Perched on the west coast of Florida, Port Charlotte is around a 90-minute drive south of St Petersburg. It's the kind of city that's great for a day trip - 9 Best Things To Do In Port Charlotte, Florida - Travel, Travel Advice - Florida, North America, Port Charlotte, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
Some plants have names related to uses they no longer have - the pitch apple is an example. In the old days, pitch-apple “pitch” was scrapped from the seeds and used to caulk boats. The “apple” portion of the plant is misleading as the fruit is poisonous. However, pitch-apple has been given a new use as a landscape plant. While it can only be dependably used in the warmer parts of the County, the pitch-apple is a broadleaf evergreen that can make wonderful hedges and privacy screens, as well as an ornamental subject for planters. Have you heard about the pitch-apple? Let’s talk. The pitch-apple is considered a native plant normally found in Miami-Dade, Broward, Monroe County Keys and regions well south of there. It has thick, dark green leaves noted to retain written words gouged into the leaf tissue – aka autograph tree. During the summer, the pitch-apple produces three-inch pink/white flowers at night. These nocturnal showy flowers are followed by three-inch diameter fleshy, green, poisonous fruit. When ripe, the fruit turns black and splits open revealing red seeds and black, sticky pitch. This native plant is a relative newcomer to the market in our area. About six years ago I noticed a hedge of pitch-apple planted around a commercial property in Port Charlotte. It looked great and seemed to grow beautifully. However, after several cold winters, it had frozen down to the ground and did not grow back. Not far from this sight around another commercial property, I noticed pitch-apple was planted with other some other landscape plants within beds situated throughout a vast asphalt parking area. These plantings survived because of the simple fact that the warmth stored in the pavement during the day was sufficient to protect these pitch-apples from freezing on cold winter nights. The lesson learned was that pitch-apples are hardy from zones 10 b and southward. This means that will do well right along the immediate coast in Charlotte County, but as you move inland, unless you have them planted in known “micro-climates”, provide some type of protection during cold spells, or have them potted in containers that can moved indoors, they will most likely freeze. With that in mind, the biggest pitch-apple trees that I have seen planted in our area are about six-feet tall. Compare that to some I saw in Naples which were over fifteen–feet tall. As such, it can easily be pruned to the size you want. Adapted to full sun to part shade, the pitch-apple is tolerant of sandy soil, and best of all, it is very salt-spray tolerant and fits well with seaside plantings. Once established, this native is highly drought-tolerant as well. Besides your standard pitch-apple, Clusia rosea, there are some cultivars available including a variegated form called ‘Variegata’ with yellow and green foliage. There is also a cultivar with smaller leaves called ‘Nana’. As with many tropical plants in our area, location is very important in regards to cold tolerance and ultimately, sustainable survival. For more information on ornamental plants suitable for our area, please call our Master Gardener volunteers on the Plant Lifeline on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 4 pm at 764-4340 for gardening help and insight into their role as an Extension volunteer. Don't forget to visit our other County Plant Clinics in the area. Please check this link for a complete list of site locations, dates and times - http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/Plant%20Clinics%20Schedule.pdf. Resources: Gilman E. F. & Watson, D. G. (2014) Clusia rosea: Pitch Apple. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS. http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?ID=2180 - Clusia rose. Pipoly III, J. J. & Granson S. (2008), Urban Horticulture Technician Florida-Friendly Shrubs for Perimeter Plantings. The University of Florida Extension Service, IFAS - Broward County Extension
Charlotte Windsor Miami Beach Screenprint
Explore Florida’s natural environment with the Florida Nature Guide! This is a 48-week curriculum aligned with Florida’s nature cycles. Each week’s lesson is broken down into 5 categories: Introduce (Nature Journal) Make Observe Read & Discuss Review I encourage you to complete these steps in any order you choose and at your own pace. These lessons can be completed in a week or a single day; this curriculum is gentle and flexible. There are weekly nature journaling prompts, living book suggestions, further resources (websites), field trips, handcrafts and experiments. In addition, there are 74 pages of anatomy posters, cards, matching activities and more! As well as 48 vocabulary cards + definitions and 50 Florida Wildflower foraging cards. Th Florida Nature Guide is a 170 page pdf available for immediate download upon purchase.
Perched on the west coast of Florida, Port Charlotte is around a 90-minute drive south of St Petersburg. It's the kind of city that's great for a day trip - 9 Best Things To Do In Port Charlotte, Florida - Travel, Travel Advice - Florida, North America, Port Charlotte, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
Perched on the west coast of Florida, Port Charlotte is around a 90-minute drive south of St Petersburg. It's the kind of city that's great for a day trip - 9 Best Things To Do In Port Charlotte, Florida - Travel, Travel Advice - Florida, North America, Port Charlotte, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
If you're looking for the best things to do in Siesta Key, look no further. Discover one of the best gems in the Sarasota area!
Unspoiled and free from crowds, this naturally beautiful area ranges from the barrier islands along the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of Charlotte Harbor.
Experience the best Port Charlotte has to offer with our guide to the areas top restaurants.
Perched on the west coast of Florida, Port Charlotte is around a 90-minute drive south of St Petersburg. It's the kind of city that's great for a day trip - 9 Best Things To Do In Port Charlotte, Florida - Travel, Travel Advice - Florida, North America, Port Charlotte, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
The 'psychic capital of the world'. Whether you're interested in spiritualism or just want to visit because it's so different, check out what to do in Cassadaga.
This guide on the best things to do in Englewood, Florida has something for everyone. Relax on Manasota Key Beach, paddleboard at sunset, snorkel the clear warm waters, hike the State Park trails, or go wine tasting. Lots to do in this Southwest Florida town!
What are the things in Southwest Florida worth a top spot on your SWFL bucket list? There are lots of fun things but here are the sights and activities in SWFL you absolutely should not miss!
Perched on the west coast of Florida, Port Charlotte is around a 90-minute drive south of St Petersburg. It's the kind of city that's great for a day trip - 9 Best Things To Do In Port Charlotte, Florida - Travel, Travel Advice - Florida, North America, Port Charlotte, United States - Travel, Food and Home Inspiration Blog with door-to-door Travel Planner! - Travel Advice, Travel Inspiration, Home Inspiration, Food Inspiration, Recipes, Photography
The definitive, unbiased, statistical ranking of the top places to live and visit around Charlotte
