We are moving from St Louis, MO to Punta Gorda, FL this summer. Looking forward to checking these boards and learning what SWFL has to offer and the tropical plants I can finally leave outdoors. Lots to learn about my new growing zone. I would really like a silver palm, date palm & fan palm in our landscape. Are they easy care or messy plants? The builder planted an oak tree in the back yard. I would like to replace it with a tropical anchor plant that's easy care that won't block my view of the lake. Any recommendations? Feel free to share any favorite nurseries, garden shops, gardens, & pottery shops in the area.

I'd advise you to be careful about removing any trees. Most have to have permits to be removed, especially if they are natives.

Sounds like it is a newly planted tree. Perhaps, if there is a problem removing it, it could be relocated on the property . Oak trees do grow quickly and provide shade which is IMO essential.

I agree that I would check out the sun shade/sun situation. Cant sit out under a palm tree to enjoy the view, not and get any shade.

Thanks not allowed to replace unless they die. So much for the tropical paradise I have been longing for. We will not be adding to our maintenance free yard just wanted a couple of Palm trees not oaks & magnolia provided by builder which we could not decline. As for sitting outside we already have a gator so we will looking outside, ha!

I'm sure you'll have plenty of room for creating a tropical paradise, Susan. Don't despair. There are so many wonderful plants you can try out here, I'm sure you're going to have a ball.

Palm trees are easy care, don't take up much room and do give a pretty effect but, as Pam said, they don't offer much in the way of shade. You'll thank your builder for planting that oak tree in years to come for the cooling and shade it gives your yard. You can limb it up as it gets taller so it won't impede your view of the lake.

If you already have a gator, you can call and have it removed by wildlife control. That's a normal part of life here. It's also the reason many people have screened patios and cages around their swimming pools. Critters and bugs - there's just SO much more life here all year round than up north and you do have to get used to it.

We are fully moved in & are year round residents. I love it here in paradise. Can anyone tell me when is the growing season?

Hi Susan, what do you want to grow? In winter we are considered "subtropical" since we do get some cold nights in the fall/winter/spring. I'm just north of you in Sarasota, and already last week we got down to 50deg.

So the short answer to "when is the growing season" is "All year" because there are things that will grow here all year. But if you want to grow things that like cool nights, then NOW is the time to plant because they will do great until about April when it starts to get warm enough that you have your a/c running day and night. i.e. the nights lows are above 70 or so. Annual flowers from seed such as marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies etc. will give you lots of nice color through the cool weather. Cool season veggies like salad greens, broccoli (and other cabbage-y things) carrots, beets etc. also need cool nights. Plant them now, now now! (there are good transplants available at the garden centers, generally)

Starting in late February, you will be able to plant everything you'd normally plant "up north" in May to grow through the summer. If you want certain varieties of tomatoes or peppers, though, buy the seeds now, and start them from seed in late December or January so they'll be big, lusty transplants by late Feb. Btw, tomatoes generally do not like the hot weather here in summer, that is most varieties simply won't set fruit after the night temperatures get above 75deg. The plants get really sad, flowers fall off, etc. Peppers, eggplant, basil and the like do love our hot humid summers though. But plan on your tomatoes failing in late May or early June.

If you're ambitious you can grow the warm season things through the winter, just plan on covering the plants with frost cloth on any nights that get below 50 or so. Make a tent, to trap the warmth rising from the ground for them. Oh, and don't use plastic! It does more harm than good. I harvested tomatoes and peppers from December all the way through May last year and only had to cover them maybe 5 nights.

One more thing, if you are planning to plant in the ground, our soil is generally just grey sand so it needs a TON of amendments to support growing vegetables. Other plants not nearly so critical, but you won't get much production from your vegetables if you don't add tons of organic material. The landfills here make excellent compost and it's free for the taking (but you have to load and transport it yourself).

Thanks Elaine, our yard is maintained by an hoa but a CDD maintains the perimeter around the lake. The weeds were 5' - 6' in some areas. When residents complained the CDD wacked the very tallest weeds and said they would clean up the rest when we were out of growing season. Baffled I'm thinking plants grow here 12 months out of the year. Just an excuse to put off the clean up. We have been getting nice fresh veggies from the local farmers market. My gardening passion in MO was container gardening with tropicals & annuals. Sadly I decided I am not willing to take care of containers in the Florida heat. Right now every day is like vacation and I still need to GPS every where I go. I did bring a few of my very favorite talavera containers just in case I change my mind.

Think drip system on a timer, Lowe's has a very simple to understand system, everything is in one box. Works wonderfully for containers on your patio. Drop in some timed release fertilizer pellets and your work is done - except for the occasional dead heading and grooming. Get that Talavera out and visit a garden center for some winter bloomers that coordinate with the colorful pots.

Ok, tropical weeds like what you're seeing will virtually stop growing around now, and not start up until maybe March. All the tropical stuff are "divas" and like it warm day and night, so as soon as the nights are cool, I like to say "the weeds slow down and the gardeners speed up".

The opposite happens in summer, so my weeds get totally out of hand "the gardeners slow down and the weeds speed up" in the heat of summer. I can manage maybe 10 minutes a few times a day outside, as long as I stay in the shade, or work early morning or evenings when the breeze comes in. Then jump in the pool to cool down.

For tropical look containers, try some Elephant Ears. They'll give you gorgeous foliage all year round (although they do slow down in winter) and they come in some absolutely amazing colors and variegations.

For containers in spring, get some gingers - the Hedychiums have lovely fragrant flowers and some have beautiful colored foliage as well. Both these are easy care, and don't have a lot of pests but do need lots of water in warm weather. They both like shade in the afternoons, so east side of a structure or tree is a good place.

ardesia said:Think drip system on a timer, Lowe's has a very simple to understand system, everything is in one box. Works wonderfully for containers on your patio. Drop in some timed release fertilizer pellets and your work is done - except for the occasional dead heading and grooming. Get that Talavera out and visit a garden center for some winter bloomers that coordinate with the colorful pots.

Thanks for the inspiration.

dyzzypyxxy said:Ok, tropical weeds like what you're seeing will virtually stop growing around now, and not start up until maybe March. All the tropical stuff are "divas" and like it warm day and night, so as soon as the nights are cool, I like to say "the weeds slow down and the gardeners speed up".

The opposite happens in summer, so my weeds get totally out of hand "the gardeners slow down and the weeds speed up" in the heat of summer. I can manage maybe 10 minutes a few times a day outside, as long as I stay in the shade, or work early morning or evenings when the breeze comes in. Then jump in the pool to cool down.

For tropical look containers, try some Elephant Ears. They'll give you gorgeous foliage all year round (although they do slow down in winter) and they come in some absolutely amazing colors and variegations.

For containers in spring, get some gingers - the Hedychiums have lovely fragrant flowers and some have beautiful colored foliage as well. Both these are easy care, and don't have a lot of pests but do need lots of water in warm weather. They both like shade in the afternoons, so east side of a structure or tree is a good place.

Thanks for the suggestions. We have early morning sun and afternoon shade on our lanai. I had over 100 containers including many head planters. My favorites too were alocasia and colocasia I had a nice collection in MO. Love em. I also like ixora, shrimp plant, tropicana canna, sun impatience.

We moved to P.G.a little over 10 years ago from the Mid-Atlantic. Talk about a culture shock when it came to planting veggies!
I would suggest you take a master gardening course put on by the country extention office. Ours is located on Haborview Rd. across the river. I believe it costs @ $150 - money well spent. The many books and pamphlets alone make great resource guides, you will find yourself going back to them again and again. The speakers are excellent too and you will gain a wealth of knowledge. Plus your Master Gardener card will give you at least 15%+ off at almost all garden centers.
As for planting, keep your oak tree. If not just for shade, the leaves make excellent compost to amend the soil and mulch around your beds.
As for palms, stay away from queen palms. They blow down easily in high winds and birds/squirrels spread the seeds around making tons of invasive 'babies' not only in your yard but your neighbors' too. I personally love Pindo palms. They don't get too big, have lovely palmate leaves and you can make jelly and wine from the fruits + they're cold hardy to @ 20°F. Siver/blue palmettos are beautiful too but require understory dappled sunlight. They are also quite cold hardy but can be tricky to transplant - as with most dwarf palmettos.
Ornamental rosemary is another gorgeous plant for lining walkways and making hedges as well as a culinary herb. Bamboo works quite well too but just be careful not to purchase the running varieties. I love dwarf budda belly for it's interesting canes and closs clumping form. This also makes an excellent screen/hegde or ornamental.
If you're looking for exotic fruits with incredible taste, try Monstera deliciosa. It requires shade and grows perfectly under oaks (especially live oaks) and the fruits taste like a mix of pineapple, banana and kiwi - hence it's nickname the fruit salad plant.
If you choose to plant bananas, plant them as close to the water as possible. This lessens the possibility of a damage from cold. Try the ice cream variety, it's
a smaller type which can also be planted in a container and moved to your garage if temperatures require. The fruit is like candy! There are also many veggies like everglades tomatoes which are native and although tiny, taste just like a true northern tomato! They reseed readily and will grow just about anywhere. There are also native Seminole pumpkins, a very tasty squash variety that can put out over 60lbs of fruit that keeps well and can be used in tons of recipes.
If you'd like more info or to tap into my knowledge of many more easy to grow FL fruits and veggies, trees, flowers and landscaping plants, please feel free to conact me. Good luck!

I am on panhandle but sounds like it is going to be fun learning about Florida. gardening. I will be learning along with Susan, just livefarther North in Jackson county.

Does anyone know where I can get this product in Southwest Florida from Venice to Bonita Springs? No substitions please.
https://sep.yimg.com/ca/I/btgr... Has anyone on the Florida threads used it?

I used Fafard 52 back in SC and just have not had an opportunity to buy any since I moved to the Jacksonville area. I used to have the seed and feed store special order it for me. You might try the same thing where you are.

edited to add - I believe they changed their name to Sun Gro (?) a year or two ago, I remember telling the feed and seed guy the bag looked different and he mentioned the change.

ardesia said:I used Fafard 52 back in SC and just have not had an opportunity to buy any since I moved to the Jacksonville area. I used to have the seed and feed store special order it for me. You might try the same thing where you are.

edited to add - I believe they changed their name to Sun Gro (?) a year or two ago, I remember telling the feed and seed guy the bag looked different and he mentioned the change.

Thanks I do remember seeing some sun grow but it all has fertilizer or water moisture pellets or both & I don't want either of those. Like to make my own mix. Will check with the feed store for sure. I had access to a wholesale garden & greenhouse supplier that was open to the public in MO. Was hoping to find somebody like that. I did find an online supplier but I'm afraid to see how much shipping cost.

What I had was free of moisture junk and fertilizers but I believe it did have mycorhiza (sp) in it which was fine with me.

Susan, it might be worthwhile to call around your independent mom & pop nurseries locally there. Two of the nurseries I use here do carry Fafard products so they can probably order it for you if they buy from SunGro. I'm in Sarasota.

Just curious, and googled it. Amazon has the SunGro Professional growing mix which came up when I entered "Fafard 52" in a very similar looking bag. Really expensive, though - $43 for 2.8cu.ft.