Lessons from Miss Frances
by Ginny Stibolt

Some of you may be old enough to remember Ding Dong School with the matronly Miss Frances with her lessons each day on TV from 1952 to 1956. She was a precursor to Mr. Rogers with the same soft-spoken encouragement. This was way before the more lively and much more interesting Sesame Street.

I feel our recent visit from Frances, the hurricane, handed us some important lessons to think about from a gardener’s point of view. But these lessons were not soft-spoken—no, these lessons came screaming and crashing around us.

Lessons from Frances and her hurricane relatives:

1) Even though Florida’s been through many hurricanes, rain-soaked ground and high winds make for a devastating combination and no tree, no matter how old, is safe. And if a tree is near a power line, it's most likely to fall in that direction.

2) It’s true that the end of every single branch broke off in the wind. The yard, sidewalk and gutters were covered with 6”-10” pieces of tree branches, pine needles and leaves. It feels like fall in Maryland with all this debris to clean up.

3) Frances and her hurricane relatives don’t prune our trees in the best way. Those jagged ends left sticking out require human intervention—prune close to the trunk so the tree may grow over the wound. See my photo of a neighbor’s live oak (Quercus virginiana) tree that I’ve always admired with the Polypody ferns growing on its slanted branches. We didn’t end up with any of those graceful old oaks on our lot, just smaller ones and mostly water oaks (Quercus nigra). The live oaks have leathery, evergreen leaves with no lobes—just long and narrow. The water oaks have variable, wedge-shaped leaves broader at the tip and they may be slightly lobed.

4) Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua) trees with their star-shaped leaves and corky bark seemed to bend more and recover faster from the gusts than the stiffer, harder oaks. If you have sweet gums, you may have noticed the resinous smell from any of the broken branches. Both the common and scientific names refer to the gummy sap. Hardened lumps of sap can be chewed like gum. I’ve never done it myself, but that’s what “they” say.

5) Don’t cut the lateral roots off those southern bayberry bushes (Myrica cerifera) right before a hurricane strikes because until they adapt, they’re vulnerable. Yes, that thicket I worked so hard on was flattened beyond repair. That’s why this is an adventure. I’m sure some of you long-time Florida gardeners were laughing up your sleeves as I described my previous project. The lesson learned is to stake and secure any newly transplanted or unstable plants and maybe, if you’re lucky, it won’t be blown over or snap off where you've staked it.

6) You don’t need electricity for most gardening tasks. So hopefully, while you were waiting for power, you had a chance to pull out those weeds. This is the very best time—after more than eight inches of rain, the roots will never be easier to extract. In trying times, I’ve found that getting out in my garden and getting my fingernails dirty helps to reduce stress. If dirty fingernails aren’t your thing, wearing gloves helps some or scrape your nails against a bar of softened soap to prevent the dirt from accumulating under them.

More adventures to come.

Last of all, I know that there are thousands of people who were without power for many days and have sustained much damage from the wind or from trees falling on their homes. I wish you well and hope for speedy recovery from the damage you’ve sustained.

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Ginny Stibolt is a naturalist and a gardener with a Masters degree in Plant Taxonomy. She’d like to hear from readers who have suggestions and questions. You may contact her or read more of her articles posted on her website: www.TransplantedGardener.com

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