Echo Your Architecture

Echo Your Architecture

One of the most overlooked aspects of landscape design, particularly on DIY projects, is the idea of enhancing the architecture of your home by using plants that echo the shapes and features of the structure. The use of proper plant material not only shows off a home’s exterior beauty and increases curb appeal but often will translate into a significant boost in resale value!  On site visits, I all too often encounter beautiful homes whose curb appeal potential is squashed due to poor plant selection.  For example, how many times have you seen the ranch-style home with too-large Indica Azaleas across the foundation that are reaching for the eaves?

UF/IFAS File Photo.

UF/IFAS File Photo.

Using plants to echo architecture is a pertinent topic for me as I just purchased a beautiful historic home in Walton County. This is a situation that could easily be ruined through improper plant selection. However, I’m going to try my best to use plants that enhance, not detract from, the architecture of the home.  Here are a few very common architectural elements that happen to be present in my house and some easy planting tips to bring out the best in them:

  • A steeply pitched roof and tall, narrow profile. A situation like this calls for the installation of a tight, upright shrub or tree to frame and echo the corner of the home. I am obeying this rule by planting a ‘Sioux’ crapemyrtle, a narrow, upright cultivar growing to 20’ and sporting flaming pink flowers. Some other plant options to consider installing: Ilex x attenuata ‘Savannah’ and other cultivars, ‘Apalachee’ crapemyrtle (lavender Flowers with cinnamon bark), ‘Brodie’ or ‘Spartan’ juniper (upright cultivars), ‘Little Gem’ magnolia. There are even a few selections of live oak such as ‘Highrise’, ‘Skyclimber’, etc. that fit the bill!
  • Large, open front porch. We southerners love our front porch sitting, so don’t cover it up by planting large growing shrubs in front of it! Instead, plant a low growing, maintenance free ornamental grass or shrub! I decided to go with an airy, native look and fill the bed under my porch with pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris). Here are a few other great options for a low growing plant to show off your porch: ‘Purple Pixie’ loropetalum (a new introduction from the Southern Living Plant Collection), dwarf Fakahatchee grass (an underused native), Indian hawthorne (overplanted but still effective), ‘Firepower’ nandina or one of its newer cousins (bulletproof with good fall color), ‘Soft Caress’ mahonia (elegant selection for a shady bed), holly fern (low growing evergreen fern for a shady area).
  • Long, bare walls. Let’s face it, a blank wall is not visually pleasing and bare walls can actually act as a heat sink during our long summer afternoons! To break up the monotony of a bare wall and provide some shading for cooling purposes, mix plants of different heights and textures, even add a small tree or two! Here are a few reminders when landscaping to bring interest to a bare wall: Plant the taller plants (larger shrubs and small trees) in between windows to get height interest but not block views; use plants with flexible limbs and soft foliage for easy pruning and to make maintenance easier; choose plants with colors that will be compatible with the wall; finally, allow at least a foot or two between the wall and the mature size of your plants for ease of access! The plant choices for this application are endless. Get creative!

Whatever your house’s style may be, remember the above suggestions when planting and watch as your landscape grows to enhance the look and value of your home rather than detract from it! Happy planting!

 

My Fall Vegetable Garden

My Fall Vegetable Garden

Direct seed root crops and many leafy greens, such as arugula and spinach. Photo by Molly Jameson.

Direct seed root crops and many leafy greens, such as arugula and spinach. Photo by Molly Jameson.

Fall is fast approaching, and that means my favorite season for gardening has arrived! September is the month we get to start all of our fall favorites. For me, this means starting lettuce, kale, broccoli, and collards by seed in flats indoors. I use full-spectrum fluorescent bulbs, which mimics natural sunlight. In a couple of weeks, I will direct seed arugula, carrots, mustards, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips into my raised beds.

Seed many brassicas and lettuce into flats. Photo by Molly Jameson.

Seed brassicas and lettuce into flats. Photo by Molly Jameson.

But before I get started direct seeding, I will first need to do some garden cleanup. Sadly, this means I will need to say goodbye to my basil and okra, which are still hanging on despite the heat (and despite the hurricane!). Then it will be time to add a fresh layer of compost. Additionally, I will be adding worm castings, which I have been creating for my fall garden in my home worm bin all summer. There is no better feeling then growing brassicas and lettuce from seed, digging small holes, adding homemade fresh worm castings to each, and planting the eager seedlings.

Grow many greens for the fall season. Photo by Molly Jameson.

Grow a variety of greens for the fall season. Photo by Molly Jameson.

Fall is a wonderful time to garden in zone 8b – generally less pest pressure and a chance to plant hardy leafy greens that can be harvested all the way into spring. Of course, I always keep frost cloth around, in case temperatures dip below freezing for extended periods of time. In which case I will be sure to carefully cover my lettuce and Swiss chard, making sure the cloth is well secured.

I love my tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash, but they usually involve staking and the ever imminent threat of caterpillars and intense heat. In the fall, most crops hold themselves off the ground, and I certainly cannot wait to pull on a jacket in the crisp early morning, come out to harvest kale and spinach leaves, and add them to my breakfast smoothie and veggie omelet.

For more information:

Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide

 

Saltbush–a Native Beauty, of Sorts

Saltbush–a Native Beauty, of Sorts

Saltbush seed in "bloom" stands out in a saltmarsh dominated by black needlerush. Photo credit: Zach Schang, FDEP

Saltbush seed in “bloom” stands out in a salt marsh dominated by black needlerush. Photo credit: Zach Schang, FDEP

In the spring and summer, no one notices the little green shrub hidden among wax myrtle and marsh elder at the edge of the salt marsh. However, if I’m leading a group of students or a Master Naturalist class through the same area in the fall, it’s the first plant people ask about. The saltbush or groundsel tree (Baccharis halmifolia) blooms dramatically in late September and October, with feathery, dandelion-like white “flowers” on female plants. These seeds are dispersed far and wide by the wind. Male plants typically grow side-by-side with females, and produce yellowish, tubular blooms at the same time. Characterized as both a large shrub and a small tree, the saltbush typically branches from multiple trunks and ranges in height from 2-10 feet. The leaves are rough to the touch and slightly succulent, enabling the plant to hold onto moisture in the sandy, hot environments on the  uphill edges of wetlands in which it thrives.

The leaf of Baccharis angustifolia is narrower than B. halmifolia. Both are succulent, enabling the plants to hold on to moisture in a salty environment. Photo courtesy Shirley Denton, Florida Plant Atlas.

The leaf of Baccharis angustifolia is narrower than B. halmifolia. Both are succulent, enabling the plants to hold on to moisture in a salty environment. Photo courtesy Shirley Denton, Florida Plant Atlas.

The leaf of Baccharis halmifolia is lobed and wider than B. angustifolia is narrower. Both are succulent, enabling the plants to hold on to moisture in a salty environment. Photo courtesy Forestry Images.

The leaf of Baccharis halmifolia is lobed and wider than B. angustifolia is narrower. Both are succulent, enabling the plants to hold on to moisture in a salty environment. Photo courtesy Forestry Images.

The plant is often confused with its near relative, false willow (Baccharis angustifolia), which is typically co-located with saltbush in coastal wetlands. It also blooms white in the fall, but can be differentiated by its slender, almost needle-like (but also succulent) leaves.

Saltbush is not typically used in the home landscape, as some people are allergic and the seeds are poisonous if ingested. Properly planted, however, it is a perfect addition to a butterfly garden because the male plants’ fall flowers provide nectar to numerous butterfly species, including the monarch. Another ideal location for saltbush would be a rain garden or the edges of a stormwater pond. Coastal property owners on the bay or Gulf would find it an excellent addition due to its tolerance of the year-round salt spray. The species is very hardy–tolerant of both wet and dry soils–along with a variety of soil pH levels. Plant saltbush in full sun with at least 3-5 feet between young plants.

For additional information on the characteristics of saltbush, please see the UF publication, Baccharis halmifolia Saltbush, Groundsel Bush and check out this entertaining video from our Lee County colleague, Stephen Brown, as he immerses himself in a stand of saltbush.

 

Attract Pollinators with Dotted Horsemint

Bee visiting Monarda punctata. Photo: J. McConnell, UF/IFAS

Bee visiting Monarda punctata. Photo: J. McConnell, UF/IFAS

If you are looking for a late summer blooming plant that attracts pollinators and survives in a tough spot, dotted horsemint (Monarda punctata) is for you! This native plant thrives in sunny, well-drained sites but will also tolerate moist garden spots. It grows quickly and blooms prolifically – attracting pollinators by the dozens. A plant covered in blooms is very showy and when you go in for a closer look, you’ll see unique flowers.

horsemint

Dotted horsemint brings color to the summer garden. Photo: J. McConnell, UF/IFAS

This plant can get 3 feet tall by 4 feet wide but it is tolerant of pruning in the growing season to keep it tidy and encourage bushiness. Just be sure to prune it before it sets flowers, a good rule of thumb is to prune before the end of June.

 

Propagation is by division or seed. Few pests affect dotted horsemint.

To read more about this flowering perennial:

Monarda punctata Bee Balm, Horsemint 

 

Best Seasons for Planting Coming Up

Best Seasons for Planting Coming Up

By the look of the crowded nurseries during March and April, springtime seems to be the best time for planting. This is the case for our frost tender annuals and perennials but we are actually heading into our best seasons for planting trees and shrubs.

The fact that above ground portions of trees and shrubs go through a time of slowed growth or dormancy is the good reason for planting during the fall and winter. Although we don’t see it, roots are still growing slowly and the upcoming months give new plants the time for roots to spread into surrounding soil before hot temperatures return.  Water stress is also not as significant during the cooler months.  Plants still need to be supplied regular water but needs are not as high, especially if rainfall occurs.

A tree installed in the cooler months has more time to establish before hot weather returns.

A tree installed in the cooler months has more time to establish before hot weather returns.

Start gathering your ideas for new or replacement trees and shrubs that will match your landscape and visit a local nursery this Fall.

If you need an update on tree and shrubs planting and care techniques read more in the UF IFAS publication.