Florida Garden and Landscape Guide for June

Ready to dig into your garden and landscape this month?

With Florida summer in full swing, many seasoned residents brave the heat and spend quality time in their garden or landscape. If you’re going to take on this task, first – be aware of the heat, take regular breaks, hydrate, and watch for signs of heat stress.

And below we’ve put together a shortlist of a few plants that thrive in our intense summer heat. These will give you some satisfaction with a beautiful green space after a hard day's work!

Liriope, Mondo Grass & Aztec Grass

---

Ornamental Grasses

​Name:	​Liriope, Mondo Grass & Aztec Grass
​Plant Type:	Ornamental Grasses
​Best Used For:	​As grasses, borders or edging. They will flower, so they can be used at the base of trees as well to fill In bare spots. They can also bulk up garden beds on a budget.
Soils:	​Most soils are fine, however regular topsoil or mulching is recommended.
Heat/Sun:	Most varieties need full sun, some require a bit of shade. Check with the garden center to see the exact variety you are purchasing
Watering:	​Regular irrigation is required but the soil should not be soggy.
​Fertilization:	​1 or 2 Times a year with a controlled release fertilizer.
​What to Look Out For:	​These will spread quickly and should be contained in beds to avoid looking unruly.

Blanket Flower

---

Beautiful Blanket Flower

​Name:	​Blanket Flower
​Plant Type:	​Annual to short-lived perennial flower. Most plants do not last beyond 12 months outside of South Florida
​Best Used For:	​Cultivated flower beds, roadside wildflower plantings, wildflower garden.
​Soils:	​Extremely Dry Soil, Sandy Soil. Can be found growing in sand dunes.
​Heat/Sun:	​Full Sun required
​Watering:	Minimal watering
​Fertilization:	Little to no fertilizer required
​What to Look Out For:	Will become dormant in the winter, and possibly die off.
​Flowering:	Flowering can occur in most months from spring through fall. Each bloom is several inches across and very showy. Normally, the ray petals are deep orange in color, tipped in bright yellow, though yellow forms are common and there is quite a bit of variation in the depth of orange present

Vinca / Periwinkle

---

Vinca as Stunning Ground Cover

​Name:	​Vinca / Periwinkle
​Plant Type:	Flowering Shrubs or Ground Cover
Best Used For:	Flowering types can be used in hanging baskets, or in individual plantings. Ground cover types can be used for borders or around the base of trees.
​Soils:	Tolerates most soils
Heat/Sun:	Does best in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day) but tolerates partial shade (3-6 hours of direct sunlight per day)
​Watering:	High drought tolerance, may not need watering outside of rainfall
Fertilization:	1-2 Applications of a balanced (1:1:1) Controlled Release Fertilizer
​What to Look Out For:	Toxic to pets and people
​Flowering:	​Can bloom all year (if blooming variety)