by Gary Knox | Jul 21, 2014
Burgundy-leaved crapemyrtle is one of the most exciting breeding accomplishments in years. Unlike previous selections, many new crapemyrtle cultivars have leaves that retain dark burgundy coloration from spring budbreak through fall leaf drop. These plants add bold leaf color to a plant already known for its flower power.
Delta Jazz™ was the first crapemyrtle with burgundy-bronze leaves all summer long. Photo by Gary Knox
As is typical of many new plant introductions, the new crapemyrtles are grouped and sold in series, most of which are patented and/or trademarked. Delta Jazz™ was the first crapemyrtle with burgundy-bronze leaves all summer long. This year Delta Jazz™, with pink flowers, is being joined by Delta Eclipse™ (purple flowers). Future years will see Delta Breeze™ (lavender flowers) and Delta Flame™ (red). All have burgundy to bronze leaves from spring through fall and are expected to be mid-size, maturing at heights of 8 to 12 feet.
Another new series with burgundy leaves confusingly is being sold under two names: the Ebony series and the Black Diamond™ series. ‘Ebony & Ivory’ features white flowers that contrast nicely with dark burgundy leaves on red stems. ‘Ebony Embers’ has red flowers on plants with dark burgundy leaves on purple stems. ‘Ebony Fire’ has flowers that are bright red and its leaves are medium burgundy. ‘Ebony Flame’ has dark red flowers and dark burgundy leaves. Finally, ‘Ebony Glow’ is named for its blush white flowers on dark red stems with dark burgundy leaves. These selections are also sold as Black Diamond™ Pure White, Black Diamond™ Red Hot, Black Diamond™ Crimson Red, Black Diamond™ Best Red and Black Diamond™ Blush, respectively. All are expected to grow 8 feet or more in height (regardless of the name!).
‘Ebony Fire’ is a new crapemyrtle with burgundy leaves and bright red flowers. Photo by Gary Knox
The First Editions® Magic™ series of crapemyrtles includes two new selections with burgundy leaves. Moonlight Magic™ has the darkest burgundy leaves I’ve seen so far. Flowers are white and the burgundy leaves are glossy and narrow on a plant expected to grow to a height of 8 to 10 feet. Maturing at 4 to 6 feet, Midnight Magic™ has leaves that are a dull burgundy while flowers are dark pink. Note that other cultivars in the First Editions® Magic™ series (‘Coral Magic’, ‘Plum Magic’, and ‘Purple Magic’) have green leaves.
These cultivars are too new to know how well they will perform in north Florida and the Gulf Coast. The best place to view these cultivars side by side is at the LSU AgCenter, Hammond Research Station, in Hammond, LA. There, Dr. Allen Owings has developed a beautiful garden where he is evaluating crapemyrtles and many other plants. For more information and to read Dr. Owing’s comments on new crapemyrtles, visit http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/research_stations/Hammond/.
All these new cultivars will have the brightest burgundy leaf color when plants are grown in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun each day). Any amount of shade will likely result in pale burgundy or burgundy-green leaves, as well as reduced flowering and growth. As with other crapemyrtles, these new cultivars are tolerant of drought, heat, rain, humidity and all but wet soils. When buying crapemyrtle, place the plant in a location where it can grow to its full height without the need to prune it regularly. After planting, sit back and enjoy these crapemyrtles’ bold burgundy foliage as well as the abundance of colorful flowers!
1Extension Specialist and Professor of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida/IFAS, North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, Florida. gwknox@ufl.edu.
by Mary Salinas | Jul 15, 2014
We all seem to have this dilemma: A desire to re-landscape or just add a few plants to an area, but not knowing what would be the best choice. Plants need to be compatible with their location. The right plant should be chosen for the right place. Many have particular light, moisture and zone requirements in order to do their best. The ultimate size of the plant is also an important consideration; if you want to avoid constant pruning, choose plants that only grow to size you would like to ultimately have. Some great resources are provided below to get you the information you need.
UF IFAS Extension has a brand new app for your mobile device or web! The app contains a database of over 400 Florida-friendly plants is searchable by plant name, type, shape, native status, light requirements and more. The yearly subscription is only $1.99 to have great info on the go.
The downloadable 104-page Florida-friendly Landscaping Guide to Landscape Design and Plant Selection not only has photos and detailed information about plants by category, it also has great ideas on how to improve your landscape design! 
UF’s Florida Yards & Neighborhoods maintains a searchable Florida-friendly Plant Database. Make choices based on region, plant type, light and moisture quantity, soil texture salt tolerance.
For native plants, the Florida Association of Native Nurseries has two websites where you can find plants for your particular zone, plant community (like at the beach or in pine flatwoods), plant type and by wildlife usage. There is a site designed for nursery professionals that lets you find local wholesale growers and also a similar site for homeowners that has resources on where to find desired plants at local nurseries.
Speaking of native plants, the Florida Native Plant Society also has a searchable list of plants appropriate for your particular needs.
Gardening Solutions has lots of great information for lawn, landscape and garden by category, and it is easily accessed.
Happy Gardening!
by Roy Carter | Jul 8, 2014
You don’t have to pamper pampas grass! This attractive perennial, which is native to Latin America – Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, is practically trouble-free. It’s well adapted to all areas of Florida. Pampas grass grows in large clumps, eight to ten feet high. In late summer, it produces showy silver –white or pinkish silken plumes, which may reach a height of 12 feet.
Pampas grass can be very eye-catching when used as a specimen plant in the landscape. Since it grows very rapidly into a massive plant, pampas grass can provide an excellent screen for sunny locations. Unfortunately, it is often used improperly as a foundation plant. In such cases, it usually is purchased from a nursery when it’s small and planted very near the home. At first, it will look fine, but, after several years, it will have reached such a large size that it will be difficult to find the house for the old pampas grass.
“This vigorous ornamental grass is widely used as a lawn specimen but its quick growth rate and large size make it unsuitable for all but large home landscapes. However, it is ideal for barrier or windbreak plantings and has a place in larger areas such as along highways or in commercial or industrial landscapes.” FPS145
There are many ornamental forms of pampas grass. The plum-like blooms differ between male and female plants. The female plumes are broad and full, due to the silky hairs covering the tiny flowers. The male plumes look narrow and short, because of the absence of hair on the flowers. Also, there is considerable variation among seedlings in growth habit, period of flowering, and size and shape of plumes. If uniformity is desired, pampas grass should be propagated by dividing clumps, rather than by seed.
The plumes of pampas grass are highly prized for indoor decorations. Plumes used for this purpose should be cut as soon as they have fully emerged. If mature plumes are brought indoors, they will fill the home with delicate fluffy flowers which can be a bigger problem than a shedding dog or cat. This shedding can be prevented by spraying mature plumes with hair spray.
When selecting planting site for pampas grass, special attention should be paid to the potential danger or injury to passersby from contact with the very sharp, saw-like edges of the leaves. Pampas grass should be planted where it will receive full sun for most of the day. In shady locations, it will grow very slowly and produce few, if any, plumes.
Pampas grass suffers from practically no pest or disease problems. It has good salt tolerance, and will grow in almost any soil. Once it’s established, about all you need to do is give it adequate fertilizer. For healthy growth and good plume production, pampas grass should be fertilized four times a year with a balanced fertilizer, such as an 8-8-8, applied at the rate of two pounds per 100 square feet.
In North Florida, pampas grass leaves are often killed by freezing temperatures. But, new leaves will sprout in the spring. Before spring growth begins, you should prune away brown leaves and other dead material that has accumulated at the base of your plants. When working around pampas grass, it’s a good ideas to wear long pants, a longs sleeve shirt, and gloves to protect you from the sharp leaf blades mentioned earlier.
The striking, feathery plumes and large, graceful clumps of foliage make pampas grass a very desirable addition to a landscape. Since it so trouble-free, perhaps you’d like to try some around your home.
by Alex Bolques | Jun 17, 2014
Homeowner accounts of white fluffy woolly masses on woody ornamentals have been on the rise. They can appear on the ends of a wide variety of woody ornamental branches in the landscape. A closer inspection of these white woolly masses can provide the curious observer with a startling surprise. “It’s Alive!” It moves and seems to jump at you, most likely jumping away from you. Once you have recovered from the mildly frightful encounter, you ask yourself, “What was that?”
Adult citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa pruinosa
(Say). Credits: Photograph by: Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida
They are planthoppers (Metcalfa pruinosa), an insect in the order Hemiptera. The common name for this woolly looking planthopper is the citrus flatid planthopper (CFP). As the name implies, they occur on citrus but can also be found on many woody ornamentals and fruit trees. The adult planthopper wing arrangement is tent-like, meaning that the forewings are held over the insect abdomen in a tent configuration.
Nymph of the citrus flatid planthopper, Metcalfa
pruinosa (Say). Credits: Photograph by: Lyle J. Buss,
University of Florida
The nymph, young immature insect, produces the white woolly material that is characteristic of CFP. At first sight, they can be mistaken for mealy bugs, which may look similar since they are covered with cottony white filaments. They can also be mistaken for cottony cushion scale.
Mealybugs. Credits: James Castner, University
of Florida
Cottony cushion scales, Icerya purchasi, on twig.
Credits: James Castner, University of Florida
In both of these cases of mistaken identities, the insect will not jump or hop around. No chemical control is necessary although sooty mold can occur on heavily populated plants. In that case, a soapy water treatment can be applied.
Follow these links to more information on the citrus flatid planthopper, mealy bugs, and cottony-cushion scale.
by Gary Knox | Jun 17, 2014
Orange flowers and purple fruits often occur on Purple Sunset pomegranate at the same time, producing a colorful display. Photo by Gary Know, UF IFAS.
Purple Sunset is a new ornamental cultivar of pomegranate, Punica granatum. Purple Sunset pomegranate is distinguished from fruiting pomegranate by a bushy, compact habit and numerous flowers followed by small, ornamental, purple-black fruit.
Native to southeastern Europe and Asia, pomegranate has long been grown for its edible fruits. Horticulturists recently recognized its ornamental qualities and began selecting pomegranate for form, flowering, and ornamental fruits. ‘PIIPG-1’ is a cultivar selected from open-pollinated seeds of Punica granatum ‘Nana’. Trademarked as Purple Sunset, this cultivar has a bushy, compact growth habit. Although promoted as a dwarf form that grows only 3–4 feet, plants in north Florida (USDA Cold Hardiness Zone 8b) have grown significantly larger, approaching 6 feet in height 3 years after planting. Purple Sunset pomegranate may be used in the landscape as a specimen plant or hedge.
Leaves of new growth are red-tinged, becoming glossy green throughout summer, and turning yellow to yellow-green in late fall before dropping in early winter. Large two-inch orange flowers occur on new growth throughout summer and fall. The orange flowers develop into inedible, shiny, purple-black fruit up to three inches in diameter. Orange flowers and purple fruits often occur on the plant at the same time, producing a colorful display. Fruits persist into winter, adding interest to the leafless shrub, before eventually falling. Wildlife may eat the tough, seedy fruits, but this has not been documented.
Purple Sunset pomegranate in North Florida. Photo by Gary Knox, UF IFAS.
Culture of Purple Sunset pomegranate is similar to fruiting pomegranate. This plant is hardy in USDA Cold Hardiness Zones 7–10. It grows best in full sun to part shade on deep, loamy soils but is adapted to all but alkaline soils. Pomegranate is somewhat drought tolerant once established. Hedged plants should be pruned in late winter before new spring growth. Leaf spot and fruit blotch, diseases of fruiting pomegranate, may also affect Purple Sunset, but these problems have not been noted in the landscape.
For more information:
The Pomegranate
by Julie McConnell | May 3, 2014
The last week of April 2014 brought with it 10-22 inches of rain across the panhandle in a matter of days. Some areas had immediate flooding and standing water, while others may be in areas at risk of rising rivers and streams. As the water recedes, many people are wondering how all the water will affect their landscapes.
Only time will tell what the long term impact will be, but here are a few things to watch for and what you can do to try to moderate damage.
- Let soils dry out before driving vehicles or other equipment on grassy areas. Even if the water is not visible, if the soil is still saturated, driving lawn equipment or cars may cause ruts.
- Do not leave automatic irrigation systems running on established shrubs, trees, and lawns. If your system is set to run in the early morning hours, you may not think about it being on, check your systems and hold off on adding water until soils dry out and the plants need it.
- Watch for fungus symptoms and treat if needed. Wet plants and cool weather are ideal for some Brown Patch on lawns, be aware and monitor landscapes closely. If disease is suspected, contact your local county extension office for recommendation.
- When mowing, leave a longer leaf blade to compensate for root stress.
- Look at the base of trees and shrubs to make sure silt and sand have not buried the crown or root flare. Also look for erosion of root zone, these areas may need correction. “Salvaging Flood-Damaged Shrubs and Ornamentals.”
- Adjust fertilization as needed; if you recently applied fertilizer it has likely runoff or leached from the site. However, if you suspect fungal disease do not fertilize until disease is managed.
- Stress in turfgrass, for details read “Watch Turf for Flooding Stress”
- You may see new weeds (seeds or segments may have washed or blown into your yard)
- Tree and shrub decline or death read “We Had Plenty of Rain, Why are My Trees Dying?”
- Although this storm was not a hurricane, “Assessing Damage and Restoring Trees After a Hurricane” has helpful information for areas with wind damage
- Nutritional deficiency symptoms in palms may show up 4-5 months from now. “Nutrient Deficiencies of Landscape and Field-grown Palms in Florida.”
- Decreased availability and increased price of sod (flooded fields prevent harvest and increase inputs for disease, weed, and nutrition management)
- Scheduling changes or maintenance adjustments by landscape contractors. Turfgrass and ornamentals will likely need different maintenance applications than in years past to correct issues related to flooding and excess rain.
