What is Blooming right now?

If you drive around the area you will see there are many things blooming in the fall. Some of the plants are those that were tired of the heat of the summer and are now blooming again due to the cooler temperatures however there are a number that are fall bloomers.

Azaleas:

Some varieties of azaleas such as Encore Azaleas, Fashion Azaleas, Vivid or Red Ruffle Azaleas will bloom in the fall and are now starting to put on a display.

Muhly Grass:

Have you seen that beautiful pink grass that is blooming all over town? Muhly Grass, which is a Florida native performs beautifully in the hot sun with little care.

Camellia Sasanqua:

Camellia Sasanqua is a smaller growing variety of camellia that is starting to bloom now. There are many colors and types of flowers to choose from. They bloom from about October to January when the Camellia Japonica will start blooming.

Golden Rain Trees:

If you have seen large growing trees that have large yellow and apricot colored “flowers” on it, you are looking at a Golden Rain Tree. They bloom in the fall with large yellow clusters of flowers that, over time become an apricot color seed pot.

Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit:

Cool season vegetables include- beets, broccoli, cabbage, radish, lettuce, onions and collards. Herbs that do well in the cool season are parsley, thyme, sage, savory and rosemary.

Citrus trees will be heavy with fruit now. If branches are in peril of breaking, consider propping up temporarily or remove some of the fruit. Naval oranges, grapefruit and tangerines should all be turning color now and will be coming ripe toward the end of the month. Lemons and Limes have probably already produced some fruit. Citrus fruit does not ripen once removed from the tree. Harvest fruit as late as possible when sugars are at their peak. The best way to tell if your fruit is ripe is the “taste test”. Citrus should have had the last fertilizer for the year by now and should not be fertilized again until early spring.

Keep an eye on citrus trees for stress caused by heavy rain of the last few months. This can lead to excessive fruit drop and defoliation. If your tree looks stressed, take off all the fruit and allow the foliage to flush back out. More foliage will help protect your tree from possible cold damage as well.

Annuals:

Planting can continue throughout the fall and winter. Cool season annuals are arriving daily at the Garden Center- such as petunias, dianthus, calibrachoa, ornamental cabbage, Marigolds, and Gazania. Look for Pansies and Violas later in the month.

• Dead head flowers to encourage new blooms.

The new Proven Winner Supertunia is an outstanding performer. Spreading to 3’ with tons and tons of blossoms, it provides a real show stopper for the landscape! Customers with deer- always let your sales person know that you have deer as many flowers make a great snack for them, sadly!