Thryallis

Another one of my Top 20 Shrub Choices for Florida is Thryallis or latin name Galphimia gracilis.  This is a great plant that blossoms all summer long in full sun to part shade.  This plant gets to be about 6 ft. tall and 4 ft wide. Please give it enough room so that it can grow that high.  I have found that this is a great background plant and the best way to maintain it is to let grow naturally.  Let it grow and bloom and cut it back in half at the end of the winter.  I have used this against fences- it makes a nice soft screen.

Looks great with Ruellia (Mexican Petunia) or Plumbago- blue and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations.

Top 20 Shrub Choices in Florida

If you are a lover of unusual plants, this isn't one of them.  From years of experience I have found that it is good to have a palette of reliable plants that showcase your unusual plants.  Many unusual plants are unusual because they are hard to grow or hard to grow for Growers.  Therefore, you don't want a whole yard of high maintenance, fussy plants.  But you can have your cake and eat it too.  Utilize the tried and true varieties and showcase one or two somethings that are spectacular.

One of those staple plants is Schefflera arboricola `Trinette' or Variegated Arboricola.  The variety Trinette is a very colorful variegated yellow and green variety.  Another great characteristic is that it is slow growing and compact and works well in larger groupings.  The yellow leaves are a great contrast to reds and dark pinks such as Firespike and Dwarf Jatropha and can be used as a layering plant.  Variegated Aroricola can easily be kept at 2-3' tall and 2-3' wide or left alone with no pruning they can reach 6-8' tall and 4' wide.  They prefer sun but will tolerate dense shade. 

Maintenance: the best way to prune is to clip prune.  That's right get out your pruners and turn off the hedge trimmers.  These plants tend to shoot up uneven growth so often times just a couple cuts of more aggressive branches and you are all set.  Enjoy these plants!

Spacing Landscape Plants in Florida

How close do you plant landscape plants in Florida.  Most of my Landscape Design experience has been in New England and I have been known to plant trees and shrubs a little too close because I am really impatient for things to grow in. However in Florida I would be known as a person who plants too far apart!!  The difference in Florida's growing season is that plants grow about 9 months out of the year unlike the short growing season up North.  So you plant a cute little 6 inch Canna bulb and it is 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide in a year.  Given that information, spacing depends on the mature size of the plant- you need to research a bit.  Look how big the plant is going to get and space it accordingly.  Do not plant a tree 6" from your foundation or you WILL be sorry.

The above photo is of Ginger and Dwarf Natal Plum ( nice combination) but they are planted 2 feet apart.  Both of these plants will get 4 feet across and you will constantly have to prune them back- what a waste of plant material.  Give plants the proper space and you will reduce the money you have to spend in the beginning and you will reduce your maintenance and if you are a landscaper you will have happy clients!

Vegetable Gardening in Containers in Florida

Vegetable gardening in Florida can be a bit of a challenge.  For the most part the best season to grow vegetables is in the Fall, Winter and Spring.  The challenges that you face when you grow in containers is:  too much water, too little water, not enough drainage, disease and bugs.  You also have to choose the type of container as well as the type of soil and fertilizer.  I am going to be updating this blog as my project goes along to see if some of my choices are successful.  First I wanted to grow organically- so that creates a bit of a challenge because I have found that many of the Organic Potting Soils were rather heavy and compacted in the pots.  I bought a bag of Organic Choice Potting Soil ( and please get potting soil and not garden soil for your pots!)  and it was a bit heavy.  So......I decided to mix in the bottom half of the pot some 1/4" pea stone.  This would aerate the soil and if there was a great deal of rain my plants would not drown.  I also worked in some Espoma Plant-tone as an Organic Fertilizer.  This is one of my favorite fertilizers- I have used it in New England and sold tons of it at my nursery.  So here is a photo of my completed pots.  I have 2 cherry tomatoes and 1 Yellow Bell Pepper and I have seeded some Snap Peas and Pole Beans.  I hope my Condo Association doesn't have a rule about beans growing over my railings.

Note:  The day after planting it rained solidly for 4 days and none of the plants died so the drainage idea was a hit!  By the way you can get bags of stones at Home Depot or Lowes.  Another Advantage to adding the stones is that it gives the pots weight so the wind does not knock them over.  I live near the beach and it is a consideration.

                 What are successful flowers to plant in your pots for the winter?  I would have to consider myself a flower snob- when I lived up North I only planted unusual flowers, never giving way to the common.  Well, Florida is a whole different story.  The climate is so severe and pots take such a beating with the heavy rain, high humidity, bugs, etc.  Therefore the flowers that I love are the ones I can keep alive.  The Begonia Family is so reliable.  From wax begonias to Angel Wing begonia- they are hardy and bloom all throughout the winter.  Impatiens also do nicely as well as geraniums, snapdragons, blue salvia, pansies and violas.  The plants all thrive with the cool weather and it is not necessary to water them as heavily.  Stay tuned and I will give you some important information on how to plant your pots for great success- what kind of soil, fertilizer and pots.

Firespike

Looking for an unusual plant in Florida that you won't see in your neighbors yard- well here it is!  It is called Odontonema strictum or the common name is Firespike.  It will grow in zone 7-11.  I love this plant because when the flowers come out it is very striking but as the little flowers drop off the long flower stem- the stems are still red and very attractive.  Therefore you don't have to prune these plants as soon as the flowers go by.  It was voted "Plant of the Year" in 1998 by the Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association.  Any plant voted by any Nurserymen Association is usually a good choice. 

Firespike grows about 4-5' tall and the same in width.  They prefer sun to light shade. They bloom from the middle of the summer until mid winter.  It is good to cut them back severely in February.  If you are in areas of Florida that get freezes it will die back to the ground but will recover again.

I have planted them along with Ruella Purple Showers and Pinwheel Jasmine.  They also look great with pentas.  Enjoy this lovely plant!