Conifers I’m trying in Central Florida
Palms And Pines
last year
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (27)
Palms And Pines
last yearRelated Discussions
True 'Full Sun' Perennials for Very North Florida (I'm begging!)
Comments (25)I am on the 8b/9a border, and a few of those suggested plants are very iffy for winter survival here: bougainvillea, ponytail palm, jatropha, and plumeria are all likely to die without significant winter protection. However, you can overwinter a potted plumeria in a dormant state in a cool, dark (but not above-freezing) location such as a garage. Potted ponytail palms can be easily overwintered in the house, since they are happy in the dry heat. There are also many plants on that list that will reliably survive the winter, but will defoliate or even die back to the ground in the cold. Some of them are plants that are evergreen in central/south Florida (hibiscus, passion vine, etc.). You asked for perennials, so maybe you don't mind winter die-back, but I thought I'd mention it. If you want something evergreen to add some height and structure, you can use Indian hawthorn (as Carol mentioned above) or ligustrum. For a deciduous shrub or small tree, crepe myrtles (mentioned above) are great. If you get a bigger type and let it keep most of its crown growth (no coppice pruning, a.k.a. "crepe murder") it will eventually make a nice tree and give you a partly-shaded area to plant under. Knockout roses (mentioned above) grown in full sun will reach 5'-6' or more in a couple of years if you don't cut them back too aggressively. If you keep them cut back, you can maintain them at 3'-4'. They will defoliate briefly in the coldest part of winter, but generally don't drop their leaves until the hard freezes hit - so often they are green past Christmas. For edible landscaping, the blueberry bush (decidious) can be attractive. It has white flowers in spring, of course followed by the tasty berries. The dwarf Sunshine Blue only gets 2'-4' tall and has pink flowers. Blueberries love sun, but you have to maintain an acid soil. For an unusual color on a bigger shrub - IF you are willing to mulch very well and water regularly - loropetalum will do great in full sun. It has beautiful purple foliage and the brilliant pink flowers in spring are a bonus. My next door neighbor has some beautiful ones, and there are several apartment complexes and shopping centers that also have lovely ones that get all day sun. I am not kidding about the mulch and water, though - they will die or look terrible if you stick them in full sun without adequate mulch and moisture, and I'd wait until fall to plant them. They will need the cool months to get their root systems established before facing the heat next summer. Their foliage is much denser if grown in full sun, dense enough that they can be pruned into shapes - rounded top shapes are popular around here. The native saw palmetto or the king sago (cycas revoluta, which I believe Carol mentioned above) can be an effective backdrop or centerpiece for your perennial flowers, too. They are almost bulletproof. Ornamental sweet potatoes are a pretty ground cover to weave among your flowers. While they are not supposed to be hardy, mine have come back after the last two winters. Mine are out in the brick mailbox planter exposed to dawn to dusk sun along the street. However, the grocery store sweet potatoes I planted with them (some that had sprouted after I failed to cook them soon enough) have grown even more vigorously. I leave them in the ground all winter. One last thought: I bought some pretty purple African Daisies from HD this spring. They have done really well, repeatedly blooming in sun and poor soil with no deadheading. They were labeled as perennials, but since I just got them this year I can't report on their actual hardiness yet. Good luck!...See MoreCan't find Pine Bark Fines in Central Florida :(
Comments (18)I bought some garden soil from Wal-Mart recently that is 55-65% pine fines. Can't find my glasses, so can't read the ingredients to you right now, but it's made in Georgia, where they grow a lot of timber pine, so probably mostly loblolly fines. It's less than $5 a bag here, and comes with or without fertilizer. I've been using it with great success as a potting soil. The name is "Expert Gardener". This might work for you....See MoreHydrangeas in Central Florida
Comments (36)Amending the soil in pots in easier but watering is more of a problem as you have to water more frequently than in the ground and the sides of the pots can heat up enough to dry soil and roots near the walls. Some people put potted hydrangeas in hot location inside wooden square containers so the outside wooden shell will absorb the direct sunlight and the inner pot will not heat up as much. Of course, you ncan also take care of sunlight issues by moving the pot around anytime you see it getting being hit by sunlight after 11am (ie, I mean the 11am in the hot summer months, not the weak 11am sunlight we have now). Water absorbing small roots are in the top 4" so keep these as evenly moist as possible. Potting mix without aluminum or without aluminum & acidic conditions will produce pink blooms. That is all I get over here too but I am playing around with the amendments. After adding some in Spring, I have to add more again in the early Fall. I let the plant tell me (ie, if it gets iron chlorosis and the leaves go from dark to light green or if the leaves turn light yellow except for the leaf veins that remain dark green). But one Nikko Blue that turned out to be some lacecap get a little more and its bloomage has been purple the last two years. I added still more amendments this year and should notice the results soon as that lacecap is in the broccoli stage and should have open blooms soon....See MoreNew To Plumeria ( Central Florida )
Comments (14)Day 1 for seedlings, no real activity observed or expected. I did notice the thermometer I placed next to them read a high of 120 F, but this was in a tightly sealed plastic bag. Still, I added a couple very small holes for the seedlings, just in case, to prevent from cooking them, assuming I haven't already. The green toothpicks are just markers for seed parent. Other plants I've had for 1-5 days seem healthy. Haven't yet touched the large unrooted "cutting". May leave it alone and learn my lesson the hard way. Have noticed a couple fine silk threads, and some ants I believe. Will monitor that....See MorePalms And Pines
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearJurassic Park
last yeardavidrt28 (zone 7)
last yearlast modified: last yearPalms And Pines
last yearlast modified: last yeardavidrt28 (zone 7)
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearAxel
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearPalms And Pines
last yearlast modified: last yearHenry Z6(OH Zone 6b)
2 months ago41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoHenry Z6(OH Zone 6b)
2 months ago41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
2 months agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
2 months agoHenry Z6(OH Zone 6b)
2 months agoBillMN-z-2-3-4
2 months agoHenry Z6(OH Zone 6b)
2 months agoBillMN-z-2-3-4
2 months agobengz6westmd
2 months agolast modified: 2 months agoHenry Z6(OH Zone 6b)
22 days ago
Related Stories
WINTER GARDENING6 Reasons I’m Not Looking Forward to Spring
Not kicking up your heels anticipating rushes of spring color and garden catalogs? You’re not alone
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Try Penstemon Digitalis for Showy White Blooms
Bees gather nectar from this North American native while you’ll appreciate its unthirsty nature and soil tolerance
Full StoryCOFFEE WITH AN ARCHITECTA Few Things I Would Like to Ask Frank Lloyd Wright
It could take a lifetime to understand Frank Lloyd Wright's work — less if we had answers to a few simple questions
Full StoryREGIONAL GARDEN GUIDESCentral Plains Gardener's October Checklist
Fall foliage color and crisp mornings, plus mulching beds and planting spring bulbs, make October a gardener's heaven
Full StoryCOLORChoosing Color: 1 Bedroom Tries On 5 Different Palettes
White is all right, but check out what you can do with a bolder hue
Full StorySMALL HOMESHouzz Tour: An Accessible Tiny-ish House in the Florida Palms
A builder creates a 600-square-foot dream home on the Gulf Coast for his father
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: How Can I Kindly Get Party Guests to Use Coasters?
Here’s how to handle the age-old entertaining conundrum to protect your furniture — and friendships
Full StoryPLANTING IDEASDesigning With Conifers: Personality and Form in the Garden
Unique and full of interest, well-shaped conifers await a place your yard
Full StoryKITCHEN COUNTERTOPSWhy I Chose Quartz Countertops in My Kitchen Remodel
Budget, style and family needs all were taken into account in this important design decision
Full StoryFLOWERS10 Spring Wildflowers for the Central Plains
These blooming native perennials thrive in dry locations and help welcome early-season pollinators
Full Story
Palms And PinesOriginal Author