What about Ferns?

I think Ferns are just beautiful. When i was in college in New Hampshire taking Botany classes, we would frequently go on field trips out into the forest to look, identify and collect plants. Ferns were very prevalent in the areas around my school and I always thought they were just stunning. I used to take a frond and press it in my plant press and make framed pictures for my family for Christmas. 

Ferns are actually different from the trees and shrubs you see around you. They developed earlier on the evolutionary track. They are similar to trees and shrubs in that they transplant fluids and nutrients internally and they have true roots, leaves and stems. However, unlike most plants they do not produce flowers and seeds. Have you ever seen a blooming fern? No, they reproduce by spores which can be seen on the undersides of the leaves.

Most ferns enjoy a shady spot in the yard and do not like to have direct sun. Some spread and some stay put. It is important that you know the growing characteristics of the fern you are choosing before you plant.  I want to give you a few of my favorite ferns. The first on my list would be Foxtail Fern, but alas, it is not a true fern, it is a member of the Lily family.

Wort Fern

Wart fern (Microsorum scolopendrium) - This is a lovely low growing fern that makes a beautiful ground cover. It has very compact growth unlike most sprawling ferns reaching only 2 feet tall by 1.5 feet wide. It prefers dense, medium or light shade but will also tolerate more sun that most ferns however, the color will bleach out in too much sun).

Macho Fern

Macho fern (Nephrolepis biserrata)- This is an absolutely gorgeous fern! What I like the most about it is the dark green lush foliage. Beware though, this fern needs some space and it will spread. It will grow to 3’ tall and 4’ wide. If you have a large area to naturalize, this is a great option. Another bonus is that it is a native plant. 

Fishtail Fern

Fishtail Fern (Nephrolepsis byserrata ‘Furans’) - This fern gets its name because the ends of the leaves or fronds look like little fish tails. This is a very graceful, slower growing fern that reaches 2-3 feet tall and wide. It does spread but it is much easier to control and does not get as big as the Macho Fern. 

Autumn Fern

Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)- This is a fern that I have used in Massachusetts all the way down to Clearwater, Florida. I love it because it stays compact and the new growth has a bronze color. It will grow to 1-2 feet tall and wide. 

Australian Tree Fern

Australian Tree Fern (Cyathea cooperi)- This is a very unique tree for a shady location. This was the first plant that I bought when moving to Florida. I planted it in a pot on my deck and it got a little too much sun and not enough water and ended up a casualty. These plants need a lot of water so I would not classify them as low-maintenance plants.  But in the right location, under trees and in enriched soil with daily watering or rain, they are magnificent. They can get up to 15 feet in height and width. The fiddleheads that push up to form the new fronds are just so interesting looking.

If you have a shady spot in your yard, try planting some ferns. There are lots of varieties and in general they are low maintenance and will greatly enhance your garden.

High Maintenance or Low Maintenance

There is much discussion about whether a plant is high maintenance or low maintenance. Most people who talk about maintenance have done very little plant maintenance. There are so many things to consider when you classify a plant as a high maintenance plant or a low maintenance plant. And here is one HUGE consideration when classifying plants that has to be looked at: if you plant a low maintenance plant in the WRONG location you may have turned it into a high maintenance plant. Wow! That’s confusing, isn’t it! Let me give you an example, Dwarf Firebush, Hamelin patens ‘Compacta’ is a low maintenance plant. Once established it does not need a lot of water, will take sun, if given a 4’x4’ space, it does not need much if any pruning and it will tolerate the native soils. If you place this plant in a 2’ square bed, plant in the shade and give it lots of water, all of a sudden you have a high maintenance plant. It will require pruning every month and will start to look leggy because it doesn’t get enough sun. Suddenly you HATE this plant and tell everyone it is hard to maintain. Do you see what I mean?

The first thing to remember when choosing a plant, if you wish it to be low-maintenance is to plant it in the right spot (sun or shade) and give it enough room to grow to it’s mature size. If everyone JUST did that, people would have much more success in their garden.

Now what are the characteristics of a plant that make it high or low maintenance? Let’s list them out.

1. Does it need a lot of water? This time of year it is not a problem, but in the winter, when we have watering restrictions, you will want plants that can endure the droughts with 2x a week irrigation.

2. Does it need to be pruned a great deal? For example, who does not love a Bougainvillea, but if you let them go for 3-4 months without pruning, you have a big and thorny project ahead of you.

3. Is your tree or shrub self-cleaning? What does this mean? Self-cleaning means that the plant drops its flowers after they go by and new flowers emerge to take their place. You see that beautiful picture of the Bird of Paradise? When the flowers go by, they turn brown and stay on the plant making it look messy unless you cut them back.

4. Is the plant susceptible to disease or insects and require regular spraying? I personally won’t plant a plant that I need to regularly spray. It makes me think that my environment is just not correct for this plant and I can’t be bothered. Take roses for example. Roses hate humidity and get black spot and powdery mildew when they get too much moisture on their leaves or have too much humidity. Hello, we live in Florida!!!! I have seen very few nice looking roses except for possibly in the Spring when they first emerge. To get them to look nice you need to spray for diseases. Another plant is the Sago Palm which is a gorgeous cycad. However they get scale and mealybug and need to be sprayed weekly!!!! Who wants to spray weekly???

5. Is the plant likely to be damaged with a frost? For all of you that love your Tropicals, most of them will not withstand temperatures below 32 degrees. So it necessary to cover these plants with some sort of fabric when we get cooler temperatures.

6. Does the plant need special soil? Some plants require special soil with more organic matter like Camellias or they require special fertilizers.

7. Does your plant spread uncontrollably or is it invasive? Yikes! That is a great way to have lots of maintenance.

So you can see, there are lots of things to consider when choosing plants that are low maintenance. My rule is that shrubs and trees should only have to be pruned and fertilized three times a year- early October, end of February and end of May. They should not require spraying and should not have to have extra irrigation. They should not be invasive and they should fit into the space you give them.

Next time you choose a plant, go over this list and ensure you are not buying yourself a problem.

Protect Your Plants from Cold Weather

What plants need to be protected in the cold weather? If you are located in  Pinellas County you are probably in Zone 10a. What does that mean? It means that the average minimum temperature is 30-35 degrees.  The winter of 2017 had record breaking cold temperatures and in some areas going down to 25 degrees. With this cold brought about a great deal of damage to tropical plants which make up a large portion of the local landscape. 

So which plants do you need to protect and how can you protect them??

First off, you need to know your property. If you are near the salt water, you will probably not get a frost. The water keeps the air warmer. However, if there is wind, which is also common on the water, the wind chill makes the temperature lower and you can get burn on the leaves. Plants that are in sheltered areas suffer less cold damage that plants out in the open.

Areas close to buildings are warmer than more open areas especially on the south side of the building.

Also if your property is in a lower elevation, you are more likely to get a frost. If you are up on a hill, you are less likely to frost.

How to protect your plants.

First off- if it starts feeling cold- watch the weather. Usually frosts are predicted and are not surprises. 

Containers or portable plants- if you can, bring any tender or tropical plants inside. I will give you a list at the end.

For larger landscape plants the solution is to mulch around the roots if you haven’t already done so, water thoroughly and cover with old blankets, sheets or commercial frost cover. Make sure the fabric drapes over the plants and hits the ground. The idea is to trap the heat from the ground.

If you live in Pinellas County and your temperature is expected to go below 35 degrees protect these plants:

Tropicals:

Shrubs:

Copperleaf
Ixora 
Jatropha
Crotons
Allamanda
Snowbush
Cocoplum
Buttonwood
Ti Plant
Firebush
Variegated Schefflera
Hibiscus
Ginger

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Variegated Ginger

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Jatropha

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Bromeliads

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Ixora

Ground Covers

Crown of Thorns
Blue Daze
Bromeliads

Annuals

Geraniums
Sunpatiens
Begonias
Petunias
Marigold

One thing to keep in mind is that if you don’t protect these plants, many of them will die back to the ground but will recover and grow back from the base. Last year, with the record breaking cold days we had, many of the tropicals looked dead but down at the base of the plant was still life. Unfortunately, your plants look bare until the beginning of the summer. 

The moral of the story: watch the weather when it gets cold, bring in sensitive plants if possible and cover others. Don’t wait until the temperature has already dropped to cover the plants, do it earlier in the day so you collect the heat in the soil. Protect your plants, they are counting on you!!  

What to Plant in a Shady Area

Often times when I visit people’s homes, they don’t really know how much sun or shade their yard gets. This is vital information to have for this reason: all plants are not created equal! Some plants love the sun and others prefer partial shade or even full shade. Planting a sun-loving plant in shade will produce stretched out growth with few flowers. Planting a shade-loving plant in the sun will produce burned leaves. Therefore if you are going to have plants added to your home or if you are going to DIY, you need to observe where the sun shines during the day. 

My suggestion is to make a sketch of your yard and watch the sun as it moves during the day. Check it at 9:00AM, 12:00 PM, 3:00PM and 5:00PM. Mark whether sun is shining in the areas around your house at those times. According to the South Florida Plant Guide, Full Sun would be 8 hours of direct sun, Part Sun would be 4 hours of direct sun either morning or afternoon and Full Shade would be no direct sunlight but has bright indirect light. For complete information on this, check out https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/plant-light-requirements.html

Since sun loving plants are much more common and well-known, I would like to go over some plant options for part shade or shady gardens. I just completed a landscape project and the entire front yard was in the shade of an Oak tree. This was a challenge. I wanted to have different textures and foliage colors and flowers???? So here are a few of the plants I used which were interesting.

Alpinia zerumbet ‘Variegata’ or Variegated Ginger is a spectacular plant with beautiful yellow and green foliage. It will reach 4-7’ tall and 5’ wide so give it some room. It likes partial shade.

Camellia sasanqua ‘Yuletide’- Red Camellia is a winter blooming variety. It likes partial sun and acidic soil. The flower is red with a yellow center. It can reach 6-10’ tall depending on pruning.

Cordyline ‘Red Sister’ or Ti Plant are quite common in Florida and often planted in areas where they do not thrive. They prefer medium shade but will grow in more sun. They do best when planted in tight groups. The foliage is a wonderful addition to the landscape.

Schefflera arboricole ’Trinette’ or Variegated Arboricola is also a common plant in Florida and will grow in full sun to full shade!! It is a compact grower and can be kept 2’ tall but over time could reach 8’ without any pruning. The variegated yellow and green foliage really pops in a shady garden.

Dianella ensifolia or Flax lily is a very attractive grass-like plant with green leaves and white stripes. It prefers full to part shade and will grow to 2.5’ tall and wide.

Zamia pumila or Coontie is a slow-growing evergreen with beautiful shiny foliage. It will grow to 2-4’ and prefers partial shade. It is a nice contrast to other variegated plants.

Neomarica or Walking Iris- This plant is very versatile growing in both dense shade or partial shade. It will bloom off and on all year. It will grow 2’ tall and wide and has a variety of bloom colors-yellow, blue or lavender and white.

Check out these plants when you are at a local nursery and use them in your shady garden.

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!