Rudbeckia hirta, commonly known as black-eyed Susan, is a vibrant and hardy wildflower with golden-yellow petals and a dark brown central cone. Photo by kburgess, Adobe Stock.
Florida’s diverse ecosystem showcases a remarkable array of native wildflowers that burst into vibrant colors, particularly during the spring season. Cultivating these indigenous blooms not only enhances the beauty of your lawn but also fosters biodiversity. Florida’s spring landscape comes alive with a vibrant tapestry of native wildflowers, each species contributing its unique charm to the natural scenery.
Yellow, a color that beckons pollinators, especially bees and butterflies, is a prevalent hue among these wildflowers. Many have evolved to showcase bright yellow tones, attracting pollinators, and ensuring the vital transfer of pollen for the continued existence of the plant species. In this spotlight, we’ll explore a selection of my favorite yellow-blooming wildflowers: Leavenworth’s tickseed, dune sunflower, and black-eyed Susan.
Leavenworth’s Tickseed
Leavenworth’s tickseed showcases brilliant yellow flowers with distinct maroon markings, contributing to its charm as a cheerful and attractive wildflower in gardens and meadows. Photo by Sunshower Shots, Adobe Stock.
Coreopsis, Florida’s state wildflower, boasts 14 native species flourishing in North Florida. Among these, Leavenworth’s tickseed (Coreopsis leavenworthii), predominantly found in Florida, graces the Panhandle region with its distinctive yellow, daisy-like flowers adorned with dark centers and scalloped yellow ray florets.
Thriving in open areas, flatwoods, and prairies, this annual or short-lived perennial becomes a beacon of color in the spring landscape. Ideal for wildflower gardens, Leavenworth’s tickseed requires adequate space for reseeding, best achieved by planting one to two feet apart in the spring for optimal flowering. The plant quickly establishes itself in moist soils, benefiting from occasional pruning or mowing to encourage a second flush of flowers.
Preferably rooted in sandy, well-drained soil, Leavenworth’s tickseed demands full sun exposure for maximum flower production, with moist soils playing a pivotal role in reseeding and maintaining this distinctive species.
Beach Sunflower
Adapting well to both coastal and inland environments, the beach sunflower attracts butterflies and other pollinators with its vibrant blooms. Photo by Nahhan, Adobe Stock.
The beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis), also recognized as the dune sunflower, is renowned for its coastal charm and nearly year-round blossoms. Adapting gracefully to both coastal regions and inland landscapes, this sunflower showcases two-inch flowers resembling daisies or sunflowers, boasting yellow petals and brown centers. A captivating trait is its tendency to follow the sun throughout the day.
When cultivating beach sunflowers, it is essential to allocate ample space for their spreading nature. To maximize visual impact, consider planting them in masses, maintaining distances of three to four feet between each plant. As beach sunflowers may become unruly over time, periodic removal of old stems is advisable. Encouraging new plants to sprout from seeds contributes to a healthier growth pattern. Light trims every three months can further enhance the foliage’s vibrancy and overall maintenance. While acting as an annual in freezing temperatures, the beach sunflower generally reseeds itself and displays admirable tolerance to coastal elements, including salt and wind.
For optimal growth conditions, planting in full sun encourages abundant flowering, although the plant can tolerate light shade for part of the day. Preferably, choose well-drained sandy soils, avoiding persistently moist conditions to ensure the overall health and vitality of the beach sunflower.
Black-eyed Susan
Black-eyed Susans are not only visually appealing but also serve as valuable nectar sources for pollinators, attracting butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects to the garden or natural habitat. Photo by Green Stock Creative, Adobe Stock.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta), a classic native bloom, captivates with its widespread availability and versatile nature as an annual, biennial, or perennial. This resilient plant grows to a height of one to two feet, showcasing rough-textured leaves and deep-yellow aster-like flowers with dark brown disk flowers forming a central dome.
When incorporating black-eyed Susans into your landscape, consider their suitability for mixed wildflower beds, where they effortlessly self-seed in open or lightly mulched areas. Maintaining proper spacing of 14 to 18 inches between plants, vigilant monitoring during extended dry periods, and providing deep watering, when necessary, contribute to the overall health and vitality of these iconic blooms.
Thriving in well-drained soils, black-eyed Susan showcases adaptability to various soil types. Whether exposed to full sun or partial shade, the plant optimizes its blooming potential, enhancing the visual appeal of any landscape.
Encourage Wildflowers in Your Landscape
Selecting native wildflowers adapted to your landscape’s specific soil, light, and drainage conditions is crucial for success. If initial attempts fail, try different species until you find the perfect match, emphasizing the importance of using the right plant in the right place. Thorough watering aids in establishment, but once native wildflowers are established, they generally require minimal irrigation. Avoid overwatering to prevent fungal and rot issues.
Native wildflowers in Florida typically do not need additional fertilization, as it can lead to rapid growth and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases. Embrace the natural resilience of these plants by avoiding unnecessary fertilization. Encourage the persistence of wildflowers by embracing self-seeding, maintaining open, lightly mulched areas for natural germination, and being vigilant when weeding.
Florida’s spring blooming wildflowers, including Leavenworth’s tickseed, beach sunflower, and black-eyed Susan, contribute to the state’s biodiversity. Selecting the right species and providing proper care allows us to cultivate these native blooms and actively participate in conserving Florida’s precious ecosystem.
On March 7th we held our second Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! of 2024 and the panel tackled Palm Selection and Care. We had lots of great questions from viewers, and this is a recap of some of the main points covered and references shared.
A few spoilers of the discussion – palms are not trees, they are grasses; and Sago “palms” and Coontie “palms” are cycads, not palms! Check out the video for explanations.
Although there is always the possibility of cold damage if winter temperatures drop below average, for the best success choose palms more likely to survive “normal” winters. These include Cabbage Palm, Mule Palm, Pindo Palm, Needle Palm, and Windmill Palm.
Maintaining palms can also be tricky – especially if you are performing tasks out of routine rather than need.
Pruning palms is a hot subject because it is very commonly done incorrectly leading to nutrient deficiency, bud exposure to cold and wind damage, spread of disease, and attracting insect pests. Proper techniques can be found in Pruning Palmshttps://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pruning/pruning-palms.html
by Mark Mauldin, Agriculture & Natural Resources, Washington County
Calling all watermelon producers, commercial growers to gardeners. Planting season is just around the corner. As you plan your plantings don’t forget about the Big Melon Contest at the Panhandle Watermelon Festival. The festival and the contest have been summer-time staples in the Central Panhandle for decades. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to showcase your skills as a grower and a shot at some serious prize money.
To make the contest fun for growers of all types of watermelons, a winner and first runner-up will be recognized for each variety of melon entered in contest*, with the heaviest melon in the class winning $50 and the first runner-up $25. In addition to the variety classes, there will be a $300 grand prize paid for the overall heaviest melon in the contest and $200 for the first runner-up.
New for 2024, the Junior Jubilee Contest is a melon growing competition open only to kids 18 and under. To participate in the Junior Jubilee Contest, kids must sign-up this Spring (3/4/24 – 3/22/24). Upon signing up, kids will receive seeds and growing guide. Through the Spring the kids will grow their own melons and then bring their 2 biggest back, to enter the contest at the festival. All kids who bring a melon back for the contest will be recognized at the melon auction and prizes will be given for the 10 biggest melons, including a $200 grand prize for the biggest melon. For more information or to enter the Junior Jubilee Contest contact the Washington County UF/IFAS Extension Office. Click the link below for more details about the Junior Jubilee Contest.
There is no cost to enter a melon in the contest. However, melons entered in the contest are donated to the festival and will be sold via auction. Proceeds of the auction will go to help off-set the costs of next year’s festival. All contest melons will be on display during the festival and their variety, weight, and grower will be announced during the auction.
The 2024 Panhandle Watermelon Festival will be Friday June 21st and Saturday June 22nd in Chipley, FL. The Friday night concert festivities will be held at Jim Trawick Park and Saturday’s events (including the melon auction) will be at the Washington County Ag Center. The auction will begin at 12 noon on Saturday.
Melons being entered in the contest will need to be delivered to the Washington County Ag Center prior to the festival. Melons will be received and weighed-in at the Ag Center Wednesday 6/19 between 8am and 4pm and Thursday 6/20 between 8am and 7pm central time. If you have melons that you would like to enter in the contest but are unable to deliver during the specified times, contact Mark Mauldin prior to 6/19 to make arrangements. Pick-up may be possible, to the extent practical, provided arrangements are made in advance.
The Washington County Ag Center is located at 1424 Jackson Ave. Chipley, FL 32428.
If you have any questions regarding the contest, contact Mark Mauldin at the UF/IFAS Extension, Washington County Office (850-638-6180 or mdm83@ufl.edu).
Your UF IFAS Extension office in the Northwest District would like you to continue your break from mowing. We invite you to support the 2024 No Mow March campaign by pledging to let your wildflowers grow for pollinators. This can be throughout the yard or in one particular spot. During March our turfgrasses are still waking up and many of the flowering wildflowers that are growing offer food to active pollinators. We are seeing a wide variety of flowers including Toadflax, Common vetch, Lyre-leaved sage, White clover, Florida betony, and Blue violets to name a few. Take Our Pledge for pollinators.
Lyre-leaved sage, Florida betony, and White clover. Photo by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
If you are required to mow the lawn by a Homeowner’s Association, consider a different gardening activity to support pollinators. Container gardens are very attractive features in a landscape and you can select a wide variety of flowering perennials that pollinators enjoy. Many herbs like chamomile also grow well in containers and have flowers visited by native bees.
Your traditional landscape design with trees and shrubs can offer flowers for pollinators too. There are several native shrubs that bloom in March that would beautify any landscape. Consider native azaleas, Walter’s viburnum, Red buckeye, or Virginia sweetspire. If you need a low growing border perennial you might consider the native Woodland phlox or Blue eyed grass.
Native azaleas, Walter’s viburnum, and Red buckeye. Photos by Beth Bolles, UF IFAS Extension Escambia County.
Finally be aware that many native pollinators have nesting activity that is different from the more commonly known honeybee. During March, we see the small dirt piles with a center hole of the native mining bees. These are in lawns, mulch areas, and fields. These solitary bees make a small chamber to raise a few young bees that will emerge later in the year. They are not aggressive and activity is seen for a few weeks.
Whether you take a complete break from mowing or add some flowering plants to your March landscape, you can make a difference for pollinators. Learn more about the Now Mow March campaign by visiting https://go.ufl.edu/nomowmarch and even consider joining our INaturalist No Mow March site to upload your plant and pollinator sightings.
Rosemary is one of those tough, multi-purpose plants that I’ve come to not just love, but respect. It looks docile enough, but that great-smelling herb on your porch is also capable of serious chemical warfare.
There are two native species we call rosemary found commonly in our dry, sandy habitats, at the beach and in upland scrubs and forests. Neither of these is the culinary rosemary (Salvia rosemarinus) typically grown in herb gardens—that’s from the Mediterranean—but ours are similar.
Florida rosemary has dark green, fir-like needles. Photo credit: Ashlynn Smith, UF IFAS
In northwest Florida, we have Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides) and false rosemary (Conradina canescens). While Florida rosemary is a deep evergreen color year-round and most resembles culinary rosemary, it is not terribly aromatic when crushed. The plants grow in rounded mounds, and are extremely salt, drought, and heat tolerant. Florida rosemary’s yellow flowers are present from spring to early fall. The needles are similar in shape to a fir tree, growing upright and firm to the touch.
False rosemary is a pale green and more aromatic than Florida rosemary. Photo credit: Mack Thetford, UF IFAS
False rosemary is actually a type of scrub mint, and grows in the same habitat as Florida rosemary. It is softer to the touch and lighter in color—the needles are a pale green and the flowers are lavender (as are those of culinary rosemary). To me, false rosemary has a much stronger, more “rosemary-like” scent than Florida rosemary and could be used for cooking. On the internet (including in IFAS publications), you will see contrasting descriptions of the level of scent for these species. However, in my field experience (and that of several Extension colleagues), we find false rosemary to be the most aromatic.
Both Ceratiola and Conradina play important roles in dune ecology. Their mats of woody roots help stabilize the loose sand of vulnerable barrier islands. Their flowers are important for pollinator species, particularly bees.
As for the “chemical warfare” I alluded to earlier, Florida rosemary is one of several native species known to be allelopathic. Allelopathy is a strategy by which plants secrete chemicals through their root systems that seep into the surrounding soils. The Florida rosemary produces ceratiolin, a compound that works like a natural herbicide to prevent growth of any competing species around them. This enables their own successful growth and that of any offspring. You may have noticed that rosemary shrubs often grow in clumps set slightly apart from other species—this is why! Other plants basically cannot enter the underground force-field created by the rosemary plants.
The highly specialized rosemary grasshopper feeds on Florida rosemary in central Florida. Photo credit: Lyle Buss, UF IFAS
In central Florida’s sandy ridges, Florida rosemary also has a few closely associated insect species. The bright green coloration of the rosemary grasshopper allows it to hide in plain sight within the plants. The grasshopper’s diet consists solely of Florida rosemary leaves. Wolf spiders and the rarely-seen cotton leafhopper also live among the rosemary; with the leafhopper eating its flowers and the spider burrowing in the open sandy area around the shrubs.
