North Florida gardening calendar

NORTH FLORIDA — As we are about to move into a new year, I wanted to share with you a gardening resource that you can use throughout the year. It’s the UF/IFAS Extension North Florida Gardening Calendar created by Sidney Park Brown, Associate Professor Emeritus with the UF/IFAS Department of Environmental Horticulture.

For each month, there is a section on “What to plant” for that month and a section on “What to do” in our North Florida lawns, landscapes and gardens.

Here is the calendar for January. As you can see, there’s much to do even in January here in North Florida. Each month follows a similar format.

What to Plant

Annuals/Bedding plants: Cool-season annuals include pansy, viola, petunia, and snapdragon. See Annuals: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_annual_landscape_plants

Bulbs: Crinum, agapanthus, and gloriosa lily can be planted now. Mulch to protect from cold temperatures. See Bulbs for Florida: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_bulbous_flowers

Camellias: Select and plant camellia this month. Visit local nurseries now for the best selection of colors and forms. See Camellias: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_camellia

Vegetables: Irish potatoes can be planted now. Start with healthy seed pieces purchased from a local nursery or online seed catalog. Continue planting cool-season crops, including broccoli, kale, carrots, and lettuce. See Vegetable Gardening in Florida: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_vegetable_gardening

What to Do

Deciduous fruit: Plant deciduous fruit trees now to give their roots time to develop before the warm, dry spring months. Prune and fertilize existing trees. See Temperate Fruit for the Home Landscape: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_home_temperate_fruit

Cold protection: Be ready to cover tender plants to minimize damage. Frost or freezes are likely this month and next. See Cold Protection and Chilling Damage of Landscape Plants: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscapes_and_cold

Irrigation: Water plants if temperatures remain higher than normal and rainfall is scarce. See Landscape Irrigation: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscape_irrigation

Shrubs and trees: Prune non-spring flowering shrubs and trees this month to improve form. See Pruning Landscape Trees and Shrubs: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_tree_pruning

Arbor Day: Celebrate Florida Arbor Day (the third Friday of January) by planting a tree in your yard or community. Consider a hurricane-resistant tree, such as live oak, bald cypress, cabbage palm, or crape myrtle. See Arbor Day in Florida:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_arbor_day

Crape myrtle: Remove seed pods, crossing branches and small twiggy growth to improve the appearance and form of the plant, if desired. Hard pruning is not required. See Crapemyrtle: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_crapemyrtle

Pests: Control persistent scale insects on citrus, shrubs, camellias, and deciduous fruit trees; apply horticultural oil while plants are dormant. See Landscape Pest Management: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_landscape_pests

Here is the link to the calendar. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/EP/EP45100.pdf.

Larry Williams is the Extension horticulture agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. Contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@myokaloosa.com.