by Beth Bolles | Dec 4, 2015
A visit to a nursery and homeowners will see so many new selections of plants for the landscape. Some of these plants are new plant developments and may include plants we could not previously grow in Florida’s heat and humidity. One new plant series is the Southgate® Rhododendrons.
Anyone from more northern areas of the South is very familiar with the rhododendrons that offer showy spring blooms. Those particular rhododendrons just don’t make it in our Florida climate.
The Southgate® series from Louisiana were developed to be more tolerant of our weather conditions. Homeowners must still consider plant placement very carefully since these plants have some specific requirements even in Florida. Plants will do best in shade or filtered shade, especially in the afternoon. They do like an acid soil amended with compost and areas that are well drained. Homeowners will need to supply water during the growing season to maintain a uniform soil moisture.
Rhododendron foliage with buds.
Consider trying one of these newer rhodendrons if your landscape has a suitable spot and you will definitely enjoy a bright spot of color come spring.
Special Note: If you have animals or children be cautious since all plant parts are toxic if ingested.
by Mary Salinas | Dec 4, 2015
The cooler weather in the wintertime makes it a great time to plant trees and shrubs. That is why Arbor Day in Florida is the third Friday in January. In 2016, that event is January 15.
Baldcypress growing at the edge of a pond. Photo: Julie McConnell, UF/IFAS
Start your planning now with doing a site assessment on your landscape, then choosing the right trees and shrubs for your particular environmental conditions.
Here are some great sites that offer online tools for finding just the right species:
Florida Tree Selector
The Florida-friendly Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design
Florida Native Plant Society Locator
And if you want to find out just how much your established trees are worth, use this National Tree Benefit Calculator!
For more information:
Planting Trees in the Landscape
Arbor Day Foundation: Florida
by Julie McConnell | Nov 24, 2015
You may have heard “group plants with similar needs together” but struggled to come up with some combinations that work. The most important things to consider when creating functional garden space is the cultural needs of the plants you want to combine. Sunlight, water, and fertilizer needs should be very similar when planting multiple plants together. For fall and winter gardens, choose annuals that are frost tolerant and/or evergreen perennials.
Here are some plants that work well together in cool weather:
- Strawberries and romaine lettuce – both are cool season annuals that can be planted in late October or early November. The lettuce can be harvested from outside leaves after growth begins or let it form a head and cut the entire plant. Strawberries will spread out but remain fairly low growing compared to the upright lettuce. These plants combine well in a container if given room to expand.
- Rosemary and oregano – these culinary herbs thrive in sunny, well-drained spots. Rosemary is an upright woody perennial and oregano spreads along the ground making a fragrant groundcover for a tough spot.
- Snapdragons, pansies, and parsley – this combination gives foliage contrasts in addition to colorful flowers. This combination will work in full sun or a slightly shaded spot in th
e garden. In the spring, replace the snapdragons and pansies for warm season annuals for continued color.
- Cabbage, cauliflower, and strawberries – all cool season edible crops that have attractive foliage and similar needs.
- Snapdragons, violas, and petunia – this colorful combination has three height levels of tall snaps, bunching violas, and trailing petunias.
To learn more about these plants and other options Growing Strawberries in the Florida Home Garden, Herbs in the Florida Garden, and Gardening with Annuals in Florida.
by Molly Jameson | Nov 24, 2015
Kale, mustard, and lettuce in fall garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
In North Florida, December can mark the peak in fall vegetable gardening. Early lettuce varieties are beginning to head and your later varieties are coming on strong. Radishes are starting to erupt out of the ground, and leafy greens are producing big beautiful leaves. But did you know that simple changes in how you harvest can greatly increase the longevity of your fall garden?
Here are a few harvesting tips for stretching out the fall harvest to ensure you will have plenty of greens all the way into spring:
Plant radishes and arugula as gaps form in fall vegetable garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
- Harvest leaves often: Leafy vegetables and herbs often produce more leaves the more you pick them. Harvest the lower, oldest leaves of vegetables such as leaf lettuce, kale, collards, and Swiss chard often. Be sure to maintain two to three leaves per plant; this method will ensure tender, pest-damage-free leaves, while encouraging the plant to keep producing.
- Thin to eat: Plants such as arugula and spinach are excellent vegetables to seed heavily and thin to eat. Once the plants have produced their first few true leaves, harvest the whole plant and use the leaves in salads. Continue this method until plants are about six inches apart, and then harvest leaves only. In this way, you will have salads filled with small tender leaves in the beginning of the season, and larger leaves for salads and cooking all the way into spring.
- Cut stems of florets high: Once your broccoli or cauliflower curds are ready to be harvested, cutting the stem high will often mean more secondary heads will form. Once your plants quit producing florets, start harvesting the leaves, which have great flavor and are highly nutritious. Also, with cauliflower, loosely tie the leaves around the curd. This forms a protective barrier from the sun and also improves color.
Assorted greens in fall vegetable garden. Photo by Molly Jameson.
- Harvest in the morning: Plant moisture and nutrient content are often highest in the morning. Once harvested, these leaves are less likely to wilt, and flavor will be preserved. Submerge or run cool water over the plants to maintain vigor. Alternatively, you can harvest in the evening if you plan to prepare the food that night.
- Fill in the gaps: Once you begin harvesting frequently, you will notice space begins to open up in your garden. It is often too early to plant cold-sensitive spring crops, yet you can continue to plant some quick growing fall vegetables, such as radishes and arugula. Sow these seeds as space opens up to maximize your food production until it is warm enough for the new season.
- Use materials to extend the season: By using frost cloth, low tunnels, cold frames, and shade cloth, you can protect your vegetables from early cold snaps and extend the season into spring. These materials, as well as wire and netting, can also protect your crop from deer, squirrels, and rabbits.
by Mary Salinas | Nov 9, 2015
Are you plagued with mosquitoes in your yard? Does it seem like you have a greater infestation than your neighbors? There may be some solutions to solve the problem other than using pesticides that negatively impact beneficial insects in your landscape.
Asian tiger mosquito. Photo credit: Susan Ellis, Bugwood.org.
Mosquitoes are not only annoying, they can transmit serious diseases such as: eastern equine encephalitis, dengue fever, dog or cat heartworm, chikungunya, malaria, St. Louis encephalitis and west Nile virus.
Let’s first explore what kind of environment in your landscape and around your home is friendly to the proliferation of mosquitos. Adult mosquitoes lay their eggs on or very near water that is still or stagnant. That is because the larvae live in the water but have to come to the surface regularly to breeze. The small delicate larvae need the water surface to be still in order to surface and breathe. Water that is continually moving or flowing inhibits mosquito populations.
Look around your home and landscape for these possible sites of still water that can be excellent mosquito breeding grounds:
- bird baths
- potted plant saucers
- pet dishes
- old tires
- ponds
- roof gutters
- tarps over boats or recreational vehicles
- rain barrels (screen mesh over the opening will prevent females from laying their eggs)
- bromeliads (they hold water in their central cup or leaf axils)
- any other structure that will hold even a small amount of water (I even had them on a heating mat in a greenhouse that had very shallow puddles of water!)
Mosquito larvae. Photo credit: Ari Farajollahi, Bugwood.org.
You may want to rid yourself of some of these sources of standing water or empty them every three to four days. What if you have bromeliads, a pond or some other standing water and you want to keep them and yet control mosquitoes? There is an environmentally responsible solution. Some bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis or Bacillus sphaericus, only infects mosquitoes and other close relatives like gnats and blackflies and is harmless to all other organisms. Look for products on the market that contain this bacteria.
For more information:
UF/IFAS Mosquito Information Website
Biological Control of Mosquitoes
by Molly Jameson | Nov 4, 2015
Covering a row of lettuce with frost cloth at Turkey Hill Farm. Photo by Turkey Hill Farm.
While most of Florida does not have to worry about freezing winter weather, the Florida Panhandle is certainly an exception. North Florida experiences a few hard freezes – temperatures less than 28°F for over five hours – every year. Although most of our cold weather occurs in January and February, we can expect our first frost around the second week of November. Therefore, it is important for gardeners to be prepared.
Most of the Panhandle is in zone 8b, which means average minimum temperatures are between 15 and 20°F. Nights – especially consecutive nights – that get this cold can “burn” the tips of even the toughest vegetables, such as collards and kale. It is also important to remember that if you live in a more rural area, temperatures will be slightly cooler, relative to the city. Frost is also more likely to occur on clear nights, as heat that radiated down from the sun during the day will escape the atmosphere at night, if clouds are not present. Also, if you were late getting your fall garden started, it is even more important to protect your vegetable plants, as young plants are more susceptible to cold weather.
Young plants are more susceptible to cold weather, so be sure to use cold protection. Photo by Molly Jameson.
One strategy home gardeners can use to protect their plants during cold weather is to use frost cloth. Frost cloth is a breathable polyester fabric that is light weight and heat-retentive. It can moderate temperatures about six to eight degrees Fahrenheit. Use it on all of your garden plants if there is a hard freeze, but do not cover cold hardy vegetables in mild frosts, as their flavor can actually become sweeter in cool weather, and the plants will become more tolerant to the cold.
Frost cloth can be found at most plant nurseries, and it can last multiple years if you take care of it. Use wire hoops to keep the cloth off smaller crops, as ideally the cloth should not touch the plant. Most importantly, the cloth must touch the ground at all points to be effective, as it works by trapping heat that radiates from the soil and increases the humidity around the plant.
In the morning, do not remove frost cloth too early, as quick thawing can actually cause the most severe damage. Wait until the outside air temperature is about 50 to 60°F. Since frost cloth is breathable, if temperatures do not reach 50 to 60°F during the day, you can leave it on multiple days.
Frost cloth in high tunnel at Turkey Hill Farm. Photo by Turkey Hill Farm.
Sheets or blankets (not plastic) can be a frost cloth substitute, but there are disadvantages, such as not allowing proper air circulation or not being large enough to reach the ground.
Another strategy that can help keep your garden safe from cold weather is to keep your plants well watered, as frost damage is actually dehydration. When ice crystals form on the leaf surface, it draws moisture from the leaf tissue. Damage will therefore be less severe if the plant is not already drought-stressed. You can also mulch around the base of your plants with wood chips or straw to help moderate soil temperature and retain moisture.
Being prepared for cold weather will help keep your vegetable garden going strong all the way into the spring. Remember that healthy plants will be more resistant to cold weather than unhealthy plants, and investing in a few sheets of frost cloth can go a long way to ensure your veggies survive our chilly North Florida winters.
