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December Gardening
Chestnuts to roast over an open fire, mistletoe hung at an entrance and poinsettias to decorate the home can all be obtained from your landscape. Florida residents can grow most of what they eat and decorate with during the holiday seasons.

Now you may not want to raise the mistletoe but it is often found in local trees. A few adventurous residents even climb the mistletoe infested trees to harvest this parasitic plant and then sell it to neighbors. Check out Joani’s corner for information about the mistletoe tradition.

If chestnuts are part of your holidays check out this month’s feature on growing these fresh from the landscape in the central and northern portions of the state. Now continue on to check out more holiday actives plus a few chores you need to think about this month.

Poinsettia

 

Holiday Plants: Certainly everyone likes to add a poinsettia or two to the holiday plant collection. There are numerous colors but still the favorite is a big red poinsettia. Did you know the red portions are not the flowers? What turns the bright colors for the holidays are leaves that change to white, pink or red during late November and December.
Poinsettias last much longer than they used to thanks to the efforts of modern plant breeders. At one time if the poinsettia kept it’s leaves for a few weeks you felt lucky. Now they last for months. Also many gardeners like to grow the poinsettia on for another year. The trick to producing flowers is making sure they receive no nighttime light during the fall months.

Beside the poinsettia holiday decorators also enjoy the kalanchoe, chrysanthemum, holiday cactus, gloxinia and cyclamen. All look quite festive when they are brought home and put on display. Get full enjoyment from your plants by following these tips.

Place the plants in bright light but keep them out of full sun locations.

Give them a cool spot but away from winds and drafts.

Ensure good drainage by cutting a hole in decorative wraps; then set the plant on a saucer.

No fertilizer for the holidays please; most plants were well fed at the growers.

Remove declining flowers as needed.
After the holidays gardeners often like to grow their gift plants on for another year. You often hear of holiday cactus being passed between generations. This one can be added to the foliage plant collection. Others holiday plants may be kept on the patio or set in a bright window to continue growth.

Greenery For The Home: Part of the holiday tradition is bringing greens indoors. Here too Florida landscapes have plenty to offer. Most yards have a juniper or two that can be trimmed and many have pine trees. But if you are making arrangements just about any type of greenery will do.

Many gardeners get their green boughs from pittosporum, ligustrum, podocarpus and hollies just to mention a few of the more common shrubs found in most yards. Here are a few tips to make your greenery last.

Cut the branches from plants that have adequate water. Pittosporum

Set the boughs in water until ready for use.

Recut the ends of the branches before use in arrangements.

Add a floral preservative to the water in arrangements.

Keep greens and arrangements in cool locations.

Gather fresh greenery as needed to replace drying limbs.

In The Landscape: Gardeners can relax just a little. As a friend notes mowing is reduce to about an every other week occurrence. But keep an eye out for weeds. Sometimes the best control is a good mowing. If the lawn does get a little yellow you can apply an iron or light feeding with a complete fertilizer. Here are a few more landscape tips to keep your plantings productive and attractive.

Replant vegetable gardens with cool season crops.

Fill flower beds and planters with plants that won’t mind some chilly weather.

Harvest citrus fruits as they ripen to prevent rats and spoilage.

Water as needed when the surface soils begin to dry.

Rake fallen leaves to use as mulch or add them to the compost pile.

Add new trees, shrubs or ground covers to the landscape.
Happy Holidays!