Monthly Archives: October 2013

Fall Yard Chores for Your Tampa Landscape

johnspalms@verizon.net • October 21, 2013

With our recent slightly cooler mornings, it can only mean one thing: summer is drawing to an end. And, with this year's heavy rains, our summer garden chores seemed to be so far from ever ending! But, alas, they are, and it is with a wistful heart that I write today of the fall yard chores for your Tampa landscape. Over the next few weeks, there are some end-of-growing season chores to do, to get your landscape ready for the winter. Use this easy check list to see if you are done with your fall yard chores, or if you still have a few things left to do:

Fertilize plants and grass for the last time this year
Scout for scale insects on plants, and treat (you may need to do a follow up treatment in 10 days)
Scout for grub evidence in sod, and treat (look for areas that are thinned out or go into drought state easily)
Treat for weeds in your sod when temperatures fall below 85 degrees
Test sprinkler system, make adjustments and repairs. Be prepared to reduce the amount of irrigation to be applied as temperatures drop
Add new sod or plugs to bare patches of St. Augustine, or top-seed with Rye Grass in Bahia
Replace summer annuals with winter annuals like Petunia or Pansy when temperatures are below 85 degrees
Install cold hardy plants in your landscape
Pull weeds in beds and spray weed control, if needed
Add fresh mulch to barren beds to help keep down weeds, retain moisture to the roots of plants, and protect cold sensitive plants at their root zone
Plant winter herbs and vegetables
Do a final trim or cut back of landscape plants
Trim palms, hardwood trees, and Crape Myrtles

I like to have all of these fall yard chores for Tampa landscapes finished by mid-November, with Thanksgiving weekend being the last marker date. With that, you can rest easy, as your beds have their final going through, all plants and grass have fertilizer, insect control, and mulch. the plants and trees are trimmed, and you can rest easy, to focus on family, holidays, and football!!!

Remember, as always, we will be happy to help you out with any of these chores, with either free advice and know-how, or free estimates to do the work.

Bromeliad Plants for the Landscape

johnspalms@verizon.net • October 6, 2013

Bromeliad plants for the landscape? Of course! While most people might be familiar with Bromeliad plants for indoors, they can be a wonderful addition to your outdoor landscape, too.

Bromeliads are a a diverse group of plants that are generally native to the Tropical Americas, and have over 3000 species in 55 genera. The category that we are going to explore today is the terrestrial group of Bromeliads that grow in soil, and interestingly enough, includes the Pineapple! And, more particularly, the Blushing Bromeliads, which have a stunning array of colors and leaf designs that range from deep burgundys, lime greens, cherry reds, tangerines, stripes, spots........the choices are endless.

While most Bromeliad plants for the landscape prefer shade or part sun, there are many varieties that will thrive in full sun conditions, with varietal names such as Martin, Erika, Aztec, and Gespacho to list just a few. As well, to emphasize the variety of options available with this versatile landscape plant, you can choose from Bromeliads that grow to 4' (Blanchetiana) to those that grow as small as 4" (Fireball), and anywhere in between.

With so many varieties of Bromeliad plants for the landscape to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to begin, and it can be daunting to select which Bromeliads to use, as you can fall in love with all of them! I start with the site selection, and determine the sunlight conditions. If the area is dark and shaded in the background, I begin with a larger growing light colored leaf variety, with either lime greens or white stripes, as they will stand out in the shade. In the foreground, I will use deeper colored varieties, that grow smaller, as they will stand out against the background Bromeliads. If there is more sunlight towards the front of the bed, I will select a sun-loving variety such as Fireball or Compacta.

Bromeliad plants are very low maintenance, as well as forgiving of mistakes. With that in mind, the most important thing about using Bromeliad plants in your landscape is to select plants that you will be happy with, experiment with them, and have fun! You will be instantly rewarded for your efforts, with years and years of fascinating enjoyment of these amazing plants.