Your Monthly Grow-zine
May 2018
Things to do in the garden this month...
Shop for plants! With Rainy Season starting next month, now is a good time to get things in the ground for our summer growing season.
Fertilize by late May before the summer fertilizer blackout begins.
The blackout runs from June 1st through September 30th, but not all counties in Florida have the same rules, so contact your county extension service to see what the laws are in your area.
Give plants a spring pruning if you haven't already done this.
Lantana 'Fireworks'Don't forget to water! May is typically one of our driest months (October is the other), so if the weather runs true to form be sure to keep your landscape well-watered. Run irrigation twice a week if our weather is hot and there's been no rain.
When plants go too dry they can become weakened and susceptible to insect attacks. If you think a plant has a bug problem, take bagged cuttings to your local nursery for diagnosis and treatment options.
Houseplants that clean the air
Suffer from allergies? Perhaps you can use some help from Mother Nature by using houseplants that actually clean the air of pollutants.
Indoor air can contain formaldehyde from upholstery and drapes, ammonia from carpet and paint, and so on. Studies have shown that certain plants use a process called transpiration that purifies the air we breathe.
Of course, here in South Florida, we mainly grow these plants outdoors...but they all make great indoor plants as well.
Here are some of the best:
Other natural air-cleaners include English Ivy, Spider Plant, Ficus benjamina ("Weeping Fig") and Ficus elastica ("Rubber Tree").
Mother's Day Idea
Give Mom a gift of nature's perfume!
A plant with fragrant flowers is something she can enjoy all year - and you can help her plant it as part of the gift!
You can choose a tree like Magnolia or Ylang Ylang, a shrub such as Gardenia or Night-blooming Jasmine, or a vine like Confederate Jasmine.
D. D. Blanchard MagnoliaHot, Dry & Happy!
I'm often asked, "What plants like lots of sun?"
Well, of course, there are many plants that love the sun. But which ones like our soil and don't require frequent watering?
FrangipaniHere are plants you can use in hot and dry areas (though you must water to get them well-established):
- Baby Sun Rose
- Triangle Palm
- Crown of Thorns
- Frangipani
- Desert Rose
- Bougainvilea
For more ideas, see our Landscape In a Box section on Drought Hardy Landscapes.
What's new at South-Florida-Plant-Guide.com
I've added this picture of coconuts ripening on a coconut palm to the Plant Page on this lovely palm.
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!
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.
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!
Chase Landre
Easy plants to share from your garden
Rain LilyWe who love gardening usually have at least one friend who enjoys it just as much...someone we like to swap or share with.
Certain plants grow "pups" or offsets that are easily removed and rooted. Others that spread have new baby plants popping up near the mama plant - again, easily dug up and rooted. And bulbs that multiply can be separated.
Here are plants to divide - rather than to propagate from cuttings - that we can share:
- Bromeliad
- White Crinum Lily
- Amaryllis
- Heliconia
- White Fountain Grass
- Bulbine
- Oyster Plant
- Rain Lily
- Canna Lily
- Agave
Moving your plants
This is a great time to move things around...
...plants that have grown too big to fit under windows, slow growers hidden in back of faster growing plants, or a Cordyline (aka Ti Plant) that is getting burned by too much sun.
Dig up as much of the root ball as you can.
Use a shovel to leverage it up and out of the ground rather than yanking on the plant.
Cut the plant back either before or after moving it - and make sure it's well-watered before you cut. (You can root cuttings in moist potting soil if you want to grow them.)
Give it the same TLC you would do for a new plant - add soil amendments, water regularly, etc. (For more info see our page on Planting.)
Some crotons need more shade
Most crotons can take sun to part shade. Petra Croton - pictured - is one with large leaves that can be "bleached" by the sun and lose color. It does best with a little shade in the middle of the day.
If you're placing a croton in full sun, ask at the plant nursery when you shop which crotons are more sun-sensitive.
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!