A WORD OR TWO ABOUT GARDENING

Your M iam i-Dade Landscape can be a Great Source of Holiday Color

How is this for an idea? A colorful yard for the holiday season, but w ithout a trip to the m ini-w arehouse to lug out all those decorations or the need to string up m iles of lights. Instead you leave everything in place because that is w here it stays year round. M oreover you don’t need to set a tim er and use enough pow er to light up a cruise ship; these decorations have a build in tim er and turn on of their ow n accord, pow ered by the sun. Since this is a gardening colum n it w ill com e as no surprise that I refer of course to all the superb that can color our local landscaping at this tim e of year. Som e local residents already rely on the m any bedding plants that becom e available in the fall at local garden centers. In this article the focus is on landscape item s that w ill last for m ore than one season. Last year at this tim e I discussed three holiday favorites, poinsettias, am aryllis and Christm as cactus. W idely used as decorative indoor plants, the first tw o item s can also rem ain year round in the landscape, though am aryllis w ill bloom in late spring rather than late fall/w inter. There are m any other plants how ever that can provide color in M iam i-Dade landscapes from late fall into the New Year. There are those that bloom on and off year round, favorites such as blue plum bago, chenille , hibiscus, ixora and peregrina, just to m ention a few . W hile not necessarily at their show iest at this tim e of year they can be relied on to contribute som e garden color. One fam iliar year round bloom er is often at its best as any local rose enthusiast w ill attest. Unlike gardeners further north there is no need to severely cut back roses as w inter approaches. I recall rose bushes, buried under fallen trees after hurricane Andrew , that w ere ablaze w ith bloom s by Christm as to brighten up an otherw ise rather bleak landscape. The sam e w as true last year after hurricane W ilm a; large heirloom roses that had been totally denuded of foliage w ere full of flow ers a w eek after Thanksgiving. The earliest cold w ave (night tim e tem peratures below 40ºF) usually arrives after Thanksgiving, as early as m id Decem ber. M usseandas and allam andas w ill flow er year round given a w arm m oist clim ate but in M iam i-Dade they usually have ceased flow ering by Christm as. M usseandas, especially the ‘Dona Aurorae’ hybrids invariable loose m ost of their bloom s and som e leaves w ith the first significant cold front. At Thanksgiving there m ay still be som e of the large pink flow ers left on floss silk trees (chorisia, Ceiba speciosa), m ore especially the less com m on w hite flow ering Ceiba insignis. Chorisias flow er at an early age and are becom ing increasingly popular - local flow ering tree nurseries are now grow ing som e exciting new cultivars. Tw o other outstanding flow ering trees that bloom during fall are Colville’s glory (Colvillea racem osa) and a late flow ering pink cassia, Cassia roxburghii (red cassia). Colville’s glory has been described as a late season royal poinciana, w ith feathery foliage and a sim ilar profile, though m ore upright and less spreading. Usually sparsely branched, sm ooth dow ny buds in pendent cone shaped racem es open in Novem ber to reveal vivid orange to scarlet flow ers. The red cassia has a striking appearance w ith sheets of foliage cascading alm ost to the ground. Late sum m er into fall intense rosy colored flow er appear in axillary racem es, contrasting w ell w ith the deep green pinnate leaves and lasting w ell into fall. M ore fam iliar, the Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia x blakeana) is recom m ended for both its extrem ely show y flow ers (produced from fall into w inter) and the fact that it is sterile (no seedling volunteers as w ith other orchid trees). How ever like other orchid trees it is w eak w ooded necessitating careful pruning. An even m ore striking tree that is often in bloom over Christm as, though flow ering is variable, is the show iest of the pink tabebuias, the pink trum pet tree (Tabebuia im petiginosa). Flow ering w hen the tree is bare the rich purplish pink flow ers are far m ore stunning than the com m on pink tabebuia T. heterophylla, the bloom s of w hich are often sparse and pallid by com parison. If you w ould like som e yellow flow ering trees/ to brighten up the landscape then Caesalpinia vesicaria is a sm all, tough, flowering tree that could be used m ore, flow ering late fall into w inter. The chestnut-leaved yellow elder (Tecom a castanifolia) flow ers sporadically fall into early spring w ith a profusion of bright golden yellow trum pet-shaped flow ers. This is less w eedy as w ell as m ore upright than the m ore fam iliar yellow elder (T. stans) and can be grow n as a sm all tree (to 20’). The focus of this colum n is on landscape plants that flow er late fall into w inter, and in som e instances the com m on or cultivar nam e can be a clue as to w hen flow ering occurs. Euphorbia leucocephala is for m ost of the year a rather ordinary 8-10’ shrub. How ever from early Novem ber through Decem ber into the New Year it is clear w hy it is com m only know n as pascuita or little Christm as flow er. Like the poinsettia, to w hich it is related, ornam ental appeal resides not in the true flow ers, but the associated cyathophylls (bracts). These transform the shrub into a large airy w hite cloud w ith the flow ers providing a delicate sw eet fragrance. Once the show is over cut back heavily, then prune lightly as required up until late August. Pruning after this can reduce flow ering since like the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrim a), pascuita is a short day plant (see below ), differentiation of flow er bud prim ordia occurring as days shorten. Flow ering of pascuita is also im proved if it is situated aw ay from street lights (cf. poinsettia). Otherw ise all that is required is a site in full sun w ith free draining soil. It can be m isleading placing too m uch significance in a plant’s com m on nam e. M etrosideros excelsa, ablaze w ith brilliant red flow ers during the sum m er, is know n com m only as the New Zealand Christm as tree. Dow n under of course, Christm as occurs during sum m er. In California, w here it is used as a coastal flow ering tree, M . excelsa bloom s spring into sum m er. W hile in M iam i-Dade w e can enjoy “real” roses during the holiday season, those of you from cooler clim es m ay w ell be acquainted w ith the often tardy Christm as rose (Helleborus niger – it’s not a rose but in the buttercup fam ily). W e cannot grow hellebores in south Florida, but w e can grow an altogether different “Christm as rose”, a flow ering tree from Africa that is m ore com m only know n as tropical snow ball (Dom beya wallichi). Dom beyas grow as large shrubs in M iam i-Dade and flow er from late fall through w inter. Individual flow ers range from w hite to cream through various shades of pink to red and are arranged in dense um bellate cym es – each resem bles a hydrangea looking nothing like rose blossom s. Rather than D. wallichi, w here the flow ers tend to be obscured by the large coarse leaves choose D. burgessiae. The inflorescence can vary both in shape and color (w hite to pink) - the cultivar ‘Sem inole’ is especially attractive w ith deep pink flow ers, and is available in som e local nurseries. Situate in full sun, w ater once soil starts to dry out, apply a com plete slow release fertilizer in early spring and late sum m er, and deadhead to extend flow ering. If the yellow flow ering trees listed above aren’t enough, Christm as bush and Christm as candles are com m on nam es for tw o sennas flow ering during the holiday season, Senna bicaspularis and S. alata respectively. Other sennas flow er at this tim e of year including the popular glaucous cassia (S. surattensis) and desert senna, S. polyphylla as w ell as the native Baham a cassia (S. m exicana var. chapm anii), the latter tw o both drought tolerant low m aintenance shrubs. Tw o other native plants w ith seasonal interest are Christm as berry (Lycium carolinianum ) and the Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine). The form er is a m edium -size, open, spreading shrub (to 6’) in the potato fam ily () w ith sm all succulent leaves and attractive pale blue to lavender flow ers. Flow ering is m ost pronounced late sum m er into fall, follow ed in w inter by cheery bright red berries, the shrubs principal ornam ental feature. Christm as berry is especially suited for ocean front properties, just be careful of the spines (the shrubs other com m on nam e is Carolina desert thorn). W hile w e cannot grow the com m on holly (Ilex aquifolium ) seen on greeting cards, Dahoon holly can at least provide us w ith berries, if not the spiny m argined leaves. It grow s as a large shrub or tree and is best suited to enriched, m oist som ew hat acid soils, surviving on local lim estone if irrigated during periods of hot dry w eather. Berries form during fall but can rem ain on the tree for several m onths. Since dahoon holly is dioecious, berries form only on trees bearing fem ale flow ers. You w ill need to plant a m ale flow ering tree in order to obtain a heavy show of berries. There is one other native (Callicarpa am ericana, beauty berry) that can provide highly decorative berries at least into Thanksgiving - if m igrating birds don’t consum e all of them ! Beautyberry can grow to about 6’ and appreciates m oist enriched soil. It should be severely pruned back in late w inter to encourage new grow th. For a real conversation item for out-of-tow n holiday visitors the bright red bristly fruit of an annatto tree (Bixa orellana) is sure to attract attention. This is a sm all tree (10-12’) w ith clusters of 2” pale pink flowers appearing in the fall. It succeeds best if local lim estone soils are enriched w ith som e organic m atter, and m ulch is used to help retain soil m oisture. In M iam i-Dade controlling pow dery m ildew , particularly from late w inter into early sum m er, can be a problem . The term short day plant w as introduced above: as days becom e shorter during late sum m er genes responsible for differentiation of reproductive tissue (i.e. flowers) are sw itched on. Rather than decreased daylight it is actually increased darkness that is the stim ulus. Am ong trees and shrubs this is a phenom enon restricted to those endem ic to w arm w inter clim ates. Other extrinsic factors can also affect flow ering to varying degrees including soil m oisture (or m ore accurately the plants internal m oisture reserves), nutritional status (i.e., fertilizer use) and w hen last pruned. Tem perature is also im portant - if too low flow er buds can be injured or in som e instances flow ering w ill only occur if tem peratures are sufficiently cool. This is the case w ith the w inter flow ering butterfly bush (Buddlia asiatica) w hich flow ers in central Florida, but not in M iam i-Dade. Sim ilarly Cam elia japonica and Hardenbergia (a blue flow ering Australian vine grow n in southern California) flow er in m id w inter providing overnight tem peratures rem ain below 55ºF. W ith all of the above factors potentially at play it is not possible to pinpoint exactly w hen a given plant w ill flow er. In south Florida bougainvilleas respond as short day plants, w ith flow ering usually com m encing in late fall/early w inter, but they w ill flow er at other tim es of the year if the soil becom es sufficiently dry. W here vegetative grow th is stim ulated through too m uch fertilizer nitrogen, flow er production w ill be suppressed, w hile pruning after early Septem ber can delay or severely reduce flow ering. Assum ing bougainvilleas are grow ing under optim al conditions, i.e. a site w ith perfect drainage that receives full sun, you can help to ensure reliable late fall flow ering by leaving well alone after late sum m er save for attending to any disease/pest problem . Pruning, w hich can be quite severe, should be done in late spring or once flow ering subsides. At this tim e also provide a com plete slow release fertilizer with subsequent applications of trace elem ent nutritional supplem ents as required. An established bougainvillea should never require w atering – rem em ber, dry soils help to prom ote flow ering. Com pared to the trees discussed above there are m any m ore shrubs and herbaceous perennials that flow er late fall to winter. As w ith bougainvillea it is advisable to lim it pruning and fertilizer use after late sum m er. Apart from the decorative berries of the native Christam as berry discussed above, the Solanaceae contains som e particularly attractive late fall/w inter flowering shrubs and vines from w hich to choose. The m ost colorful is the appropriately nam ed m arm alade bush (Streptosolen jam esonii), a spraw ling evergreen shrub from 4-6’, w hich from late fall into early spring is covered w ith sm all trum pet shaped flow ers at first golden yellow then becom ing suffused w ith a rich orange. Choose a site in full sun w ith free draining soil, w ater during dry w eather, less so w hen tem peratures cool. A m ore fam iliar cool season solanaceous shrub is yesterday-today-and-tom orrow , a com m on nam e applied to several species of brunfelsias of w hich Brunfelsia grandiflora is best adapted to M iam i-Dade soil conditions. Flow ers occur in clusters from w inter through spring, at first appearing deep purplish blue, fading to light blue then w hite. Provide som e partial shade from hot afternoon sun, w ater to m aintain soil m oisture, reducing frequency during the cool season. Iochrom es are a group of m edium sized shrubs w ith clusters of funnel shaped flowers - like m iniature angel’s trum pets. They flow er on and off throughout the year but in M iam i-Dade flow er production is optim um during the cool m onths of the year. Iochrom a cyaneum (M exican bluebell) grow s into an 8’ som ew hat lax shrub w ith grayish green leaves and clusters of deep blue to purple, slender, tubular flow ers. Som e light shade from hot afternoon sun is beneficial as w ell as protection from direct w ind (w ood is brittle). The cultivar ‘Sky King’ has light blue flow ers and ‘Royal Blue’ deep blue flow ers, w hilst ‘Plum ’ has rosy purple flow ers. Foliage can be dam aged by flea beetles. Iochrom a fuchsioides (red bells) is a low er growing species of lim ited availability but m uch in dem and for its brilliant orangey red flow ers. It appreciates som ew hat m ore shade from hot sun. The last of these solanaceous plants are the spectacular chalice vines – just m ake sure you have a large sturdy trellis or pergola for support. There is som e confusion as to w hat is offered in the nursery trade: often listed as Solandra guttata it is in m ost instances m ore likely S. m axim a. Identity apart, S. m axim a is a heavy w oody vine w ith deep green ovate leaves. Beginning in late fall, large (10”) cup shaped flow ers appear, butter yellow at first deepening to gold and inside five prom inent purple lines. At night the flow ers are delightfully fragrant. Another species S. longifolia has sim ilar flow ers but is available in a variegated form w ith green and w hite leaves (purple at first). It is also reported to be adapted to alkaline soils. Solandras should be grow n in full sun, cut back in spring once flow ering is over and then fertilized. W ater as required to m aintain soil m oisture through sum m er, but as cool w eather approaches allow the soil to dry out (this encourages flow ering). The Acanthaceae is another fam ily containing attractive late fall/w inter bloom ing plants. M ost fam iliar is Barleria cristata (Philppine violet) a stiff stem m ed 4-5’ sem i-w oody shrub. Adm ittedly it looks very attractive once the spikes of violet blue flow ers appear in m id October, but it self- so m uch that I tired of pulling up the countless volunteers. Form s of B. cristata are also available w ith white, pink or m auve flowers. Eranthem um pulchellum (blue sage) is a related blue flow ering shrub for w inter that is far preferable. It is a soft w ooded m ulti-stem m ed shrub, grow ing to about 3-4’ w ith a spread of 5-6’. From Decem ber into early April it produces handsom e spikes of deep blue flow ers. In M iam i-Dade, Eranthem um is best planted in enriched soil choosing a site w ith either dappled or som e afternoon shade. In full hot sun the shrub w ill rapidly w ilt unless w atered frequently. Deadhead to encourage further flow ering, then once flowering is finished drastically prune, cutting stem s back by a half and totally rem oving those that are dead or yellowing. Apply fertilizer after pruning and again in late sum m er. Eranthem um wattii is a far less fam iliar, sm aller shrub w ith larger m ore purplish flow ers. Tw o other late flow ering m em bers of the Acanthaceae are the popular firespike, Odontanem a callistachyum and the shrim p plant (Justicea brandegeana – latter m ay flow er year round but flow ering locally is best in our cool season. The firespike flow ers equally w ell in full sun or part shade, w hile the shrim p plant prefers dappled shade (prevents flow er bracts loosing color). These are both easy plants to grow and can be readily propagated from divisions. Shrim p plant m ay escape from cultivation so exercise caution near native plant habitats.

If you have fond childhood m em ories of daisy chains then from fall to early w inter the 10-15’ M exican tree daisy, M ontonoa hibiscifolia is for you. A fast grow ing soft- stem m ed shrub to 15-20’, it has large, dow ny, deeply lobed leaves and from late fall is covered in daisy like , w hite ray florets and central disc florets yellow . The related tree m arigold, Tithonia diversifolia, is sm aller, to 12’, also w ith deeply lobed leaves and from fall into w inter produces inflorescences m ade up of bright orangey yellow ray florets and yellow disc florets. These both m ake coarse leggy landscape plants but are quite striking w hen in flow er, especially the latter species. Yet m ore yellow flow ering shrubs: the fam iliar, thryallis (Galphim ia gracilis) and the not so fam iliar, yellow flax Reinwardtia indica. Thryallis is a 3-5’ shrub bloom ing for m uch of the year, the clusters of sm all yellow flow ers especially attractive in fall and w inter. This is a useful source of yellow in the landscape for areas that are shaded for part of the day – stem s are brittle so choose a site protected from strong w inds. Reinwardtia indica (yellow flax), provides the m ost brilliant of yellow flow ers, Decem ber to M arch. This is a soft stem m ed, low grow ing shrub, rather undistinguished until it bursts into flow er in early w inter. Provide full sun and a m oist but free draining soil - it can be difficult to m aintain through a south Florida sum m er but it is w ell w orth the effort.

There rem ains a m iscellaneous group of fall/w inter flowering vines and shrubs. First the fam iliar pink pow derpuff Calliandra haem atocephala, w hich flow ers from early Novem ber through to early spring – avoid pruning after late sum m er and look out for thorn bugs w hich can be occasional pests. Incidentally the dw arf cultivar ‘Nana’ flowers on and off year round. Another fall flow ering shrub fam iliar to long tim e south Florida gardeners, the cape honeysuckle, Tecom a capensis has a scandent spraw ling habit, stem s that touch the ground readily rooting. Apart from the com m on orange-flow ering species type there are m ore dim inutive cultivars w ith yellow , pale orange or m auve flowers. A shrub w ith an even m ore scandent habit (it can be grow n as a vine) is the Chinese hat plant, Holm skioldia sanguinea w ith its unusual orangey red disc shaped flow ers. The cultivar has ‘M andarin Red’ bright red flow ers w hile ‘Citrina’ is a yellow from . In M iam i-Dade flow ering occurs from late fall w ell into spring, after w hich the plant should cut back. Not particular as to soil providing it does not becom e too dry, it w ill flow er in full sun or part shade.

This w ill be the third tim e I have m entioned Rondeletia leucophylla (shrub pentas) in this colum n, but it is such a w ell adapted plant for M iam i-Dade tolerating local lim estone soils and free of pests. Flow ering from Novem ber w ell into spring, this 8 – 10’ shrub has attractively furrow ed bark, narrow w illow -like leaves and com pact heads of tubular rose pink flow ers. Deadheading w ill extend flow ering and once finished, prune in late spring. There are a variety of perennials other than shrubs or trees of w hich I can only m ention a few in passing: the red passion flow er, Passiflora vitifolia, the ‘Orange Christm as’,Heliconia and num erous orchids (including catleyas, cym bidium s and Haem aria – the jew el orchid). There is an exquisite little brom eliad Aechm ea racinae, w hich bloom s during w inter, and is popularly referred to as Christm as jew el. Provide shade and enjoy the pendent inflorescence of yellow tipped bright red flow ers. It can be grow n in a tree or as an attractive item for a hanging basket (use an unglazed clay pot or orchid basket).

How ever you choose to enjoy the holiday season try not to be as m anic as Clark Grisw old of National Lam poon’s ‘Christm as Vacation’ fam e w hen it com es to decorations. Just choose som e of the above plants and in future years your yard w ill be a ready source of outdoor seasonal color. John M cLaughlin Novem ber 20, 2006