Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
S. Florida gardeners play by different rules
I have seen examples recently of landscapers putting in long stretches of ficus hedges on residential properties in South Florida. Itwas all I could do not to stop and ring the doorbell and say, “What are you thinking? Look around you! If you don’t believe all the hype about whitefly infestations, come look atmy yard!”
Most likely the homeowners are not from around here and don’t know anything about the infamous whitefly. You have to wonder if they are listening to landscapers who got a great deal on ficus hedges froma nursery trying to clear them out.
I did the same thing when Iwas new here, and let a landscaper talk me into planting 200 feet of ficus hedges because they “grow quickly and provide a great privacy screen.” Granted, in those days, white fly wasn’t an issue, but it has costme a fortune to keep them trimmed and looking neat, and they are also dangerously close tomy septic field.
But did I do any research at the time before making such an investment? No. But if I had askedmy neighbors, who all had ficus hedges as well, I probably wouldn’t have done anything differently. Now I can repent at leisure, as I look at spending as much or more than it cost to plant them to get them removed as they thin out and die.
That’s why “buyer beware” is not a bad credo for Florida gardeners.
If you are from up North, where tomatoes typically get planted in April or May, and you walk into a big garden center and see rows of tomato plants this time of year, you are probably going to plant them now. Good luck. The ideal time in South Florida is October or November. You can try planting some in the early spring if they bear fruit by the end ofMay, but after that, you probably aren’t going to have much luck.
If you are hell-bent on growing tomatoes in the summer, look for special heat tolerant varieties. Most of them don’t taste as good as the ones you are used to, though.
In fact, strolling through your average garden center, you would probably think that roses, lilies, hydrangeas and dahlias thrive here. They don’t. You either need special varieties (for roses, you need plants grafted onto Rosa fortuniana or Dr. Huey stock— and even then they are a lot of trouble— or heirloom roses).
As for those other flowers you loved up North and see for sale in South Florida, consider that they will most likely be shortlived and need a lot of water. I guess we should be happy they don’t try to sell us tulip and daffodil bulbs. It doesn’t hurt to do a little research before you buy. When searching online, always plug “South Florida” into your search engine along with whatever you are interested in planting.
Remember, the rules are not the same in South Florida. Don’t plant it here just because you can buy it here.