Spring has begun, and the flowers are making their debut en masse. The daylily is an exceptionally versatile plant that grows in various colors, shapes, and habitats (Hemerocallis spp.). This plant garners its name from a combination of Greek terms meaning “beauty for a day,” given the tapestry a mass planting provides, they live up to that name. These plants tend to bloom repeatedly for 4-7 weeks, though each individual flower only lasts one day. The time of year flowering begins varies by cultivar, but typically, they may be seen beginning in March, with later bloomers starting around mid-May. Add to their beauty that they are also edible, and you have a plant that can’t be beaten.
UF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
These perennials are widely available as bare-root or potted plants. Both may be planted in Florida year-round, but planning in spring or autumn will increase success. Inspect roots before you plant them, removing any that are circling or damaged. Plant with the crown at ground level, much like a tree, and keep the soil moist until the plant is established. Though drought tolerant with deep roots, you’ll still want to apply mulch to retain moisture. Fertilizers may be added in spring, summer, and fall based on soil testing. Scouting this planting is important, but insects rarely cause lasting damage. They may be propagated vegetatively or via seed. Vegetative propagation will become important as these plants fill in spaces over the years and will need to be thinned.
Uses in the Landscape
Thanks to the hybridization efforts of growers worldwide, daylilies are available in every spectrum of color and a variety of flower shapes. Daylilies are clumping plants with grasslike foliage and flowers on a scape that may reach up to 36 inches tall. They can be striking when planted in groups of 10, included in a mixed border, or used to highlight a specific area of your gardens. Because they are so varied, it is important to carefully consider the design elements of your landscape and the growing conditions of your landscape when selecting varieties. All cultivars will require some sun, so avoid heavily shaded areas.
UF/IFAS Photo: J. Criss
A Note on Color
Your biggest concern when considering daylilies in the garden will be color. When it comes to landscape design, color integration has three main theories. The first revolves around monochromatic flowering. Simply put, except for the green foliage, all flowers in this type of garden will be one color. Certainly, daylilies fall into this category, which are often yellow and may be quite striking. The second theory on color in your garden spaces is an analogous scheme in which 3-5 colors on the color wheel are utilized to create continual flow. In this case, find daylilies with red flowers and pair them with violet or yellow flowers. The final theory on color use in gardens is a complementary scheme. In this instance, colors on opposite sides of the color wheel are utilized. The contrast created by this method can create a striking difference that draws the eye to a specific point. Keep in mind that these are all theories. Ultimately, it is your landscape, and you should use those flower colors which satisfy your sensibilities.
UF/IFAS: Gail Hansen
Daylilies are a wonderful plant for your landscape. Easy to grow with great variety, few others can compete with them. For more information, see this Ask IFAS document. As always, please contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any topic regarding your gardens and more.
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.
Bright color is sometimes hard to come by in landscapes, especially in those areas where not much likes to grow. In particularly sandy areas along our coastlines, it can be a challenge to find plants that can both tolerate extremely dry conditions with heavy salt spray and provide an aesthetic boost. Luckily, there is at least one flower out there that goes above and beyond when it comes to beauty.
Gaillardia pulchella, or blanket flower, Indian blanket flower, firewheel, or sundance is a relatively low growing (up to 1.5 feet tall) plant that favors conditions that would make most plants wither. It grows as an annual or short-lived perennial and though it goes dormant in the winter, during warm weather, it’s bright and colorful! It is native to the United States, but probably never spread farther east than Texas until assisted by humans. It grows well throughout Florida, and can often be seen along roadsides.
Gaillardia on the beach
Spreading to around two feet wide, each individual plant may not blanket the ground, but it readily produces seed which is easy to germinate. Flowers are produced throughout the growing season. Varieties are available with different appearances, though all tend to be some combination of bright yellow and dusky red. The blossoms can be used as cut flowers, or left in the landscape to attract pollinators.
Blanket flower prefers well-drained soil, even growing out into beach dunes. As stated previously, it may be propagated easily by seed; either let dried seed heads remain on the plant long enough to drop seeds or harvest them to plant elsewhere. Sow seeds in the spring and enjoy low-maintenance color for months after!
Landscapes can be a tricky topic. Doubtless, you’ve heard people debate the ecological benefits of a turfgrass lawn. An internet search will have your head swimming in opinion pieces detailing the benefits of keeping and removing your turfgrasses. Some outline the aesthetic virtues while others speak to pollinator support from native flowering plants. It can be overwhelming and there are a lot of factors to weigh in these decisions. Luckily this is a situation in which following the Florida Friendly Landscaping program means you may have your cake and eat it too.
Florida Friendly Landscaping
Florida Friendly Landscaping or FFL is a series of nine principles designed to maximize the ecological services of your landscaping while minimizing inputs. It all begins with selecting the correct plants and placing them in the proper place. Once in place, proper maintenance is covered by the following three principles which involve proper watering, fertilization, and mulching. Since we planted good larval and nectar plants our landscape attracts wildlife, which is the next principle. In this process, you’re likely to also attract insects you don’t want. Managing these responsibly is our next principle. The final three principles involve utilizing plant waste from your landscape, managing stormwater, and protecting waterways. Where a good deal of these involves proper maintenance and selection of plants, the purpose of this article is to highlight the two main ecological services outlined in these principles.
UF/IFAS Photo: Tyler Jones.
Support Wildlife
The first of these is attracting wildlife which for a wide swath of homeowners will focus on supporting pollinators. Pollination is critical for non-vegetative reproduction in plants. It’s the reason they produce vegetables or flowers. Many creatures aside from the well known ones perform pollination including bats, birds, flies, and beetles. Look into the needs of the pollinators you wish to attract and understand how these creatures eat, breed, and nest. These pieces of knowledge will help you decide on landscape plants. Create habitat by planting smaller areas with native and noninvasive plants which meet the needs of the pollinators you wish to attract. These areas need not replace all the turfgrass areas, and in fact, it’s better if they don’t.
Photo: Joshua Criss
Turfgrasses are Crucial in Your Landscape
Turfgrasses are ecological workhorses. They cool your environment, build soil, prevent erosion, aid water infiltration, and are arguably the best bio-filter in the plant world. Properly maintaining your grass is much easier than you may think. They need 1/2 to 3/4 inch of water per irrigation event, and generally only 1-2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per year (Bermudagrass may need up to 5 pounds). Even this may be less pending soil testing. Keeping these grasses stress free through proper maintenance allows them to grow lush with little input.
Their benefit as a bio-filter comes into play with regard to storm water. This runoff is a seldom thought of as a pollution source. On top of moving debris and latent chemicals into local waterways, it washes dissolved organic nitrogen through the soil. All of this eventually finds its way into local waterways. Grass areas of your landscape slow free flowing storm water and filter pollutants preventing excess nutrient and pollution loads in the watershed.
Photo: Joshua Criss
Following the principles of a Florida Friendly Landscape can boost the aesthetics of your property and provide an ecological boon. Mix flowering and turfgrass sections of your landscape to meet these goals. For more information on these principles, see this Ask IFAS document, or contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any topic regarding your gardens and more.
When you think of fruit production in Florida, blackberries (Rubus spp.) will not quickly jump to mind. Many people envision viny plants infiltrating your gardens and attacking you with their tiny spines. These are dewberries and are not known for large or consistent fruit. Though scientifically of the same name, bush varietals are a world apart. Bush blackberries fall into the rosaceae or rose family. They are deciduous fruiting shrubs, generally acclimatized to temperate environments. Luckily for us, they grow in the Panhandle. They’ve not taken off as an agronomic crop large scale due to the brittle nature of their fruit. However, with estimated production rates of 6000lb per acre many parts of the country, their value in home food production is undeniable.
UF/IFAS photo: Brent Sellers
Which to Pick
The University of Florida has been heavily breeding blackberries, but as with all gardens, plant selection is vital. The most critical factor in selecting blackberries is the chill hour requirement. You may recall that chill hours are the total time below 45 degrees a plant needs to set fruit the following spring. The vast majority of our area gets 660-700 chill hours per year on average, with the extreme north end getting upwards of 800 hours yearly. Once this is determined, the focus shifts to growth habit. Many grow erect and will not need trellising, but there are cultivars that vine and will need support. A final consideration for cultivar selection is whether or not they will need pollinator plants as an accompaniment. If the berries you want have this need, pick a compatible cultivar with a similar bloom time. Some cultivars that will do well in north Florida include ‘Arapaho,’ ‘Chickasaw,’ and ‘Choctaw.’
UF/IFAS photo: Mary Salinas
Planting and Care
Plant blackberries over the winter months much as you would any deciduous fruits. If you must store the plant before planting, keep the roots moist if you will be holding the plant for any amount of time. Ensure the first main root is just above the soil line, and remove any air pockets as you backfill the planting hole. Keep the soil moist but not overly wet, and avoid overhead watering. Space the plants according to their full size, which varies based on cultivar. These have shallow root systems and are therefore not heavy feeders. As a result, apply nutrients in the spring of the year they’re planted at ¼ pound per plant. In subsequent years apply ¼ to ½ a pound per plant twice a year. Irrigation and weed control will also be critical in their first year. Irrigation will become less important once the shrubs establish in their location.
Growing food in your home landscape is a great way to reconnect with your property and bring your food system as local as possible. Blackberries are low-maintenance fruit that, once established will provide years of production with minimal effort. For more information, see this Ask IFAS document. Contact your local extension agent for additional information on this and any other topic regarding your gardens.
