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 […]
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 […]
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”, […]
Annuals: Planting can continue throughout the fall and winter. Cool season annuals are starting to arrive at the Garden Center- such as Petunias, Dianthus, Marigolds, and Snapdragons. 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 […]
November Lawn Care Products For St. Augustine, Zoysia and Bahia Lawns: Fertilome HuMic HuMic Granular Humic Acid soil amendment is for Vegetables Gardens, Flowerbeds, Indoor Plants and Compost Bins. A Highly concentrated soil conditioner. Derived from remains of decomposed organic plant materials, humic acids enhance nutrient uptake and stimulate soil microbial life. Humic Acid encourages root […]
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 October is a key month for lawn care as many lawns are stressed from the summer. See the lawn care guide for this month below. Fall is a good time to sod or use plugs to fill in bare areas as well. In shaded areas that do not support good grass, consider using […]
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. Mums Mums are the most popular potted plants during the Fall holidays because of their bright colors and easy care. Whether you add a bale of hay, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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