Gardening in the Panhandle Program Update
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“Living Screens”
Monday, February 10, 10 am – Noon CST. UF/IFAS Calhoun County Extension would like to invite you to attend the workshop “Living Screens”, the first installment of the monthly Garden Talks program on Monday, February 10th from 10:00 am – Noon CST at the UF/IFAS Calhoun County Extension Office, 20816 Central Ave E, Blountstown, FL 32424! This workshop will feature Calhoun County Agent Daniel Leonard teaching how to use screening plants to bring back privacy to your property and landscape! Set yourself up for success when planting living screens by learning how to pick the proper screening plants for your situation and how to troubleshoot common problems associated with screens that you might run into. Seating is limited, so call (850)-674-8323 to reserve your spot! Monthly Garden Talks programs are free and include presentation handouts, educational publications and light refreshments! We hope to see you there
Video: Examples of Native Edibles
Here’s an interesting and informative video about native edibles, from our colleagues in, Orange County, Central Florida.
Timing is Everything: Pruning Azaleas for Maximum Bloom Potential
Fall Pruned Azalea. Image Credit Matthew Orwat
Although Northwest Florida is well known for its beautiful Azalea displays every spring, many do not understand that these shows of bloom could be sacrificed completely by pruning at the wrong time.
Pruning Azaleas in the fall will result in a loss of spring bloom the following spring, since flower buds are initialized on previous year’s growth for most azalea cultivars.This means that they flower on growth put on throughout the previous growing season. If a gardener removes the previous season’s new growth, they are removing the blooms as well.
So, when is the proper time to prune Azaleas? The ideal time to prune is directly after the spring bloom. This will give the plant enough time to generate abundant new growth, thus maximizing bloom next spring. One might think that when growing the repeat blooming Encore azaleas, pruning time doesn’t matter. Should the need arise to prune these compact, repeat blooming shrubs the optimal time is directly after spring bloom and not after the final fall bloom cycle.
For more information on pruning Azaleas or on general Azalea culture, please read the UF / IFAS publication Azaleas at a Glance or check out the Pruning Azalea page on Gardening Solutions.
Herbs to Beat the Heat
So far, the summer of 2019 has been very hot and humid. Plant heat stress was compounded due to this year’s extremely dry spring. Fortunately, there are several herbs that can tolerate drought and heat, and some even thrive on it. Here are a few herbs to think about trying this summer.
Lavender
Lavender thrives in low organic matter soils that are also well drained. Sometimes small rocks are added to the soil to improve drainage if the soil drains poorly. If the garden is mulched, make sure the mulch is several inches away from the main stem, since fungal stem rots are common in humid climates. Ed Gillman notes, in his EDIS publication FPS-337 on lavender that lavender is very sensitive to pH, and that it should be kept above 6. This is particularly noteworthy since many soils in the Florida panhandle are very acidic, at pH 5.5 or below. Lavender grows between two to three feet tall generally, but smaller cultivars exist as well. It does not respond well to excess irrigation, so make sure it is not sited next to water thirsty plants like basil. While lavender is drought and heat tolerant, a little afternoon shade during the hottest parts of summer is welcome.
Mixed mint in raised bed, Photo by Matthew Orwat
Mint
There are many different kinds of mint available to the herb gardener, but the most common types are spearmint and peppermint. Mint thrives in the heat when well-watered and will also recover from drought conditions quickly. When planting mint, consider segregating it from other herbs, since it tends to take over any area it’s given. Raised beds are ideal for mint since the borders of a raised bed will keep it in bounds.
Rosemary in raised bed, Photo by Matthew Orwat
Rosemary
Like lavender, rosemary is a somewhat woody herb and can persist for several years as a “shrub” in zone 8 or higher. It is as drought tolerant as lavender and also shares its disdain for overwatering. Several cultivars exist, such as the trailing ‘Prostratus’ cultivar. Growers can expect blue to purple flowers in the winter on evergreen plants. For more information about rosemary, see this IFAS Gardening solutions entry.
Variegated lemon thyme leaves, Photograph by Julie McConnell, UF / IFAS
Thyme
The smallest evergreen herb that does well in Northwest Florida is thyme. Thyme doesn’t like to completely dry out, but is fairly drought tolerant and excels in rock gardens, where it can cascade down over stone. It needs well drained soil to thrive and should be sited away from competition from other plants. See this Gardening Solutions page for more information