Your Monthly Grow-zine
January 2020
Things to do in the garden this month...
Imara ImpatiensRun - don't walk - to your locally owned plant nursery because...
IMPATIENS IS BACK! After being wiped out by downy mildew disease in the past few years, a new downy mildew resistant variety of classic Impatiens - called Imara Impatiens - is here!
This is great news for those of us who used to fill our gardens with these little annuals that flower their heads off in full sun (in winter) to full shade.
Water once a week if it hasn't rained.
Watch for pest damage. If you see some, take bagged cuttings to your local nursery for help in identifying the problem and treatment suggestions.
Red Shrimp Plant - butterflies love it!
Red Shrimp Plant (Justicia brandegeana) is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds, with its droopy red flower bracts and white flowers.
When we hear the name Shrimp Plant, most of us think of Golden
Shrimp Plant but it's a different plant.
This pretty little shrub can be kept about 3 feet tall, and it prefers part sun to part shade.
It's a fast grower, likes regular water and a spring and fall feeding - and blooms on and off year round.
Red Shrimp is considered cold hardy, fine anywhere in Florida, but in colder regions it may defoliate in winter.
It can grow a bit sprawling in shape, so give it a trim several times a year. in fact, trimming is necessary because...
This plant can be invasive. It will root if a node touches the soil, so keep it trimmed often enough to avoid this.
This is a good plant to add to your butterfly garden...and will even flower in a somewhat shady area. It makes a showy container plant as well.
Feed the birds with your landscaping
Birds feed on seeds, fruit and/or insects, so planting some bird-attractors in your yard makes winter easier on these creatures. Here are some plants to consider that provide winter food:
Having a water source is very important for birds. Be sure to install a birdbath in your yard, with a nearby "shelter plant" for birds to wait their turn to get a drink.
For more info, see this article.
What's new at South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
I've written a new Plant Page on Queen Crape Myrtle, a big beautiful crape myrtle tree with huge lilac-colored blooms.
This crape doesn't go bare all winter like other varieties, and makes a terrific shade tree for almost any size yard.
A few people have contacted me about the fact that I've removed the Search Box from the upper right corner of all the pages on the website. For those of you who want a search function, please click on the Sitemap. There you'll find every plant listed on the website with a link to its page.
I'm continuing to work on enlarging photos on every page to match the recent size expansion of the website. Still have hundreds of pages to go, but hope to be done soon!
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!
Garden Ideas & FAQs
Landscaping Tips & Problem Solvers
Buy both "Best Of" ebooks & get this one FREE!
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 New Year!
Chase Landre
Get instant curb appeal!
An ebook by
Chase Landre
author of
South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
Learn how to get instant curb appeal with fast growing plants and landscaping techniques!
FROM THE GROW-ZINE ARCHIVES
Here's a New Year's Resolution that's actually fun to keep!
Keep a garden journal - it can be as simple as names of the plants in your garden, and when and where you planted them.
Or you can include much more info - even photos, landscaping layout, dates you fertilized, and a wish list of plants to add in the future.
What is it?
I've been wondering that ever since I discovered this plant growing wild along my property line some years ago. When it shot up beautiful pink flowers I figured it was a type of Crinum Lily.
Sure enough - it 's Crinum x powellii, or Cape Lily. (It took me some research over time to find out.)
This is apparently an older Crinum hybrid, grown from a bulb. Mine is in full shade, but I've read that they grow in sun as well (probably part sun is best here), and will naturalize if left undisturbed...though mine has not.
The foliage is long and strappy but unlike other Crinums, its long floppy leaves usually bend in the middle, making it not especially pretty - until it blooms.
White and dark pink varieties are also available. Flowers appear during warm months.
Take a break!
The ultimate guide to low-maintenance plants
and landscaping!
An ebook by
Chase Landre
author of
South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
Learn more!
Get a greener thumb!
Want to learn more about South Florida planting, watering, fertilizing and dealing with weeds and pests?
See our Gardening How-To section for answers!
Get instant curb appeal!
An ebook by
Chase Landre
author of
South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
Learn how to get instant curb appeal with fast growing plants and landscaping techniques!
Click here to read our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer