Garden Committee completes native plant project in St. James City
Through trial and error, research and education, the Garden Committee recently completed replacing invasive plants at Fisherman’s Wharf Condos with those that are Florida friendly.
“This enormous project began more than five years ago when it was decided that we needed a shield on Stringfellow Road in front of the property to cut down on traffic noise and dust. At that time, it was decided that the best way to go was to replace some of the existing vegetation with plants that were natives or Florida friendly,” said committee member Beverly Muldoon. “Most of us are seasonal residents and by planting natives, we could leave and know that they would thrive without watering and additional fertilizers. But, as many of us are new to gardening here in Florida, we sought out the help of others to make this project a success.”
Turning to organizations like the Native Plant Society, Charlotte Harbor Estuaries and the Pine Island Garden Club, the committee also called on local growers for advise.
“A big help to us was John from All Native Plant Landscaping,” said Pat Ketelaar with the garden committee. “He was a tremendous help when it came to landscape design and selected the proper plants as well as educating us about the care of them during and after they became established.”
Once the roadside work was finished, the committee made up of Fisherman’s Wharf residents, Pat Ketelaar, Ann Whitmore, Beverly Muldoon, Sandy Compton and Judy Walker, decided to continue working on the rest of the property.
“Since we began, we have continued to plant Florida friendly vegetation throughout the property and now have several wonderful little gardens for everyone to enjoy,” said Sandy Compton. “In particular are the butterfly and bird gardens that have already attracted wildlife. They are all as different as the individuals that live here and each has its own appeal. I particularly like the native plants because they are drought resistant, use no water once established, don’t need fertilizer and are usually more frost resistant.”
At the rear of the building, the garden committee also has planted individual gardens in front of each lanai overlooking the canal.
“Before we began planting the lanai gardens, we sat down with each unit owner and discussed what they would prefer,” said Judy Walker. “Some wanted things that would stay short while other wanted taller plants and some wanted mostly greenery and others wanted lots of color. We tailored each garden to make sure that we met the requirements of the owners who would be looking out at them and so far, everyone seems very happy with the outcome.”
The members of the committee originally hail from all parts of the country like Michigan, Illinois and Connecticut and each felt that this undertaking was a great learning experience.
“I have always been an avid gardener, but I can’t believe how much I have learned as a result of this project. In fact I have even been able to take some of that knowledge back up north with me and use it in my garden there,” said Ketelaar. “We also have become something of an advocate for utilizing native plants and the end result has been that we often here comments from others about how much they enjoy our garden spaces and like to ask questions about the different plants and how to care for them.”
Much of the expense has been covered by the residents at Fisherman’s Wharf, however, some funding was acquired through a special grant program.
“For the last four years we were very fortunate to obtain a grant from the Charlotte Harbor Estuary Program which has helped us to complete the project,” said Ketelaar. “With the help of Maran Brainard, the communications manager with the program, we were able to see that our goals were met while costing as little as possible to the residents of the condo. We cannot thank Maran enough for her help. It is our hope that we will be considered again this year for a grant to complete the project and maintain what we have now.”
Ann Whitmore also expressed her appreciation from others who have helped with the replanting project.
“When it came to things like heavy lifting, all of our husbands pitched in and they were a tremendous help,” said Whitmore. “Then, a couple of weeks ago, we had a mulch party and nearly everyone in the complex came out to help spread new mulch along the roadside. It was a huge project, and with everyone help, we were able to get it done in just one day.”
When asked what their future plans were, the Garden Committee said that they would continue to maintain the plants with pruning or replanting and just relax and enjoy what they have accomplished.
Fisherman’s Wharf is located on Stringfellow Road in St. James City across from Sanibel Boulevard and much of the work done by the Garden Committee can be seen from the roadside.