After months of heat, humidity, rain, and the calendar insisting it was fall while Florida strongly disagreed, this week finally feels different. The mornings are cooler, the humidity is more tolerable, and walking outside no longer feels quite so much like opening the dishwasher mid-cycle. At our garden centers, another sign of the season is arriving: trays and racks of annuals ready to bring some fresh color back into our yards. Apparently, fall just needed a few extra weeks to find Venice and Port Charlotte.
If your summer flowers are looking tired, you certainly aren’t alone. They’ve had a long season, and there comes a point when another pep talk with the watering can isn’t going to turn things around. Fortunately, our cooler months bring a whole new set of planting opportunities. UF/IFAS lists alyssum and dianthus among the options for South Florida’s October gardens, with petunias and verbena among the choices heading into November. The trick is following the weather along with the calendar; cool-season flowers can struggle if we rush them into lingering heat and humidity. One pleasant morning is encouraging, but it doesn’t mean Florida has signed a binding agreement.
For sunny beds and containers, dianthus, petunias, and sweet alyssum are good places to start. You can use them to freshen up an entrance, fill a few porch pots, or give a tired flower bed something to contribute again. For a spot with partial shade, New Guinea impatiens offer bright color and can flower through winter in South Florida. Pay attention to which kind of impatiens you’re buying, though: New Guinea impatiens and SunPatiens have different light preferences. A pretty flower is a good reason to stop and look; knowing where it will live is a better reason to put it in the cart.
That’s the idea behind “right plant, right place,” one of the foundations of UF/IFAS Florida-Friendly Landscaping. Match plants to the sunlight, drainage, and moisture your space actually offers, and group those with similar needs together. Check the light now, too, because a bed that received plenty of summer sun may spend more time in shade as the winter sun sits lower. You don’t have to redo the entire landscape to enjoy the season. I’d rather see a few well-placed containers looking great than a whole yard of flowers requiring daily negotiations.
Before planting, pull the weeds, remove spent plants, and give the soil some attention. Compost can help sandy flower beds hold moisture and nutrients, and containers need drainage that lets excess water escape. Water new plantings thoroughly, then check the soil regularly while they establish instead of assuming cooler weather means they’re taken care of. Florida-Friendly gardening also means watering efficiently and fertilizing appropriately, rather than treating every unhappy plant with more of both. Mulch helps conserve moisture and discourage weeds, but leave space around the plants’ stems instead of burying them.
We’re enjoying seeing fresh seasonal color arrive at MRT, and our team members can help you sort through the options for your particular space. Bring a picture, tell us how much sun it gets, and we’ll help you find a starting point. Whether you’re refreshing two pots by the front door or finally retiring the summer flowers you’ve been apologizing to, this is a good time to enjoy being outside again. The weather finally got the memo. We might as well take advantage of it.