Tag Archives: Plants

Dr. Elsie Quarterman, November 28th 1910 – June 9th 2014

Today Aunt Elsie stepped over the final fence, dying peacefully at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, attended by her nephew Patrick and his wife Ann, as she had wanted.

Arrangements are still in progress. Perhaps more about the family later. For now, here is a biography with some pictures.

The Wilson Post wrote 20 April 2011, Quarterman shares fervor for cedar glades,

…her passion for the plant life of Middle Tennessee’s cedar glades blooms ever strong through the generations of students she inspired at Vanderbilt University from the 1940s into the mid-1970s. And those students, many now teachers themselves, continue to inspire new students and conservationists….

Continue reading →

Citrus Resources –Marj Schneider

This goes with Yes, we can grow citrus in Georgia!, Marj Schneider’s talk at South Georgia Growing Local 2014. Also available in PDF and Word. -jsq

Citrus Resources

South GA Growing Local, January 25, 2014

From Marj Schneider: marjschneider@bellsouth.net

Loch Laurel Nursery
2867 Carroll Ulmer Road, Valdosta, Georgia 31601
Exit I-75 on Georgia Route 31 East (Exit 11). Turn right on Carroll Ulmer Road.
Nursery entrance is one half mile ahead on the left.
Phone: 229-460-5922
Email: craw142@bellsouth.net
http://www.lochlaurelnursery.com/map.asp
Features cold hardy citrus, Satsumas, mandarins and lemons. Mark Crawford offered nursery tours for this conference.

McKenzie Farms
 2115 Olanta Hwy, Scranton, SC29591
Phone: (843)-389-4831
EMAIL: citrusman99@hotmail.com
http://www.mckenzie-farms.com/index.htm
Stan McKenzie offers over 40 varieties of mostly cold hardy citrus, priced very affordably. Check out his website and call or write for availability and size.

Plant Folks Nursery
 Continue reading →

Doug Tallamy at Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council & Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council A Joint Annual Symposium

Sent today by Karan Rawlins. -jsq

Please share this with everyone you know!
SAVE the DATE!
Southeast Exotic Pest Plant Council
& Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council
A Joint Annual Symposium

November 12-14, 2014
Georgia Center, Athens

Keynote Speakers:
Douglas Tallamy: Bringing Nature Home, How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants
Charles Bargeron: Using Technology to Fight Invasive Species: Past, Present and Future
Nancy Lowenstein: Creating National Guidelines for Listing Invasive Plants

Includes:
Conference
Lunch & Refreshments
GA-EPPC Membership
CEUs
Vendors
Door Prizes
Field Trips
Learn more about Exotic Pest Plant Councils in the Southeast at www.SE-EPPC.org.

Please read Douglas Tallamy’s book, Bringing Nature Home, before the Conference in November. If you are interested in native plants, ecosystems, songbirds and other wildlife, this book will provide much useful and interesting information.

Video of Prof. Doug Tallamy on Sustainable Landscaping, by U. Delaware:

-jsq

Seed Saving –Janisse Ray

Janisse Ray wrote the book on seed saving, and will talk about that at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

From her book, The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food,

“If you haven’t heard what’s happening with seeds, let me tell you. They’re disappearing, about like every damn thing else…. But I’m not going to talk about anything that’s going to make us feel hopeless, or despairing, because there’s no despair in a seed.”

Her book bio, with picture by Raven Waters: Continue reading →

Schedule changes for South Georgia Growing Local 2014

Four talks have moved locations or times:

Jerald Larson needed an earlier slot, so Grow Your Own Organic Small Fruits has moved to 11:30 AM in Room 1.

Composting needs a room with a tile floor, so Composting: Red Wigglers and Soldier Flies by John Horton has moved to 3:15 PM in Commons.

A Walk with Dairy Goats: a lesson in humor and humility by Julia Shewchuk has moved to 3:15 PM in Commons.

From Fabulous Natural Fibers to Flamboyant Fabric: the craft and art of hand spinning and weaving by Amy Brown has moved to 11:30 AM in Room 2.

All these changes are in the revised schedule.

-jsq

Speaker Schedule –South Georgia Growing Local 2014

Hello again,

We are now nearly at the conference and I can hardly tell you how excited I am. I had a final walk through of Pine Grove Middle School and Farm this week and got all the details for accessing their technologies and the Internet.

Friday Farm Tours

Farm Tours will be Friday, January 24th, including produce at Raisin’ Cane, door yard citrus at Loch Laurel Nursery, olive oil and trees at Georgia Olive Farms, and Katahdin sheep at Hound River Farm.

Saturday Talks

Conference talks will be Saturday, January 25th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Doors open at 8 a.m.) at Pine Grove Middle School, 4159 River Rd, Valdosta, GA 31605. We will be able to tour the hydroponic green houses at the school that day! The preliminary schedule is posted.

Lodging

Most of our speakers are local (how lucky are we that we have this wealth of talent in our community) and a couple from out of the have indicated that they need a room. We have arranged a discounted rate at two local hotels.

Registration

There is still plenty of room, so by all means, please continue to invite those that you think will be interested in attending. The Pine Grove Middle School is a lovely facility and we are lucky to be able to use it.

Don’t forget to register!

-Gretchen

Door Yard Citrus at Loch Laurel Nursery

Update 2 Feb 2014: Citrus Resources.

In addition to many camelias, Loch Laurel Nursery has Door Yard Citrus:

Many gardners are not aware of the wonderful citrus that can be grown in North Florida and South Georgia. Loch Laurel Nursery is proud to offer varieties that are cold hardy and produce tasty fruit you would assume could only be grown in semi-tropical climates. In fact, many of our varieties that are well-suited to our region (USDA Zone 8b), produce inferior fruit in Central Florida.

Satsumas

—Mandarine Orange, The fruit is easily peeled and contains loose segments that are easily separated. They are sweet and a bright orange color when ripe and nearly seedless. Satsumas are believed to be native to southern China and are widely grown along the gulf coast of the US. Satsuma trees grow 10 to 15 feet tall. The most popular variety is Owari that ripens in mid to late November. Hardy to 20°F. The variety Miho, developed in Texas is much earlier ripening in early to mid-October. Grafted on trifoliate orange, (Poncirus trifoliata) for improved cold hardiness.

That same Loch Laurel Nursery web page also lists Continue reading →

Yes, we can grow citrus in Georgia! –Marj Schneider

Update 2 Feb 2014: Citrus Resources.

At South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Learn about varieties that do best in our climate, and how to plant and nurture your trees. We will discuss winter protection, fertilizing, and challenges with citrus. You’ll leave with resources for buying trees and learning more.

Bess T. Chappas wrote and took this picture for SavannahNow 24 September 2008, Tropical garden in suburbia,

Twenty citrus trees are scattered around the yard, including lemon, blood orange, tangelo, cara-cara orange, lime, grapefruit, tangerine and mandarin. A pumello plant, a citrus variety from Southeast Asia, has a fruit the size of a basketball. Papaya and guava plants grow tall against the back of the house. Pineapple and coffee plants grow in the ground and in large pots.

Continue reading →

Janisse Ray wins Sustainable Literature Award

The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food, won the prize for Agriculture in the Sustainable Literature Awards, according to the Santa Monica Mirror, 11 September 2013.

From the book:

“If you haven’t heard what’s happening with seeds, let me tell you. They’re disappearing, about like every damn thing else. . . . But I’m not going to talk about anything that’s going to make us feel hopeless, or despairing, because there’s no despair in a seed.”

Other awards for The Seed Underground:

Gold Award of Achievement for Best Book Writing from the Garden Writers Association
Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner: Green Living
Booklist’s Top Ten Crafts and Gardening Books of 2012
American Society of Journalists and Authors Arlene Eisenberg Award for Writing that Makes a Difference
American Horticultural Society Book Award
Silver Award of Achievement from the Garden Writers Association

From the publisher: Continue reading →

Zucca-pumpkins

At Downtown Valdosta Farm Days this morning (9AM-1PM), a cross of a pumpkin and a zucca:

Cross of a pumpkin and a zucca
Picture by John S. Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms, Lowndes County, Georgia, 7 September 2013.

Gretchen also has pumpkins, zuccas, rosemary, and other good stuff.

-jsq