Shade or Partial Shade Gardening If you have a lot of trees in your garden and want to add some interest or color to the shade here are some great options: Camellia japonica (blooms Dec-March), Camellia Sasanqua (blooms October to Dec); Gardenias (bloom early spring to mid-summer); Hydrangeas – newer varieties like Nikko Blue or […]
Grass, Lawns & Bugs • Mow at least weekly to ensure no more than a third of the grass blade is cut each time. This will also aid with the prevention of thatch buildup. St Augustine and Bahia Grass should be cut 3”-4” high while Zoysia Grass is 1 ½ inches and Bermuda should be […]
May is a fabulous mont to accomplish a lot on the garden! The temperatures are still reasonable, the sun is shining, and everything is growing! Now is a great time to get those new gardens going or refresh older ones! We look forward to seeing you in the Garden Center to get you “growing”! “The […]
“April showers bring….” We have not had too many of those unfortunately, but what a difference a few weeks make! Oaks have flushed; deciduous tress are sprouting out leaves and spring bloomers are blooming everywhere! Temperatures have heated up but still perfect for getting that garden spruced up, added to or re-designed, and after the […]
Got Deer? There are many, many lists of plants that are produced by extension services and garden centers such as ours. These list plants that are USUALLY deer resistant. However, none of these lists should be taken as a guarantee. What was not on the menu last year may very well be on the menu this […]
Trees love the spring season. Redbud, Cherry Laurel, Chickasaw Plum, Citrus, and fruit trees are all in bloom. Deciduous trees like Crape Myrtles and Maples are leafing out, as are the Drake and Alee Elms. Oaks are beginning to put on their new flush of growth and Magnolias will begin budding up for their signature […]
Those Pesky Insects! This is the time of year when insects become VERY active. Aphids, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, leaf miner, scales, mealy bugs, spider mites and thrips are all out in force looking for something to munch on. Keep an eye out for the orange caterpillars on Oleanders as well. One of the best insecticides on the […]
Plants of the Month: Trees Magnolia Grandiflora A Southern landscape tradition! Huge, fragrant flowers stand out against the dense, dark green glossy leaves. The cinnamon colored backing on the leaves just add another striking accent to this beautiful grandiflora specimen. Mature height can reach 40′-60′ with a 30′ width. Moderate to slow growth rate first […]
It’s the Spring ‘Growing’ Season! It’s time to ‘Spring Clean’ your plants and clean up the garden before planting others! For small perennials like Lantana, Salvia’s, Pentas, Blue Daze etc., simply trim it back to green if they were frozen or frost damaged. If no green, wait awhile until some evidence of that and then […]
Beautiful Blooming Azaleas! Azaleas have been putting on their show now and this is a great time to plant them! Formosa varieties can reach heights and widths 5’-8’ if left unpruned and bloom large, clusters of flowers in abundance. The most popular varieties are G.G. Gerbing (white), Lavender Formosa (bright purple-pink), Red Formosa (red wine […]
Flowering Perennials: Beautiful, blooming perennials that are suitable for spring/summer planting are Geraniums, Pentas, Salvias, Gazanias, Gaillardia, Dune Sunflower, Begonias, Batface, Cigar Plant, Heliotrope, Scaeveola, Scabiosa, Heather, Blu My Mind, Angelonia, Verbena, Phlox, Vinca, Lantanas, Coreopsis, Impatiens, Guara, and many, many more. Whether you’re planting a border, butterfly garden, or creating a colorful container there’s […]
Citrus & Fruit Bearing Plants Citrus are in full bloom now and its no wonder the sweet-scented orange blossom was chosen as Florida’s state flower! The most popular orange variety is the seedless Navel – but don’t count out the Hamlin orange that is another tried and true favorite. Valencia is the most popular juice […]
Springtime Checklist • Make sure all your tools, chemical supplies and fertilizers are ready for spring. • Check all plants for unwanted pests and come in to get advice and products. • Mulch! It saves on water and your back- less weeds. • Check your irrigation system to make sure it functions properly, and all […]
Lawn Management Lawns will start to grow rapidly again this month. It will be time to dust off the mower and check it out. Begin mowing at the recommended heights for your grass: • Bahia: 3″-4″ • St. Augustine: 3″-4″ • Zoysia: 1″-2″ • Bermuda: 1/2″-1 1/2” What to do in the Lawn March is […]
Perennials This is our favorite time of year at VerdeGo! We would love to help you transform your garden this SPRING! We look forward to seeing you!!! We carry many beautiful Perennials in our garden center. Here is a sampling of some of the many to choose from: Pentas: Plant it and the butterflies and […]
It seems winter has arrived and we have already had some signifcantly cold nights. Remember that wind chills also can cause significant damage to plants, and it won’t show up for a few days after the fact. Hoping for a milder February! Many of you may have plants that suffered some damage. Resist the temptation […]
Lawns: The VerdeGo Lawn Calendar was designed to supply your turf with the products it needs at the time your turf needs it most. Staying one step ahead of insects and disease while supplying the proper amount of nutrients is key to having a great looking, healthy lawn. Remember, once the damage is done – […]
Gardening for Wildlife: Ways to support wildlife in your landscape can include some of the following: Use plants of various heights, plant groups or islands of plants, reduce some of your turf with groundcover, leave some dead foliage or limbs if it is safe to do so and use plants of various types of blooms […]
Vegetables and Herbs: If you are a Vegetable gardener, you can still plant beets, broccoli, cabbage, collards, cauliflower, carrots, celery & lettuce. These plants will tolerate temperatures slightly below freezing but protect below 28 degrees. Cold hardy herbs can be planted as well- such as dill, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme. By the end of […]
Winter Flowering January doesn’t have to be a wasteland for Flowering! January will bring in the gorgeous flowering display that Camellia Japonicas put on. These beautiful plants start blooming in December and continue until March or early April. There are many colors and types to choose from with flowers that are large with many petals. Some Camellia Sasanqua will also still […]
January Gardening Tips • Many customers, especially newcomers, assume you cannot plant this time of year. This is not the case! There are many cold hardy plants, trees and palms that can be planted now. For newcomers it is very important to know what your Hardiness Zone is- we are Zone 9. The higher the […]
Winter Pruning Pruning of non-spring flowering trees may be done now- such as oak trees. Most cold hardy trees and shrubs may be trimmed at any time but trees do better when they are trimmed while they are dormant. Flowering trees and deciduous fruit should not be pruned until the threat of the worst freezing […]
Plants of the Month – Screening Plants Do you have an unsightly view of something or want to create some privacy for your garden? This something we at VerdeGo get asked almost every day, so here are some suggestions for good, cold hardy screening plants Ligustrum: No other plant has more landscape uses than the […]
December Gardening Tips Winter Color December is the perfect time of year to plan for some winter color! Our “snowbird” friends, in particular want to have lots of color while they enjoy the Florida sunshine. Winter annuals such as alyssum, dianthus, dusty miller, pansies, petunias, snapdragons, violas and geraniums all thrive in the cooler temperatures! […]
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 […]
Trimming Now that plants and trees (like Crape Myrtles) are going dormant, many people get the urge to run out and trim. Delay pruning until late January or February when plants are completely dormant. Then you may begin to trim Crapy Myrtles, Shade Trees, Decidious Fruit Trees and hardy shrubs. Watering in the Winter Months […]
Plants of the Month: Hollies Dwarf 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 […]
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 […]
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