One of our favorite cool-season flowering plants to brighten Gainesville Landcsaping is the Diascia 'Juliet'. Diascia has prolific, showy blossoms on a low-mounding habit. Diascia can be used interchangeably with Alyssum, Pansies, Nemesia, and other cool season annuals. These plants love cooler weather, so they are covered in blooms. While perennial further north, Diascia will likely not make it through our summers - making it a cool-season annual for Gainesville, Florida lawns.
Diascia is sometimes referred to as "twinspur" because the flowers feature two spurs coming out of the back of the blossoms. Within these spurs, the plants produce an oil that is collected by a species of bees that have evolved alongside the plants. Diascia grows as a compact mound 1-2 feet in spread and 2-3 feet high.
North Florida Landscape companies are usually very familiar with planting common snapdragons (Antirrhinum), but may not know their semi-trailing cousin Diascia or Twinspur. Like snapdragons, Diascia can withstand multiple light frosts without skipping a beat. But Diascia wins in the maintenance category as its burgeoning blooms are produced profusely without any deadheading.
Diascia is frost tolerant to 28 degrees, so below that we recommend some covering to protect them - but those night are rare in our area.
This South African plant grows best in fertile, well-drained soil with consistent moisture. Diascias tolerate drought once they are well-established. These plants will benefit from regular fertilization, especially during the spring.
While they do not require deadheading to keep up with their blossoms, diascia will benefit from a shearing back to encourage a flush of new growth.
If you would like to see Diascia or other Gainesville Landscape installation, please don't hesitate to reach out to our office (352) 378-5296 or info@themasterslawncare.com