simply beautiful. The wild coffees that did survive are now also looking good. A young crabwood that was in the wind tunnel had no ill effects either. Looks great today. I had also planted 2 Thrinax radiata, Thatch palm, that a friend had started from seed years ago. They are both near the lagoon. I had feared they were badly affected, but no! Their leaves/fronds are back and beautiful. Whew

Trudy in Naples

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Reply #3 on: November 01, 2005, 01:42:49 PM
I knew the topic wasn't in response to Wilma, but to earlier storms.  Since Wilma was primarily an event that hit Collier County's landscape hard, I wanted to add what had happened with Wilma here.  I haven't ventured out of Collier County since the storm so can only speak to what I have observed directly and what others who live here and are out surveying the community report. 

We have more Beauty Berries on our property than I can count.  Many suffered collateral damage as heavy pine branches fell on them.  Some lost leaves from wind gusts.  Just days after the storm, signs of new growth is appearing on them.  I love this particular plant because they are wonderful in firewise landscaping as well as being so great in attracting birds and other critters. 

I wonder what survived and didn't on the east coast after Wilma.


rmillerj

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Reply #4 on: November 22, 2005, 08:55:42 AM
Greetings,
I know Cynthia Plockelman is gathering info from the Palm Beach Chapter members on which plants experienced problems and what didn't. I think she also did it for last year's storms (2004). You might want to ask her about that info. In my yard. between the hurricanes for the last two years, I've lost both my red cedars, broke big limbs off my red maples, cracked and uprooted cocoplum, stripped leaves and uprooted firebush, trashed wax myrtles, uprooted wild lime. My oaks deleafed and had some smaller limbs break. My short-leaf fig now has very short leaves (resprouts). My Jamaican capers (6-8 ft), redberry stoppers, marlberry, simpson stopper, Spanish stopper, Palatka holly, saw palmetto, paurotis palm, slash pines (I am waiting for the beetles to hit) and my pine snag came through with little or no damage.
Ray

Joan B

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Reply #5 on: November 23, 2005, 12:17:35 PM
Here in Martin Cty at the Environmental Studies Center (Jensen Beach) the slat house went down! It had been built by members & friends in 1984.  It was exposed to the backside winds this year (Wilma) . There must have been a really strong gust because a huge macadamia tipped over. (planted in those early days when Fred Streseau hoped to see tropical fruits as well as natives planted.) and in the hammock planted to south of school building a huge branch came off the redbay and saddest of all, a really tall and gorgeous torchwood broke about six inches from the base. Luckily a lower branch (about 3 ft tall) remains to carry on. 

A tree guy told me yesterday that he recently learned that there are vortex type winds (not tornadoes) that ride along the eye wall. In a property near here there were two really big gumbo limbo ("twins" he called them.) Too big to put your arms around... one twisted and broke, the other survived.

Joan B

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Reply #6 on: January 30, 2007, 06:47:40 AM
The fiddlewood I thought I'd lost from Francis & Jeanne (2004) has sent its progeny throughout the yard! Seedlings are popping up. I expect flowering this spring (2007). The seeds were carried along with the storm surge. The native blue porterweed has also popped up throughout. The one shrub seedling I see that  had NOT been in my yard prior to 2004 is the green cocoplum. I have noted several starts in various locations. Hope their growth will continue.

Previous gifts from rising waters was a saltbush which grew to over ten feet.

I am hoping that the native inkberry will show up in my yard, which is directly across the lagoon from where there had been a very large concentration of Scaevola pumila prior to 2004. That was the exact location of the breach in the dune where the road was undermined during 2004 hurricane season.

As you may guess, I am a laissez-faire gardener (except when invasive exotics appear! Still struggling with wedilia on the lagoon side and St Augustine grass in the hammock...)



Joan