|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Growing Wise
Adding fall and winter
By JANE MORSE
Article published on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007 |
 |
![[Image]](/content_images/080907_out-02.jpg) |
| Photo by JANE MORSE |
| Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a stunning plant in the fall and winter with bright magenta berries. This is best grown in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained areas. |
|
Beautiful berries of blue, black, magenta and red; flowers with colors of flame, rose, white and gold, these are the things we like to see when it is dreary outside and cold.
To obtain this effect, try adding some of these plants to your landscape for color and for the beautiful and varied birds and other wildlife they will bring to your habitat.
Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is a stunning plant in the fall and winter with bright magenta berries that are absolutely gorgeous. This is best grown in full sun to partial shade and in well-drained areas. It has a medium salt tolerance so it should be planted inland from the beach. Birds that also enjoy the food provided by this plants’ berries include Mockingbirds, Cardinals, Catbirds and Thrashers. In late winter prune severely for the most dense and compact growth. This plant is deciduous and looses its leaves in winter. Leaves will turn yellow before dropping. It is usually 5 to 6 feet tall.
Firebush (Hamelia patens) is another fantastic plant that is Florida-tough tolerating both flood and drought. It blooms all year-round with red tubular flowers that are filled with nectar, and produces berries that turn from red to purple-black. This is the perfect hummingbird and butterfly attractor and feeder. They just love this plant. Plant one of these and you won’t need a hummingbird feeder. Nectar provides a much better food than sugar water. Mockingbirds also enjoy eating the berries.
This plant will take shade or sun, but flowers best in full sun. Once established it is very drought tolerant and will only need water during severe drought. This is an evergreen plant, but it also provides red-colored leaves after a cold snap. If there is a hard freeze it can die back to the ground, but it will grow back again in the spring. It is usually about 6 to 12 feet tall.
Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a beautiful evergreen plant with radiant red berries (female trees only) that will last into late winter. There are several varieties of this plant, from small shrubs to a small tree of 25 feet in height. “Pendula” and “Weeping Yaupon” are two tree forms with a weeping habit that make very nice specimen trees. This is an important food and cover plant for songbirds, game birds and waterfowl.
Since these plants are dioecious, meaning they have separate male and female plants, both sexes are required for the best fruit production. The small shrub “Schellings Dwarf” is a male plant and would be the perfect companion for one of the tree forms. Use it around the base of the tree or use it as a low growing hedge (perfect for a one-story foundation plant). The “Schellings Dwarf” at maturity is about 3 to 4 feet tall and wide. Yaupon likes moist, but well-drained sites. It has high drought tolerance, is salt tolerant and has low fertility needs. Yaupon was used extensively by Native American tribes for many different purposes.
Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) is a versatile vine to venerate for its color, vibrancy and wildlife value. This vine is evergreen with scarlet red to deep orange tubular-shaped flowers that are long and showy. As such they are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, as well as catbirds and orioles. These beautiful flowers are followed by showy scarlet red berries. The vine twines as opposed to clasps, and reaches a height of about 15 feet. It prefers well-drained, moist to moderately dry conditions. Provide full sun for the best flower and fruit production. Use it for ground cover.
All of these plants are native to Florida. Native plants evolved with the wildlife and as such provide excellent habitat, and are well adapted to Florida’s fickle weather and poor soil. Try them, you’ll like them. If the nursery does not have these plants, ask for them. They can find these plants for you, or go to www.afnn.org to find local native plant growers. Go native and help keep Florida, Florida.
Jane Morse is an University of Florida/IFAS and Pinellas County extension agent.
|
Article published on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007
Copyright © Tampa Bay Newspapers: All rights reserved. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Tampa Bay Newspapers
9911 Seminole Blvd.
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 397-5563
Open Monday-Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
|
|
