Full Sun Loving Plants

Snow-in-Summer

Snow-in-Summer plants are popular in rock gardens and will do well in full sun. They provide a beautiful white bloom as well as silver leaves that makes this a versatile ground cover addition to your full sun landscaping. They will grow 6-12 inches tall and up to 18″ wide. These plants will also divide well and offer lots of reward in filling in gaps in your landscaping where needed. Divide just after blooming.

Yellow Allysum

Yellow Allysum (not Sweet Allysum) is a wonderful groundcovering, sun loving plant that can bring a bold pop of color to your yard. With leaves in blue-gray this is another multi-faceted addition that will continue to add beauty to your landscaping even after its bright blooms have disappeared. This will grow up to 12″ tall and 18″ wide.

Pineapple Guava

This all-around full sun plant will add an element of intrigue to your landscape with its unique blooms and small fruits. This evergreen can be grown as a dense hedge or trained to grow in to a small tree. These are hearty plants that don’t require much water and are resistant to pests and disease. The Pineapple Guava was named a Florida Garden Select plant by the Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association.

Sweet Lavender

This fragrant plant will add sweet scents and beautiful purple blooms to your full sun landscaping. Higher pH soils will create the most fragrant blooms. This is a Florida favorite for many.

Garvinea Gerbera

This specific variety of Gerbera do very well in Florida sun when kept moist and fertilized. They come in many colors and can be just the right pop of color you want to add to your full sun landscaping. They do well in bouquets so you can bring some of your garden color into your home as well.

We are blessed with sunshine here in Central Florida for a large portion of the year. This means that there are a huge number of homes that include a swimming pool to enjoy during our almost year-round warm weather.

Whether you have an in-ground, above ground, open or screened pool, or even just planning on installing a new one, pool landscaping ideas are sure to be one of the topics that will be a high priority to make your pool area inviting and enjoyable. There are quite a few things to consider when planning or redesigning your pool area landscaping. Let us help you to be informed and pick the best plants from your Orlando landscape supply that will give you the look and feel you want to surround your pool.

Considerations

Here are some things to consider before beginning to pick out what types of plants you want for your pool area:

• What other elements will be involved? Structures such as patios, decks, gazebos or outdoor kitchens will need to be taken into account when making your overall pool landscaping design. Some people prefer to use plants to create a natural privacy screen or fencing. You can soften up a pool deck area by installing pavers separated by grass. Keep these in mind.
• Pool areas can get humid fast. Depending on if your pool is full sun, shade or screened will also determine the amount of direct intense sunlight that can be extremely damaging to plants. Be sure to keep in mind the environment created around your specific pool and its features.
• Chlorine and other chemicals can be splashed onto plants in and around your pool area. Be sure to choose hearty plants.
• Determine the look you are trying to achieve. Decide on tropical, desert or whatever design style you like before beginning to pick plants and be sure to pick a variety that will complement your own style.
• Stay away from falling leaves. This means avoid deciduous tress or those that lose their leaves and stick with evergreen or those that don’t create too much debris. You don’t want to spend your time scooping all that they shed out of your pool water. This can also cause changes in your pool chemistry and require the use of more chemicals.
• Flowering plants tend to attract bees. Keep this in mind when choosing plants and consider using flowering plants further away from where you will be hanging out near the pool. They can offer color and scent from a safe distance.

Plants

First of all be aware that some of the plants listed here that thrive in pool areas can be equipped with thorns. They are beautiful and can be a great addition, just be sure to place them away from areas of high traffic to avoid injury to you or your guests. Also, growing a mix of flowering plants and foliage plants is a good way to reduce maintenance.

Some of the plants below we recommend as features to any pool landscaping. Be sure to buy local from and Orlando landscape supply!

Lantana

Lantana is a good option that can withstand the heat. Your pool will reflect light and the areas around it will hot. Lantana is a tough and low maintenance plant that can tolerate it all. While some flowers may drift into the pool, they are overall pretty clean.

Egyptian Papyrus

These water loving plants can grow in bogs and shallow ponds and can be a great addition to your pool landscape where all the water gets splashed. They will love it. You can create an exotic and tropical oasis around your pool by incorporating these into the landscape.

Kangaroo Paw

This stunning plant is perfect for around the pool. They are drought tolerant, can take the sun and come in a variety of amazing colors. This one will certainly be a head turner.

Giant Bird of Paradise

These plants will immediately make your pool area a tropical escape. They quickly grow very tall with leaves growing up to 5-10 feet long. These will need to be planted near a wall or fence as those large leaves are fragile and can be easily ripped and tattered by winds. This picture shows a large Giant Bird of Paradise planted with small Bird of Paradise plants. This creates a great focal point and the smaller plants have vibrant colors to add to the design.

Yucca

The Yucca plant is another perfect pool area plants. These will offer low maintenance as they don’t bloom and are extremely heat tolerant. They come in a variety of greens and yellows that will keep that tropical feel. These are actually a desert plant.

The plants above are just a small sampling of what you might find to add to your pool landscaping. You can check out others in this great sample from Structure Studios in Nevada. They tell you not only some of the best, but also some of the worst that you want to avoid. They may not have the humidity we have, but they sure have the heat!

Remember that whatever you decide to plant in your pool oasis, be sure to arm yourself with some knowledge and consult your local Orlando landscape supply professional for any help you may need along the way.

We have all wondered at some point what those 3 numbers mean on all those different fertilizers you can buy at the local garden center. We might have even known at one point, but it is easy to forget and then we find ourselves puzzled again when it’s time to maintain our lawns. It is important to know what is what when it comes to having the best Orlando sod and healthiest yards. The very first order of business when it comes to fertilizer is to test you soil. By testing your soil in various areas of your lawn, you will know what your grass will need and what numbers to look for. Let us shed some light on what these numbers mean and why they are important.

The first number represented on fertilizers is representative of the Nitrogen content. Nitrogen is the most plentiful element on Earth and is essential to every single living thing. Nitrogen is responsible for making plants and grass greener and for leaf growth. When looking at that first number, remember this. Turfgrass and plants that are mostly leaves like shrubs or hedges, will need a higher amount of nitrogen. You can tell when your grass or plants are in need of nitrogen by yellowing and little to no growth.

The second number that you will see on fertilizer represents the Phosphorous content. Phosphorous is also necessary for life and stimulates growth. Phosphorous promotes the development of roots and will help to establish a new lawn or sod installation. It will help anchor and strengthen plants as well and will aid in growing flowers, fruits and vegetables. Phosphorous can be dangerous, however, and many areas only allow its use on new lawns. The issue is that Phosphorous run off can make it into waterways and be very detrimental to fish and wildlife as it suffocates the oxygen out of the water. Most established lawn or plant fertilizers will have a very low or zero middle number for Phosphorous. Use caution when choosing what will work best for you and your lawn and landscaping.

The third number on fertilizer shows the amount of Potassium included. Of course, as you could guess, Potassium is also essential to life. In grass and plants, Potassium helps to prevent disease. Potassium is also very important when growing fruits and vegetables so you want to be aware of this if you are looking for a fertilizer for your Spring garden. Potassium will also help your plants be robust and capable of withstanding weather during our hot Florida summers. If you see plants with weak stems or not growing very well, a lack of Potassium could be the culprit.

Now that you know what those numbers stand for, it will be much easier when shopping your local garden center or when discussing lawn maintenance with your professional landscaper. In general, remember these tips:

• A good standard for a good overall, all-purpose fertilizer will be equal parts, such as 10-10-10.
• When establishing a new lawn or for freshly laid sod, look for a higher middle number, but remember this is for short term use only.
• To green things up, pick a higher first number but be sure this is complementary to your soil content.
• For fruit, veggies or flower production choose a higher last number.
• To make your plants and lawn sturdy and tough to face the hot Summer or other environmental issues, look for middle and last numbers with higher values.

Lastly, use caution when fertilizing. More is NOT better in this case. Chemical fertilizers can burn plants and damage soil. Less is always better and be sure to look for organic options.

What is Lawn Aeration? To aerate means to expose to air.

Lawn Aeration is the process by which the surface is punctured through the turfgrass into the soil creating small holes. These small perforations, exposing soil and roots. will allow more nutrients to be absorbed through the soil such as air, water and fertilizers.

Lawn Aeration can be performed using a variety of tools or machines. Aerating your lawn is often overlooked by the homeowner gardener, but it is a vital step in maintaining good health and successful results to get your best lawn grass for Florida.

“Thatch” is a layer of organic material that normally accumulates on lawns at the base of the turfgrass above the soil and roots. When this layer gets too thick or compacted, it can be a barrier that is preventing your grass from getting all the necessary nutrients to grow. Thatch can build up to unhealthy levels based on a number of circumstances. Too much Thatch build up will leave your grass feeling dry yet spongy. You can learn more about Thatch and ways to manage it in this article by Lawn Care Simplified.

Other reasons to aerate your lawn if you have a heavily trafficked yard that can lead to soil compaction, if your lawn was established with sod using layered soil or as if your grass was installed as part of a new home construction using topsoil. Lawn aeration should be preceded by a deep raking of your lawn to remove any dead materials that may have accumulated over the Winter season. The many benefits of Lawn Aeration are:

• Healthier grass – aeration allows more air, water and fertilizer to get to the roots allowing them to grow and create better stability to your lawn with stronger roots.
• Controls Thatch – aeration removes that build up of material at the base of your grass but that sits on top of the soil.
• Reduces compacted Soil – aeration removes small areas of soil, allowing the density of the soil to reduce and soil to loosen.
• Efficient Watering – With aeration, water can more easily reach the roots of your grass, requiring less watering times.
• Prevent runoff – Aeration will allow pesticides and fertilizers to absorb better into the soil and prevent unnecessary runoff of these substances into other areas.

There are some things you will need to know before aerating your lawn.

First off, when? The best time to aerate your lawn is early to mid spring or NOW! Before you aerate, you will want to address any weeds in your lawn as the act of aerating can spread weeds if you aren’t careful. You can pull individual weeds or treat your lawn with a pre or post emergent herbicide. You can do this in the weeks prior to aeration to get the weeds under control. Once you have treated your lawn for any weeds, you are ready to prepare for Lawn Aeration. The other steps you will want to take prior to aeration are as follows:

• Mow. Be sure to mow your lawn to a short height of 1-2″ as you will not mow for 1-2 weeks after aeration to allow for germination.
• Water. You want your soil to be moist enough to penetrate. If you haven’t had a rain, be sure to water the lawn thoroughly. You don’t want to aerate in soggy soil however. Be sure you wait if you have just had a significant downpour and be careful not to oversaturate when watering.
• Mark. Flag or label all sprinkler heads, cables, cords or any other obstacles on the surface of your lawn to prevent damage from aeration tools or machines.

There are many options when it comes to the “How” portion of Lawn Aeration. You can use a simple pitchfork or you can use aeration shoes which are both manual methods to aerate. This could be time-consuming and labor intensive. You can also use a tiner, which is a handheld yard tool or you can rent a core aerator from most lawn care professionals.

You can also hire your local Orlando area landscape professional to come out and do the aeration for you. If you use a tiner or machine with a hollow coring device, be sure to leave the section pulled up on the lawn. There is no need to remove them as they will decompose quickly and will actually add to the benefits of aeration as they provide organic material back to the roots.

The benefits of Lawn Aeration can be the difference between a gorgeous, lush carpet of turfgrass and a spotty, bare yard that is hard to enjoy! Some other tips when aerating are to keep your seed and fertilizer handy. Right after aeration is a great time to overseed or reseed and to feed your lawn with the appropriate fertilizer for your soil and turfgrass (be sure to get a soil test).

Lawn aeration will allow the seed and nutrients to penetrate better into the underlying soil and create a great base for Summertime growth. While Lawn Aeration is key to lawn health, keep in mind that we have sandy soil here in Central Florida which typically drains well and doesn’t compact.

Lawn aeration can be done typically once a year or even alternating years if you have a particularly sandy area. Have patience, as the results of your Lawn Aeration will take a few weeks to become visible. In the meantime, make sure you water properly and sit back and watch the greening begin!