Welcome to Gardening in SouthWest Florida! People who come here from more temperate regions think that we don't have "Seasons". We have seasons, but we might define them a little differently. Tomatoes grow best in the middle of "winter". We plant strawberries in October and often begin to harvest them just before Christmas. Impatiens will probably thrive from October through April, even in full sun; but to get them to grow in July, you'd better have a shady location, with rich soil, and lots of water. You can count on Caladiums to give a lot of color to a shaded garden from May through September, and they may last through the winter, but you'd better not rely of them. Most "Annuals" do best in the winter. Summer color is more likely to come from flowering trees and shrubs such as Hibiscus and Ixora. And our Florida Landscapes make great use of Palms and Cycads - elements that are not available in many parts of the country. And for those special "tropical" effects, we have Bamboo, and Frangipani (Plumeria) and Heliconias, and Ginger, and, yes, Orchids.
Gardening in SouthWest Florida can be very enjoyable. It is not, however, the same as gardening in other parts of our great country. Our climate is sub-tropical. Our soils tend to be very sandy and low in organic matter, and nutrients leach out quickly. Areas close to the Gulf of Mexico are subject to salt spray and and this must be taken into consideration when choosing plant material. And although our winters are usually very mild and beautiful, sometimes a "cold front" dips a little too far south and we get some damage on our tenderest plants. Every year is different! Some years we see a fair amount of rain in winter - other years it gets very dry. And sometimes we receive damage from summer tropical storms. So - It's gratifying - but gardening in SouthWest Florida can also be challenging. That makes it all the more enjoyable.
Kay & I moved to SouthWest Florida in 1987. Just prior to that time, Kay had owned and operated a Nursery and Landscape Operation in Boyce, VA, known as Green Haven Nursery. I was the Director of the University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm for 15 years. I earned my M.S. in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Delaware's Longwood Gardens Graduate Program, and received my undergraduate degree from Colorado State University. Kay & I grew up in Western Illinois. After arriving in Florida, I directed the Landscape operation of two of Lee Counties nicest resorts. I found those jobs interesting and educational. It was fun learning to grow plants in this new environment. All of this is only to point out that even if you've gardened extensively up North, you'll probably be surprised and delighted when you try gardening in SouthWest Florida. In gardening, you learn much from sharing experiences with other gardeners. Please feel free to share your Florida gardening experiences, or ask for gardening advice.
A great source of gardening information is your local extension service. There are some great public gardens in our area. Fairchild Tropical Garden in South Miami has one of the finest Palm collections in the world, and the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota is a wonderful place to see epiphytes and Orchids. Links to these resources follow:
Gardening in SouthWest Florida
Gardening in SouthWest Florida can be very enjoyable. It is not, however, the same as gardening in other parts of our great country. Our climate is sub-tropical. Our soils tend to be very sandy and low in organic matter, and nutrients leach out quickly. Areas close to the Gulf of Mexico are subject to salt spray and and this must be taken into consideration when choosing plant material. And although our winters are usually very mild and beautiful, sometimes a "cold front" dips a little too far south and we get some damage on our tenderest plants. Every year is different! Some years we see a fair amount of rain in winter - other years it gets very dry. And sometimes we receive damage from summer tropical storms. So - It's gratifying - but gardening in SouthWest Florida can also be challenging. That makes it all the more enjoyable.