The Endless Summer hydrangea is a brand of cold-hardy, reblooming hydrangeas. Their stunning blooms are available in many colors: pink, blue, purple, red, and white. This mophead hydrangea cultivar blooms on the previous year’s stems as well as the new season’s stems, which is not the typical bloom habit of mophead hydrangeas. This plant provides flowers from spring through late summer. It is the perfect shrub for foundation plantings, containers, perennial flower borders, and anywhere in your landscape where you want colorful blooms!

Do Endless Summer Hydrangeas need sun?

Endless Summer Hydrangeas thrive in partial shade, or roughly four hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day. It's best if they receive sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon.

How big do Endless Summer Hydrangeas get?

3-5 feet

How do you keep Endless Summer Hydrangeas blooming?

Since Endless Summer Hydrangeas bloom on last year's growth (“old wood”) as well as the current season's growth (“new wood”), you will get the most flowers by protecting the flower buds on the old wood. To do this, do NOT prune or cut back your shrubs after August 1st.

Where is the best place to plant a hydrangea?

Many people plant hydrangeas in beds next to their homes or fences. This is because hydrangeas love the warm morning sun, but they dislike the heat of the afternoon. The best place to plant hydrangeas is in a sheltered location with sunny mornings and shady afternoons.

Water needs for Endless Summer Hydrangeas:

Endless Summer hydrangeas have medium to high water needs. Throughout the growing season, the soil should be kept evenly moist but not waterlogged. Ensuring the plant has proper drainage is imperative to prevent root rot.

How much sunlight do Endless Summer hydrangeas need?

The best location to ensure continuous bloom is one where the plant receives morning sun and afternoon dappled shade. In too much sun, they might stop blooming.

If you’re looking to add this North Florida Landscape plant into your yard, please fill out the form above or contact us at (352) 378-5296.

Not many plants can stand the heat and humidity in Florida, but the Dwarf Penta loves it! This sun and heat loving flower that has been bred to bloom all summer. These attractive plants produce red, pink, or white flowers which makes them a great addition to a sunny, hot, flower garden throughout the summer and are a great source of food for hummingbirds and butterflies. This variety of Penta will stay compact and top out around 12 – 15 inches.

When to plant Dwarf Pentas:
Grow pentas in a full sun location after all danger of frost has passed. Pentas love warm temperatures and will stall and not grow well if planted too early. It’s easiest to purchase penta plants from a garden center in spring.

Where to plant Dwarf Pentas:
Grow pentas in full/part sun. Plant transplants in well-drained, compost-amended soil. Pentas don’t like cold, wet feet. Grow pentas 1 to 2 feet apart and grow them in groups for a more dramatic effect.

Watering Dwarf Pentas:
Although they are somewhat drought tolerant, keep young plants well watered. Add a layer of mulch around the established plants to help conserve soil water and prevent weed growth.

Pro Tips:
Since many pentas have bright colored flowers, it’s best to grow groups of them in beds where that can be viewed from a distance such as from a walkway or road. The bright colors will make the bed pop. When viewed up close, the bright colors can be visually overwhelming. Grow pastel colored selections for containers and beds viewed up close

Pentas are fairly easy to grow, but do require regular deadheading to look their best and flower well. Pinch the tops of young plants after planting to encourage branching and more flower formation. Deadhead spent blooms to encourage more blooms to form until fall.

Using Dwarf Penta is an excellent way to add color to your landscape!
Are you looking for more options to brighten up your landscape?
Watch our video: What can I use to add color to my Gainesville Landscape?

Pentas are low maintenance plants. Provided they get plenty of water, sunshine, and heat, they will perform beautifully and reward you with an abundance of blooms.

If you’re looking to add this Gainesville Landscape Plant into your yard, please fill out the form above or contact us at (352) 378-5296.

Milkweed is the poster plant for pollinator-friendly landscape designs. Not only is it attractive, it's an important nectar source for bees and other insects. Milkweed is also well known for attracting butterflies and serving as a host plant for their caterpillars.

Most famously, milkweed serves as the only host plant for the monarch butterfly.

Milkweed generally grows quickly, reaching a final height up to four feet tall, depending on the species. You can plant them closely, about 18-24 inches apart in most North Florida lawns. And whether or not the milkweed is being installed as part of a butterfly garden, plant multiple plants. Too few and you will be left with leafless milkweed and hungry caterpillars! Planting multiple species can also increase the attractiveness to butterflies and other pollinators in your yard.

Avoid Pesticides

As a host plant for a number of pollinators, use of pesticides on milkweed is discouraged. As a result, expect some aesthetic damage throughout the growing season. Install milkweed behind ground covers or mounding plants to hide the stems but show off the blooms. Monarch caterpillars can consume a plant's leaves quickly, but this usually doesn't cause long-term damage. Aphids also pose a problem. Instead of applying pesticides, keep this pest in check with a blast of water from the hose.

Pruning

It is recommended to prune the milkweed stalks to about 6 inches in height during the fall and winter months to discourage monarchs from establishing winter-breeding colonies. Cutting back the milkweed will also help to eliminate OE spores that may be present on the plant. (OE is a debilitating protozoan parasite that infects monarchs)

Best Growing Conditions:

Most milkweed prefers full sun. They tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions, from clay to sand. Many species used in Gainesville landscaping prefer dry, sandy soil and are moderately drought tolerant.

Water Needs:

With the exception of droughts, you can skip watering. During droughts, keep the flowers blooming with weekly watering. Avoid overhead watering.

Blooming:

Milkweed blooms in summer and early fall, providing a nectar source after the spring blooming flowers are done. In winter it will disappear but will grow back in late spring.

If you’re looking to add this Gainesville Landscape Plant into your yard, please fill out the form above or contact us at (352) 378-5296.

Deep Purple Salvia is an easy care, drought tolerant, deer resistant annual that the pollinators just adore. Prized for attracting hummingbirds, bees and butterflies, this tall, upright annual is an excellent thriller for mixed container plantings in addition to its use in the landscape.
The intense purple spikes of Deep Purple Salvia create a great focal point for mixed containers and as a thriller in the garden. This continuous blooming Salvia is sterile ,which means more flowers for you.

Do salvias like sun or shade?
Most salvias prefer full sun and well-drained soils, but some will bloom well in part shade. Once established, most salvia species are quite drought-tolerant and require little care. Excessive water and fertilizer can increase fungal disease problems for salvias. Most salvias prefer slightly acidic soils.

Do salvias need a lot of water?
Salvias do not require a great deal of water. Over watering can rot the roots so we list them as either low water usages (supplemental watering only during periods of drought) or medium water usages (1 inch of water every 7-10 days-can be either rainfall or supplemental watering).

How much space do salvias need?
Plant 18 – 24 inches apart in containers. For garden beds, plants should be spaced approximately 20 - 22 inches apart. When using as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 20 inches apart.

Pruning Salvia:
If you find that it is taller than you want, then we recommend giving it a trim which will in turn create branching and even more blooms!
Cut old stems right back down to the lowest shooting node. If the stems have died off completely over winter, cut them right back to the base, where new growth should have appeared.
In summer, be sure to deadhead blooms. Snip them off, making your cut just above a set of leaves. This will neaten up the appearance of the plants and encourage repeat flowering.

Hummingbirds and butterflies love salvia’s tubular flowers and they’re adored by bees, too, so plant them if you wish to attract these pretty pollinators! This tall, upright thriller is sure to put on a show in your garden.

If you’re looking to add this Landscape Plant into your yard, please fill out the form above or contact us at (352) 378-5296.

When and how should I trim my crape myrtles is one of the most common questions we see from clients year after year. These trees are a staple in Gainesville, FL landscapes, and for good reason! This long-blooming tree performs extremely well in our climate and features beautiful bark, graceful flowers, and even a bit of fall color when its leaves drop in the fall. A well maintained crape myrtle will deliver months of stunning blooms and, once established, requires little to no supplemental irrigation. What’s not to love?

When to trim a Crape Myrtle in Gainesville?
Many think that the right time to trim a crape is in the fall, once it loses its leaves. The smaller suckers and young growth may look unsightly and a neat, trim appearance while the tree is bare can be desired. In our climate we see cold snaps followed by days and weeks that are warm, and a freshly pruned tree is primed to deliver new growth. That new growth is incredibly tender and when another frost or freeze comes around, it could cause stunting and damage to the health of the tree.
In Gainesville, the best time to trim crapes in is just before spring, once the risk of freezing temperatures passes and just before new growth emerges.

What is Crape Murder?
A common phrase you’ll hear when it comes to trimming crapes is “crape murder” and what this means is that the tree has been trimmed in a way that will result in a less aesthetically appealing structure. These are very resilient trees and this type of pruning is not likely to kill it, but it is incredibly difficult, often impossible, to get the tree back to the graceful form it is intended to have.

For the health of the tree and for the long term blooms, it is actually better to leave them untrimmed than to prune them improperly.

Correct Procedures for Gainesville Crape Myrtle Pruning

In this illustration you see a 4-year old crape myrtle tree as it may appear in late winter, when still in dormancy, and before new growth has begun to emerge. This tree has been properly pruned for 3 years. At the top of the branches you will notice seed pods that formed after last season’s blooms. In studying the diagram more closely you might notice where pruning cuts were made in previous years, and that wherever cuts were made two new branches emerged from beneath the cuts.

The arrow that says '6" stub' indicates where to make cuts when pruning your crape myrtle tree. The rule of thumb is to trace down from the top of a stem (from the seedpods if the tree bloomed), to where that stem meets a branch. Using a pair of sharp bypass or lopper pruners make a cut about 8 to 12 inches or so above the intersection - never below the branching point.
Alternatively, you can grab the tip of stem and bend it over, making your cut right at the point where the stem starts to bend. The remaining branch should be strong enough to support the new branches that emerge just below your cut. Repeat this process until all stems have been cut as is shown on the right side of this diagram.

By using this method of pruning you will be promoting a fuller canopy and an increase in the number of blooms.  For a nice and tidy appearance you can prune suckers (small branches) that grew from the trunk base, and any twiggy growth that emerged up and along the main trunks.

The Right Tree in the Right Place

One of the most common reasons that we see crape murder occur is because the wrong variety of crape was planted too close to a home, structure, or other existing trees. It’s important to know that crapes range in mature size from diminutive dwarf varieties no larger than a shrub, to large trees 20-30 feet tall. If you are planning on installing a new crape in Gainesville, make sure to select a variety that will be the size appropriate to its location when full grown. This is minimize the amount of pruning needed as time passes, and ensure that a beautiful tree does not have to be removed for being too close to your home.
 

If pruned the right way and right time, you'll enjoy one of the most beautiful trees in Gainesville landscaping for years to come!

"Elijah Blue" (Festuca glauca) is one of the most low-maintenance and Florida Friendly grasses around. It is easily grown in  well-drained soils in full sun. Although it can tolerate some light shade, they show the best foliage color in maximum sunlight.

This Gainesville Landscaping Plant of the month has outstanding, icy blue coloration and it's clumping ornamental grass holds up even through the heat of summer. Buff-colored plumes create eye-catching contrast. Perfectly suited for edging borders or mass planting as a groundcover. Drought tolerant when established. Semi-evergreen.

They are intolerant of wet, poorly-drained soils. Foliage is semi-evergreen. Clumps tend to die out in the center and need to be divided and replanted or replaced every 2-3 years. Cut back foliage in early spring to 3-4" to tidy clumps and to facilitate emergence of the new leaf blades. Clumps may decline in hot, humid summers, and should be cut back if such occurs. Mass densely (plant 8-10" apart) when planting as a ground cover since clumps do not spread outward very much and weeds may grow between clumps if spaced too far apart. May be grown from seed, but variations in foliage color often occur.

Festuca glauca, commonly called blue fescue, is a short-lived, low-growing, semi-evergreen, clump-forming ornamental grass noted for its glaucous, finely-textured, blue-gray foliage. Foliage forms a dome-shaped, porcupine-like tuft of erect to arching, needle-like blades radiating upward and outward to a height of 6-8" (inflorescences typically bring total clump height to 10-14"). Light green flowers with a purple tinge appear in terminal panicles atop stems rising above the foliage in late spring to early summer, but inflorescences are not very showy. Flowers give way to buffy seed heads which some gardeners find attractive but others find detractive to both the symmetry of the plant and the foliage color. Synonymous with Festuca ovina var. glauca and Festuca ovina 'Glauca'.

Genus name comes from the Latin word meaning a grass stalk or straw.

'Elijah Blue' is one of the best of the blue fescues. Synonymous with Festuca ovina 'Elijah Blue' and Festuca ovina var. glauca 'Elijah Blue'.

Compact and versatile ornamental grass that may be used as an edging plant for borders or path, a ground cover for small areas, or as an accent in rock gardens and border fronts. Mixes well with other ornamental grasses.

If you would love to have this in your Gainesville, Florida Landscape Design - please don't hestitate to contact our team of lawn professionals at (352) 378-5296 or the Contact form at the top of the page.

The Viola is a beautiful cool-season annual. It offers amazing uniformity across a wide range of dazzling colors for Gainesville Landscaping with more blooms on every plant than most other flowers. It is also more tolerant of Florida's warm days in the middle of the winter well, too. It's excellent for massing, edging, rock gardens and in hanging baskets and other containers.

These little beauties were imported from Europe in the 18th century.  Viola flowers are smaller than their Pansy cousins – about the size of a nickel – but much more abundant. Violas also tend to be more heat and cold tolerant so that means an extended blooming season.

Viola cornuta looks like a Pansy. They actually belong to the same family, but the viola is much more hardy than the pansy is. The petals are how you can distinguish pansies from viola cornuta. Voila cornuta numbers 2 petals facing upwards, and three facing downwards. 

Here are some photos of Violas and Poinsettias planted in Butler Plaza this week! They aren't in full bloom yet, but will be within a week or two. 

If you would like to see Violas planted in your Gainesville, Florida lawn - please contact our office by calling (352) 378-5296 or emailing info@themasterslawncare.com

Landscape Plants in Gainesville yards are often loved for the beauty they add to homes and businesses year after year. Perennial plantings are the majority of those landscaping plants. While not all perennials need time to look and do their best, this is a common enough phenomenon that there is an actual adage for it "The first year they sleep, the second year they creep and the third year they leap!"  But what does that really mean?

The First Year They Sleep

The time to plant in your Gainesville yard finally comes, so you hire a landscape company to design a beautiful landscape for you. It is beautiful and you couldn't be more proud - if only the plants were a little bit larger. You've waited 3 months to see them grow and nothing happens.  The plants just sit there, taunting you, seemingly content to laze the summer away without growing much bigger. 

Now if you had a tool to see underground, you could take a look and see that while it's true that nothing much is happening above ground, there is a lot happening down under.  Roots are what's happening.  Some perennials spend most of their energy the first year creating a great root system, instead of growing a lot on top, and that is the basis for great plants in the long run.  Well-developed roots are better at finding and taking up both water and nutrients, not to mention anchoring the plant in place and keeping the plant healthy which translates into better yard pest and disease resistance, too. 

The Loropetalum is a classic example of a Gainesville landscape plant that sleeps, creeps and then leaps. I've planted several of these at my current home, but they were mostly in a holding pattern their first season.  Now that they are going into their second summer in my yard, I'm seeing more flowers and stems, but I am expecting them to do something even more spectacular next year.

The Second Year They Creep

In a perennial's second year, even though you can't see them, the roots are growing bigger and stronger.  You'll notice that there is more foliage and flowers than the first year.  That's important because the leaves are the "engine" for the plant -- they absorb the sun's rays which create food and energy for the plant. Although their growth is appreciated in year two, it still isn't at the level most hope for if planted for privacy or screening. 

The Third Year They Leap

In their third year, most shrubs and trees burst into full glory.  The roots are now very well-established, they are growing strong.  It is almost as if the plants do 2 years of growing in one year to make up for the sleeping and creeping!  It'll leave you thinking "Now THIS is what I was talking about!"  

One of landscape contractors' biggest struggles is planning for a "wow" effect right after everything is initially installed, while also planning for the growth of the plants not to be crowded in 3-5 years as they grow to maturity. If compensating for full growth of all the plants, the initial yard renovation can look bare and underwhelming. However, planting the beds to look full when first installed will give your lawn maintenance service nightmares of trimming to keep everything from growing together and looking like a jungle in a couple years. The key is balance in having immediate appeal while also planning ahead for growth and maintenance. 

One of the biggest keys to our success is in the initial appointment to discuss your expectations for your yard, and following with the desires for plant sizes and ongoing maintenance of the landscape. If this consultation is something you think you could benefit from, please call our office at (352) 378-LAWN (or text us at 352-378-5296) for a landscape proposal at your earliest convenience. 

Even though Florida experiences moderate winter temperatures, a freeze can still occur. All it takes is one night of exposure to wind and temperatures between 30-40 degrees, and your tender plants or shrubs can receive cold damage without winter plant protection. Here are some tips on what to do before and after freezing temperatures in North Florida landscapes occur.

How To Cover Plants and Shrubs

Covering plants and shrubs that are not cold-hardy is the best way to protect them when a freeze is predicted to happen in Florida. Use cloth, sheets, quilts, burlap, or other coverings you can get from local nurseries made specifically for plants.

Do not use plastic for winter plant protection, for it will cause water droplets from condensation to appear on the leaves, which will result in freeze-burn.

Covers that extend to the ground can lessen cold damage by reducing heat loss. Plants or flowers in containers or pots can be brought inside the house or in the garage. If they must be left outdoors, push them together to reduce heat loss. You can also cover them with proper covering. Remember, when temperatures warm up, to separate them as soon as possible because the leaves can be damaged if left crowded together for a long time.

What To Do After Freeze Has Ended

When the freeze has ended with temperatures returning to normal and the sun shining again, remove covers, for plants need air and light as soon as possible. Any brown leaves will fall off naturally, and new growth should appear when the temperature warms up. If you want to, remove the brown leaves by hand.

After removing winter plant protection, check plants and shrubs for their watering needs. Water as soon as possible. The ground or soil in containers may still have frost, so they will need to thaw out. This helps plants receive water as quickly as possible.

Pruning And Fertilizing Cold-Damaged Damaged Shrubs 

Pruning should be delayed until springtime for most tropical landscape plants. When spring arrives, new growth should start, and then you will know that the plant has survived the winter. You can see which woody stems or branches are alive or dead by scraping off the bark with your fingernail. Look for green tissue and prune back dead stems to the point where the green begins, even if it means cutting them down to the base of the plant or shrub. You will know within 30 days if they will survive. Wait until spring to start your Shrub and Ornamental Fertilization program with any high-nitrogen fertilizers. 

The Master's is always thinking of ways to help you love your lawn and landscape. One of those ways is ensuring it looks it's best in spite of a cold snap. We hope thiese tips are helpful, adn if we can be of service call us at (352) 378-5296 or (904) 913-5296. 

3 Tips for Protecting your Sprinkler System During Frost

Along with your other to-do list to prepare for the colder weather, you must take the time to go through the winterization process of your Gainesville irrigation system.

Winterizing your sprinkler system is necessary to avoid damage to the backflow preventer and your landscape plants when nearing a freeze warning:

1. Adjust the Irrigation Schedule:

• Modify your irrigation schedule to avoid running the system during frost periods.
• Unlike the practice of citrus growers who run water throughout the night to protect their plants, running sprinklers during a frost can lead to frozen moisture on plant leaves, causing more harm than good.

2. Protect the Backflow Preventer:

• Insulate your backflow preventer from low temperatures by using material to protect the exposed pipe, plastic, and metal.
• The photo above shows a backflow, but the insulation does not cover the metal or plastic housing on the device. These materials are available at all home improvement stores.
• In case of a last-minute need, wrap a heavy blanket around the backflow preventer to provide insulation. This DIY approach can help prevent damage caused by freezing temperatures.

3. Post-Freeze Inspection and Scheduling:

• After the frost has passed, inspect your irrigation system for any potential issues or damage.This is great to do seasonally anyway, but even more so after a frost.
• Once you've ensured the system is in good condition, resume your normal irrigation schedule. Regular maintenance ensures the continued efficiency of your system.

By following these tips, you can protect your irrigation system from the adverse effects of frost, ensuring it remains in optimal condition to keep your landscape thriving. If you have any concerns or need assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to our team of experts. Stay proactive, stay informed, and safeguard your irrigation investment during freezing weather.

The Master's is committed to helping it's clients protect their irrigation and landscape through the weather changes we see in North Florida. If we can answer questions for you, or if a technician is needed to service your sprinkler system, don't hesitate to contact us by calling us at (352) 378-5296 or (904) 913-5296.