Right Plant, Right Place

This big live oak tree went way beyond serving an aesthetic purpose in the landscape.

It's easy to take for granted all the things plants and trees do for us on a daily basis. But there are times when their value goes beyond mere aesthetics, the food and safe harbor they provide for multitudes of creatures, the mini microclimates they can create, and-- not to mention -- the very air we breathe.

The other night, I was watching TV with my wife when the quiet of a mild evening was broken by the sound of locked-up brakes trying their best to halt whatever was doing the hauling. Now, this kind of noise isn't unusual around where we live. We have some fairly heavy traveled thoroughfares in relatively close proximity. Seconds-long screeches normally result in silence that signifies a near-miss event. The jolting thud that put the period on the end of this screeching sentence was the exception. My wife and I gave a look to each other that said without words, 'that didn't sound good.'

About 20 minutes later, I stepped outside and noticed a plume of smoke wafting over my neighbor's house across the street. Man, just how close was this crash? In the next few minutes, I found out the answer to that question: very close.

After spotting the reflection of flashing lights on a window down the street, I walked down to the end of my street and around the corner to see 4 fire trucks, several police cars, and at least two dozen onlookers (most of them my neighbors) watching rescue personnel flanking a pickup that veered across the road, over a grass median and sidewalk, plowed through a wood fence, mangled part of a chain-link fence behind it, and finally came to a rest at the base of a large live oak tree.

Perhaps it was the fumes of the dieseling fire/rescue trucks starting to get to me while we were watching the top being cut off the vehicle, but a thought crossed my mind that if the big oak tree wasn't there, this accident scene could be a lot worse. Beyond the fences and tree was the back yard of one of my neighbor's where patio furniture and a lanai were next in the path.

The tree -- which by the sheer size of it probably has been there about 40 years --looked no worse for wear considering it just took on about two tons of hurtling metal. Amazing and scary as we all stood in shock and awe for more than an hour as the driver was carefully extracted from the vehicle. The other amazing thing was that the driver was alive.

In Florida, "Right Plant, Right Place" is a big mantra in defining the textbook Florida friendly yard. In this case, that couldn't have been more true.

Cold, Hard Facts Of Life

Ice, ice, baby! In my Florida back yard? Yep.

When one thinks of Florida, the usual staples of sun, sand, palm trees, and -- most notably -- warm weather come to mind. Every once in a while though, the sometimes long, cold, cruel hand of Mother Nature reaches down into our peninsula and gives us a smack.

It has been several weeks since a record-breaking cold streak made its mark on the Sunshine State. So, I've had time to contemplate and build my case against cold weather as the worst of its kind. While an occasional freeze/sub-freezing event might be a novelty to some of us down here not used to experiencing the thrill of the chill (I still can't understand that), it is a major pain for those who toil in the ag industry.

Cold spells make for long days and longer nights of time and energy spent in trying to save crops --- whether they are fruits and vegetables or tropicals and foliage. Freezes aren't anything new to Florida farmers. Nonetheless, when they strike, the damage inflicted can range from having to regroup for some to total devastation for others. The crop and production loss figures from January's freezes have been staggering --- and are still growing.

It's amazing how fine the line is of being cold and being too cold. It's all part of the risk that comes with working in agriculture and doing it in a subtropical climate. The rewards can be great, but the risks are high. Covering the Florida ag industry for a living, I know this all too well.

In addition to my professional interests, as a homeowner and a freezing-weather foe, I have my own personal reasons for disliking cold weather. After all, a temperate climate is one of the reasons why I live and work in Florida. So, when reminders of when I used to live up North come calling, I bristle ... and just because I've caught a chill.

My blood certainly has thinned since becoming a Floridian. Besides the sky-high heating bills, having to scrape frost off my car windows in the morning with one of my credit cards, and/or having to wear bulky sweaters better left at the back of the closet or in a never-to-find-again time capsule ... the following are a few more of my LEAST-favorite things about the cold when it visits my neck of the woods:

Burned-out bougies

Crinkled crotons

Not-so-regal anymore royal palms

Bleach-beige grass

And ... melted legions of lilies

The war zone-like scene around my yard (as captured in the above images) and most other landscapes like mine is the rule right now around Central and South Florida as opposed to exception. I know it is a temporary situation (well, for the most part), but that doesn't make it any less aggravating. Since I took the photos, things have started to green up a bit.

Whether you are a farmer or a landscaping weekend warrior, there's not much to do in the meantime except to see how things shake out, get ready to prune, replant, and wait for some "normal" Florida weather. I think that usually takes place some time between fire season and hurricane season.