Your Monthly Grow-zine
January 2023
Did your plants suffer any damage from the recent cold? See our page on Cold Protection for how to protect plants and what to do if they're cold damaged.
Things to do in the garden this month...
Hong Kong Orchid TreePlant for winter color! Things like Hong Kong Orchid, Brazilian Red Cloak, and Bougainvillea bring beauty and pleasure to our gardens during the cool season.
Plant herbs and vegetables now - they're happiest in our winter climate.
Water once a week (or at least every 10 days) unless it's rained. Winter months are typically dry.
Watch for bugs...and/or anything strange going on with your plants. Take any affected cuttings bagged in plastic to your local nursery for diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Need a clue about what might be the problem? See our page on Plant Symptoms for ideas.
Jamaican Caper
After Hurricane Ian, we're more conscious of plants that can withstand strong winds. Jamaican Caper is one of the best.
This South Florida native plant (Quadrella jamaicensis) is a hurricane resistant plant that grows to 12 feet or more but can be kept at 6 feet as a large shrub or small tree.
The spring flowers open white, turn pink and then violet and they attract honeybees. Birds like to eat from the long, skinny seed pods that form after blooming.
In the evening the flowers put out a sweet fragrance that attracts certain moths that pollinate them.
A slow to moderate grower, Jamaican Caper grows in full sun to partial shade, is moderately salt tolerant and drought tolerant once established. It does best in Zone 10 and areas of Zone 9B that border Zone 10.
This shrub can make a nice hedge or privacy plant. It can also be grown in a container.
This is not the edible caper plant...that's Capparis spinosa, grown in the Mediterranean region.
Your local nursery can order Jamaican Caper or look for it at native plant nurseries.
What's new at South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
I added this photo of a young tree starting to bloom to the Plant Page on Royal Poinciana Tree.
These showy trees need to reach a certain age to start the flowering process - usually 4 to 5 years.
My latest ebooks are here!
"Best of the Grow-zines"
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Happy New Year!
Chase Landre
Take a break!
The ultimate guide to low-maintenance plants
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Chase Landre
author of
South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
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Landscape re-do - where to start?
HibiscusCan't decide on a theme? Or looking for a starting point? Here are inspirations to help you get going:
Make a list of what you do and don't like about your current landscape (include the whole family's input on this one).
Make another list - a wish list of plants you'd love to have.
Color - go with your favorite one or two colors, such as the red of the hibiscus pictured. Red could be paired with white or purple for an eye-catching combination.
Consider zones...open areas for play, quiet places outside bedrooms or office where you could plant noise reducing things, pretty views from windows, and so on.
Choose larger specimens first. These - and their placement - will help you visualize where the rest of the beds should go.
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!
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Chase Landre
author of
South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
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Ebooks on South Florida gardening!
by Chase Landre, author of South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com