IN THE GARDEN

Florida Anise

PHOTO BY PEGANUM:FLIKR

IN THE GARDEN

native shrubs

BY BETTY MORRELL

With the heat and humidity of August here, add some interest to your landscape (in the early morning!) with native Florida shrubs like Coontie Palm and Florida Anise.

When it gets to this time of the year, it brings to mind the song, “Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer,” since the heat and humidity that is part of August makes one feel lazy, at least it does for me. However, early morning or late evening is still a great time for a bit of gardening.

To continue with the native Florida plants that I discussed last month, I found some very nice shrubs, beginning with the Coontie Palm. The Coontie Palm is not actually a palm, but rather a palm-like cycad plant. It is a tough little shrub, so it is perfect for dry areas, tolerates the cold, and doesn’t need special light or soil.

This beautiful, slow-growing 2 to 3 foot by 3 foot plant is one of the smallest cycads. Th is one is not prickly, so it is safe to plant it near walkways. It provides an appealing fine-textured look to the landscape.

An underused native shrub is the Florida Anise (Illicium floridanum), which has red to purple flowers in the spring and will grow in part-shade to shade. It rarely has any disease or pest problems. Its dense, dark green foliage and maximum height of 12 to 15 feet makes this a great choice for informal hedging.

If you have a backyard fence, it makes an attractive cover. Mixing it with Camellias and Azaleas show off this evergreen very nicely. By the way, this is not Spice Anise, so do not use it in cooking as the leaves are toxic.

I came across a really wonderful shrub that would be a great addition to any garden or I a container. It is Dragon Prince (Cryptomeria). Th is dwarf, rounded evergreen shrub is a hybrid of the Japanese Cedar. It adds texture and beauty year-round with its stiff , light green foliage. Th e Dragon Prince grows 2 to 3 feet in height and 3 to 4 feet in width. Being a slow grower, it is an excellent candidate for containers or accent plants.

Dragon Prince would look wonderful massed in a woodland garden, or grouped in borders or low hedges. It loves the sun, tolerates heat and drought well, and it requires little maintenance.

A new Encore Azalea named Autumn Majesty arrived a short time ago. Th is new Azalea is definitely eyecatching, with masses of glowing petite, semi-double dark purple blooms in spring, summer, and fall. This repeat bloomer is sure to please everyone.

Autumn Majesty has a compact rounded habit, growing 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. Its evergreen foliage stays bright green in the winter. What a beauty! It is available at Lowes, Home Depot, and Liberty Landscape. You will love this one.

If you have any questions, email me at bamorrell@gmail.com. In the meantime, Happy Gardening!

TIP OF THE MONTH TIP OF THE MONTH

Containers for the garden come in all shapes and sizes. Plastic pots are most commonly used, as plastic or metal can become very hot in direct sun. Clay pots are cooler but plants in clay pots require more water since they are porous. You can avoid constant watering by placing a smaller pot into a larger one, separating the two with sand or sphagnum moss.