Purple Showers is becoming the most popular perennial in Florida for good reason. It is very Florida Friendly as it grows in wet or dry sites without irrigation, requires no fertilizer, has no pest problems and it attracts butterflies. Sulfur butterflies are a regular visitor to these plants. Purple Showers has double the number of chromosomes as the wild Mexican Petunia. Currently, sterile Purple Showers only comes in one color but Rosanna Freyre, Ph.D. of the University of Florida has figured out a way to breed other sterile forms and colors. In the coming years we will have more choices. Read the last paragraph of this article Breeding Brilliance.

This is a three year old Purple Showers that receives one day a week watering under the Tampa rules and no fertilizer. It is growing in full sun in a median setting with bark and rock mulches covering plastic. The plant was damaged by the January freezes but recovered quickly. You can see that it is clump forming and many folks point this out as aggressive behavior but that can be a good thing if you are trying to replace turf with larger beds of carefree flowering plants. Want to remove them from and area? Three successive sprayings of roundup at four week intervals will kill the plants. This is the same recommendation for other plants that store a lot of energy in their roots like cattails. More information on Purple Showers. Floridagirl’s blog My Florida Backyard has her take on Mexican Petunias you will enjoy.

Purple Showers are always available at your Florida Home Depot garden centers where you will find a great selection of dependable Florida Friendly plants at a great price that are guaranteed to grow or you get your money back.

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Austin Outdoor Florida introduces some principles that will save you time by getting it right the first time.

Meems has a great presentation on her blog showing Native and Florida-friendly plants working in harmony in her garden. Her use and discussion of Right Plant – Right Place will inspire you in your gardening efforts. For further reading on these topics and reducing the turf areas and their impacts start with reading these posts. 

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Following the 9 principles of Florida Friendly Landscaping is so rewarding for you and the environment. With a little study you can convert your yard and garden to one that requires less water and fertilizer and is still the nicest on the block. You can let your yard make a statement about who you are and how you feel about protecting the environment and reducing chemical and fertilizer runoff pollution.

Search our Database for many of these plants that can be found at you Florida Home Depot garden center.

University of Florida's Nine Principles of Florida-Friendly Landscaping:

1) Right Plant, Right Place: Plants selected to suit a specific site will require minimal amounts of water, fertilizers and pesticides.

2) Water Efficiently: Irrigate only when your lawn needs water. Efficient watering is the key to a healthy yard and conservation of limited resources.

3) Fertilize Appropriately: Less is often best. Over-use of fertilizers can be hazardous to your yard and the environment.

4) Mulch: Maintain two to three inches of mulch to help retain soil moisture, prevent erosion and suppress weeds.

5) Attract Wildlife: Plants in your yard that provide food, water and shelter can conserve Florida’s diverse wildlife.

6) Manage Yard Pests Responsibly: Unwise use of pesticides can harm people, pets, beneficial organisms and the environment.

7) Recycle: Grass clippings, leaves and yard trimmings composted and recycled on site provide nutrients to the soil and reduce waste disposal.

8) Reduce Storm water Runoff: Water running off your yard can carry pollutants, such as fertilizer, pesticides, soil and debris that can harm water quality. Reduction of this runoff will help prevent pollution.

9) Protect the Waterfront: Waterfront property, whether on a river, stream, pond, bay or beach, is very fragile and should be carefully protected to maintain freshwater and marine ecosystems.

More details can be found here: http://fyn.ifas.ufl.edu/homeowners/nine_principles.htm

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The first thing you notice is there is minimal turf to mow, water and fertilize. You need some turf for pets and children but putting all that energy into a lawn can be a waste of time and resources. Mulch is a big time and water saver. Put it on thick and enjoy a lush garden with few weeds. Check out Laura’s video and see if this is an appealing way to decorate your outdoor space.

Pot-in-Pot Landscaping has a place in many Florida gardens. Check out how easy it is to install and maintain the beauty in your garden with this technique.

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“Lawn out front, flowers in the back. It's the landscaping equivalent of a mullet haircut: Business in the front, party out back.

And it's headed the same way.

More homeowners are giving up on staid front-yard lawns and putting gardens front and center instead. Many choose native and Florida-friendly plants that, placed in the right spot, save time and money, water and fertilizer.

But not everyone's doing it just for the savings.”

Read the full article in this link

Penny Carnathan’s article in The Tampa Tribune Getaway on Sunday

Using Florida Friendly Plants as the article suggests has been a theme of ours for 28 years. Check out this post for a great plant that will add beauty and the savings discussed in the article.

Shrink the Size of Your Lawn Today!

Another low growing drought tolerant Florida Friendly Plant that is a perennial is the Ornamental Sweet Potato. It is a spreader that covers a lot of mulched area and requires minimal care.

One-potato-two-potato-three-potato-four!

Something to entertain you as you ponder the subject… Taking out the Grass is a Gas

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Disney has beautiful gardens that amaze visitors for days but for a combination of beauty and diversity of plants, The Harry P. Leu Gardens is the crown jewel of Orlando and Central Florida.

Just as you wouldn’t miss the Chicago Botanical Gardens in the windy city, you shouldn’t miss this Botanical Mecca if you visit our state. Allow plenty of time, wear comfortable shoes and bring extra batteries for your camera.

Robert Bowden is the director and fellow committee member who showed the FNGLA marketing team the highlights and stunning views and garden rooms.

Click this link to our Facebook Album for more Leu Garden Images.

Leu Gardens features many potted specimens and combination planters. They use the Thriller-Filler-Spiller concept to demonstrate how to make a beautiful container garden you would be happy to have on your porch or patio.

Profusion Zinnias are a disease resistant type on display throughout many sunny spots in the garden. The butterflies were plentiful and highly attracted to these zinnias.

Weddings are a big thing at Leu Gardens. They are booked over a year out. They have excellent facilities for multiple weddings and are located near downtown and near I-4 for easy access.

The largest formal rose garden in the south is a central feature of Leu Gardens.

Photographers flock to this garden to take images of plants and flowers that are used in magazines and books published all over the world. Fashion photographers find many beautiful settings at this garden.

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What is TurfPro? As this Link Says:

TurfPro is the ultimate 100% naturally organic humate soil
conditioner. It is a powerful nutrient converter and bio-
stimulant that is very easy to apply. Use it as a root drench
and also as a foliar spray where the benefits are systemic,
providing the necessary nutrients and resistance to pests.

Read the whole story on their web site and you will see why it is in all of our soils and how the benefits carry over to your garden from our plants. It has been well worth the cost in fertilizer and water savings for us. Our annuals and perennials produce better root systems and flower faster. The soli mix stays moist longer and rewets easier.

We use the AgriPro Natural – Dry at 18 lbs per cubic yard and get the full microbial charge, good mixing and distribution on dormant microbes and nutrients all at a lower cost than alternative microbial amendments and organic additives.

We buy it in these 1 ton bulk bags and use a tractor mounted spreader to apply it to the compost before disking it in for blending.

We hope you find our plants survive better and establish quicker in your garden. The microbes in our soil will prevent root rot disease long after you plant and you are enjoying the Florida-friendly flowers they produce in your garden. Remember to never exceed the label rate when using synthetic fertilizers or you will kill the microbes and increase the plants susceptibility to disease. If you want to read how this product works and why it would be good for everything you grow (including your lawn) and the Florida environment you can read this summary – To Improve Your Soil, Think Organic!

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Milkweed, Scarlet - Asclepias curassavica is a Caribbean and tropical native that is widely found in Florida. The flowers are attractive to all butterflies and the Monarch and Queen larvae depend on the leaves of these plants to feed their voracious appetites. We often deliver them to your Home Depot with live eggs or small monarch caterpillars as we do not spray milkweed with harmful chemicals that would kill them. These are available nearly year round especially in central and south Florida stores. Milkweed will grow in sandy soils and will reseed readily in your garden.

Optimal Light:
Sun
Mature Height:
3ft-4ft

Light Range:
Full/Part Sun
Mature Spread:
1ft-2ft

Soil Moisture:
Well-drained to Wet
Soil Texture:
Any

Wildlife:

Salt Tolerance:
Low

Florida Native:
No
Florida Region:
N,C,S

Drought Tolerance:
Medium
Hardiness Zone:
9b-11

Season of Color:
Year-round

Monarch and Queen butterflies feed on the nectar of milkweed flowers. They lay their eggs on these milkweeds and as the larvae eat the leaves they acquire the plants toxins which in turn makes them distasteful to predator birds.

Milkweed Aphids exist on every continent and there are Lady Bug predators everywhere there are aphids. If you just wait a few days the Lady Bugs will show up and clean up the aphids. If you must spray them use nothing harsher than soapy water to wash them off.

In a story from Cornell University scientists explain how plants control the food chain through evolutionary changes.

In this image from the Cornell article we see a predatory ladybug feeds upon a milkweed aphid (Aphis nerii)

A hard spray from the hose can be used to knock aphids of the stems of plants. You can also gently smash their very soft bodies between your fingers as you slide them along the stems.

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I have just returned from 9 days in New York and have some interesting garden and horticulture facts and photos to share on upcoming posts. The Seeley Conference was our primary destination and the title this year was “Floriculture’s Environmental Footprint: an inconvenient truth or consumer opportunity” Among the speakers were many of the brightest people associated with agriculture as well as non industry experts that shared enlightening facts about environmental policy, economics and marketing.  I was honored to present with three other growers on how we each are “Operationalizing Sustainability” as a topic. Included in my presentation were facts on how we save water, pumping cost and fertilizer by using drip irrigation and capillary mats for irrigation. We reduce the amount of peat moss by using compost that incorporates local yard and tree waste compost in our potting soil. We use friendly soil bacteria instead of chemicals for root disease control. Our primary cold protection is with the use of frost cloth like you can also use at home instead of using warm ground water as a source of heat. I also focused on how we recycle all of our components. If you would like details about our procedures and processes please leave a comment below or on our Facebook page. Below are images from my presentation.

Some of the many Florida Friendly Perennials we grow.

Check out our Floridafriendlyplants.com for the complete list and database.

Annuals add lots of color to Florida landscapes.

Drip irrigation saves 10 cents per pot in terms of fertilizer saving and reduced pumping costs. That’s a lot of dimes. 6-8 ounces of water is applied as needed saving 95% of the water lost in overhead systems much of which is lost to evaporation.

Zone management and spot fertilization save even more money and water and allow for precise applications. Often we inject garlic oil extract to make our plants distasteful to certain insects.

Frost cloth is used for freeze protection down to 20F instead of using ground water for heat.

Expert growers are masters of Integrated Pest Management systems (IPM) making for safe plants and a safe working environment by using the lowest toxicity products available.

A custom software program makes all the systems flow and reduces waste and effort.

Grower Live is available as a subscription service for other growers seeking web based solutions.

Efficient monorails and carts take the place of 50 tractors and 200 tracking trailers. Monorails don’t add as much to the carbon footprint and are safe to use resulting in very few accidents like those associated with motorized equipment.

Efficient use of delivery equipment and matching orders to the rate of sale reduces the fuel, miles and carbon use.

Scan a QR coded calling card with your smart phone the next time you visit the garden center.

It will direct you to our informative website. Floridafriendlyplants.com

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We are big users of composted municipal tree waste and yard waste compost.

We blend in TurfPro with humates and 14 active bacteria that protect the roots from disease and help keep the soil moist and active.

The final product is a affordable organic soil mix that holds these good microbes all the way to your garden for added success. More on this in our F.A.Q. page.

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The wetter than normal spring has given us a better than normal show this year. Earlier we had a beautiful roadside display of Blue eyed Grass. The ditches are now full of many other showy plants like Tickseeds and Black Eyed Susans.

Florida Hikes will give you information on where you can go to see so many different habitats and their wildflowers. You are sure to see Florida’s Gopher Tortise on these hikes.

Don’t forget to look up for wildflowers too. Our native oncidiums are in full bloom right now.

Enjoy this video from The Florida Wildflower Foundation.

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