Summer Bulbs

by Beth Bolles | Aug 5, 2013

Thinking of bulbs for the garden? Summer is not necessarily the time of year that gardeners think about beautiful blooms from bulbs and bulb-like plants, but there are many that bloom in the summer garden.

In general, many types of plants with an underground storage organ are classified as a bulb. These include plants with tubers, rhizomes, or corms. True bulbs including Lycoris and Crinum lily are compressed stems with a growing point surrounded by thick, fleshy scales. Corms such as Crocosmia are solid masses of stem tissue with a terminal bud and side nodes. The rhizome is an underground stem that grows laterally, with representatives of this type being blackberry lily and ginger.

It is likely that your garden is full of bulb-like plants and you were just not aware of their underground beginnings. If you want to consider a few more for the summer garden, here are some good choices.

Blackberry lily is a member of the Iris family that offers good summer bloom in our northern Florida gardens. Plants form sprays of foliage about 2 feet in height with stalks of orange flowers with red spots. Plant in full sun or partial shade and supply with well drained, amended soil.

A hairstreak butterfly visits the Blackberry lily flower.

Another bright summertime bloomer is Croscomia. Commonly overlooked early in the year as foliage regrows from the cold, the bright orange flowers that emerge in summer make it a feature in garden beds. Plants grow well in both full sun and partial shade but clumps can expand easily beyond the desirable planting area. Thin out every few seasons to keep the clump manageable.

A tuberous perennial that will have stunning flowers closer to eye level is the Gloriosa or flame lily. Plant stems will wind around a trellis or garden feature, hold on with tendrils, and support large upward-curved petals. Flower colors are red, yellow, orange, or mixes of several colors. Flame lily prefers sunny locations and lots of moisture in the growing season. Winter soils should be drier to prevent tubers from rotting.

Flame lily growing with a spring blooming vine.

All of these options can enhance your garden and extend your bulb growing season beyond the spring. Happy Gardening!

Weed Control is not “One Size Fits All”

by Julie McConnell | Aug 5, 2013

Chamberbitter

Above average rainfall this summer has supplied water to more than just our landscapes, weeds are benefiting and flourishing as well.

Just as with any other landscape pest, proper weed control starts with accurate identification and knowledge about the life cycle of the weed.
When weeds are low in number, mechanical control (pulling, mowing) is a good start. If weed population continues to increase and herbicide options are considered, several questions need to be answered before product application.

Questions you need to ask yourself about your weed and site:

What weed(s) are you trying to control?
o Be sure you know what the name of the weed is so that you can find it on your product label “weeds controlled” list; if you need help with identification contact your local county extension office
What is your site?
o Lawn – specific turfgrass is important, what is safe to use on one type may kill another
o Ornamental beds – again note specific plants near your treatment area in case of sensitivity
o Water bodies – some herbicides are not labeled for use within a given distance of water; if the weed is in or around the water only use herbicides listed for aquatic weed control
What is the life cycle of your weed?
o Annual – one season life cycle, summer annuals complete their life cycle between spring and fall; winter annuals are active between fall and spring
o Biennial – two growing season life cycle
o Perennial – plant lives for three or more years
What category does your weed fall into?
o Grasses – one seed leaf as it emerges from the soil; hollow, rounded, stems with nodes, parallel veins in true leaves; examples are crabgrass, dallisgrass, cogongrass, torpedograss
o Broadleaves – have two seed leaves and true leaves have net-like veins and usually have showy flowers; examples are lespedeza, dollarweed, clover, chickweed, henbit, florida betony
o Sedges/Rushes – sedges have solid triangular stems; rushes have round stems; both like moist or wet habitat; examples are purple nutsedge, yellow nutsedge, beak rush

Dollarweed: Image Credit Edis ENH1128

Basic information about herbicide categories:

Has the weed emerged (do you see it already?) or are you anticipating it because it was present in the past?
Post-emergence Herbicides – these products are for use on weeds that are already growing and are past emergence; they generally are most effective on young weeds that are actively growing; products are less effective on weeds that have already flowered or are stressed due to drought or recent mowing
Pre-emergence Herbicides – must be applied before seed germination and require some pre-planning, if applied after weed emergence they will have little to no effect; for control of winter weeds apply when nighttime temperatures drop to 55-60⁰F for several consecutive days (~ early October for North Florida); for summer weeds watch for day temperatures to reach 65-70⁰ for 4-5 consecutive days (~ early March for North Florida), some summer weeds such as goosegrass and chamberbitter germinate later and require different timing, know your weed!
What will the herbicide kill?
o Selective – controls certain plant species without seriously affecting growth of other plant types; for example broadleaf weed killer targets broadleaf plants, although they can still damage turfgrass if not used correctly, always follow the label
o Nonselective – will kill any green plants whether broadleaf, grass, sedge, or rush; as with any chemical follow all label directions
What part of the plant is killed?
o Contact – affects only the portion of the plant that it comes into contact with, they are not moved throughout the plant so they do not kill any underground plant parts such as rhizomes or tubers; many perennial weeds are able to regrow from their underground parts, so contact herbicides give only temporary results
o Systemic – the chemical is translocated in the plant’s vascular system; systemic herbicides take longer to show an effect than contact, but will kill more than just the visible leaves and stems
As with any other pest management plan, always keep records to include at a minimum:
• Site description
• Pest information
• Control actions taken and success of each method
Good recordkeeping will increase your likelihood of success in your fight against weeds!

For more information read EDIS Publication “Weed Management in Home Lawns”

Crapemyrtle: For Summer Color in the Florida Panhandle

by Gary Knox | Jul 29, 2013

Crapemyrtle flowering has been spectacular this year!

While most other garden plants droop from summer’s heat, humidity and heavy rains, crapemyrtle thrives and puts on an outstanding show of flowers all summer and fall. Thanks to modern breeders, there are all sizes of improved hybrid crapemyrtles with flower colors of lavender, purple, white, pink, or red.

Crapemyrtle Cultivar: ‘Tonto’
Image Credit: Gary Knox

Just say “No” to Pruning

Crapemyrtle varieties come in tree-size, patio tree and shrub categories.
Tree-size crapemyrtles grow 25 ft. tall and are ideal as flowering trees. Patio tree-form plants (up to 12 ft.) are beautiful as small, flowering specimen plants near patios, walkways, and entrances. Shrub forms (up to 6 ft.) make excellent accents in a shrub border and smaller types are effective as large groundcovers or container plants.

Crapemyrtle Cultivar: ‘Red Rocket’
Image Credit: Gary Knox

Make sure you buy the right size crapemyrtle for your home. Don’t make the mistake of planting a tree-size crapemyrtle in an area too small for its ultimate size, or you’ll find yourself pruning it hard – and often – to keep it from out-growing its place.

Crapemyrtle Cultivar: ‘Sioux’
Image Credit: Gary Knox

Recommended Varieties

Some of the best tree-size (25 ft.) types are Natchez (white), Red Rocket^® (red), Sioux (pink) and Apalachee (lavender). Superior patio tree crapemyrtles (12 ft.) are Acoma (white), Cheyenne (true red), Tonto (fuchsia red), Hopi (pink) and Catawba (purple). Smaller shrub (6 ft.) crapemyrtles are hard to find, but Cherry Dazzle^® is a nice mounding red and Pixie White and New Orleans (purple) are good selections.

Planting and Garden Care

When it comes to planting, crapemyrtle is very tolerant and forgiving with three exceptions. First, crapemyrtle needs sun to flower freely, so plant it in a site receiving at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Secondly, crapemyrtle will not grow in wet soils. Finally, never plant crapemyrtle too deep — if you do so, it will punish you by not flowering for years and years. Planting too deep literally smothers the roots, requiring the crapemyrtle to regenerate a new root system in the soil above.

Crapemyrtle is very drought tolerant and almost seems to thrive on neglect. On the other hand, regular watering and fertilizer will help crapemyrtle grow faster and bigger.

Crapemyrtle Cultivar: ‘Acoma’
Image Credit: Gary Knox

More Beauty on the Way!

Breeders are continuing to improve and introduce new crapemyrtles. Many new varieties were released in the last couple years. In particular, watch for new types with purple-burgundy leaf color all summer long! Time will tell which new ones grow best in Northwest Florida. Stay tuned as the world of crapemyrtle continues to evolve and improve!

*Gary Knox is Professor of Environmental Horticulture with the University of Florida. He is stationed at the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy, where he evaluates more than 100 cultivars of crapemyrtle.