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A Gift That Keeps on Bloomin'
Several plants traditionally given as Christmas gifts can be maintained long after the holiday season ends as potted plants or even planted in your landscape. Amaryllis will flourish and spread in semi-shady areas of your yard. Just cut back the flower head after it blooms and plant it with the top of the bulb above the soil. It likes dry feet, so don't put it where standing water gathers. The huge, showy blooms of amaryllis will delight you every spring, and small bulbs that grow off the main plant can be separated and planted elsewhere or given to a friend. Learn more... Christmas cactus make great indoor or porch plants, but they can be grown in the ground if protected from freezes and excess water. In pots, keep them in bright, indirect light and let them dry out between watering. To encourage Yuletide blooming, keep the plants in darkness at nighttime from October through December. Learn more...
Paperwhites (Narcissus) are among the easiest bulbs for beginning gardeners to grow indoors. Buy a kit ready to go, or buy bulks and plant them in marble chips or peat and perlite. Give them lots of lights and keep them moist and they'll produce those lovely clusters of white flowers in 4-8 weeks. After they've faded, plant them outdoors in a sunny, well-drained location for blooms you can enjoy for many years. Learn more...
Poinsettias are perhaps the most familiar and popular Christmas plants of all! The traditional red color from Mexico has now been joined by pink and cream varieties. In pots, protect from freezes and let them dry out between watering. Plant in your yard in bright areas with well-drained soil and prune monthly to keep them from getting leggy. Stop pruning in September and allow flower bracts to form. Red varieties transplant best to landscapes. Learn more...
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Florida also has native wild poinsettia (see Plant Profiles elsewhere in this newsletter). It has the advantage of growing nearly year-round where winters stay mild. |
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Need some expert advice on Gardening Like A Floridian?
Check out the Garden Coaches, Landscape Designers, Lawn Care Companies and Nurseries that support our mission to protect the waterways that make living in Florida fun by clicking here
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Classes and workshops offer free or low-cost instruction on how to save time and money by practicing Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles. Check out your county extension service to get started or to learn advanced skills.
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Flaming Finley by Cari Majors and
Lola by Terry Klaaren
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Flamingos Continue to Draw Admirers on Regional Tour
Our fabulous flock of painted flamingos continues to tour the region in support of our "Be Floridian" campaign to promote low-maintenance landscapes that need less fertilizer and water.
The plastic pink yard flamingo is the mascot of Be Floridian. The traveling exhibit features 25 flamingos reimagined in fun and fanciful ways by artists from New Port Richey to Avon Park. The flock is at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center for December. Be Floridian t-shirts and posters will be for sale in the gift shop so you can help us spread our "Less Lawn, More Flamingos" message.
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Pish Posh Peacomingo by Veronica Perkins and Environmental Pirate Booty by Samantha Churchill
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Here is the flock's 2015 exhibit schedule:
January:
New Tampa Regional Library
February:
Carrollwood Cultural Center
March:
Manatee Performing Arts Center
April:
Museum of Science and Industry
May:
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
June-August:
Tampa Bay History Center
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"Less Lawn, More Fun" t-shirts available for purchase ONLY at some exhibit venues, including the
Dunedin Fine Art Center after mid-December
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Recipe for Relaxing
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 A classic champagne cocktail perfect for the holidays, Poinsettia Punch is a festive orange-and-cranberry-flavored, rose-tinted punch. Use floating frozen orange slices and cranberries to keep the punch nicely chilled. This punch is not served with ice, so make sure all the ingredients and the punch bowl are well chilled. If you have an extra bowl that's larger than your punch bowl, fill it with ice and nestle the punch bowl inside to keep it cold. Poinsettia Punch
8 orange slices, from about 2 oranges, for garnish 2/3 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, for garnish 3 cups chilled cranberry juice 3/4 cup chilled Cointreau 2 (750-milliliter) bottles chilled brut sparkling wine or champagne Place the orange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet or dish and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Place the fresh cranberries in a single layer on another baking sheet or dish and freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, place the punch bowl in refrigerator or freezer to chill. When ready to serve, place the cranberry juice and Cointreau in the punch bowl and stir to combine. Add the sparkling wine or champagne. Float the frozen orange slices and cranberries in the punch and serve immediately. Makes 12 servings. Recipe and photo from chow.com
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Winter Warriors:
Cold-Hardy Plants Help Your Landscape
Beat The Freeze
Many of us think of Florida as a lush tropical paradise, and we landscape our yards accordingly -- only to watch our
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Does this look familiar?
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beloved babies turn brown and crunchy, or
resort to dashing around in the dark covering our cold-sensitive palms, anthuriums, and crotons with blankets when the Big Chill arrives.
In reality, only far southern Florida and the Keys are considered tropical climates. In Central Florida, where we garden, frosts and freezes are not uncommon. Creating a landscape that thrives in all four seasons is an important element of the most important gardening principle of all -- planting the right plant in the right place.
The first step to creating a year-round landscape is to know your "plant hardiness zone" -- which plants are most likely to thrive where you live. The zones, created and updated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, key on average low winter temperatures because cold tolerance, more than heat tolerance, determines whether a plant will survive in an area.
West Central Florida, from Pasco County to Sarasota County, generally lies within Zones 9 and 10. Labels on plants sold in nurseries and garden centers should list their hardiness zone. Doing your own research on cold-hardy plants where you live is also a great idea.
Here are a few of our favorite "Winter Warriors" for Tampa Bay area gardeners:
- Hollies American holly, East Palatka holly, Yaupon holly, Dahoon holly. Hollies come in many varieties for many types of landscapes, are tough and adaptable, and produce beautiful red berries in winter for birds (and birdwatchers) to enjoy. They are the perfect small tree for small yards and all seasons. Bonus: Most are Florida natives!
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Coontie Another native, coontie is an ancient member of the cycad family that once sustained the First Floridians through a flour made from its roots. Coonties are slow-growing but long-lived and extremely drought-tolerant shrubs that scoff at cold weather. They tolerate sun, shade and all types of soil.
- Jasmine Minima (Asiatic jasmine) The perfect choice for those who want to replace a section of your turf grass with an easy-care groundcover. Jasmine minima is an evergreen, low-growing plant that will eventually form a dense, weed-resistant mat that can be weed-whacked to keep tidy -- or not. New plants should be packed close together and mulched well to reduce weed growth while establishing.
- Holly Fern An import from Japan, the holly fern sports glossy, deep green fronds and can tolerate more sun than many ferns -- though it is happiest in part to full shade. Can be grown in mass for a lovely, lush look.
- Cold-hardy palms Satisfy your passion for that tropical look while being perfectly practical. The native Needle Palm and Cabbage Palm (our state tree!) are winter stalwarts, as are the Lady Palm, Pindo Palm, and most of the Fan Palms. If you have space, consider the show-stopping Bismarck Palm (below) with its dramatic silver green fronds.
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 | | Be Floridian: More Time For Fun |
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Check out this short video message from our Sarasota flock, now airing in
the lobbies of the Hollywood 20 and Sarasota 12 movie theaters in Sarasota
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Our Flat Felix Contest Winners
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Congratulations to Be Floridian fans Brenda Reamy and Debbie Shores, winners of our Flat Felix photo contest. They each won a beautiful artist-painted plastic yard flamingo to add to their lovely Florida gardens.
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Brenda Reamy's Flat Felix contest entry
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Participants were challenged to print, cut out and photograph a likeness of Felix, our flamingo mascot, in a scene that represented "Less Yard Work, More Fun" -- in keeping with our Be Floridian mission.
Brenda, a Sarasota resident, placed our Flat Felix cutout by a beautiful backyard pond she created in memory of her father. Her prize flamingo was painted by artist Anita Long of Temple Terrace.
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Brenda won "Blueberry Sprinkles" painted by artist Anita Long
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Largo resident Debbie Shores placed Flat Felix in her colorful, Florida-friendly front yard. Her yard flamingo prize was painted by fellow resident Elaine Richard.
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Debbie Shores placed Felix in her lush Florida-friendly yard
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Debbie won "Flori" painted by
artist Elaine Richard
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Plants for True Floridians
Florida NativeWild Poinsettia (Painted Leaf)Poinsettia cyathophora  Florida's native poinsettia grows freely all year in a variety of soils. Reaching 2 to 3 feet high, this poinsettia is easy to recognize with its dark green pointy leaves topped by bright red leaves. Colorful yellow bracts surround the plant head. Wild poinsettia can take direct sun and thrives in dry conditions. It spreads easily making it a good filler plant, and its tiny flowers provide nectar for butterflies such as the white peacock.
Florida-Friendly Non-Native
Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus x species, such as Hibiscus 'Lady Baltimore'
If you feel you have a black thumb, try growing a hardy  hibiscus. These beautiful easy-to-grow shrubs come in many varieties and colors and are hybridized to withstand a range of temperatures and neglect. The big, delicate blooms range from the basic white, pink and red, to bi-colored, hot pink, raspberry, rose, and plum. They are happy in direct sun with moderate watering and pruning to encourage blooms. Plant these along a fence or house border for year-round color, or in large containers. Watch out, as they can grow up to 10 feet!
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The Be Floridian flamingo and the Poop Fairy teamed up at Sarasota County's recent display at the Charlotte Harbor Nature Fest to remind people to "skip the fertilizer" and "scoop the poop"
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What's Be Floridian?
Be Floridian is an educational campaign sponsored by the Tampa Bay Estuary Program. Our partners include Manatee, Pinellas, and Sarasota counties; the cities of Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa; and a variety of landscape designers, gardening coaches, fertilizer companies and lawn care specialists. We are calling on all Southwest Floridians to help protect what makes Florida so fun -- our bays, lakes, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico -- by skipping the fertilizer in the summer to prevent water pollution and creating landscapes that flourish in harmony with Florida's quirky climate.
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