by Zack Pitchford | Dec 27, 2018 | Native Plants
Creating sustainable landscapes for your homeowner’s association is all about selecting the right plants for landscaping. By choosing native plant species that are local to the environment your association can do its bit to support local wildlife and create a sustainable footprint for the community. According to National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP) homeowners are excited about the enormous environmental and economic benefits of using native plants. Here’s a look at why your association should incorporate native plants so they everyone can truly enjoy the beautiful landscape. (more…)
by Zack Pitchford | Dec 13, 2018 | Native Plants
For nearly 63 million Americans living in a suburban community or planned unit development, it is often challenging to abide by the rules of the homeowners association, including maintaining a watered green lawn especially in drought conditions and water restrictions. Homeowners take heart! There are many ways of practicing drought friendly landscaping in HOA yard’s to save water and keep your yard looking aesthetically beautiful. In fact, these are things you might want to do now! (more…)
by Zack Pitchford | Oct 18, 2018 | Landscaping
As temperatures drop this winter, homeowners have to be aware of the impact frost will have on their garden plants. The cold weather can be a major problem as it affects plant growth and damages tender plants. But the winter weather shouldn’t stop you from enjoying different blooms and foliage colors in your garden. (more…)
by Zack Pitchford | Oct 11, 2018 | Native Plants
If you are looking for high drama, all you may need to do is step outside into your back yard and look around. You may be entranced by the sight of bird life from kestrels to goldfinches, robins to orioles, hummingbirds to house wrens, barn owls to kildeer. You may spot birds feeding its babies, hawks swooping to hunt prey or even Muscovy ducks around the pond. You can attract native birds to your home garden by providing shelter, food and nesting site for them. Notwithstanding the size of your yard or even if it is in the middle of the city, you can make it more attractive to wildlife by choosing native plants wisely and making sure there is enough variety of berries, seeds and nuts.
Why Choose Native Plants?
Birds migrate over cities and get tired. They need places to come down to have something to eat. Even birds that feed on fruits and seeds feed insects to their young. Insects are a rich power source of energy. Birds recognize and prefer native plants, shrubs and trees because they provide a smorgasbord of insects. Non-native plants have not yet developed specialized relationships with the native birds, such as the one that exists between monarch butterflies and milkweed plants.
Criteria For Choosing Plants For Birds
- There are some simple, easy to implement ideas for choosing native plants to attract birds-
- Grow native trees and shrubs to provide nectar, fruit, seeds or berries for different types of birds and appetites.
- Create diverse habitats by planting a variety of species but make sure that you have a group of that particular specie in your garden. For instance, rather than 20 different species, plant 6 individuals of 5 different species.
- Group and grow plants which vary in height together to create complex vertical structures from the ground up. There must be groundcovers like grass or ferns, shrubs of different size and few trees too. Layers in your garden will create a variety of places that different birds prefer.
- Grow different varieties of native plants so that there is flowering/fruiting/seeding throughout the year to attract birds
- Intersperse the yard with garden beds and clumps so that you have a dense thicket for small birds to safely fly between short distances.
- Do you have any nesting sites in your garden? Plant native grasses and let that part of your yard be messy. Do not disturb these wild areas so that birds can have a nice quiet spot to build nests in.
- You can leave leaf litter and other organic material to help build the soil for a host a diversity of invertebrates and bugs, which are food for birds.
- You can also provide clean water, put up nesting boxes and hang feeders in times of scarcity for the birds.
2 Florida Native Plants That Attract Birds
You can plant a lot of flowers, shrubs and trees in your backyard to entice birds and butterflies with interesting textures, colors and delicious scents. Two popular native plants for birds that gardeners prefer in central Florida are:
Simpson’s Stopper
Simpson’s stopper -(Myrcianthes fragrans) is a Florida native that will look lovely in any garden at any time of the year. Its evergreen leaves give off a spicy/ citrusy scent when crushed and it provides visual interest as the outer bark breaks off to show new growth in different shade of color from pale chartreuse to deep wine. It can grow up to 20 feet tall in the right growing conditions in Florida. There is a dwarf variety available too, referred to as ‘Compacta’ which reaches 5 feet tall and is perfect for smaller landscapes.
Flowering occurs generally in spring, between April and May in Florida. The fragrant, beautiful white flowers bring in the pollinators and are followed by orange to red berries in late summer to early fall. The dense canopy of Simpson’s stopper is great for attracting some wildlife darlings like butterflies, bees, and birds because it provides protection for them when they feed on the small red fruits. The berries of this plant can attract buntings, cardinals, blue jays and the mockingbird.
Beautyberry
Beautyberry- (Callicarpa species) is the ideal fast-growing shrub for Southeastern Florida native gardens. Beautyberry can reach about 4 feet in height. In the spring, this shrub has delicate pink flowers that grow at the junction where leaves meet stem. This eventually gives way to the ultimate showstopper – bunches of purple berries in the late summer and autumn. The berries last well into winter even when the leaves are gone, or until the birds finish off the last clusters of berries. Beautyberry is a source of color in the winter landscape.
No yard is too small and what you do at home matters immensely. You can turn your garden into a bird haven and be a part of the conservation effort. Wilcox Nursery and Landscaping can help you choose native plants for your Florida garden.
For help planning and beginning a project visit The Back Ten Feet with Sue Scott.
by Zack Pitchford | Sep 28, 2018 | Native Plants
Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus
The silver buttonwood tree is a member of the Combretaceae family and is considered a great addition for Florida coastal gardens because of its unusual silvery-gray color leaves, appealing growth habit and shapely trunk. Silver buttonwood makes for a striking hedge shrub, accent or small tree that contrasts beautifully with the green landscape. These plants stand out when planted in combination with red, blue, purple and white flowering plants.
Silver Buttonwood Plant specs
Habitat(s)- Beach Dune; Mangrove; Coastal; Marl Prairie
The Buttonwood tree is native to tropical America and the West Indies, coastal south and central Florida. They flourish best in Zone 10 and 11 as they are not adapted to cold winter temps and frost of Zone 9.
Since the Buttonwood often grows along shorelines, it is highly salt-resistant and can grow in tough conditions. The Silver Buttonwood also does well in sand and alkaline soils that are periodically inundated with freshwater or brackish water to moderately well-drained soils
They are moderate to fast growers that prefer full to part sun. They can be planted even in part shade, too, but won’t grow to be as full or get as colorful foliage.
When used as a hedge, Silver Buttonwood can grow to about 10 feet but can be trimmed down to about 5 to 6 feet. The plant grows in the shape of a vase, and is wider at the top and often somewhat bare at the bottom. In cultivation as a small tree, it can reach a mature size of 20 feet unless trimmed.
In the late summer to early fall the small button-like flowers on long panicles sets into button like fruit that then hardens into a reddish-brown woody seed cones. When fully ripe, the capsules burst, dispersing the seeds.
Silver Buttonwood is an important host for epiphytes in South Florida. They can be used as wind breaks in landscape and also to provide light shade. They give good cover and food for wildlife.
Silver Buttonwood Plant Care
Buttonwood will grow in a large container but at some point it’ll outgrow the pot and need to be planted in the ground.
To successfully grow Silver Buttonwood in the landscape in Zones 10, and 11, you should plant early in the season when there is no danger of frost or freeze.
Choose a sunny or partly sunny spot in a tropical to subtropical landscape for your new tree once it is at least a foot tall. Place these shrubs 3 or 4 feet apart and away from the house so that the gutters and eaves are in the clear when the plant reaches a mature height.
Dig a hole for it that is twice as large as the pot it is in and the same depth. Make sure that the crown of the plant does not get buried in the planting process. Fill the hole in with native soil.
Fix it to a stake while the roots take hold. A little top mulching can also help hold moisture and keep weeds at bay. Prune lightly till the tree achieves the desired form. Avoid hard pruning of more than 1/3 of the plant and only do it in spring – late March or early April.
You should water on a regular basis to keep the tree lush and full. Then watch your Silver Buttonwood tree grow and enjoy the beauty the soft silver green foliage. Get in touch with Wilcox Nursery & Landscape for more gardening tips and ideas on landscape design.
Focus on rebuilding landscapes with salt-tolerant native plants to mitigate future storm risks.
