- Many people shop at places like K-Mart,
Lowe's, Home Depot or Target for plant
material. If you're assuming flowers you see for sale (not flowering shrubs)
are appropriate for your landscape, you are probably wrong. The (vast) majority of potted
flowers for sale will not survive long (a few weeks?) in your Florida
landscape (or warm/hot southern states) during late spring and summer &
early fall
The reason these plants are for sale is because people buy them, period
- Your spring / summer list of good quality flowers to use is
very short. Depending on the conditions you provide, you may use pentas, dwarf pentas,
caladiums, summer begonias, lantana, portulaca, periwinkle (some) and some salvias. In our
experience, no other flowers will last through the entire warm/hot season
- The conditions you have determine which flowers will work in
your landscape. For example, periwinkles will survive only
dry areas. They die very quickly with just a little excess water (fungus
gets 'em)
- After the weather turns warm/hot, you'll be extracting your
spent impatiens. Use only flowers listed here
- Your other Florida (or warm/hot southern
states) alternative is to not plant flowers to replace your impatiens. It
is perfectly acceptable to clean up impatien beds and apply a light mulch,
then wait for the fall planting season again
Here's
"your approved spring / summer flower
list" from Master Gardener
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