by Larry Williams | May 14, 2020
When we go through dry periods in North Florida some residents become interested in drought-tolerant plants to include in their landscapes. The need for irrigation can be reduced when drought-tolerant plants are used. But don’t overuse these plants. Remember we have periods of rainy weather, too.
Gulf Muhly Grass in Flower. Photo credit: Larry Williams
Some drought-tolerant plants have poor tolerance to the other extreme – too much water. There are a few plants that can tolerate both extremes but they are the exception. Avoid using drought-tolerant plants on naturally wet or poorly drained sites. But if you have the typical deep sandy well drained soil Florida is famous for, you’d do well to include some drought-tolerant plants on your site.
Drought-tolerant plants are especially well suited for areas that receive little to no irrigation.
Some plants are genetically better able to withstand drought. They have a built-in tolerance of drought. Many of our Florida native plants are designed to grow in our poor water holding sandy soils. Many of the plants native to arid areas of the world possess high drought-tolerance. These plants have characteristics that allow them to better survive dry weather. These features include thicker or waxier leaves, large surface root areas or deep roots and the ability to drop leaves in drought and regain them when moisture is adequate.
Beautyberry with fruit. Photo credit: Larry Williams
It’s important to realize that these plants must first establish a root system before they can cope with severe dry weather. Plan to irrigate during dry periods for the first season to allow them to become established.
Some outstanding trees to consider include crape myrtle, redbud, Chinese pistache, cedar (Cedrus species), hawthorn (Crataegus species), American holly, yaupon holly, Southern red cedar (Juniperus species), Live oak, Sand live oak, winged elm, pond cypress and bald cypress. Some people are surprised to learn that pond cypress and bald cypress have high drought-tolerance because these trees are associated with swamps, many times growing in standing water. But once established on a dry site, they exhibit very good drought-tolerance.
Some outstanding shrubs with drought-tolerance include glossy abelia, dwarf yaupon holly, Indian hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis species), beauty berry (Callicarpa americana), pineapple guava, junipers, oleander, spiraea, blueberry or sparkleberry (Vaccinium species), viburnum, Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) and coontie (Zamia pumila).
Pineapple guava in bloom. Photo credit: Larry Williams
Some outstanding drought-tolerant groundcovers to consider include beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), daylily, juniper, lantana, liriope, rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), Asiatic jasmine and society garlic. Many of the ornamental grasses such as Gulf muhly are good choices as well.
For more ideas on developing a Florida-friendly, water wise landscape, contact the UF/IFAS Extension Office in your County or visit the below website. https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html
by Larry Williams | Apr 29, 2020
In times like these, it seems that our own perceived “problems” pale in comparison to the “big picture.” In my day-to-day work, I have the opportunity to help people solve problems with their landscapes, lawns and gardens. I enjoy the problem solving part of my job as an extension agent.
Winter annual weeds in lawn in early spring. Photo credit: Larry Williams
You’d be surprised how upset some people can be about a few weeds, a dying petunia or a tomato with a crack in it. They’ll let small things like this upset their entire world. It’s as if they think we live in a perfect world when it comes to expectations for the plants in their own landscape.
It has become apparent to me that too many people spend too much time letting too many small things bother them too much.
When my twin sister, Linda, and I were growing up in a small town in middle Georgia, an elderly couple (Mr. and Mrs. Hunt) would crack pecans and give the shelled halves to us to eat. They’d hand the shelled pecans to us over the fence that separated our yards. At five or six years old this was a treat for my sister and me.
I remember their landscape. I remember Mrs. Hunt sweeping their dirt driveway lined with coconut sized rocks. She used handmade brooms. I remember their pink flowering dogwoods in spring. I remember their old-fashioned yellow and orange daylilies during summer. I remember the fascination of seeing red spider lilies seemingly come from nowhere in the fall underneath deciduous trees as they displayed their autumn colors. I remember Mrs. Hunt letting me smell a flower from a sweetshrub plant, which reminded me of sweet apples. The deep red blooms and dark green leaves of this shrub complemented the white wooden wall on the east side of their home.
Mulberry tree with fruit. Photo credit: Larry Williams
I remember climbing a large mulberry tree in their backyard and picking and eating the berries. I remember watching Mr. Hunt prune grapevines growing on an overhead trellis. I remember learning about the history of a ginkgo tree planted just outside a chicken pin in their side yard. I remember watching hummingbirds flying in and out of the reddish orange funnel-shaped blooms of a large trumpet vine growing on an old metal frame of a water tank.
I don’t remember the weeds, even though I know there must have been weeds in the Hunt’s landscape. I know there was the occasional pecan that didn’t fill out or that was worm infested. And I’m sure an occasional plant had to be replaced. But these are not the things that made lasting impressions for me.
The big picture is not the weeds, the dying petunia plant or the pecan with a worm in it. Sure you will have weeds in your yard and certain plants that don’t survive. Just don’t let these things become the source of worry. In my opinion, a landscape should be a source of pleasure, a place to learn and a place to pass along lasting memories. Besides, with all the things there are to worry about in this world (as recent days have revealed), why let your own backyard be one of them?
by Daniel J. Leonard | Apr 8, 2020
There aren’t a lot of quality landscape plant options that fit the description nearly every homeowner desires: native, low-maintenance, slow-growing, pest free, drought tolerant while tolerating wet soils, loving both sun or shade, and green year-round. Needle Palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) is the rare plant that checks all those boxes and deserves consideration when adding plants to your landscape!
6 year old Needle Palm in a local landscape. Photo courtesy the author
Needle Palm is an endangered native, growing in a narrow range in the coastal Southeastern US, Calhoun and Liberty counties included. It is primarily found in the understories of wet wooded areas along slopes, ravines, and bottoms; if you’ve ever hiked the Apalachicola Ravines or Torreya State Park trails, you’ve likely encountered Needle Palm in the wild! Being native is nice, but what makes Needle Palm an outstanding landscape option?
Needle Palm is the prettier, more refined cousin of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens), which it is sometimes confused with. Unlike the rambling, aggressive, stiff-leaved palmetto, Needle palm possesses “softer”, finely cut, lustrous evergreen leaves, allowing it to add amazing texture to any landscape. Also, unlike palmetto, it doesn’t need a yearly “cleaning” to prune out brown, dead leaves, rather its leaves persist green and clean for many years! You might not want to reach into the interior of a Needle Palm plant anyway, as generally unseen 6-8” namesake “needles” surround the base of its trunk. Needle Palm grows very slowly, eventually reaching 8’ tall or so, but is more often seen in the 4-6’ range in landscapes. This is absolutely a shrub that will never outgrow its welcome. It is a nearly trunkless palm, almost always appearing as a shrub, though with extreme old age it can begin to look a bit like a small tree with a muted trunk. With outstanding aesthetics and a low-maintenance growth habit, Needle Palm has a place in nearly any landscape.
Mature needle palm, 6′ tall and wide. Photo courtesy the author.
In the landscape, Needle Palm does best when sited with some shade in the afternoon but also thrives in full sun. They appreciate regular water during establishment but survive on their own without any extra irrigation after! Needle Palm also doesn’t need much in the way of supplemental fertilization. They do look their best with a light spring application of a general purpose, slow-release fertilizer, but this is not required. Needle Palms are not afflicted with the pest and pathogen problems the much more commonly used non-native Sago Palms (Cycas revlolutas) attracts. I’ve grown Needle Palm for 6 years in the landscape and have never noticed any pest or disease issues. With Needle Palms becoming more common in the nursery trade, I don’t see a place in most landscapes for the inferior, high-maintenance, insect infested Sagos. If you want the tropical, textured look of Sagos, plant Needle Palm instead.
Needle Palm is an extremely attractive, low-maintenance Northwest Florida native plant that you should absolutely seek out and add to your landscape! If you want more information or have any questions about Needle Palm or any other landscape/garden topic, please give your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office a call. Happy Gardening!
by Evan Anderson | Feb 27, 2020
This time of year, owners of woody plants might notice that leaf canopies are thin. Fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs, and bushes might have shed some leaves over the winter or thinned out due to disease, cold damage, or other problems. When this happens, it can call more attention to the stems of these plants, which may sport a fuzzy, frilly growth on them. More than once I’ve heard people ask, “What is this growing on my plant and how do I stop it from killing it?”.
Red Tipped Lichen – Image Credit Evan Anderson UF / IFAS Extension
Lichen is the fuzzy growth in question, and the good news is that it doesn’t harm the plant it grows on. Lichen is an organism that’s a combination of fungus and either algae or cyanobacteria. The algae photosynthesizes and produces energy to share with the fungus, which provides protection and support. Thankfully, they’re pretty self-contained, and don’t need to steal nutrients or water from whatever they’re growing on. That means they can grow just about anywhere – on rocks, fence posts, tree bark, or on the ground (if you’ve seen deer moss growing in the woods, that’s a lichen!). Again, they are NOT parasitic and do NOT hurt plants.
Lichen on Tree Trunk. Image Credit Evan Anderson, UF / IFAS Extension
It’s common to find lichens growing in many different forms and colors. One alarmed tree-owner brought me a branch decorated with a round blotch that had a bright reddish edge. A Christmas Wreath lichen had found a home on her tree, and while the red rings it forms may look alarming, they’re just as innocuous as other lichens. There may be multiple forms of lichen growing in close proximity on a branch, as well. Flat, wavy, rippled, filamentous, bushy, and powdery looking lichen might all mix together to make a strange (or beautiful) looking collection on a tree.
by Larry Williams | Jan 27, 2020
Q. I have a camellia plant that is about 25 years old. It forms flower buds but the buds never fully open. The plant otherwise looks healthy. Is there something that I’m doing or not doing that causes this?
Sasanqua camellia bloom, Photo credit: Larry Williams
A. I have seen this happen over the years. There are a number of possibilities for why this happens. If the camellia cultivar is otherwise known to do well in the area, the problem could be caused by one or more of these factors.
- Stress (primarily drought stress could inhibit buds from opening)
- Freeze damage
- Too many buds on the plant to allow each and every bud to open
However, with this being the norm for your camellia plant for that many years, it may be the wrong camellia variety in the wrong place.
Camellias have been so common in our Southern landscapes that some people think they are native to our area. However, camellias are native to Asia. They were first brought to America during the latter part of the 1700’s.
Years ago, people planted any camellia they could get their hands on because camellias weren’t as common or available and definitely had a more limited selection.
Some camellia cultivars are simply not well adapted to the Gulf Coast and, as a result, will not flower well even though they may grow well here. This is why some varieties are favored in Seattle, some do better in California, some do better in New England and others perform well here in the South.
Even though camellias are a common sight in shady Southern gardens now, not all camellias will perform well here. So, it is important to do some homework before purchasing and planting just any old camellia.
As stated in the UF/IFAS Extension publication Camellias at a Glance, “There are numerous species of Camellia, but the types commonly grown as landscape shrubs in Florida are Camellia japonica, Camellia sasanqua, and hybrids of these.” This publication is available online at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP00200.pdf or from the UF/IFAS Extension Office in your County.
Sasanqua and japonica camellias come in whites, pinks, reds, double and single flowers and sizes from four to twenty feet tall.
The sasanqua types bloom as early as October while the japonica types begin flowering later.
It is possible to select a few different varieties, instead of just one, to extend the color in your landscape from weeks to months. Selecting camellias for staggered flowering times can provide color all fall and winter long.
When purchasing camellias, research the bloom times of varieties for your area.
by Ray Bodrey | Jan 22, 2020
Many of us enjoy potted poinsettias during the holiday season. However, we often give up on the poinsettia, once the season is over and the festive color has been lost. With some care, a poinsettia can be around for seasons to come, if planted in your home landscape.
Photo: A mature poinsettia planted outside of a home.
Credit: UF/IFAS, Robert Annis.
Once your poinsettia starts to fade after the holiday, you can prepare it for transplanting. Since we live in the cooler, northern area of the state, you’ll have to hold your plant in a protected area until the danger of frost has pasted. During this period, the poinsettia should be allowed to become dormant. Water it occasionally, just enough to keep it from drying out. A thorough soaking about once a week should be sufficient. Poinsettias are especially sensitive to extremes of heat and cold, as well as sudden temperature changes. Because of this, keep your potted poinsettia away from hot air vents, cold windows and doorways, where temperature fluctuates rapidly. Keep your poinsettia in a brightly lighted area, but never in direct sun.
When you’re ready to plant the poinsettia in your landscape, you should carefully consider its placement relative to the amount of light it will receive. Poinsettias are “short day” plants. This means they will set buds in the fall only if the daily period of light they receive is relatively short. If you plant your poinsettia where it’s exposed to extra illumination from porch, window, or street lights, it may never bloom.
Poinsettias will grow in a wide range of soils, sand, muck, marl, and clay and they will need fertilizer. For the correct nutrients, apply a complete fertilizer, such as a 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, three times a year, beginning when growth starts in the spring, in June, and finally in the late fall, after the bracts (flowering leaves) have set. This last application promotes large bracts with showy color. Apply 1 ½ pounds of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 per 100 square feet each application of fertilizer.
In late winter or early spring, after blooming is over and the danger of frost is no more, poinsettias should be pruned back to within 12 to 18 inches off the ground. If they’ve been frozen, you may have to cut even lower. To insure compact, showy plants at flowering time, poinsettias should be pruned several times during the growing season. Each time new growth reaches a length of 12 inches, it should be cut or pinched back, leaving four leaves on each shoot. This operation should be continued until about September 10th, but no later. Because poinsettias begin to set buds as days become shorter, pruning after September 10th may reduce flower production.
Following these tips should reward you with another beautiful burst of color next holiday season. For more information contact your local county extension office.
Information for this article was provided by UF/IFAS Extension Horticulturist Dr. Robert Black. More information on the poinsettia can be found at https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/poinsettia.html
UF/IFAS Extension is an Equal Opportunity Institution.
