I want to start a garden outside my new house and I’d also like to plant a lot of flowers.
There isn’t much shade and I live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, so it’s a pretty humid, hot, and VERY sunny climate.
Does anyone know what vegetable plants and flowers will grow well in this type of environment? Is there a really great gardening website that anyone would like to share with me? THANKS!
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Gracie’s Mom, Try calling a local florist and they most likely answer your questions. I found a large list of Florida local florists. http://www.localfloristsonline.com/Florida-Florists.html I suggest calling a florist close to where you live.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Ask your local nurseryman or call your local university’s agricultural extension.
Most vegetable plants should love this climate. Try some encyclia orchids, passionflowers, plumerias, hibiscus, hoyas or vanilla vines..
Avoid things that need cold like apples/broccoli/sweet peas. Avoid things that need dryness inbetween waterings like poinsettia and cacti and succulents unless you have really sandy soil.
If you are living on chalk avoid azaleas/rhododendrons/camelias anything that likes an acid soil.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
I live just north and west of you,,, and virtually anything will grow in your area from tomatoes and potatoes to berries,,, from tropicals to citrus including peaches,,, from lilies to roses ( though tulips do not seem to fare well ) some require more effort than others with shade structures or soil amendments or watering.
Best bet, visit a local nursery,,, they will stock only what will grow in the area and should have the knowledge to answer the questions you seek answers to. I can list a slew of things here,,, with the nursery personnel, you can have a dialogue as questions pop into your mind and comments pop into theirs.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Visit the University of Florida’s web site. They have a lot of info.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Hi Gracies Mom.
Orchids are a great plant to grow in Florida.There are many different species to choose from.Here are a couple of species that are easy for beginners.
Oncidium Sharry Baby is one of the species and this one has blooms that are chocolate scented. This one blooms many times yearly.
Others that are rewarding to grow are only specific ones of the Cattleya group. They are also easy to care for.
Phragmepediums are another beginner friendly orchid to grow. These do have a requirement for a lot of light that is bright compared to other orchids. Their watering and fertilization needs are a bit more delicate too.
Orchids bloom beautifully and are delicately scented with a very nice aroma. You will just love waking up to these flowers every morning or viewing from you table while eating
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
Plumerias are a beautiful tropical and fragrant plant that will grow into a small tree in your climate, and they love heat and humidity. You can also grow them in large pots, too. In South Florida they are just about maintenance free. You can grow them easily from cuttings, and once established, they are drought-tolerant.
To learn more about them, you might consider checking out a Yahoo group, called ALOHA PLUMERIA. It is a beginner’s group, where newbies learn how to grow them from cuttings, and everyone is very friendly and helpful. I’ve posted the link below for you.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:36 am
here are some nice vines -
mandevillea- a great flowering vine that usually comes in pink and red. perfect for an arbor or the sunny side of a house.
bougainvillea- another great tropical flowering vine but has very sharp thorns making it great for a privacy fence where people shouldnt go.
wisteria- a nice vines for a trellis or side of th house and has very nice flowers. fully cold tollerant to -10 degrees fahrenheit, but are very strong so must be put on a very strong material.
some nice shrubs.
cannas- will be evergreen if their are no frosts. even if their is a frost it will come back up from its roots. comes in many colors, but the most outstanding is yellow and pink ramdomly grouped together. tropicanna makes a great species as well.
orange bird of paradise- unlike many birds of paradise this one needs little prunning to keep looking good, and stays small. has many orange colored flowers all year in your area.
tropical hibiscus- bradied forms are very formal looking, and the ones that arent till make amazing shrubs when in bloom. their is a variegrated form that is more like a tree and has yellow flowers. this one prefers shade, but tollerates sun as well. the best flower colors are the double flowers, the bi colored flowers, especially yellow with a dark red middle.
peace lilies are great too, but will no do well iftemps go below about 40 for long periods of time. does not like any sun and will do best in full shade. morning sun is fine, and you can expect lots of blooms from plans that recieve some morning sun.
ferns are also a great choice for shaded areas.
bromelaids- some of the most outstatnding plants you can have. these also look great when mounted on a tree, but will look just as good planted in grouping of 10 in the soil.
rubber tree- a very nice tree that has large glossy leaves. makes an nice street tree or a nice tree on your lawn as well.
royal palm- a real symbol of southern florida and although common always looks nice
cocunut- he official symbol of the carribean and will only do good in southern florida and hawaii in the united states. theydo not do good at all in california with very few survivors, and need a microclimate as well as protection from cold snaps in southern porttions of central florida. definately worth a shout in your area and shoud do good if in full sun.
veggies-
tomamtoes and peppers should do great as well as any citrus and strawberry.
some spices such as rosemary and basil will to great outside. basild can be trained into small trees, and rosemary into a dwarf shrub. you will never lose a roesma plant to cold in southern florida scince it is full tollerant of tempsas low as 5 degrees fahrenhiet and probabl as low as -5 fahrenhiet.