May Gardening Guide - Florida

 

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March Gardening Guide - Florida

 

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Those pesky weeds!

Now is the time to cut down next season's weed population.

October is a perfect time to take care of those pests since we are out there doing seasonal maintenance.  Actually, anytime is a good time to avoid the over-population of the pesky weeds. 

The secret is to not let the weeds set seed.  Pull them out or kill them before they have a chance to seed.

Anytime I am walking around the garden, I make sure to go out with a plastic grocery bag and pull weeds here and there as I encounter them.  It is so much easier to keep them under control if you routinely pull them out as you are just wandering around.  

Want to identify the weeds that grow on your property?  What Weed Is It is an excellent article for starters.  It includes links to other articles and publications.

Weed Management Guide for Florida Lawns is another resource for Florida gardeners as well as gardeners in all zones since it includes some great information about weeds in general.

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Central Florida Gardening Calender

June is a great month to propagate those landscape plants!  Don't spend a lot of money for future landscaping by multiplying your inventory.  Click here for an article on propagation.

Central Florida gardeners (zone 9) will love the gardening calender from the University of Florida Extension Service that includes links for each topic.

Even if you don't live in Central Florida, the different educational topics are applicable to many other areas and gardening zones.

Click here for the complete list!

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Fall Veggie Gardening for Florida

Although this was prepared for Florida gardeners, it would also work for those states with similar fall climates, like certain parts of Texas.

Click on the graphic for a larger version.

I've been able to grow tomato and pepper plants all year long in Florida.  Fall is one of the best months to grow veggies in my area!

The source for this illustration is University of Florida, one of my favorite resources for Florida gardening information.

Click here to go to my Florida gardening page on my website . . . includes lots of informative links.

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February Bromeliads

The massive plantings of bromeliads with their red blooms provide a burst of color in this gorgeous tropical scene.  The water garden runs along a pond that is complete with fish, turtles and different types of birds who love to hang out in this area.  Do you blame them?  

This is one of the most serene and beautiful scenes at Busch Gardens!

We will get more photos from this area next time we visit!

The landscapers at Busch Gardens have cleverly used a mass planting of similar bromeliad plants in yellow and red to really provide that pop of color, bordering them with another mass planting of a variegated variety.  They bring excitement to an otherwise green raised bed.

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Tropical Plants in Containers and Raised Beds

Love the mix of bromeliads with other tropicals in these container plantings at Busch Gardens Tampa, where the grounds are in colorful full bloom.  Spring!!!

The topiaries are gorgeous mixed in the tropical plant beds!

Love the statues mixed in the landscaping!

We took lots of photos!

Theme parks and parks are awesome places to get inspiration for your garden!

I'll be adding a new page to my website soon for photo albums.

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Fall gardening for subtropical and tropical climates

This is one of my favorite times of the year for gardening in our Zone 9, Central Florida garden.

Soon the black eyed susan vines that have seeded themselves all over the Paradise that is now a jungle will provide a much needed splash of color.  Another season has gone by, leaving the Paradise neglected and way overgrown.  The coleus and impatiens that used to grow wild are few . . . the past winters have killed the reseeding process that was going on.  Hopefully we can at least get those going again to bring more color to the garden.

Now is the time that I prune and propagate.

For guidelines and reference, please refer to my Florida gardening page for lots of links to the websites I go to for everything I need to know about gardening in Florida and similar zones.

Click on the Florida Gardening graphic to go to the page.

As the seasons are changing, we have been utilizing our outdoor dining area again . . . much to our delight!  

It is time to get the container plants in the carport jungle going again.  We are looking forward to planting more tomato and pepper plants.  Our pepper plant is still putting out delicious hot peppers!  It will be nice to have a greater variety.  The lime tree is still putting out some awesome juicy limes :)


We'll be visiting Busch Gardens soon and will post photos of their Fall gardens.

Happy Fall!

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Blooming Bromeliads in October

Blooming Bromeliads were featured on this blog at the end August . . . the plant photos were taken from Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.  When we visited the gardens this month, I thought it would be interesting to chronicle the life cycle of the blooming bromeliads from one month to the next.

The title photo was taken in August.  One of those flowering bromeliads is gone and the pink flower is not as vibrant, actually almost done as seen in some of the following photos.  All in all, they are not as vibrant as they were in August, but still very beautiful in the landscape.

This one appears to be almost done!

Awesome placement of bromeliads between the rocks that form the waterfall.

Check out the following video made from photos taken from the gardens of Busch Gardens to enjoy the lush and tropical beauty of Central Florida landscaping in October . . . this is subtropical gardening at its finest!

More posts and videos to come on container gardening

 and specific plants in this subtropical paradise . . .
subscribe to this blog for updates!

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Florida Gardening . . . what to do in June

After a very unusually cold winter, summer has crept up on us. The poor bushes have put out new growth amongst the bare sticks that still need to be pruned from the winter damage.

After years of neglect, we have the overwhelming task of starting over again with the landscaping. As we rebuild "The Paradise" I will be posting before and after photos as well as articles on projects we are working on.

In anticipation of starting over, I visited an excellent website by one of my favorite Florida gardening gurus, Tom MacCubbin, for knowledge, inspiration and motivation.



Here are Tom's tips on what to do in June . . .


Lawn Care Needed:

Check for lawn care ordinances that prohibit lawn feedings June until October.

Where permitted and needed regreen lawns with a feeding of a slow release fertilizer.

May is a good month to seed bahia lawns.

An iron only feeding, if permitted, often regreens yellow lawns and prevents excessive growth.

Fill bare or weedy spots in the lawn with the help of summer rains.

Reseed, plug or sod as the rainy season returns.

Avoid sodding shady areas during summer to prevent rot problems caused by the wet weather.

Cold weather did not stop the chinch bugs; inspect yellow spots and treat if needed.

Use a rain gauge to track the water your lawn receives.

Mow lawns frequently but don't catch the clippings.

Keep the mower blade at the highest level recommended for your lawn type.

Dig out or spot kill weeds in turf.

Replace constantly declining turf in dense shade with a mulch or ground cover.

Change the oil and air filter in gas powered equipment as instructed in manuals.


Landscape Care:

Most plants are recovering from winter damage; otherwise replacements may be needed.

Established plants usually do not need watering during the rainy season.

It won’t hurt to let most plants wilt a little before you water.

Hurricane season begins with June; it’s not too late to have your trees checked and trimmed.

Fill in low areas or add drains to prevent flooding during summer storms.

Establish moisture zones within the landscape to help conserve water.

Groom roses to remove old flower heads and weak stems.

Feed roses monthly and control black spot with a fungicide.

Add the tropical look to the landscape with heat loving foliage plants.

Plant hydrangeas where they receive morning sun and afternoon shade.

Complete azalea and gardenia pruning by month's end.

Replace declining cool season flowers with rain tolerant summer color.

Trim back 4- to 6-inches of new poinsettia growth to keep the plants compact.

Root tip cuttings of shrubs and foliage plants.

Transplant palms and sagos.

Feed shrubs and palms.

Give container gardens a weekly feeding or use a slow release fertilizer as instructed.

Spot kill weeds and add a mulch to prevent new growth.

Plant declining Easter and Asiatic lilies in the sunny garden.

Feed lilies and other aquatic plants in home water gardens.

Remove sprouts from the base of crape myrtle, maple and similar trees.


Vegetable and Fruit Plantings:

Harvest maturing crops and replant with heat loving vegetables.

Keep weeds under control as gardens decline to prevent pest problems for fall.

Keep weeds under control as gardens decline to prevent pest problems for fall.

Bake out nematodes and diseases by covering moist soil with clear plastic for 8 weeks.

Turn gardens and vacant flower beds over to edible sweet potatoes.

Continue to plant fruit trees, shrubs and vines.

Expect some fruit drop from citrus trees – it’s normal and often called the June fruit drop.

Feed summer vegetable plantings every 3 to 4 weeks.

Complete late spring citrus feedings.

Prune lower limbs that interfere with maintenance from fruit trees.

Feed bananas monthly harvest stalks when the first hand begins to yellow.

Feed pineapples in containers weekly; in the ground monthly.

Obtain seeds for late summer and fall vegetable plantings.


House and foliage plant care:

Give house plants a rest outdoors in the shade.

Repot plants needing a new container.

Feed plants outdoors every two weeks and indoors monthly.

Use a slow release fertilizer as instructed to stretch the time between feedings.

Control insects with a soap wash.

Remove declining leaves and stems.

Pinch the tips of lanky shoots to cause branching.

Trim faded flowers from blooming plants.

Add new foliage plants to indoor displays.


Source: Better Lawns

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