by Taylor Vandiver | Oct 7, 2014
I think it’s safe to say fall is officially here. Shouts can be heard from local football stadiums, occasionally a crisp fall breeze will send us looking for a light jacket, and coffee shops are pushing all things pumpkin. Now that we can officially appreciate the cooler fall weather, it may be time to stretch our legs and marvel at the spectacular show of color our landscapes are putting on. Here are a few plants that are showing off this time of year.
Firebush (Hamelia patens) – This charming Florida native will delight everyone with beautiful orange-red flowers throughout most of the year. Hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy the nectar in the flowers. Firebush can reach a height and width of 8 to 12 feet. It is a fast growing plant that will grow well in part to full sun environments.
Bright orange-red blooms on a firebush. Photo courtesy UF/IFAS.
Salvia (Salvia spp.) – Salvias are great plants for bringing butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden and as a bonus, they have no serious pests. With hundreds of annual and perennial species coming in an array of colors and sizes, you can easily find one or more to complement your landscape. Salvias perform best in full sun environments and are considered drought tolerant.
Deep purple blooms on a salvia in the landscape. Photo courtesy Taylor Vandiver.
Turk’s Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) – Turk’s cap can add a cheerful pop of color at a time when little else is blooming. This old-fashioned Florida-Friendly shrub like perennial is related to the hibiscus. It’s known for its bright red flowers that always seem ready to open, but never do. Turk’s cap starts blooming in summer and keeps going until through winter, unless hit by a hard frost. It can grow in full sun and reach up to ten feet tall and ten feet wide, so give it room to grow. This easy-care native perennial requires little maintenance once it’s established.
Turk’s cap showing off its unique blooms. Photo courtesy Taylor Vandiver
Coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) – When imagining fall color we often don’t consider coleus. However, the vibrant foliage can add interest to any landscape throughout the fall. Coleus is prized for its colorful foliage, which comes in shades of green, yellow, pink, red, and maroon. Coleus varieties can range from one to several feet in height. They can be used in hanging baskets, containers on patios, or in landscape beds. Coleus prefers partial shade and you can pinch the growing stems of young plants frequently to encourage dense foliage. Keep an eye out for mealybugs on coleus and use insecticidal soap if problems develop
Burnt orange foliage standing out amongst the neutral green of the landscape. Photo courtesy Taylor Vandiver.
Fore more information contact your local extension agent. Also you can visit us at gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu or edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
by Blake Thaxton | Aug 12, 2014
Color can make a landscape. Color highlights features of the landscape and draws the eye as a focal point itself. Spring color is dominated by lush new green growth, Summer brings on flowers of all kind, and fall brings the spectacular show of foliage.
[important]A new suggestion: use vegetable crops as fall color![/important]
Fall and winter vegetable crops for the panhandle of Florida bring a different hue of colors that can be utilized in the landscape. Let’s walk through a few that you may want to start seed for to brighten up your fall garden.
Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard brings several colors to our finger tips. Reds, Whites, Greens, and Yellows are all available from different varieties of these crops. Not only do they bring great color to the landscape but they also are sometimes referred to as the “Champagne” of greens. They can be directly seeded or transplanted and should be planted 6-12 inches apart.
Swiss Chard Varieties. photo credit – Blake Thaxton
Broccoli & Cauliflower
Broccoli brings a blue/green foliage and Cauliflower various colored heads. Both can bring great color to the landscape and allow for something delicious to eat in the very near future. Broccoli and Cauliflower transplants should be used for planting. Broccoli and cauliflower should be given plenty of room with approximately 24 inches between plants.
Broccoli Varieties. photo credit – Blake Thaxton
Cauliflower Varieties. photo credit – Blake Thaxton
There are many other crops to consider for fall color such as Lettuces, Cabbages, Kale, Etc. Comment below with other vegetable crops that can be used for fall color.
by Taylor Vandiver | Jun 3, 2014
In a world of limited time and space, container gardens seem to make more and more sense. Poor soil and no place to put plants in the ground are no longer good excuses for not being able to enjoy the simple pleasures of gardening. Container gardening allows the individual to create gardens to fit any situation. Gardening in containers can be just as rewarding as having a full-size garden.
There are a few items to consider when you are planning your container garden. The first is the plants you intend to use. If you are planting more than one plant in the same pot be sure that all your plants meet the same requirements. The requirements you should consider are amount of light, amount of water, climate and fertilizing needs. Some other things you might want to think about when planning your container garden are height, color, and texture. A nice variation of these elements will make your container gardens more attractive and increasingly more interesting to look at.
The next step in container gardening is choosing your container. A good rule of thumb is: “Anything that holds soil and has drainage holes in the bottom may be transformed into a container garden.” It can be a pot you purchased from the local gardening center or an old bathtub you picked up off the side of the road. However, be sure that the size of the container matches the current and potential size of your plant. For vibrant plant growth, the containers must provide adequate space for roots and soil media, allowing the plant to thrive.
Colorful containers bring life to your small spaces.
Next on your list is choosing a soil for your container. Container soils need have good aeration and decent drainage, while still being able to retain enough moisture and nutrients for plant growth. When choosing what to use in containers, never use garden soil by itself. When garden soil is added to a container, both drainage and aeration are severely impeded, and the results are plants that grow poorly or not at all.
Container soils are often referred to as soilless or artificial media, because they literally contain no soil. They are commonly composed of various media such as peat moss, perlite, vermiculite, bark and coir fiber (ground coconut hulls) in a variety of mixes. When using soilless media remember t0 moisten it slightly before planting. Fill a tub with the media, add water and lightly fluff the media to dampen it. This will keep the mixture from becoming hydrophobic (unable to take up water) throughout its life in the container. When adding media to your containers, never fill the pot to the top. You should leave about a one-inch space between the top of the soil and rim of the pot. This will make watering the pot easier as it provides a place to “put water” and not have it run over the edge.
When watering your container gardens, the best time to do so is in the morning. Watering in the morning allows the leaves of your plants and soil to dry out, preventing diseases and viruses. Remember that overwatering is the most common reason for fatalities in container gardens. Check your soil by pushing your finger into the media; if the media is moist don’t water it. When it comes to fertilizing your container gardens, fertilize only as needed. Over-fertilization will result in a buildup of salts and may burn the roots of your plants. Try to fertilize your plants during the growing season, and only if needed during the dormant seasons.
The most important objective when container gardening is to be creative. Maybe, try a variety of plants in one container garden. While an nicely put together individual container can be quite impressive, think what might happen if you put several containers together in a group. Also, don’t limit your container gardens to flowers–many vegetables can be grown in a container and actually do quite well. There really is no limit to what can be done in a container!
by Julie McConnell | Apr 1, 2014
Container garden. Image: Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS
Living in a condo, apartment, or home with small yard does not mean you can’t garden at home. Whether you are interested in edible plants or ornamentals you can create a fit that is right for your space by using containers.
The first step in container gardening is the same as for traditional landscaping. First, asses your site to determine the cultural situation. Is it sunny or shady? Is water available from rainfall or from a nearby spigot? Will salt or wind be a factor? Are there height and width limitations? All of these need to be taken into consideration when you are planning to plant. These are elements that we have very little control over, so it is best to choose the right plants for the place you have.
Choose a container that will allow for adequate root growth and good drainage. If growing annuals, perennials, or small vegetables, a pot that is 12-18” deep should be sufficient. For shallow rooted or plants that like dry conditions you can go smaller. If plants grow tall make sure that the weight of the soil and pot is enough to keep it upright in gusty winds. It is not necessary to buy a container, you can reuse something as long as the water will drain and it is sturdy. Large containers may not need to be filled completely, but can be filled with a lightweight filler such as upside down nursery pots, water or soda bottles with lids, or packing peanuts. Choosing a light weight filler material makes the container easier to turn or relocate if needed and reduces the cost of potting soil.
Once you have determined site conditions, select the type of plants you would like to grow. When choosing edibles, the amount of sunlight available may be a limiting factor. Although some herbs and vegetables may benefit from a little bit of shade, they still need a bright location in order to produce well. If your site is very shady, consider shade loving ornamentals such as fern, hosta, and impatiens.
Understand the sunlight, water, and fertilizer needs of each plant. Group plants together that have similar requirements because they will receive the same care. Most herbs like a hot, dry situation and very little to no fertilizer. Grouping one of these herbs with a tomato plant that needs consistent watering and regular fertilizer will create a situation where one plant will perform poorly.
Container gardens require more care than plants in the ground because they dry out faster and may get no water from rainfall, if placed in a covered area. Consider using micro irrigation designed for containers or choose plants with low water needs such as the grasses and succulents.
To read more about container gardening read Container Gardening for Outdoor Spaces ENH1095.
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by Taylor Vandiver | Feb 25, 2014
So you have alkaline soil… What next?
Throughout the Panhandle, a common problem that often arises is finding a way to raise soil pH. This is due to the fact that we often encounter sandy, acid soils in this region. An often overlooked issue is explaining the process of gardening in a soil that tends to be more alkaline in nature.
Soil pH is measured using a scale from 0 to 14. On this scale, a value of 7 is neutral, pH values less than 7 are acidic, and pH values greater than 7 are alkaline. Soil pH directly affects the growth and quality of many landscape plants. Extreme pH levels can prevent certain nutrients from being available to plants. Therefore, a high pH may make it difficult to grow certain plants.
Often alkaline soils occur in the home landscape as a result of calcium carbonate-rich building materials (i.e., concrete, stucco, etc.) that may have been left in the soil following construction. Soils that contain limestone, marl or seashells are also usually alkaline in nature. There are a few measures that can be taken in order to combat high pH. Incorporating soil amendments containing organic material is the most common method implemented to reverse alkalinity. Peat or sphagnum peat moss is generally acidic and will lower pH better than other organic materials. Adding elemental sulfur is another common practice. A soil test will need to be performed often in order to add the correct amount of sulfur to reach an optimal pH level.
Lowering the pH of strongly alkaline soils is much more difficult than raising it. Unfortunately, there is no way to permanently lower the pH of soils severely impacted by alkaline construction materials. In these circumstances, it may be best to select plants that are tolerant of high pH conditions to avoid chronic plant nutrition problems.
Some plants that will tolerate alkaline soils:
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Shrubs
- Glossy Abelia (Abelia Xgrandiflora)
- Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus)
- Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)
- Burford Holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’)
- Indian Hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis indica)
Firebush is wonderful butterfly attractant. Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS.
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Perennials
- Larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum)
- Pinks (Dianthus spp.)
- Firebush (Hamelia patens)
- Plumbago (Plumbago ariculata)
Zinnias come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Photo courtesy of UF/IFAS.
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Annuals
- California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Zinnias (Zinnia spp.)
- Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
by Julie McConnell | Nov 18, 2013
Delphiniums
As the weather changes, so should your flower bed. Annual flowers provide fantastic color to landscapes with months of flowers or attractive foliage, but the trade-off is that they give you all they’ve got over one growing season.
There are two main groups of annuals, summer (warm season) and winter (cool season). Summer annuals are considered “tender” and will not tolerate frosts, but winter annuals are “hardy” meaning they can stand cool temperatures and even hard frost if given time to establish before the coldest weather arrives. Most winter annuals actually prefer cooler temperatures and perform poorly during the hottest part of the year.
Some hardy winter annuals that can be planted after October are pansies, violas, snapdragons, dianthus,delphinium, petunia, alyssum, dusty miller, hollyhock, ornamental cabbage and kale, and verbena. With all the choices available, winter flower beds can be filled with all ranges of the color palate!
Plan to change flower beds to winter annuals from October to November, depending on the weather. Wait until cool weather trends arrive so that the new plants are not stressed by hot weather and high humidity. Most winter annuals will perform well until warm weather arrives, typically April or May in North Florida. Read more about “Gardening with Annuals in Florida.”
