“I always favor purple-flowering plants and trees, because purple is the color of royalty. Purple pigment was very expensive and hard to obtain, which made it a rare and unique color to be worn only by kings and queens. Purple flowers in the landscape also provide a rich color that contrasts well with all the shades of green in a Southwest Florida landscape. The dark purple of King’s Mantle and lavender of society garlic makes them two of my favorite plants as they blend so well with the white Continue Reading
Spartan Juniper: Fast-growing Hedge for Sarasota
Do you need privacy from a roadway or neighbor? Want a tall, luxurious hedge to boost the value of your property? Plant a row of Spartan junipers, and before you know it, your backyard will become a peaceful and private sanctuary. Native to China (not Ancient Greece as its name suggests), the Spartan juniper is an evergreen that grows extremely fast, making it a nice, natural hedge alternative to boring wood fences. Once established, Spartan juniper is unflinching, tolerating heat, cold, salt Continue Reading
Foxtail Palm Seed Pods: To Cut or Not to Cut?
Southwest Florida residents love the show-stopping colors of foxtail palm seed pods, but should the pods be cut off or left alone? The quick answer is, “It’s a matter of preference.” Here at ArtisTree Landscape Maintenance & Design, we recommend cutting off the foxtail palm seed pods. Foxtails are heavy feeders and often affected by a range of nutritional deficiencies. Instead of putting all their “energy” into sustaining their clusters of fruit (or seed pods), they can “concentrate” on Continue Reading
Sod Webworms Come From Moths in Sarasota Lawns
If you see tiny moths dancing on your Sarasota lawn, you probably have tropical sod webworms. Yes, those tan-colored moths flittering over your St. Augustine grass (or any warm-season turf grass for that matter) are an indicator of existing worms or a hatch about to happen. You’ll need to act fast. First, look for areas in your turf that look chewed on and are shorter than the rest. Then get down and spread the grass blades open to see if worm poop or actual webworms are present. Webworms are Continue Reading
