what to do in your Florida garden: July 2021

Weeds thrive this time of year. Weeding more often sure beats the monster job you’ll have if you ignore weeds altogether. 

It’s much easier to pull weeds when the ground is moist—so early evening, after the daily showers, is a great time to get out and weed a bed.

PLEASE NOTE!! No fertilizing in the summertime!! The runoff does significant damage to the fragile lagoon.

Fungus can become a problem during the rainy season. 

Be sure to shut off your irrigation system and let Mother Nature take over. If you begin to see brown spots in your lawn and landscape, we can let you know which fungicide will work best for you. 

Neem Oil, an organic insect control, helps with some fungal diseases. It is especially effective on plumeria and fig trees.

Spruce up your front yard and pool area with container gardens. 

Container plants are easy to maintain and provide an instant splash of color and excitement.

Maintain your citrus and fruit trees

Remove any suckers that have grown below the graft of your trees. These take energy from the tree and don’t produce desirable fruit.

Sooty mold may become a problem on your citrus, gardenias, and ixoras. This is an indication that there are insects present (most likely aphids, mealy bugs, or mites). 

The best control is a horticultural oil spray such as All Season Spray Oil, the organic insect control Neem Oil, or insecticidal soap. If you see ladybugs in your yard you’ve got the best insect control possible—they’ll take care of most of your populations of aphids, mites, and mealy bugs.

Avocadoes and mangoes ripen to taste after they are picked. Watch your fruit and pick when they reach a good size but are still hard; they will soften and come to taste indoors.

Keep an eye on your Tropical Milkweed

We no longer carry tropical Milkweed. If you have any tropical milkweed in your landscape, keep an eye on the flowers. Once they are done blooming, they will turn into seed pods. Make sure you remove these pods before the invasive seeds are released and reproduce.

Native Milkweed is in full bloom, and we have a large selection to choose from!

Flowers to plant now include: 

coleus, begonias, purslane, vinca, pentas, lantana, blue wonder, bulbine, torenia, cuphea, salvia, gaillardia, caladiums, and New Guinea impatiens.

Vegetable and herbs to plant now include: 

basil, black-eyed peas, cherry tomatoes, chives, dill, eggplant, malabar spinach, mint, okra, oregano, peppers, rosemary, and thyme.

July spotlight

Consider planting a terrarium or a fairy garden for a fun indoor gardening project and to add a “living art piece” in your home