Date:
Tropical Planting Breaks the Rules. WInter planting in Florida
In the photo: Senecio confusus - Mexican flame vine, one of the most spectacular winter-bloomers.
by Murray Corman (Garden of Delights)
Waiting for Arbor Day or the first day of spring to plant a tree is
something of a missed opportunity for those of us who live in the virtually
evergreen world of the tropics and subtropics. Wintertime does not just mean hard
work for tropical gardeners. It is also a time to enjoy the fruits of our
labor. Winter-blooming plants and the visitors they attract - birds, bats and
butterflies - make the garden as enjoyable in winter as any other time of
year.
What a welcome relief: January daytime temperatures in the 70s, dropping to
the 60s at night. This is why I came to live in the subtropics of southern
Florida. The balmy climate of South Florida represents one of the few places
on the mainland United States where tropical plants thrive unprotected
outdoors...
