Panama Rose

Rondeletia leucophylla

A beautiful blooming shrub that has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years, is Panama Rose.
When blooming, which is most of the year, it is covered in clusters of pink flowers.  It will grow in full sun, but will also thrive and bloom prolifically in areas of mixed sun and shade.  I have planted one on the north side of a house,with no direct sun and it is doing great. They naturally seem to grow into a large ball, but you can shear them to perfect the shape.  They can easily be maintained 3 to 4 feet and can be used as a hedge or free standing shrub.  Occasionally they go through a phase in their blooming cycle where they are covered with old, spent bloom heads and few flowers. At this time, they can look a little weedy, so this is the perfect time to cut them back and shape them up. Give them some fertilizer and they flush out and bloom again quickly. I haven't experienced any pest problems or diseases with Panama Rose.

Its a great plant for anywhere in zone 10.  Further north maybe occasionally too cold,  If you are looking for a medium sized, blooming shrub, give this one a try.

Siam Tulips

Now that we appear to be fully into the rainy season here in south Florida, it is time to plant summer flowers. It is hard to find reliable flowers for the summer time down here. One that I have only become aware of here in the last few years is Curcuma or Siam Tulips. About three or four years ago I started seeing them in a few of the stores. They were the pink variety that you see in the top picture here. They were pretty but I was dubious about their long term survival in south Florida. But after trying a few, I am really impressed. The flowers lasted for weeks and they kept blooming all summer. Best of all, after turning yellow and dying off in the cold weather, they came back up from the roots the next spring and started blooming again! There are a lot of perennials that do that up north, but its rare in south Florida. They are now blooming for the fourth year with very little attention.

Last year I started seeing more colors and varieties of curcuma appearing in the garden centers. Some are quite bizarre looking like the white one pictured here. They seem to do best in moist soil with partial shade.

The genus Curcuma contains about 80 species of the plant family Zingiberaceae. The popular spice Turmeric is a member of this genus.

They are easy to grow and so far I haven't had any insect or fungus problems with them. Try some in your garden this year. I think you will really like them.

Brussels in Bloom

A spectacular Picture!
This doesn't relate directly to Florida Gardening but I'm posting it anyway because it is an amazing picture. This "carpet" in the town square is Brussels is made entirely of flowering plants, grass and tree bark. Almost one million begonias were used!

Congress Seeks to Shut Down Backyard Growers?

I recently ran across an article that says there is a bill working its way through Congress that could ban organic gardening or at the very least, heavily regulate it. The new law would impose million dollar fines and forfeiture of your property for violating the regulations. It is being done in the name of food safety. It is known as House Resolution 875, the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Read about it here and let me know your comments.

Cold Weather and Your Florida Garden

We are now in the midst of the coldest weather that we have seen here in at least 13 years. Most of Palm Beach County and everything north were under a freeze warning this morning. Freezes are unusual in south Florida and so a lot of tropical plants are widely planted here. They thrive most of the time but are very vulnerable to freezing temperatures. What can you do to protect your tender tropicals?

It helps if you know ahead of time which plants can take the cold and how much. That way you can set priorities when preparing and spend your time and effort on the plants that need it most. Ask your landscaper or nursery professional when you buy a plant how cold hardy it is.

Start by watering everything thoroughly! You may not like to be wet when its cold but plants do. Most of the damage caused to plants in cold weather is caused by them drying out. Especially if it is windy. The the cold, dry wind with suck the water from the leaves quickly. So water the leaves and saturate the ground.

Small plants in pots should be taken indoors. If there isn't room then at least move them up against the house out of the wind. The warmth radiating out from the walls will in many cases be enough to save them. What can't be moved should be covered. Never cover plants with plastic! The plastic will burn them and cause more damage than good. Use light weight sheets, towels or newspapers. Of course if its windy you will need to anchor your coverings with rocks, bricks, or whatever you have. You may not have time or materials to cover everything so start with your most tender and most expensive plants first and save as much as you can.

As soon as possible the morning after a freeze, uncover everything. The longer wet sheets or newspapers lay on the plants, the more the chance of fungus or other problems. Take heart though, even in a bad freeze many plants will be damaged but most won't completely die. It will take at least a few days before you can assess the damage. You may be tempted to start cutting damaged plants back right away, but resist the temptation. In a future article we'll discuss what to do after the freeze to help your plants recover quickly.

Happy New Year!

I Wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year! Winter has officially arrived in south Florida as daytime temperatures frequently dip into the low 70's! Seriously though, it is winter and it causes us to shift gears a little even in Florida. First of all, the days are maddeningly short. There is virtually no time for gardening after work. Secondly, it is the dry season, so we have to remember to water once in a while. In the summer it rains pretty much every afternoon so we can frequently go weeks without watering anything. This time of year sometimes it doesn't rain for days or even a couple of weeks. That, combined with lower humidity and higher wind means that we will have to water from time to time.
The good news for Florida gardeners is that winter time is the time to grow vegetables. You can start them in November, but if you haven't started yet it isn't too late. If you plant now you can still bring in a crop before the wet, warm weather returns with the bugs and fungi that it brings. The rainy season won't start until May or June. We don't have many April showers here like most of the country. In fact, April is our driest month.

Time to Plant Winter Vegetables

If you are a vegetable gardener in South Florida and you haven't planted your garden yet, its time to get busy. Unlike most of the world, winter is the prime growing season for most vegetables. Summers here are too tough on most crops. There are too many bugs and weeds and too much rain and humidity. November is the time to get stuff in the ground. Tomatoes, of course, are the most popular item with backyard growers, but you can also be successful with beans, carrots, onions, corn, eggplant, cucumbers or just about any other vegetable you can think of. With food prices rising and the economy slowing, more people will probably be trying there hand at growing their own food. If you are new to vegetable gardening, here are a few tips:

• Plant in full sun, in a well drained location
• Improve the Florida sand with compost if you have it. You can also mix in a little topsoil (muck) unless you are growing tomatoes. Tomatoes actually prefer sandy soil.
• Keep up with the weeds!
• Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer or weekly with a liquid fertilizer.
• Bugs are not as bad in winter but you still may have issues with caterpillars, or mites, especially toward the beginning and end of the growing season.
  
• Fungus diseases may be your biggest problem, especially if we get a spell of rainy, humid weather which sometimes happens here even in the winter. You can buy organic fungicides that are labeled for vegetables.
• Watering practices can be critical. Water as needed; don't try to follow a watering schedule. If its rainy or humid, water sparingly. If the humidity is low and its windy they will need much more frequent watering. Don't over water. Morning is best.

If all goes well you should have fresh produce on the table by New Years.
If you have any questions, comments or other tips, please post them below.