Communities of Excellence 2016, native plants still a hit
Happy Camper shows off the Sunshine Mimosa she snagged from her sponsor table. Each pot included information on planting and using Sunshine Mimosa in the landscape AND on the Little Yellow Butterfly (Eurema lisa) for which the plant is a host.
Once again, FANN teamed with University of Florida and FNGLA to promote Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) practices to condo and homeowner community managers, their staff and board members at the Communities of Excellence gala in West Palm Beach May 13, 2016. Claire Lewis,
UF Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program Coordinator (and landscape architect), provides university publications and other resources; FNGLA promotes its certified landscape professionals program and FANN promotes native plants as the natural choice for FFL. We get to speak with dozens of people who seem quite interested in Florida-Friendly and native plants. FANN was particularly pleased when the winner of the Florida-Friendly Landscaping award from Belmere HOA in Windermere came to the table, picked up our
Native Plant & Service Directory, and advised her colleagues to use it when the landscape company says they can’t find the plants. Yes!
HUGE thank-you’s to:
- FANN past president and volunteer hero Jerry Fritz who picked up, delivered and carried our plants (everywhere), helped set up our display, cut burlap and twine, inserted handouts, opened boxes of publications and generally did everything he was asked, happily and quietly, as always. Couldn’t do it without you, man! Please Agri-Starts & Oglesby, can’t you work on tissue-culturing Jerry for us?
- Indian Trails Native Nursery in Lake Worth for providing 25 Sunshine Mimosa plants that we wrapped up and presented to sponsors with planting and habitat information. Another winner! Owner Jane Thompson also provided a beautiful planted mini-meadow bowl (one of her specialties) that can be planted directly in the ground in its biodegradable pot. This was raffled off as one of the first most desirable prizes.
- R Plants in Homestead for their big, beautiful native shrubs (Wax Myrtle, Simpson Stopper, Myrsine) that were so admired we were asked to move them to the gala stage where the awards were presented. Over 400 managed community leaders admired the ornamental quality and utility of these great plants. Thanks Victor and Maggie!
Indian Trails Native Nursery “Mini-Meadow Bowl” – ready to plant as is in its biodegradable pot. Not a great photo, but the best our phone could do in the light we had.
You can’t see the plants too well but you can see the big room full of admirers. Simpson Stopper and Myrsine on stage courtesy of R Plants in Homestead!
Event coordinators Alan and Ellen Penchansky, of the Pen Group, show off their Sunshine Mimosa plant.
