Your Monthly Grow-zine

April 2018

Things to do in the garden this month...

Torenia

Plant! This is a great time of year to get new things in the ground.

Visit your locally-owned plant nursery for ideas and inspiration, such as the Torenia fournieri pictured.

Sometimes called 'Wishbone Flower." this plant is a cascading annual, best in part shade as a groundcover, or excellent in containers.

Feed your plants. Our sandy soil has no nutrients so we have to add them.

NOTE: Wait to fertilize gardenias and azaleas until their spring flowering cycle is over.

Do a spring pruning on overgrown or shaggy plants.

Water weekly...twice a week if it's been very warm.

Check your plants for pest damage. If you see any, take bagged cuttings to your nursery for diagnosis and treatment options.


Did you know...?

iGardening is good for weight! Gardening chores burn between 250 and 500 calories an hour depending on how hard you're working.

It incorporates elements of typical exercise - like stretching and repetitive movement. And it's not as stressful to your body as aerobics or jogging.



Make your Easter Lilies last longer

Remove the anthers - the pollen-bearing male part of the flower - from the center of each bloom.

Gently pull them off, wearing garden gloves or using a tissue to protect your skin from the staining yellow pollen.



Crossandra

Here's a sweet little flowering plant with a big name - Crossandra infundibuliformis.

Crossandra blooms on and off all year - more during warmer months - in part sun to part shade. It does best with a bit of shade in midday to early afternoon.

Usually seen with soft orange blossoms, there are other varieties with red, yellow or pink flowers. Grows about 2 feet tall, though some varieties get a bit larger.

Crossandra likes regular water - don't keep it too wet or let it go too dry.


This is a great butterfly plant, and it's considered a slow grower.

Crossandra is an annual everywhere else but a perennial in South Florida. It doesn't like the cold so it's happiest in Zone 10.

But if you live in Zone 9B you can grow it in a container to bring inside during cold snaps. Be sure to mist it regularly if indoors.


Spring Citrus Care

Spray your citrus, once the blossoms have dropped off and the fruit is about 3/4" in diameter. 

Spraying should be done in spring, summer and fall to control insects and set the fruit.

Use Neem Oil (2 TBSP. per gallon of water) rotated with a mixture of Liquid Copper (2 tsp. per gallon of water) and 50% Malathion (2 tsp. per gallon of water).

Fertilize your citrus trees in April or May.

IMPORTANT! Always water the ground well around the tree before and after applying granular fertilizer so it won't burn surface roots.

Be sure to broadcast the fertilizer along the drip line (farthest foliage point).


Need a well-behaved border plant?

Mexican Heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia) has a nice naturally uniform shape, and grows to about 12 inches tall in full to part sun.

The tiny flowers appear on and off all year.

Use it to line a walkway or in front of small shrubs in a garden bed. It's a perennial that can spread a bit but is easily contained.


Mexican Heather


What's new at South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com

This new picture is now added to the Plant Page on Buddleia - aka Butterfly Bush.

Buddleia is a hardy shrub that butterflies love. Deadhead (cut off faded blooms) to get the most flowers.



My latest ebooks are here!
"Best of the Grow-zines"

All the best info and ideas from past issues of our monthly newsletter - The Grow-zine!

cover Garden Ideas & FAQs

Garden Ideas & FAQs

cover Landscaping Tips & Problem Solvers

Landscaping Tips & Problem Solvers

cover What's That Plant

Buy both "Best Of" ebooks & get this one FREE!

Learn more!



Other ebooks you might like...


Get curb appeal right away!

Landscape in a Hurry

A guide to South Florida's fastest growing plants, and tips on how to get instant curb appeal for your home.

Learn more!


Take it easy!

Lazy Gardener's Guide

Here's a unique manual about low maintenance plants and landscaping for our subtropical climate - where everything grows and grows!

Learn more!


Take a "crash course" in South Florida plants!

My Column Collections ebooks - 5 books in all - are here and you can buy just one or own the whole set!



Are you a Snowbird?

Want to know more about growing a beautiful landscape with only part-time care?

Check out the new, updated edition of my paperback book,
Snowbird Gardening.

I've added more plants, more photos and up-to-date info for South Florida Snowbirds.

This new edition features 146 plant varieties - palms, shrubs, trees and flowers - with photos and information about each one.

Now available as an ebook! Find out more...


Thanks for subscribing to the Grow-zine!

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about what you'd like to see included in the Grow-zine - or the website - please let me know!

Happy Easter!

Chase Landre