Q/A column – for release November 26, 2008

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent 

 How Does Your Garden Grow?

Leafless Roses

I have lost all the leaves on my Rose bushes, yet they still flower. There are some new buds with leaves.  The plants are on Florida rootstock.  They mean a lot to me because they are a memorial to my parents – Jim-

Leaves produce food (sugars) that are stored in the stems and roots and provide energy for the plant to produce flowers and more leaves.  If the plant is without leaves, the size and number of flowers will be reduced.

Because there are leaf buds visible, expect new growth to occur.  Review your fertilization and watering practices to ensure that the basic raw materials for healthy plant growth are present.  If you saw any leaf spots or other pests that encouraged leaf drop, please bring a sample to the Extension office for identification.

Rose bushes go through flushes of new growth and flowering, and are usually trimmed back after each flush of flowers to encourage more new growth.   A recent office visitor asked how to trim back their rose bushes after a flush of flowering.   For rejuvenation pruning, cut back the stem 12 to 18 inches to a point just above an outward facing bud.   (Note that each rose leaf is a 5-bladed compound leaf.  

If cold or freezing weather is possible, delay pruning as it encourages new growth that may be killed by temperatures under 40 degrees F.      

And I’m glad to hear you are using a Florida rootstock.  Roses that are not grafted onto Rosa fortuniana rootstock will have a hard time surviving the nematodes and soil diseases found in natural Florida soils. 

Refer to the UF Bulletin on Rose Culture for more information. 

 

Flowering Shrubs in Shady places  

On the east side of my house I would like to plant flowering shrubs that can be kept trimmed to about 5 feet in height. The house does receive some shade from a Live Oak Tree. My Sister-in-Law likes Allamanda – any comments on this shrub? – Mr. Little-

Finding a flowering shrub that grows well in a shady spot is a challenge, but Allamanda may be a suitable choice for this location.  There are some varieties of Allamanda that keep a natural shrub-like shape, while others are vining and may need to be trellised for support.  In the shade, it will not produce as many yellow flowers as it would in brighter light.  Bush Clock Vine (Thunbergia erecta) is another choice that will give fast growth with purple flowers all year round.

Rather than flowers, consider plants that have their color in the leaves rather than flowers.  Croton comes to mind as a suitable colorful shrub that can be kept to a 5 foot height.  

Golden Dewdrop (Duranta spp.) is another possibility that has white blue or white flowers and colorful yellow berries, and with minimal pruning can be kept to 5 feet tall.  

If your soil is acidic, you could also add a few Gardenias to the shrubs as an occasional accent plant.    And if you want to go native, consider Firebush (Hamelia patens) for year round color not only from flowers and fruit, but also from the many butterflies that will visit this shrub.

Jacaranda without Flowers

I have a Jacaranda Tree that is ten years old and has never bloomed. Any reason why?

Trees grown from seed may take 7-10 years before they become mature enough to reproduce.  I had a jacaranda tree that I grew from seed and mine took almost 8 years from seed before it flowered for the first time and that was in 2004. (Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne took care of any future flowering, as I found out how weak wooded this pretty tree can be.)

If a tree has limited light, less than optimum nutrient availability, is subjected to excessive drought or flooding, its development can be slowed down.  Be patient, as the lavender-blue spring color of the Jacaranda tree is worth the wait.

Photo: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS

 

Send us your favorite garden question by fax (863-763-5901), email (okeenews@newszap.com) or just drop it off at the Okeechobee News office at (107 SW 17th St. suite D, Okeechobee, FL 34974).  The University of Florida - Okeechobee County Extension office will pick out three questions that would be of greatest interest to local residents and publish brief answers in the Okeechobee News.

To continue the column, we need YOUR real questions by Monday at 5 PM. Be sure to include your name and phone or email address in case we need more information (We can publish a question as anonymous if you wish).  Clear photographs (digital preferred) may also be submitted,.  Do not drop by actual plant specimens (unless it is a prize tomato for our salad or a beautiful flower for our office!)  We reserve the right to edit all questions for space.

More information is available on the award-winning Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on Florida-Friendly Landscaping, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.   HAPPY THANKSGIVING and Go Gators! 

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Trade  names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean. Last update: 11/25/2008.  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert