5. Bleeding Hearts: Clerodendrum thomsoniae is a vine from the mint family (Lamiaceae), though some sources like the USDA Plants Database list it under Verbenaceae. It grows in Central or South Florida with full sun to partial shade, producing red, heart-shaped flowers throughout the year, especially in milder weather.

4. Witches Hair — Cuscuta, or dodder, is a genus of over 201 parasitic plants, usually yellow, orange, or red. Once classified in Cuscutaceae, it is now part of the morning glory family.

3. Black Bat Plant – Tacca chantrieri. – Species of flowering plant in the yam family – National Flower of Thailand. It smells like a rotting corpse, self-pollinating. It can be planted in full shade outside or can be an indoor plant.

2. Snapdragon Skulls – After blooming, snapdragon seeds resemble human skulls. Historically, these plants were believed to protect against deceit, curses, and witchcraft, and some myths claimed they could restore youth and beauty to women who consumed them.

1. Ghost PipesMonotropa uniflora Ghost plant or Death plant, Indianpipe is a spectral herbaceous perennial wildflower, Grows throughout Florida naturally in mixed temperate hardwood forests and scrub, particularly where the ground is covered in leaf litter and lichens. It typically blooms in November. Its whitish color is due to it being non-photosynthetic and does not contain chlorophyll.

Hanging baskets are an effective way to enhance entryways, patios, arbors, or gazebos, adding both vivid color and vertical interest to outdoor spaces. Consider these new and attractive low-maintenance flowering options and more from Proven Winners for your landscape.

Embracing the Beauty of Fall

Fall is truly my favorite time of year. Not only is it the season of my favorite holidays (and Tony’s and my birthdays) but the season brings an exquisite Autumn color palette featuring rich shades of burgundy, vibrant orange, earthy browns, and deep forest greens. As the days progress, the temperatures begin to cool, even if only by a few degrees, providing a refreshing change from the heat of summer. Additionally, the humidity gradually decreases, making time spent in the garden much more comfortable and enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the upcoming change of seasons and new year.

Recently, on Better Lawns and Gardens, I had the pleasure of speaking with Katie Dubow, President of the Garden Media Group. In September, the company marked an impressive milestone, celebrating 25 years of forecasting garden trends. Their ongoing research continues to shape the gardening world, and according to their latest findings, the prominent theme for 2026 will be “Lemonading.”

 Lemonading, the ability to reframe problems with creativity into ideas and solutions. This new phrase provides opportunities for people to enjoy life and stylize it to their own personality and needs. How does Katie and the Garden Media Group Dream Team think lemonading will shape gardening in 2026?  The company’s research shows that people will be:

  • Looking for joy, relaxation, seeing their efforts make a difference, not only in gardening but in their world.

  • More “kidulting” with new software, using games and technology from our youth (and adulthood) to relax but also to be a better gardener.  

  • Setting yourself apart with collections, bento-style vignettes, especially rare and exotic plants, unusual pets, and re-shaping outdoor spaces.

  • 2026’s Color of the Year: Faded Petal. A beautiful vintage soft pink color is muted by light ash. See their flower and shrub species recommendations you can add to your landscape to showcase this new color in the link below.

Katie and her all-female staff’s predictions make sense in today’s accelerating by-the-day-world. Each of the categories is explained in depth in the Annual Report.  It’s a fun read and I will be very interested to see how much is spot on target for our future. We’ll see.

The Garden Media Group’s Annual Report can be downloaded free here.

During our final Art in Bloom Garden Tour of the year, in the New York’s Hudson River Valley, participants experienced wonderful weather and vibrant floral displays while visiting distinguished estates and notable botanical garden exhibitions. At the New York Botanical Gardens, attendees viewed The Van Gogh Flower Show, which featured an impressive selection of sunflowers, artistically arranged frames and easels with real floral compositions, as well as landscape beds designed to evoke Van Gogh’s iconic floral paintings. Additional gardens included Stonecrop Gardens, Kykuit at the Rockefeller estate, and the Gothic Revival Lyndhurst Mansion.  

A serendipitous discovery at the Lyndhurst Mansion was that it was used as the exterior backdrop of the mansion for the 1960’s gothic “Dark Shadow” soap opera series. It was my favorite soap opera next to All My Children. The house’s interior was decorated for Halloween and so much fun to walk through. I appreciated that the home did allow for interior photographs.

Another of our garden tour stops, Wave Hill, a public garden that offers incredible views of the Hudson River and features a variety of themed gardens with creative beds, art work, and diverse plant combinations. The botanical garden includes numerous plant displays that are suitable for growing in Florida's climate. The Kate French Terrace garden beds showcase color schemes including jewel tones and soft grays, which are well suited for the fall season. I include my favorite in Teresa’s Landscape Design Tips. Does it work for you?

October marks the start of Fall gardening, so consider a soil test and fertilizing if it's been a while. Adjust soil amendments and pH as needed and consult planting guides for this month's What To Do In Your Landscape in October.

My Plant of the Month is a medium-sized shade shrub with evergreen leaves, fall and winter blooms, and no pest issues—an ideal choice for your garden.

In Lizzie’s Gardening Adventures, discover how her garden gives back and how she finally resolves turkey troubles. She rules her roost!

Horrific landscape malpractice has kept me awake for decades and is as scary today as ever. Just because “Halloween” season is approaching, doesn’t mean you have to create your own “Nightmare on Elm Street.”  Learn how to properly prune your landscape.  

Please comment below if you have any gardening questions or thoughts. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and are looking forward to the cooler temperatures and holiday season. I know I am.

Fall Garden Showcase for florida

Burgandy and silver Fall plant display

Inspirational Fall display I discovered at our Art in Bloom Garden Tour in Wave Hill in the Hudson River Valley, New York. Plants include from left to right:
Front row: Copperleaf 'Ceylon', Salvia pink, Plectranthus argentea 'Silver Spur', ColorBlaze® Rediculous®, Copperleaf 'Louisiana Red',
Back Row: Celosia, Canna, 'Orange Chocolate', Cordyline 'Torbey Dazzler (I think), Leucondendron.

Most of these Zone 8 - 11 plants can be grown in Florida landscapes or container gardens year-round. Tuck a few pumpkins and gourds underneath and voilà, you have a lovely Fall display. For Winter, add a few holiday gold and silver glittery picks to stick in the ground or planter, and it’s perfect. For Spring add pink salvias or a hibiscus, and a butterfly accoutrement, and it becomes delightful. For summer gardens, add yellow Black-eyed Susans or Sunflowers and a metal piece of art featuring a sun and it will be glorious.

Show me your Fall displays! Send your photos to teresa dot watkins at live dot com.

Seasonal Surprises

Pumpkin Patch Protest

Pumpkins have unexpectedly sprouted in my burn pile, behaving like rebellious gourds determined to stage a fall-themed protest. Despite the lack of soil and planning, this rogue squash colony is thriving in the ashes. Their presence seems to mock my composting skills, transforming what should be waste into a festive Fall miracle. It’s as if nature itself has a sense of humor and enjoys playing tricks-and-treats on me.

Tom Turkey Transfers

I recently rehomed two of my tom turkeys, as their daily antics had begun to resemble a WWE wrestling match. Each morning turned into a feather-flying escapade, and even my attempts at peace talks failed to calm the chaos. Ultimately, both turkeys have moved to a new home where they can hopefully find tranquility.

These experiences serve as a reminder that life is a joyful journey. It’s up to each of us to embrace and enjoy all the moments, big and small.

For more updates, follow me through “Lizzie Said What” on social media.

Challenges come frequently when talking about pruning crape myrtles.: “I cut my crape myrtles every year and they are just fine.” “Crape myrtles need to be cut to bloom.” “The HOA tells me to cut the crape myrtles and I try to stop them, but they say, ‘Cut them!”.

If you prune your crape myrtles this way every year and they are fine, you’re fortunate. It’s not a best management practice and it may only be a matter of time when the cut is the one that kills your tree.

Crape myrtles, if located correctly, shouldn’t need pruning except for cutting off suckers at the bottom, cleaning the trunk of sprouting shoots during spring, or trimming off the spent seed heads. Crape myrtles that are hacked off bloom later or don’t bloom as much, and cutting the trees incorrectly causes more suckering.

Don’t kill your crape myrtle. Read the University of Florida’s pruning instructions.

Proper way to prune palms.

Proper way to prune shrubs and trees.

What To Do In Your Backyard in October

Halloween decorations Photo credit: Teresa Watkins

Average temperatures High 85 Low 65

Average rainfall is 2.73 inches

 

October plantings

Vegetables: Beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, collards, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas, potato, radicchio, radish, rhubarb, roquette, rutabaga, spinach, strawberry, Swiss chard and turnip

Flowers: African daisy, alyssum, angelonia, ageratum, begonia, black-eyed Susan, blue daze, calendula, candytuft, celosia, chrysanthemums, cleome, coleus, cornflower, cosmos, dianthus, dusty miller, gaillardia, gazania, geraniums, gerbera, heliotrope, hollyhock, impatiens, larkspur, lobelia, nicotiana, pentas, petunia, salvia, snapdragon, sunflower, sweet pea, verbena and zinnia.

Herbs: Anise, basil, bay laurel, borage, cardamom, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel, garlic, lavender, lemon balm, lovage, mint, nasturtium, oregano, rosemary, sage, sweet marjoram, tarragon, thyme and water cress.

Bulbs: African lily, agapanthus, amaryllis, anemone, bulbine, calla, crinum, day lily, gingers, gladiolus, pineapple lily, rain lily, society garlic, spider lilies, walking iris, watsonia. Refrigerate crocus, daffodils, hyacinth, narcissus, and tulips for forcing.

Grasses: Lomandra Breeze, Miscanthus ‘Adagio’, Muhly Grass, Dwarf Fakahatchee, White Fountain Grass, Lemon Grass.

 Lawn care

  • Get a soil test from the UF Soil Laboratory before fertilizing to know what nutrients to apply.

  • Have the soil acidity tested.

  • Apply lawn fertilizer to regreen the turf.

  • When applying fertilizer, follow label instructions.

  • October is the last feeding for Bahiagrass, centipede, and zoysia lawns this year.

  • Apply fertilizer and herbicides separately.

  • Regreen lawns that continually have a yellow look with an iron or minor-nutrient application.

  • Herbicide-only products may be used following label instructions for your lawn type.

  • Herbicides may not control all weeds; pull, dig or use non-selective spot sprays as labeled.

  • October through Spring is a good time to install sod.

  • Fill bare spots in lawns left from summer pests with sod or plugs.

  • Seeding time for bahiagrass is over; delay rye seedings until temperature highs are in the low to mid-70’s.

  • Chinch bugs and sod webworms can linger into Fall; control as needed

  • Water turf when it shows signs of moisture stress.

  • Use soil aeration in older, compacted, and poorly-drained soils to encourage better root growth.

  • Continue mowing to maintain proper turf height; keep mowing height the same year-round.

  • Sharpen & balance mower blades to give a smooth cut to leaf blades.

  • Change the oil and air filters of gas-powered equipment for Fall.

  • Use mulch or ornamental ground covers in areas where turf won’t grow.

 Vegetable and fruit tree care

  •  Harvest pumpkins this month. Look for dying leaves and vines, deep color, and hardened stem and rind.   

  • Use large transplants of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants to get a Fall crop.

  • Stake or trellis tall or vining crops to keep the edible portions off the ground.

  • Feed gardens every 3 to 4 weeks with a traditional fertilizer or use a slow-release product.

  • Tomatoes begin setting and holding their fruits early to mid-month.

  • Add flowers to vegetable gardens to attract pollinators.

  • Prevent spray damage to pollinators; apply sprays when they are not active.

  • Caterpillars feed on cucumbers, melons and tomatoes; control with a natural spray.

  • Begin plantings of cool season vegetables around mid-month.

  • Gardeners cramped for space can grow vegetables in containers.

  • Start seeds for transplants of broccoli, cauliflower, and similar vegetables in containers.

  • Add a mulch to the surface of the soil to conserve moisture and keep vegetables dirt free.

  • Groom summer weary herb plantings and start new ones that prefer the cooler weather.

  • Most vegetables & herbs need a moist soil; water when the surface begins to dry to the touch.

  • Fruit splitting on citrus trees is normal and may continue into the Fall.

  • Help prevent citrus fruit drop and splitting, water once or twice a week during dry weather.

  • Give citrus the final feeding of the year during early October.

  • Till new garden sites and enrich sandy soils with garden soil, organic matter and manure.

  • Remove offshoots from pineapple plants to start new beds.

  • Start papaya seedlings for late winter transplants.

  • Add strawberry plants to a garden or build a pyramid for planting.

  • Delay pruning all fruit plantings until mid to late winter.

  • Speed up the composting process by turning the piles monthly.

  • Harvest maturing chayote, cocoyam, dasheen, and gourds.

  • Dig in the soil to check sweet potato plantings; most have roots ready to harvest.

  Landscape chores

  •  Recycle dead shrubs and branches in your Halloween landscape.

  • Many plants produced late summer growth; prune to remove out of bounds shoots.

  • Major pruning time is over for azaleas, bougainvillea, camellias, gardenias, and poinsettias.

  • Shield poinsettias and holiday cactuses from nighttime light starting mid-month.

  • Shrubs, ground covers, and perennials, are ready for a final Fall feeding.

  • Use a slow-release fertilizer that can feed in-ground and container planting for months.

  • Most ornamental and shade trees do not need a special feeding

  • Give palms a final feeding of the year with an 8-0-12-4mg fertilizer or similar product.

  • Palm diseases are prevalent; clean and sterilize pruners between palms.

  • Be smart and only remove the brown fronds and flower stems from palms.

  • Give hedges a final trimming.

  • Remove suckers and low limbs from trees.

  • Weeds are plentiful in ornamental plantings; hand pull or spot kill to prevent seeding.

  • Whiteflies and mealy bugs are major pest; systemic insecticides offer good control.

  • Drier weather lies ahead; water when the surface soil begins to dry.

  • Most established trees and shrubs can go a week or more between waterings.

  • Trim away limbs and weeds affecting the operation of sprinkler systems.

  • Check container plantings for plugged drainage holes; repotting may be needed.

  • Maintain mulch under trees and shrubs; start the mulch several inches from trunks.

  • Determine tree needs and plant smaller growing wind resistant species.

  • Check tree and palm supports to make sure they are secure but not damaging the plants.

  • Add Fall plants to hanging baskets and container gardens.

  • Edge sidewalks and plant beds.

  • Replace soil in problem flower beds and planters.

  • Replant flower beds with cool season annuals and perennials; delay pansies until November.

  • Start Pansy and other winter annual seeds now for planting in November and December.

  • Divide perennial and bulb plantings.

  • Give water lilies and bog plants a monthly feeding.

 House & foliage plant care

  •  Order gift amaryllis to be delivered in December for Xmas.

  • Plants reduce pollutants and create a pleasing atmosphere when added to homes and offices.

  • Foliage plants are often a good buy at garden centers during Fall; replace declining plants.

  • Many foliage plants have grown too large for their containers; repot as needed.

  • Groom outdoor foliage plants and begin moving them to a warm location.

  • Most foliage plants need a bright light location but out of the direct sun.

  • Feed plants in bright light monthly; less often in low light.

  • Control insects on plants before moving them indoors.

  • Water holiday cactuses only when the surface soil dries

  • Begin forcing amaryllis and paper white narcissus for indoor displays and discontinue feedings.

  • Make sure indoor poinsettia, holiday cactuses and kalanchoes receive no nighttime light.

In Your Backyard for August 2025

Photo credit: Teresa Watkins, Art in Bloom Garden Tours at Niagara Falls Botanical Garden, Canada.

It’s heating up this month. I can’t remember a hotter summer. But I’m glad to live in Florida. We are lucky to live on a peninsula that is surrounded by the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. We don’t reach 100 º. In fact, as Matt Devitt’s, weatherman at WINK, graphic shows, it’s very rare. While we may have hot temperatures, it’s been hotter around the country.

Graphic credit: Matt Devitt WINK

I have seen a lot of large patch disease in yards this summer. Large patch is caused by overwatering grass. It is a practice that is meant to be kind and attentive but it’s the worst thing a homeowner can do to their grass. That and using herbicides in this heat. Don’t.

Large Patch Disease

No matter the variety, established turfgrass only needs 1.5” a week at the most. Check your rain gauge, we have been getting enough rain in most parts of Central Florida although the South is seeing drought conditions.

How can you keep your grass unstressed in these dog-days of summer?

  1. ·  Keep your grass mowed high at 3” – 4”.

  2. ·  Make sure lawn mower blades are sharp.

  3. Water deeply but infrequently.  Add 15 mins to your timer 2x a week   

  4. Do not fertilize.

I have posted What to Do In Your Backyard for August.  Lots of pointers, but don’t overdo. It’s too hot!

Speaking of hot times. Check out my Landscape Design Tips and Landscape Malpractice Tip #39.  Both feature the same subject: Hellstrips.

My Plant of the Month is a pretty tropical with a fun name. Great for tropical gardens.

The scheduled tours for Art in Bloom Garden Tours for 2026 is up on our website. We have fantastic gardens for garden enthusiasts next year.  We are just finalizing up details to ensure the best prices and services. We already have waiting lists for most of our Spring destinations, so let us know if you want to be notified before the final itinerary get posted.  Email:  artinbloomgardentours@gmail.com

Have lots of photos to upload from our Garden Walk Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and the Newport Flower Show, and will include our trip this month from Scotland.

Let us hear from you about what you are doing to stay cool this summer!

Turning a Hellstrip Into a Pollinator’s Heaven.

Beyond our home’s property easement is a space owned by the city or county.  Property owners are required to maintain this area. The typical landscape choice is grass. It is easy to mow, and it is green, right? But it is also an opportunity to create a little bit of heaven.

This rectangular space along the front of your home is used for entering your yard, deliveries, and by the mailman to reach into your mailbox. But can it be useful for something else?

Depending on your landscaping style, and if you are not in an HOA-ruled community, what about turning that small strip into a pollinator garden?

Benefits of a Florida pollinator strip include colorful flowers seasonally and no need for mowing or pesticide use. A selection of native and non-native annuals and perennials will provide ample diverse resources for butterflies, birds, and other pollinators. The cons will be a need for rainfall or another water source and more oversight to catch weeds as they germinate (and they will come). Pollinator gardens are not “no maintenance.”  

Designing a pollinator garden always starts off with soil testing, assessing sunlight, and a clean palette. Do not be apathetic and halfhearted about ensuring that your garden is weedless before you start. No need for landscape fabric. It is worthless keeping weeds out and will be a source of frustration in the future.

Owner: Ellie Dorritie, Hellstrip in Buffalo, NY. July 2025.

Once you know what you are working with, then you can select your plant palette and whether you want to start with seeds or plants. It is up to you. Planting seeds is less expensive; just remember that planting seeds will require monitoring and mulch to reduce the weed factor. (they will come.)

If you can afford it, planting annuals and perennials provides an instant effect that will give you satisfaction. I like to go with a combination of two-thirds plants and one-third seeds. Mark your seed areas with signs so that you do not pull sprouts up thinking they are weeds.

Start off with clearing a small area and as you have success, each season you can continue to remove your grass and substitute flowers and shrubs. Planting a heavenly area in your Hellstrip will be divine for pollinators. They will come.