Your Monthly Grow-zine

June 2019

Things to do in the garden this month...

Marigolds

Plant summer flowers! Summer annuals such as Marigolds - or perennials like Blue Daze - or both!

Shop at your locally-owned nursery for plants rather than buying from box stores. These small businesses have more knowledge and better plants, and prices are usually competitive

Blue Daze 'Blue My Mind'

Water twice a week if we haven't had any rain. Rainy season usually waters our plants throughout the summer but you can't always count on the weather.

Not sure if it rained at your house while you were at work? Install a rain gauge to make sure your plants got a drink.

Fertilizer blackout begins today. Many Florida counties have this blackout in effect...meaning you can't apply any fertilizer to your lawn or gardens from June 1st through September 31st. To check what the rules are in your area, contact your county extension office.

Look for insect damage. Take bagged cuttings to your local nursery for diagnosis and treatment options.

Plants that look their best in "drifts"

For flowering plants with small blossoms that wave above the plant on skinny stems, planting in deeper 'drifts' will give the best effect.

Bulbine

These three plants are excellent ones to plant this way.

Society Garlic especially with its little lavender flowers can get lost in the landscape, but grouping plants for depth gives them the attention they deserve.

Society Garlic

Rather than lining them up in a single row, place the plants in an up-and-back zigzag pattern that will fill in to give the depth needed to highlight the blooms. Two zigzag rows will work but three or more are even better.

Blue Porterweed

What is "Visual Weight" in landscape design?

The landscape design principle balance doesn't necessarily mean "matchy-matchy" symmetry, with the same plants on each side of a central point.

It actually means using things that have visual weight that equal each other overall. Visual weight draws the eye with color, size, shape and texture. It gives a pleasing, natural look to a landscape when these plants are used correctly to balance the design.

Be careful not to overdo it - it can cause visual chaos.

Here are some examples of plants with visual weight attributes;

Large size

Royal Palm

Coarse texture

Sea Grape

Bright color

Hibiscus

Dark color

Loropetalum 'Burgundy'

Unusual shape

Weeping Bottlebrush Tree

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

I recently added this pic of a white agapanthus flower to the Plant Page.

Much as I love the blue flower of this gorgeous plant, the white really stands out.

The white variety is available but most nurseries would have to order it. This was taken at a nursery where the white was a "happy accident" of planting!

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!

Learn more!

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...

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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!

Chase Landre

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