Citrus We recommend that you wait until spring now to plant any citrus. However, you can keep it in the container until spring to make it easier to protect. Even though Citrus are much cold hardier than a hibiscus, a hard freeze (when temperatures fall below 32 degrees for more than 6 hours) may cause […]
Frequently Asked Questions? 1. I tried the fruit on my citrus tree and it was sour! How do I know when my fruit is ripe? All citrus trees have a suggested time period of maturation. First know what type of tree you have and when you might expect it to be ripe. • Early Season […]
Watering in the Winter Months Despite the fact that we have many nice, warm, sunny days in the winter months of Florida and frequently little rain, keep in mind that it is winter and your landscape is dormant. For that reason, your grass and landscape requires less water. The rule of thumb is 1” of […]
Plants of the Month: Hollies Burfordi Holly: Burfordi Holly plants have lustrous, dark green shiny foliage against the red berries in fall and winter. They have all the makings for a beautiful plant! During spring the plant becomes covered in tiny, white clustered flowers. After the flowers fall tiny, green berries continue to grow until […]
Gardening Tasks & Tidbits: • Overgrown perennials should be divided and replanted now so they can establish well before the colder weather arrives. • Continue to keep your poinsettias, Christmas cactus and Kalanchoe in night time darkness so they may set their blooms. • Mow lawns less frequently now: St. Augustine Grass- 3”-4”, Zoysia- 2”-2.5”, […]
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 […]
Annuals: Planting can continue throughout the fall and winter. Cool season annuals are arriving daily at the Garden Center- such as petunias, dianthus, calibrachoa, 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’ […]
Palm Selection and Care Selecting the right palm for the right place is the first step in maintaining a healthy palm. Know how tall your palm you would like, will grow. Often palms are planted too close to buildings and then the fronds are sitting on the house or roof. This provides a great way […]
November Lawn Care Products For St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bahia Lawns: Fertilome Winterizer Apply Fertilome Winterizer this month to promote strong root growth through the winter months along with keeping great green color retention. A 10-0-14 product plus trace elements for winter hardiness & disease resistance For St. Augustine and Zoysia lawns: Hi-Yield Bug Blaster […]
Plant of the Month: Camellia’s Known for their elegance, Camellia’s are truly magnificent when planted in the right location. There are basically two types of camellias: Sasanquas, which bloom in the Fall, and Japonicas, which bloom in late Winter through early Spring. Sasanquas produce smaller but more flowers than Japonicas. Japonicas have larger leaves and […]
Gardening Tips: The first thing to do is evaluate, clean up and remedy any disease, pest or hurricane related problems on existing landscape. It was a long, hot summer and with an abundance of rain that may have created some fungus and disease problems Check your plants and treat if needed with Copper Fungicide or […]
Citrus & Fruit You may also be experiencing fruit drop on citrus. This is common as citrus have three times per year when they may shed a few fruits early. Once, immediately after flowering in spring, June and again in fall. The tree will sometimes shed a few fruits if it has too many to […]
What’s Blooming? Look for hardy mums in October. These Hardy Garden Mums make fall decorating a breeze and after the holidays plant them out in the garden amongst other plants where they’ll bloom again in spring and fall. Winter Cassia is another favorite for the fall season with blooms from October through Christmas. Bright, golden […]
What to Plant? “Trees are Planet Coolers” Recently a forum was held at the University of Florida Gainesville campus on trees and their impact on the urban area. Concrete or hard surfaces radiate a lot more heat than greenery, and trees are an important component in capturing carbon, which is linked to Global Warming. A […]
Lawn Care Thankfully, this summer has not been an outrageously wet one, however, at the Garden Center, we are seeing some common problems: Firstly, we are seeing lots of fungal disease- mostly Take-All Root Rot. This fungal disease is usually triggered by high rainfall and stressed turf areas. Stresses can be mowing too short (no […]
Pruning: In early fall finish pruning and grooming trees and perennials. Pruning time for azaleas, camellias, bougainvillea, gardenias and poinsettias has past. Water Regulations: Cooler weather and Eastern Standard Time also bring changes in watering. Even though it is not as hot and plants don’t require as much water, watering is still needed- just more […]
Plants of the Month: Fall Color This time of year our thoughts turn to fall decorating and color for our homes! There are many ways to accomplish this. (*Note – some of these may not be quite available yet-see expected dates) Mums Mums are the most popular potted plants during the Fall holidays because of […]
Perennials and Annuals The long hot summer is hard on any plant- especially perennials. Trim your worn out perennials back to a branch or bud or even closer to the ground if needed. Planting cool season annuals around your perennials will keep your beds looking colorful when the cold temperatures knock back your perennials. Divide […]
Trees & Palms Fall is a great time to plant trees such as Oaks, Crape Myrtles, Elms, Magnolias and Hollies. The heat isn’t as bad and rain fall is normally good this month for rooting and establishment. Even though top growth may not occur during the fall and winter months, roots will grow and when […]
Citrus & Fruit Citrus can still be planted in September. There is still plenty of time for roots to get established before the winter cool. Mature fruit trees should be laden with fruit now. Some fruit trees may be laboring under the burden of the fruit. Remove some fruit if tree is overburdened to prevent […]
Planting Information Many times we get questions and emails regarding problems that customers are having with their plants and frequently it can be traced back to incorrect planting or lack of water early in the planting. Often customers would like to plant their own plants and to that end, see some information below that will assist […]
September Lawn Calendar St Augustine and Zoysia F-Stop A granular product that contains Eagle® fungicide that provides a systemic protectant and curative fungicide. During the warm, rainy months protects your lawn from: • Anthracnose • Red Thread • Septoria Leaf Spot • Brown Patch • Copper Spot • Dollar Spot • Fusarium Blight • Leaf […]
What will be blooming in the fall? Pink Muhly Grass Muhly Grass is one of the BEST grasses to use in the landscape! It is very symmetrical with a fine texture that gently sways in the breeze. This tough Native will tolerate drought and flooding making it suited for wetland sites as well as beach […]
Butterflies, Birds, Hummingbirds: When setting up a butterfly garden you should endeavor to have an assortment of plants and always include both Host plants and Nectar plants. Host plants (such as Milkweed) are where the eggs are laid and when the larvae/caterpillars hatch they feed on the host plant. Nectar plants are plants that adult […]
Problems in the Landscape There are many times that bad problems happen in the landscape and this is frequently true for newcomers to Florida. Here are some of the main reasons for problem landscapes: • Over Watering – significant numbers of problems are caused by overwatering. Irrigation should supplement rainfall, not the other way around. […]
Organic vs Inorganic Amendments There are many schools of thought that promote one type over the other, however, many manufacturers are now producing products that are great for plants in both categories. INORGANIC fertilizers are mined or synthesized whereas ORGANIC fertilizers are derived from living organisms. Many inorganic fertilizers contain nutrients that are immediately available […]
Flowers: Fall arrives in September however; we all know it will still be hot! Some of the durable heat tolerant flowers include pentas, bush daisies, lantanas, salvias (perennial), angelonia and Blue My Mind. Consider adding some plants for color in the shade such as hydrangeas, variegated ginger, stromanthe triostar, mona lavender, caladiums or ferns. Semi-Tropicals: Add […]
Pet Owners: Many times we are asked about the toxicity of plants to pets. The ASPCA provides a fairly comprehensive list of plants that are known to cause anything from mild gastritis problems to severe poisoning to both cats and dogs. There is also a list for any customers who own horses. Here are some […]
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