Florida fall flowers: Don’t fall for these six mistakes.
ArtisTree has worked through 34 Florida fall seasons, and each year we see the same planting mistakes being made. We suspect it’s because summer-weary homeowners are ready to plunge into all that’s fall: football, apple cider and yellow mums. In their zeal, they dash to big-box nurseries to fill their flower beds, only to have regrets later. ArtisTree Plantopinions experts identify six missteps to avoid so you can enjoy the prettiest fall landscape ever.
Impatient for Florida fall flowers? Don’t put the cart before the horse and plant too early.
Joe Mantkowski, ArtisTree VP Landscape Design: Mixing flowers with different needs.
A typical mistake I see local homeowners make is mixing flowers that have different needs (i.e. light, soil, moisture, etc.). Another is plant placement. I like to see fall annuals spaced close together for more of a visual impact. I often place them at front entries as well as along borders of plant beds and among elevated areas with large rock accents. My favorite two fall annuals are alyssum (for their pink, purple and white color options) as well as petunias (despite required pruning/deadheading).
Fall favorites include pink pentas, purple lantana and frothy white alyssum.
Clinton Lak, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: Using too many varieties.
I don’t think there are too many steadfast rules with annuals, but that said, there are a couple. One of the biggest mistakes I see is that people often use too many varieties, which creates a busy look. It’s important to select a bloom/foliage color that doesn’t clash with surrounding colors (think coleus, etc.). Additionally, since annuals have such a short shelf life (many require replacement three or four times per year), you should install those that are just coming into season. Given that life expectancy is so short, timing is the most critical variable since very few annuals perform well in both cool and warm seasons. It can also be expensive and deflating to install a couple hundred annuals that “melt” a few weeks later. One other tip: Annuals should create pockets of color that complement an area opposed to “stealing the focus.” When numerous varieties in different colors are used, the viewer’s eye becomes fixated on them versus appreciating the beauty of the overall landscape. Limiting annuals to one or two colors cements the theme and creates a more cohesive look that doesn’t detract.
Begonias, geraniums and Blue Daze ground cover.
Chris Culp, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: Selecting annuals instead of perennials.
I haven’t used seasonal annuals in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, because there’s plenty of nice Florida fall flowers out there. But they’re more commonly used for community entrances, malls and high traffic areas. The homeowners I deal with don’t want to change out their flowers twice a year. I use more of the flowering perennials like pentas, lantana and Blue Daze that can last a couple of years if properly taken care of.
Brian Clouser, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: Not scaling flower beds to landscape size.
I think people forget to keep things in scale within the size of their landscape. Big waves and sweeps of multiple colors look great if there’s space, but not many homes around here have large flower beds. One or two colors of flowers work better for smaller areas, and 20 to 30 flowers can make a big impact leading to a front door. I like geraniums, Sunpatiens, and begonias for cool-season flowers. Front-of-home beds with low windows can be great spots for flowers. A low green hedge (Podocarpus ‘Pringles’ or Green Island Ficus) behind bright flowers provides a solid background that enhances seasonal color changes.
Clusters of fall-loving impatiens provide beautiful mounds of color.
Elisabeth Owen, ArtisTree Landscape Designer: Planting fall flowers too early.
I’d say the most common mistake homeowners make when selecting fall flowers is getting them too early! Our fall begins in mid-October (Daylight Saving Time), not a month or six weeks earlier like in the northeast. Snowbirds may come down and plant these when it’s still 90 degrees during the day and heat is still a factor. (Since we have a shortened fall, I consider annuals as summer or winter plants.) Additionally, homeowners may select winter flowers available in box stores that our temperatures don’t yet allow for. Annuals also need more frequent watering, and October/November are hot, dry months for us. My favorites are coleus, Sunpatiens and begonias. Coleus offers blend-ready foliage color and is ideal for elevated beds and containers. Compact Sunpatiens boast flower-power colors of white, pink, lilac, orange and red, all nice mounds of color that can handle full sun in cooler temps. Begonias are somewhat more tender and can’t tolerate wet bed conditions for long periods. Best to use these in containers and hanging baskets. Like Sunpatiens, they’re herbaceous and have water in their stems, so while we’re unlikely to get a freeze in Florida, even a frost can kill them. Again, containers are a good idea. Remember to select your fall annuals when cooler temps actually arrive. I saw mums in Home Depot last weekend! Our days are just too warm for them to grow well here. They’re day-length sensitive to bloom, much like poinsettias.
Coleus plants delight with a variety of colorful foliage that blends well with other Florida fall plantings.
Conan Michel, Landscape Operations Manager: Overlooking care requirements.
I have installed hundreds of thousands of annuals throughout my career and would recommend that people simply follow these basic rules:
1. Elevate planting beds with an enriched blend of soil made for annuals, not potting soil. This will facilitate better water filtration while adding organic matter. The depth of soil should be the same as the annual’s root ball.
2. Mix a slow-release fertilizer into the beds (Home Depot sells a product called Dynamite).
3. Plant your annuals in soil 8” to 12” on center.
4. Control moisture in beds and monitor plant needs (dry/wet)
5. Watch them grow!
My favorite winter annual is the impatien. While they come in many different colors and varieties, the Sunpatien variety tolerates more heat and does better in our intense Florida sun. They grow quickly and will fill in areas with great color. You’ll usually need to cut them back halfway through the winter season so they don’t get too tall and leggy. The season is determined by the average temperature and when it becomes too hot for them to remain hydrated. My other fall recommendation is the durable coleus (which also performs well in summer). It’s not known for its flowers but instead for its vibrant leaf colors. Follow the same planting rules for impatiens and you will be successful.
ArtisTree VP/Landscape Joe Mantkowski & landscape designers Clinton Lak, Chris Culp, Brian Clouser, Elisabeth Owen, plus Landscape Operations Manager Conan Michel.
ArtisTree “Plantopinions” is a roundtable debate between multiple ArtisTree experts on the virtues of various plant specimens. Sometimes there’s consensus and sometimes not. In the end, you are the judge.
Contact ArtisTree Landscape 941.488.8897
To get your landscape renovation started now, browse ArtisTree’s portfolio and then call Jenni Lassen at 941.488.8897 to meet with one of our award-winning designers. We proudly serve Sarasota, Manatee and Charlotte counties.
