While it originated in drier regions, xeriscaping offers significant benefits in Florida’s climate. Here, it’s known as “Florida Friendly Landscaping” and emphasizes responsible management of all natural resources.

Creating a Xeriscaped Paradise

A well-designed xeriscape reflects the natural environment. Unlike a mountain landscape, a Florida xeriscape thrives on humidity and low-water use plants near buildings. This approach minimizes fungal issues common in our humid climate.

The beauty of xeriscaping is its versatility. It can be adapted to any style, from a wildflower meadow to a formal garden. When done right, it can be just as lush and visually appealing as a traditional landscape, but with the added benefit of water conservation and potentially unique plant varieties.

Getting Started with Xeriscaping

Whether you’re starting fresh or revamping your existing landscape, here are some key steps:

1. Seek Professional Help: Consult a landscape architect or designer familiar with Florida Friendly Landscaping practices.
2. Know Your Soil: Conduct a soil test and follow recommendations for amendments. Free testing is available through your local extension office.
3. Choose the Right Plants: Select plants suited to your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone and water needs.
4. Optimize Irrigation: Have your irrigation system inspected and adjusted for efficient water use.
5. Plant Smart: Group plants with similar water requirements and mulch appropriately to retain moisture.
6. Maintain Wisely: Proper maintenance ensures your plants thrive. Consider professional maintenance services.

By following these steps and considering future weather patterns, you can create a beautiful, sustainable xeriscape that flourishes in Florida’s unique climate.

Additional Tips:

• Look for plants labeled as “drought-tolerant.”
• Plants need time to establish, so proper planting is crucial.

With a little planning and the help of professionals, you can transform your landscape into a water-wise paradise.

From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc proudly serves both commercial and residential landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.

The post Xeriscaping: A Sustainable Approach to Florida Landscapes appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.

While Drift roses are very low maintenance, we have found that in our hot and humid northeast Florida climate, a few simple measures will help keep your roses at their peak.

Planting

Plant your roses where they will receive 4 to 6 hours of full sun daily so they will flower in spring, summer and fall, and protect them from salt spray. Amending the soil with Jolly Gardener organic compost or a good planting mix is recommended. Much of Florida’s coastal soils have an alkaline pH which roses like. However, you may still want to have your soil tested to determine pH and adjust as necessary. This can be done by the UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory.

Pruning

Drift roses can simply be sheared to the desired shape and size, while also removing any dead wood. We suggest 3 main prunes per year.

Pruning 1– Mid February At this time we advise taking the plants down to 10-12” or even further. This will remove any diseased foliage and help keep the plants full and bushy.
Pruning 2– Early Summer In early summer Drift roses can be pruned back again by at least one third. After each bloom cycle it helps to trim a few inches from the plant to encourage new growth.
Pruning 3– Late Summer/ Early Fall This prune helps to remove some of the older looking foliage after a hot summer and encourages a new flush of foliage and flowers for the fall.

Deadheading

Drift roses are self-cleaning and will continue to flower and look fine without deadheading. We do sug-gest deadheading when convenient, however, since removing spent flowers promotes quicker flower cycles and also helps keep a tidy appearance between prunings.

Fertilization

There are two schools of thought for when to fertilize drift roses:

Simple Schedule (Twice Yearly): Apply slow-release fertilizer in early spring (after first blooms) and again in mid-summer for easy maintenance.

Frequent Feeding (For Vibrant Blooms): Start after late winter pruning, then fertilize every 6 weeks until 2 months before frost. Use rose food, organic options, or a slow-release/water-soluble combo.

Always follow fertilizer label instructions and avoid over-applying, which can harm roots and invite disease. And choose the method that suits your time commitment.

Pest and Disease Control

Drift roses don’t require the same high level of insecticide and fungicide treatment as you may have heard for many roses, but they do sometimes require a little attention. We can suggest appropriate treatments but most disease and insect problems can be controlled with prevention and cultural measures.

Cultural solutions:

• Avoid overhead watering, if possible, to help prevent the spread of fungal disease. If this is not possible, run your irrigation in the early morning as opposed to the evening. This limits the amount of time foliage remains wet.
• Rake leaf litter beneath the plant after the first pruning to remove dead and diseased leaves that have fallen during the winter. Replace mulch immediately to create a physical barrier between the plant and fungal spores on the ground. Do not mulch heavily though, and keep it at least 6 inches from the base of the plant.
• To further prevent the spread of disease, do not compost diseased leaves or cuttings.
• Check your plants frequently to catch any problems early.

Pests of note:

• Chilli Thrips- these tiny insects are a big challenge to roses in Jacksonville. They are hard to find but you will notice signs of mottled new growth and deformed leaves and flower buds. If you notice these signs, you should bring in a sample for diagnosis. We would be happy to do this, or the County Extension Office can also help. If you do have thrips, the first task is to cut back the roses as in the winter, removing as much foliage as possible and disposing it in the trash. A spray treat-ment is then applied every 7 to 10 days, alternating between 3 different products including Spinosad, Merit, and Orthene or similar product.
• Aphids- these insects sometimes give Drift roses trouble. Choose a garden spray formulated for aphids. Neem oil is an organic choice. You may wish to first try washing them off with a hard stream of water.

Gardening success depends on many factors and problems can arise unique to your situation. Guidelines can be open to interpretation. If you need additional information, we would be happy to help. From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc proudly serves both commercial and residential landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.

The post Drift Rose Care appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.

Although Poinsettias will grow outdoors if protected from prolonged freezes, follow these instructions for an optimal display indoors for the holidays!

Temperature: Keep the temperature fairly consistent at 65 to 75⁰ during the day and a little cooler at night but not below 60⁰. Don’t allow contact with cold win-dow panes. Also avoid drafts.

Light: Locate near a sunny window but out of direct light, in bright filtered light.

Moisture: Check the soil moisture daily. When the soil surface is dry to the touch, water until it flows freely out the drainage hole. Warmer temperatures and dryer air will necessitate more frequent watering. If wilting occurs, immediately water thoroughly and repeat 5 minutes later. Those foil wraps are festive but make sure you either create holes in the bottom for drainage or remove them to water the plant. Similarly, discard the water sitting in a saucer after watering. Roots will be damaged if the plant is allowed to sit in water.

The post Poinsettia Care appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.

Christmas cactus are the perfect Holiday gift, living and continuing to bloom year after year, in some cases even being passed down to succeeding generations of owners. They are usually kept as house-plants but can be grown outdoors in partial shade if protected from frost and freeze.

Indoor Care

In the home, Christmas cactus should be located in bright, indirect light and around 65⁰. Avoid extreme environmental changes such as would occur near doors, drafty windows and heat sources such as fireplaces and heat vents. Water when the top inch of soil has dried. The whole pot should not be allowed to completely dry out, but also make sure the pot is draining well. If your cactus is in full bloom, water only very lightly for the next 6 weeks to give it a resting period. Resume regular watering when new growth starts to appear. Fertilize every 1 to 2 months during the growing season (April to September) with a fertilizer for flowering plants.

After-Bloom Care

About a month after the bloom period, you can prune your cactus to promote a bushier pant. Prune where the leaf segments attach to each other. Cuttings containing 2 to 3 segments can be allowed to dry for a day then inserted in moist growing media to grow new plants. Plants can be repotted every 2 to 3 years into fresh potting soil (a mix of 3 parts potting soil to 1 part sand is good) but don’t in-crease the pot size significantly as the plants bloom best when root-bound.

Next Year’s Bloom

Christmas cactus are driven by both photoperiod and temperature to form flower buds. After several weeks of 12 hours of darkness and cooler temperatures around 50⁰ to 60⁰, buds will start to show. Be sure the plant receives no artificial light at night during this time to disrupt the 12 hours of darkness. It is beneficial to decrease watering during this time also. You can either allow nature to direct the timing of your next flowering period or you can artificially adjust light and temperature to produce blooms after a couple months. When conditions start to change about mid-October, you can expect blooms around the Holidays.

The post Christmas Cactus Care appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.

Carnivorous plants are a fairly diverse group that have developed to survive nutrient-poor wetlands, using a variety of ways to capture and consume insects and spiders. Sundews (Drosera) like ‘Fraser Island’ have sticky leaves that catch small insects. Pitcher plants (Sarracenia) like ‘Bug Bat’ and ‘Scarlet Belle’ produce nectar on the rim of their pitchers and are smooth inside those structures, so an insect reaching for more nectar will fall in and not be able to climb or fly out. The Venus flytraps (Dionaea) have sensitive hairs in their traps and can discriminate between a wandering bug and debris. Their traps will snap shut on an insect if they need the nutrition.

Many carnivorous plants you see for sale grow in bogs in the South and North Carolina coastal regions (Zone 8, minimum winter temperature 10 to 20° F). They have been produced from tissue culture and shouldn’t be collected from their sensitive native habitat. Bogs are very sunny, and although sites vary in moisture (hummocks can be drier), the environment is generally very wet. Bogs consist primarily of peat and therefore have very low nutrition. With these conditions in mind, even though some of the carnivorous plants live further north and can take colder winters, it’s generally safest to follow these guidelines:

Light: Full sun, at least 6 hours, is best. The pitcher plant ‘Scarlet Belle’ may be able to get by with a little less.

Water and Soil:Keep peat-based or half peat/half perlite substrate continually moist by setting the plant’s container in a saucer of nonchlorinated water. The water can be changed periodically to keep it fresh. Never use conventional potting soil or compost.

Fertilizer: Do not fertilize your carnivorous plant. Similarly, do not put dead flies or hamburger meat into the trap of a Venus flytrap as it will rot the trap and may kill the plant.

Temperature: Unless providing conditions for dormancy, protect from temperatures below 34° F. If we have a warm winter in North Florida, you can provide a beneficial 2 to 3-month period of cool temperatures (30’s and 40’s) by refrigerating them in a sealed bag. This will create a deep enough dormancy that they won’t need the sun but do still keep them moist. Of the plants we are likely to carry, the exception to this temperature recommendation would be for the sundew (Drosera) ‘Fraser Island’, which would require tropical Zone 10 conditions.

Housing: Although these plants do best grown outside either in containers or a specially prepared bog garden, they can also be kept indoors as houseplants or terrarium plants as long as the above conditions are met. Terrariums should have good airflow (not be totally enclosed). A healthy indoor situation is a strong east or south window, possibly with added artificial light, constant moisture, good drainage, and appropriate temperature.

Carnivorous Plant Varieties

From our office in Atlantic Beach and satellites throughout Northeast Florida, Rockaway Inc proudly serves both commercial and residential landscape design, maintenance, lawn care, irrigation, and outdoor living carpentry client needs in Jacksonville, St Augustine, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Ponte Vedra, Nocatee, St. Johns, and Fernandina Beach.

The post Carnivorous Plant Care appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.

Amaryllis is a subtropical bulb native to South Africa with large showy flowers that range in color from white to pinks, oranges and reds. Each flower lasts about 2 weeks but several flowers often appear in succession. It is grown here in Florida as a potted plant, growing well indoors, or it can be planted outdoors. Transplanting is best done in the winter months. Outdoors it will bloom in the spring before new leaves develop. The plant will persist year round in North Florida but the leaves may fade in late summer or die back during the winter, depending on the severity of the winter.

A potted Amaryllis bulb should be watered through, placed in bright light and not watered again until it sprouts. An unpotted bulb can be planted in moistened potting soil in a heavy pot with a drainage hole, allowing for an inch or two of soil around all sides of the bulb, leaving the top third of the bulb exposed. Once the bulb sprouts, place it where it will receive several hours of direct sun daily and increase watering. Allow it to dry between waterings though, to avoid rotting the bulb. When flowering begins, remove from direct sun to lengthen the bloom time. Once flowers fade, remove them to promote flowering in following years, and use a water soluble fertilizer to en-courage the growth of the leaves. Indoors, bright indirect light is best for the remainder of the season.

Flower stalks can be heavy so if you keep your Amaryllis in a pot, make sure the pot is heavy enough to support it, or place the pot in a second, heavier pot. It can stay in the original pot a couple years before repotting is necessary. If you plant it outdoors, preparation of the site by tilling the soil and amending with 3 to 4 inches of compost and 6-6-6 slow release fertilizer is helpful but not essential. Level and moisten the soil. Multiple bulbs should be planted 12 to 15 inches apart with the neck of the bulb protruding above ground. Keep them moist but not waterlogged until established. If the site needs better drainage, Amaryllises can be planted in a raised bed. Amaryllises are sun and shade tolerant but do best in light shade, where they will look especially spectacular in mass.

The post Amaryllis Care Guide appeared first on Rockaway Sustainable Landscaping.