Fire bush is a native plant to the state of
Florida that blooms for months, attracting both birds and butterflies, and is
practically bulletproof once established. Fire bush is a perennial or semi-woody
shrub that is known scientifically as Hamelia patens. Landscape artists love fire bush because it produces flowers
from late spring until the first frost, and the bright red flowers attract
hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant's mature size will depend on where it
is grown. In South Florida it may reach fifteen feet tall, though it can easily
be kept to five or eight feet tall. The plant's mature size will depend on
where it is grown. In South Florida it may reach fifteen feet tall, though it
can easily be kept to five or eight feet tall. Fire bush is also Drought tolerant once established and has no serious
insect or disease issues. If it was the
spring or summer and planted in zones 8 through 11, and planted in full sun
light it will Flower and Bloom wonderfully, but can thrive in light shade. Fire bush can be planted in any well-drained
soil and will do best if it is watered regularly until it is established. Plants may need to be pruned to keep them to
a desired height, especially in South Florida where they grow year round.
Fire bush is typically pruned no shorter than five or eight feet, since pruning
too hard or too frequently may reduce blooming.

The
Queen Palm tree is also known as Areca Strum Romanzoffianum. The Queen Palm is a tropical and perennial.
Queens can grow up to 50 feet tail and needs twenty to thirty feet in
spacing. The Queen is hardy in zones
8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, and 11. If it
gets colder then 10°F you will need to properly cover smaller queen palms. When planting a Queen Palm a good location
would be anywhere from 25 to 50 feet from home and also be sure to plant in
full sunlight. The soil pH level around
where you want to put the Queen Palm if planting would have to be either mildly
acidic (6.1 to 6.5) or neutral which would be 6.6 to about 7.5. If a Queen Palm tree is already established
looks bad, you may want to test the soil pH level and manipulate. Trimming should be done on a regular
schedule. Seed “pods” will be an
indicator that trimming is needed.

In the South, Lagerstroemia indica, also known as Crape Myrtle is a great perennial, tree will shed it’s wonderful smelling flowers each year. The blooming cycle starts around mid-summer
through the fall. This gives your
landscape color and beauty most of the year. The Crape Myrtle is native to Asia but found way to
England & the United States of America in the early 18^th and
late 19^th century at the time Lagerstroemia indica also known as Crape Myrtle came in light pink, hot redish-pink as so know n as
“Watermelon”. White and Lavender can
grow from 5 feet tall to 20-30 feet tall.

Your Crape Myrtle is hardy in weather and plant zones 7
through 9. Planting in evenly moist,
well draining soil will encourage a rapid growth pattern, but once firmly
established, it can tolerate drought. This plant prefers a fairly acidic soil.
If the soil is a limey side, compost with pine needles to drive the pH down to
about 5.5–6.0. Do not use a lot of fertilizer if needed, put on
lightly. When planting, dig a hole 1 ½
to 2 ½ times bigger then the bucket.

Cynodon is widely known as Bermuda sod or
grass. Once established Bermuda grass
will make your lawn look like you’re on a golf course especially if shaved /
cut right. Cynodon or Bermuda sod will
grow and have a height of about twelve to eighteen inches tall. When planting Bermuda sod place grass
sections in full sunlight and all the little clippings can be fitted in the
middle, because if you put the small clippings to the curb or side walk they
will be more prone to pests or disease.

Bermuda sod or grass needs a soil pH of about 7.9 to
8.5 which is called having your soil pH at alkaline or you can even have a soil
pH of about 8.6 to 9.0, and if the soil pH tester reads this then you have a
strong alkaline soil pH level, and the Bermuda sod or grass will grow in
either.

Grass most hardy in USDA weather zones 6a which will
get down to about -10°F, the rest of the USDA weather zones will add 5 degrees
to every zone so 6b will be -5°F, 7a will be at about 0°F, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, and
9b which will be around you guest it 25°F. If you follow this your Bermuda sod grass will do just well one more
thing remember you must water complete lawn for the first month or 30 days
before the lawn can be established.

Zoysia
turf is from the family Paoceae, but Zoysia grasses originally came from China,
Japan and other parts of southeast Asia, in the early 1900’s a botanist
introduced Zoysia to the United States and it became a wide spread turf. Zoysia is most hardy in USDA zones 7a at 0°F, 7b gets as cold as 5°F,
8a is 10°F, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11 and above. Plant in full sunlight to partial shade and can grow pretty much
in any soil pH level, I love Zoysia because will choke out weeds and will
survive throughout the coldest of winter’s, and is resistant to pests and
diseases.

Mandevilla, Dipladenia is
native to southeastern Brazil but grows fairly well in Florida. Dipladenia is tropical perennial vine and
they are great climbers. This plant will grow up to 4 to 6 feet tall and will
possibly need 36 too 48 inches in spacing. When planting Mandevilla, Dipladenia good placement would be in a sunny
to partial shade, blooming colors are pink, red and white to near white and
blooms repeatedly. This type of
Dipladenia plant must have moist soil always do not let soil dry between
watering. And the soil pH requirements
are 5.6 too 6.5 which is mildly acidic.

"We
have tested this resilient bloomer and it has earned green thumbs up with
us! Here in Tampa, Florida it is sunny,
but it can also get cold too. As soon
as the soil warms a little, the Dipladenia will start to bloom again!"

Soil
Substance

Soil is a blend of different elements -
rocks, minerals, and decomposing plants and animals to name a few. Soil can
vary from one location to another, but generally consists of organic and
inorganic materials, air, and H2O.

Pick up a handful of soil, and
it is usually composed of clay and sand. If it is moist and dark in color and
does not fall through your fingers easily, then it most likely has a good
balance between the clay and sand. Take the handful of dirt and stir into a
clear glass of water. Let the water
mixture stand for several hours until the soil settles and the water clears.

Sand
will usually settle on the bottom, and the clay and organic matter will usually
float to the top. Looking at the sides of
the glass will show what your soil is usually made up of. Now that you have met the soil in your
garden, to have a better looking garden, testing the soil is a great next step.

Soil pH Testing

When testing your soil pH level, 1 is the
most acidic and 14 is most alkaline with a 7 considered neutral. Make soil
testing a part of your routine gardening at least every 3 years or when you are
having difficulty with plant health. Testing and making the necessary
adjustments will improve the health, size and quality of your plants and
vegetables. Test the soil in potted
house hold plants too. The pH levels
can change in these as well, preventing nutrients from getting to the plant.

So… before
replacing or installing a new lawn, be sure to check the pH of the soil before
installing the new grass or you may have the same result again!. Oak trees and pine trees will drop their
leaves to acidify the soil at their base. This natural process will affect the grass by starving it to death.

Osteospermum
but commonly known as African daisy is originally form south Africa and has
naturalized it self in the southwestern region of the United States. When planting the African daisy place in
part shade to part sunlight, will grow to about twelve to eighteen inches tall
and can cluster or space.

For proper spacing
place eighteen too twenty-four inches apart. Most hardy in USDA zones 9b which will get as cold as twenty-five
degrees Fahrenheit, 10a, 10b, and 11 which can get as cold as forty degrees
Fahrenheit. When you check the soil pH level it should read some where around
5.1 to 5.5. This plant is strongly Acidic, blooms all year round and blooming
colors are orange, yellow, white, pink, red, and purple.