We are heading into a warm North Florida winter. This is the best growing season and there are plenty of them now. But if you're like me, you'll need to adjust your schedule to do most of your gardening in the morning or afternoon when it's cooler.
Since this is the peak growing season for landscape plants, this is still a good time to plant. Don't forget to provide enough water for the new plants. Remember, these plants drink water every day in the nursery.
Basic plant
Most of us know that we need some kind of foundation around our homes. "Planting a foundation allows the house to blend into the landscape rather than looking like it's been thrown out," says Audrey Stalsmith, garden writer for Bob Villa's website. However, plants grow and sometimes, even if we choose plants well, over time the plants start to outgrow the house. If we choose a plant that grows as it matures, no amount of pruning will prevent it from eventually closing the windows and engulfing the house.
Once you know your main plants are at this stage, it's time to decide which plants to remove and what to replace. It may be a good idea to hire a landscaper to help you update your foundation.
Many small bushes do not stay very small. Boxwood Japanese B. is used as a base crop. Even Microphylla japonica can eventually grow six to eight feet tall and 10 feet wide. But with regular pruning, it can be easily kept at a low height, the main thing is regular pruning.
Dwarf Loropetum 'Cerise Charm' with dark maroon foliage year round, usually no more than three to four feet tall. Anise Ocala 'Florida Sunshine' is a dwarf native shrub that grows up to five feet tall and has amber leaves with golden yellow leaves. Its compact growth habit responds well to pruning and can be grown in partial shade in foundation plantings.
Loropetalum 'Purple Pixie' grows only one to two feet tall and four to five feet wide, almost covering the ground. The Japanese plum yew, Cephalotaxus harringtoni prostrata, is another low-growing (two feet tall), spreading (three to four feet wide) too low for use on balconies or similar locations. It is required. The slightly taller Distylium 'Swing Low' and Distylium 'Cinnamon Girl' are two to three feet tall and three to four feet wide. This dense evergreen shrub produces a good, dense planting that does not require care.
Branch with plants and grass
Not everything at the base of the planting should be a bush. Over the last few years, I have really grown to love the Lamandri grass varieties used as ground cover plants. The "Wind" variety is the most common, but I recently planted a "Platinum Beauty" lamandra with contrasting variegated leaves. It looks like a strong plant and gives the landscape a bright glow.
However, in short supply this year is a larger plant, Lamandra 'Tropical Belle', which has broad, vertical leaves and grows three to four feet tall. Despite the fact that it is called a "tropical beauty", like the rest of the Lomandes, the winter here is harsh, completely constant. In fact, their hardiness, low maintenance, and drought tolerance make lavenders excellent foundation plants.
You can also find basic flowers with low-growing plants such as Agapanthus, 'Drift' roses, African Iris or Giant Iris (Neomarica caerulea 'Regina'). The herbaceous plant, rosemary, is an evergreen plant that can be used in ground plantings.
Paint your landscape
Now is a good time to add color to other parts of the landscape. Crepe myrtle is in full bloom, so now is the perfect time to get it into the nursery. Remember to consider the size and shape of the species you are growing and make sure they are suitable for the site. Smaller varieties are available if that's what you're looking for.
Another tree with good summer flowers is the pure tree. The blue flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds and bees. An often overlooked summer flowering shrub in North Florida is the triallis. Giant hummingbird plants are now thriving in sunny areas, as is native firebush.
My favorite bedding material for summer color is Torenia. It spreads quickly and blooms well in the fall. Other great flowers for summer sun include rudbeckia, zinnias, pentas, sunpatis, melampodium and African daisies. Coleus can grow in sunny areas, but it also grows well in dark places, such as ginger or caladium.
Treatment of grass and pests
In this hot climate, especially when there are thunderstorms, grass grows quickly. Cut every 7-10 days if possible. When rainfall is low, like now, mow the grass a little higher to reduce stress and water needs. If necessary, do not do the grass again until the end of August. 100% lawns probably won't need much fertilizer this year, but according to St. Augustine, Zoysia or Bermuda usually use a late summer application.
As winter approaches, keep an eye on your St. John's wort lawn for common lawn pests such as bugs and gray leafhoppers. Augustine's tropical grasses will quickly eat any grass in late summer. They usually only see the damage, not the caterpillars that feed at night. Pest control is much easier if you can identify and control them first.
Even if you spread the baited product across the landscape in the spring, recent rains can cause new piles to form. If so, apply the bait around the mound but not directly on the mound. Placing them in mounds disturbs the ants and often causes them to move.
The secret is to put it where the ants are on their foraging journey and not disturb them. Always trap fire ants around outdoor air conditioners or heat pumps. Ants are attracted to capacitor currents and electromagnetic fields, and they can build nests in the house, which can cause damage.
Heat-resistant vegetables
Because of the rain and summer heat, the mulch around your plants can quickly weaken and need to be replaced. Simply add new mulch on top of the old to maintain a two-inch layer year-round. No need to throw away old junk.
You may still have heat-tolerant vegetables in your garden, such as okra, eggplant, peppers, lima beans, peas, and sweet potatoes. Keep your lawn clean by removing dead and dying plants from spring planting to prevent a host of pests and surrounding weeds.
In August, you can start planting lima beans, beans, cucumbers, peppers, chayote, zucchini, tomatoes. We are entering fig season. Voice every day, try to follow the progress of birds, squirrels and raccoons.
Take advantage of summer by planting new fruit trees, especially citrus trees, to take advantage of the extra growth and vigor that comes before winter. Feed young citrus trees once a month with a special citrus fertilizer that contains trace elements and additional nutrients.
David W. Marshall is a landscape consultant at Tallahassee Nursery School and an extension agent for UF/IFAS Extension Leon County, an equal opportunity organization. For gardening questions, contact the Extension office at AskAMasterGardener@ifas.ufl.edu.
This article appears in the Tallahassee Democrat: What to do and plant in the garden in July and August.
