Florida Friendly Plant Workshops: Thanks to all who made these workshops great successes. Please check back for additional sources of information and additional workshops that are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, September 8, 2007 at SFCC in Bowling Green and Saturday, October 13 at SFCC in Arcadia.
A Florida-friendly yard can be beautiful and, at the same time, conserve water and protect the environment. Because of the success of prior workshops held in Hardee and DeSoto counties, two more workshops will be held at the South Florida Community College (SFCC) campuses in Arcadia and Bowling Green. These workshops are offered in partnership with Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, the Peace River Basin Board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, SFCC, DeSoto County Parks and Recreation, Pine Lily Nursery, Deluxe Trees and Shrubs, and many others. These workshops are free and no registration is required. Updates to these workshops will be posted on this page of this website (www.CHNEP.org). As a thank you for participating, each person who attends will receive a free native plant -- Blue-eyed Grass with a blue flower (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) or Purple-eyed Grass with a purple flower (Sisyrinchium atlanticum 'Suwanee' -- at the end of the workshop as well as many other informative and useful items. When you register at the door, you'll receive a ticket for a chance to win one of 20 rain barrels that'll be given away. A PDF of the media release promoting the January 27 and February 3 workshops are available as PDF files.
Agenda
Each session will be offered at two different times using two rooms if the number of participants exceeds the capacity of the meeting room. CHNEP has initiated workshops in Hardee and DeSoto counties because they currently do not have county staff dedicated to a program such as Florida Yards and Neighborhoods. If you live in Charlotte County, Lee County, Manatee County, Polk County, Sarasota County, please follow the links provided to learn more about the workshops offered in these counties. Florida native plant writing contest (one entry/person) This form is also available as a PDF file.Deadline: Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, January 26, 2007, at the DeSoto County Library Name: _____________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ____________________________________________________ My Favorite Florida Native Plant’s Common Name: ___________________________________________________________ My Favorite Florida Native Plant’s Scientific Name: ___________________________________________________________ Tell why a particular Florida native plant is your favorite in 300 words or less to enter the Florida Native Plant Writing Contest sponsored by the DeSoto County Library and Association and the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (CHNEP). Four prizes will be awarded. Each winner will receive a $50 gift certificate for native plants and a $30 gift certificate for a book about native plants. The writing can be in any form, including poetry, essay, letter, narrative, or other. The judges will consider creativity, accurate facts about the plant, as well as correct grammar and spelling. Each entry must be accompanied by an entry form, available at the DeSoto County Library. The contest is open to residents of any age in DeSoto County. A class of students may enter a “group” effort, in which each student writes a sentence or phrase, and if the class wins, a weatherproof plaque for a school garden will be awarded to remember their efforts even after the school year ends. For more information about the writing contest, call the DeSoto County Library at 993-4851 or Carol Mahler at 491-0286. The award ceremony will take place during the “Florida Friendly Yard” workshop, also sponsored CHNEP, on February 3 at the DeSoto Campus of South Florida Community College in Arcadia. Some Books About Native Plants at the DeSoto County Library • The Ferns of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide • Florida’s Best Native Landscape Plants • Florida Butterfly Gardening • Florida Landscape Plants: Native and Exotic • Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities • The Guide to Florida Wildflowers • A Gardener’s Guide to Florida’s Native Plants • Landscaping for Florida’s Wildlife • The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida • Southern Gardening: An Environmentally Sensitive Approach • The Trees of Florida: A Reference and Field Guide • Wild Orchids of Florida • Your Florida Guide to Butterfly Gardening
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