Mulch is Essential

You've been working hard on creating a low-maintenance, Florida-friendly landscape that you can enjoy year round. Your soil has been amended with lots of rich compost, you've planted the right plants in the right places, the right trees in the right places to help conserve energy. What's next?

Mulch, Mulch and more Mulch!!!

Pine Bark

The last step in creating that low-maintenance, sustainable landscape is mulch! There are many wonderful benefits of mulch:

1) Reduced weed growth. For extended protection place 2 to 3 layers of newspaper around plants prior to mulching. The newspaper will breakdown slowly reducing the amount of weed seeds that are able to germinate.

2) Reduced amount of water needed to sustain plants. A 2 to 3 inch layer of mulch will protect soil from the sun's drying rays, thereby retaining moisture in the soil for a longer period of time, which equates to a savings in water useage.

3) Cools the roots of plants in the heat of summer. Plants will be less stressed if their root system can remain cool especially those who are planted in full sun.

4) Provides nutrition to the plant as it breaks down - depending on what type of mulch you use.

Oak Leaves

Mulch Options

1) Bark or wood chips - provide good coverage and last the longest. Pine bark (a renewable resource), melaleuca and eucalyptus varieties are easily found in Florida. Cypress is also readily available but is NOT a wise choice. It is an important wetlands tree that is slow growing. Currently, very old stands of cypress are being cut down to provide mulch and the growth rate of new cypress cannot keep up with the demand. Click here to read more about Cypress mulch. It is better to use a mulch such as melaleuca which is an invasive tree in the state.

2) Pine needles are another great option especially if you have pine trees growing in your yard. Many local nurseries currently offer pine needle mulch.

3) Oak leaves are another great option for mulch and for adding nutrients to the soil. Plant oaks in flower beds and those beds will self-mulch when the trees drop their leaves. Free mulch and very little work to get the beds mulched.

4) Grass clippings make for a good mulch if they do not contain a lot of chemicals. They do breakdown quickly and need to be replenished often.

5) Gravel is an option but does not provide much of a block to weeds, nor any plant nutrition.

6) Rubber mulches are not the best as they do not provide any nutritional benefit to the soil and may even leach chemicals.

Mulching takes time and is an added expense, but applying a nice thick layer of it to your garden beds is essential, and well worth the extra effort in the long run.

A Florida-Friendly Yard

A very nice Florida-Friendly landscaped yard

Most people envision an expansive yard of lush green grass with a few neatly trimmed shrubs placed around the house. While it can be a pretty vision, it's not very practical anymore.

A large expanse of turf requires a lot of water, chemicals and mowing. Along with that comes a huge impact on our ever-dwindling water supply, and steady stream of chemical pollutants into our Florida waterways, which are already affecting our beautiful springs. And, I haven't even mentioned the hours of mowing and spraying the grass in an effort to eliminate chinch bugs.

It's time for Florida gardeners to put their 1/4 acre of a yard to better use and create a more diverse and productive landscape. Where do we begin?

The University of Florida extension has already done the work for us. They have developed these 9 Florida-Friendly Landscaping Principles:

1) Right plant, right place
2) Water efficiently
3) Fertilize appropriately
4) Mulch
5) Attract Wildlife
6) Control Yard Pests Responsibly
7) Recylce
8) Reduce Stormwater Runoff
9)Protect the Waterfront

Click here to visit their site for more detailed information on these 9 principles.

Find the right plants by clicking here to visit the Florida-Friendly Plant Database.

Need some inspiration? Click here to take a look at these Florida-Friendly gardens on our Pinterest page.

Now get busy and create your own Florida-Friendly garden!

From the Ground Up

The secret to healthy good looking plants is not really a secret at all.  It's just plain old common sense. It all starts from the ground up ~ ~ with the SOIL!

It's the NUMBER 1 and MOST IMPORTANT thing to do, consistently, when establishing a garden.

Florida's poor sandy soil does not contain enough nutrients for good plant health and for retaining water. It's easy to recognize plants that are growing in the barren, unproductive, paltry looking stuff we call soil. Many of us have learned this lesson the hard way, and now subscribe to the notion of adding a generous, heaping supply of organic matter to every garden bed before planting. As my mother always said (and you know mom's are always right) and I quote, "It's better to place a 50 cent plant into a $5 hole."

Don't skimp . . . add your homemade compost or spend the extra money to buy mushroom compost or composted manure. And, by all means, be generous when creating that $5 hole. Your plants will love it, and you'll be a happy, successful gardener.

~ ~ More useful ways to enrich the soil ~ ~

* Make your own compost with leaves, grass clippings, food and plant wastes. It's a great way to save money on soil amendments, and it will be readily available for use when needed.

* Lay newspaper or cardboard around plants before mulching. Both provide nutrients as they breakdown, and serve as a good weed barrier for newly disturbed areas.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch all garden beds. Oak leaves are a good source, if they are available to you. They are great in turning sandy soil into black gold. Heap a generous amount of oak leaves on all  beds each spring, and they will generally last until the next spring. If leaves aren't available, renewable mulches such as pine bark, pine needles, straw or melaleuca are good choices. Cypress mulch which isn't as easily renewable and could be harvested from old and rare cypress trees is better avoided.

That's it! This one simple step of enriching your soil will help you create a beautiful garden. It won't be long before your neighbors are asking you what your secret is to growing healthy, beautiful plants.

Conserve Energy with Trees

According to the University of Florida, "Residential energy use comprises about 26% of all the energy used in the state of Florida. In Central Florida, about 28% of this annual residential energy expenditure is for cooling the home during Florida's 5 to 7 month summer."

Windows and glass doors, as well as north-east and west walls account for the most heat entering a home in summer. The easiest way to reduce heat gain (and save on your electric bill) is to plant trees and shrubs in these locations.
I dropped by my local extension office for some suggestions on the best type of tree to plant on the northeast side of our home which is very warm during the morning hours. They gave me a great hand-out called, Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: Trees for Central Florida.
Their list contained 70 varieties suitable for north, central & south Florida. I started by eliminating the "north" and "south" only trees. Then narrowed the list down according to growth rate, form, shade density, size, leaf persistance and drought tolerance. I found it very easy to use, and ended up with a selection of 5 trees that would be suitable for our particular soil.
If you're looking to plant a tree and reap the savings on your electric bill, I highly suggest using the University of Florida's Enviroscaping to Conserve Energy: Trees for Central Florida handout. It will make your decision a lot easier.
For more tips on gardening to conserve energy, click here to read their entire enviroscaping series.

Get to Know the Good Guys

One of the wonders of nature is its ability to create balance. And a prime example of this can be found in the insect world. Beneficial insects are a welcome addition to any garden. The only problem is in knowing who is good and who is bad. The University of Florida Extension Service provides descriptions and photos of 11 common "good guys" online in their Beneficial Insects Sheet 1 and Beneficial Insects Sheet 2.

You can attract more beneficial insects to your yard by providing a wide variety of food (both nectar and pollen) sources. Planting a variety of perennials and native wildflowers is effective. Weeds are also a good source for beneficial insects, so don't be so quick to remove them all. Good plant choices include: goldenrod, yarrow, daisy, milkweed, scented geraniums, cosmos, fennel, dill, parsley, thyme, marigold, nasturtians and sunflowers.

Many beneficial insects can be purchased from mail order sources such as Gardens Alive and Gardener's Supply Co. When releasing purchased insects follow the enclosed instructions for best results.

Chinch Bugs - The Kiss of Death for your Turf

During the hot summer months, this is a familiar sight in many yards, including this spot in my front lawn. A southern chinch bug (Blissus insularis) infestation can quickly kill off healthy St. Augustine grass. While a lot of folks opt to have a local service spray chemical on a regular basis, spot treating an area when a problem develops may be a better solution. It is less toxic to the environment, and applying chemicals less often prevents the pest from developing a resistance to the available products.

We've had more difficulty this summer in trying to contain this infested area. We applied the treatment several times, but the grass continued to die off until we finally applied another brand and met with success. Next time, I'll be sure to spread the chemical out around the fringes of the dead grass to stop these bugs in their tracks.

The University of Florida offers some helpful advice on detecting and controlling them, as well as recommended products in their article, Southern Chinch Bug Management on St. Augustine Grass.