Dwarf Ruellia' is an improved variety and able to bloom beautiful pink or purple flowers almost all year long. We like this dwarf variety because they feature low, spreading mounds of narrow, dark green foliage. The combination of the flowers, grass-like texture, and green foliage make it a perfect filler to add color and interest to barren, dry areas in the yard. We also like to plant them in borders or on a sunny slope. Thanks to their compact form, these Ruellias are an excellent choice for use as a groundcover in tighter, narrower spaces and they also look great when planted in pots or planters!

Dwarf Ruellia is a low water use plant and is drought tolerant with little to moderate watering needs once established. This Ruellia variety thrives in full sun or partial shade exposures and is durable and easy to care for plants. These are a favorite for anyone that does not have a green thumb and still wants to have a thriving, colorful plant in their yard! They have a moderate growth rate, and with regular watering and care, they will have the best development.

This tough, heat-loving perennial is insect, and deer-resistant. It is perfect for dry, neglected spots in your landscape. Their long bloom season and showy flowers make Dwarf Ruellia a welcome addition to any landscape.

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.

Well-branched and very free-flowering, 'Mystic Spires' produces masses of sturdy, colorful flower stalks that are of great aesthetic appeal in beds, borders or containers and attract scores of butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects

This plant produces masses of colorful flowers that mix nicely with other annuals and perennials, is tolerant of heat and humidity (low and high), and is not bothered by pests or diseases or deer!

Exposure: full sun

Planting Time: spring to summer from containers

Soil type: adapts to most soils, but needs good drainage

This low-maintenance plant is perfect for Florida’s hot summers and keeps on blooming when other flowering plants have begun to decline.

How to Care for your Salvia:
Be sure to water every day during the establishment period after planting in the garden from a container, then, once plants have established into the landscape, you can begin to taper watering back to semi-weekly watering if local rainfall levels are low.

Leave foliage and roots in place for next year's growth. Trim off any winter damage from colder months for the fastest regrowth in the spring.

Trim back both foliage and blooms in spring regardless of whether your planting has kept its leaves or died back. This will allow the plant to regrow new lush foliage for the new season.

Fertilize each spring, and again when trimming in late summer

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.

Coreopsis may be just what you need if you’re looking for lasting summer color after most perennial flowers fade from the garden. It is easy to learn how to care for coreopsis flowers, commonly called tickseed or pot of gold. When you’ve learned how to grow coreopsis, you’ll appreciate their sunny blooms throughout the gardening season. Coreopsis flowers may be annual or perennial and come in a variety of heights. A member of the Asteraceae family, blooms of growing coreopsis are similar to those of the daisy. Colors of petals include red, pink, white, and yellow, many with dark brown or maroon centers, which makes an interesting contrast to the petals.

Coreopsis are sun-loving, low-maintenance perennials with daisy-like flowers. They are drought-tolerant, long-blooming, and happy to grow in poor, sandy, or rocky soil.

New coreopsis plants need regular water to keep the soil evenly moist (but not soggy) until they are established. After their first year, these plants have good drought tolerance, but they'll bloom most prolifically with regular watering. Water deeply whenever the soil is dry about an inch down.

Regardless of the type you're growing, coreopsis need full sun, so plant them where they will receive at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day. Coreopsis grows best in well-drained, moderately moist soils. These are not good plants for a poorly drained, low spot in the yard.

These colorful flowers attract butterflies, beneficial insects, and birds IF you let plants form for the seeds. The only problems are, that by doing so, you’ll get fewer flowers and they may self-sow throughout your garden where you don’t want them. One compromise is to keep them cut back during the season, for more flowers, but let them go to seed in the fall for the birds. You may, then, have to easily weed out some seedlings next spring if they self-sow.

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.

The trailing Lantana is a popular groundcover prized for its masses of beautiful lavender flowers that appear almost year-round. Wonderful for cascading over raised beds and hanging baskets, or as a container plant. This plant is excellent for erosion control on sunny hillsides and slopes a perfect addition to your Gainesville Landscape.

Water your newly planted trailing lantana enough to keep the soil moist, but not soggy. Once established, the plants tolerate drought and only require occasional watering. Water plants once a week, if they do not receive at least 1 inch of rainfall weekly.

Lantana flowers have such a potent effect against mosquitoes they are a perfect addition to your outdoor living space. Both the native and non-native species are pollinator-friendly. As a bonus Butterflies and bees are strongly attracted to lantana plants. You will not find a flower that is better at attracting these fluttering beauties. They will flit around a bush for hours, sucking up nectar and putting on a spectacular show.

Overgrown plants can be pruned back to about a third of their height (and spread if necessary). You can also lightly trim lantana plants periodically throughout the season to stimulate new growth and encourage flowering. This is usually done by trimming lantana tips back about one to three inches

This plant is a perfect choice for a low-maintenance landscape.

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.

Drift Roses are a cross between full-size groundcover roses and miniature roses. They were bred to provide all of the resilience, disease resistance and frequent flowering of larger landscape roses on much lower-growing bushes, filling a special niche in the landscape rose market. They will fit beautifully into smaller spaces, provide the perfect size shrub for foundation plantings and look great in containers.

How tall do drift roses get?
2-3 feet tall. They're true, low-spreading, dwarf shrub roses that grow only 2-3 feet tall by 2-3 feet wide and are covered with blooms that open to 1 1/2 inches. Drift roses are perfect in small gardens, splashing your landscapes with visual delight.

What is the difference between drift roses and knockout roses?
Although newer than Knockout roses, Drift roses are quickly becoming a gardener's favorite. Drift roses also bloom nonstop and don't need to be sprayed for the disease. Drift roses have a more traditional 'rose' shape and some of them are even fragrant, such as Coral Drift and Sweet Drift

Do Drift Roses need full sun?
Drift Roses need 6-8 hours of full sun every day. The more sun there is, the more they will thrive and produce flowers.

Be sure to plant Drift roses in a well-prepared bed enriched with generous amounts of organic matter, such as compost. Good drainage produces best results, so avoid low, wet areas or plant in raised beds.

Drift roses should be fertilized each spring with a slow-release or controlled-release fertilizer, following label directions. Another application in late summer would help plants bloom better into the fall, especially in new beds where nutrients may be lacking. Drift roses really come into their own the second or third year after planting.

If you would love to see some bright color in your Gainesville Landscape design, call our office at (352) 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how we can help make that happen.

The redbud tree is an attractive native tree with a range that stretches from Canada all the way down to Florida and into Mexico. It signals the start of spring with a striking floral display. Redbud's rapid growth and small size make it an excellent choice for gardeners hoping to add color or fill an empty space in the landscape.

Redbud trees are frequently recognized by their blooms. In early spring clusters of small pink or white flowers open along still-bare branches. White (alba) cultivars tend to bloom about a week after the pink cultivars. In late summer, seed pods follow these floral displays. The pods are green, sometimes with a red tinge, and mature to a red-brown. The beans they contain provide food for birds.

Redbud trees can be planted in full sun or partial shade and generally require little care. Plant them on their own as specimen trees, or use them under a larger tree with a dappled canopy. The further south in the state they are planted, the more shade they require.

Add redbud trees to your landscape by propagating from seed or by purchasing and transplanting young trees. Native nurseries typically collect seeds from local populations to ensure optimal performance in your area. Containerized trees can be planted any time of the year but young trees do best when transplanted in the spring or fall. As you would with any newly planted tree or shrub, water redbud transplants until they are established.

The beautiful redbud adds a lot of elegance to any yard with a showy display of delicate blossoms paving the way for spring. Adaptable and dependable, redbuds are one of the most charming native trees in Gainesville landscapes.

If you would love to see some bright color in your spring landscape design, call our office at (352) 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to make that happen.

In Gainesville, this Magnolia variety called 'Little Gem' has a compact, upright growth habit. It's a slow grower but eventually reaches heights of 30 to 35 feet with a dense, dark oval or pyramid shape that makes quite an impact.

With all the charm of a southern magnolia in a smaller size, the little gem magnolia is a popular ornamental choice for people living in hardiness zones 6 through 10. It is often used as a standout landscape specimen, to add evergreen beauty near decks and patios, as a floral screen or hedge, and in large containers.

This tree does prefer moist soil, especially when newly planted. When your tree is newly planted, water deeply 3 times per week. Water 1 to 2 times per week for the next couple of months. After establishment, your Magnolia will be drought tolerant and only need watering once weekly in summer. The tree produces a heavy bloom in spring and then blooms on and off the rest of the year (more in warm months).

Considering that Magnolia is believed to have existed from the beginning of time, it symbolizes longevity and perseverance. Magnolias can also represent nobility, love for nature, feminine sweetness, and beauty.

If you'd like to see more curb appeal, and possibly even a Little Gem Magnolia, in your Gainesville landscaping - give us a call or text at (352) 378-5296 or fill out the contact us form at the top of the page.

Bring color to your flower beds in the dark days of winter with Pansies. This hardy plant will flower for the majority of the winter season and straight into spring, leaving your lawn looking bright and colorful all year long. Pansies prefer sunlight, however, they grow well in partial shade, which makes them a perfect addition to your winter landscaping.

In order to get the best-looking pansies in your winter lawn, be sure to plan ahead and plant these in the pre-winter months of September to early October. By doing this the pansies will use the warmth of the soil for faster growth and have a better chance at growing sturdy roots and producing more flowers throughout winter.

If you properly care for your winter pansies, you can expect to see them last for 3 or more years. These flowers are bred to withstand the harsh freezing temperatures. They may become a bit droopy, but they rebound when the temperature rises.

To care for your winter pansies start by planting them facing sunshine. Fertilize them after planting during late autumn and again in spring. To lengthen the blooming period of your winter pansies, pinch out flower heads that have finished blooming. Doing this will ensure that nutrients aren’t wasted and the new flowers that grow will last longer. Make sure to regularly water weekly, preferably in the morning so they have the morning sun and the rest of the day to dry.

If you would love to see some bright color in your winter landscape design, call our office at (352) 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to make that happen.
 

The poinsettia, widely used in Christmas floral displays is our plant of the month for December due to their red and green foliage they are perfect for holiday decorating. They are a showy perennial plant native to tropical parts of Mexico and Central America and introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Robert Poinsett.

Poinsettias thrive in steady room temperatures and need light to survive. When choosing a poinsettia for your holiday decor, be sure to select a plant with brightly colored bracts (the leafy flower portion of the plant) and be sure there are no damaged, broken, or wilted portions. Also, inspect the base, a healthy poinsettia will have leaves at the base of the plant.

When you get home from the store with your poinsettia remove the wrapping so that water can easily drain through the pot. Keep the soil damp but be sure not to overwater the plant. If you have overwatered, your poinsettia might have been shocked, you will notice the lower leaves wilting, or falling off. You can cut off this portion of the plant to help it stay healthy. The same can happen with underwatering. Be sure to test the soil by touching it before you water.

Poinsettia’s need at least 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day. Leaving your plant in a nice, sunny window, free of drafts between 65 and 70 degrees will keep your plant striving through the holidays and beyond.

Poinsettias can be kept all year around. To re-flower your poinsettia, you must keep the plant in complete darkness between 5 pm and 8 am daily from the end of September until color shows in the bracts (early to mid-December). The temperature should remain between 60 and 70 degrees F.

If you would love to see some bright red color in your landscape design, call our office at (352) 378-LAWN or fill out our online form so we can schedule a meeting to discuss how to make that happen.

Violas are miniature relatives of Pansies, and are perfect for our winter seasonal color beds in Gainesville lawns. Violas are theoretically perennials, but are generally grown as annuals. Violas are much loved, grateful plants, which are used for an enormous variety of uses and applications. They give a wonderful color contrast in rock gardens, peek out from under taller plants in borders, brighten up containers, baskets and window boxes and generally show their happy sunny faces wherever they are planted. When planted in the fall they will cheer up a dull grey day as winter progresses. Regular deadheading will prolong the display, and Viola tend to be hardier and more weather-resistant than its Pansy relatives with their larger flowers.

The Sorbet XP Series is a complete new generation in Viola. Seed Breeder Troy Thorup has created a viola series that delivers amazing uniformity across a wide range of dazzling colors. The unique, new colors and flower pattern make it is clear to see why Sorbet XP is a sure-fire winner!

A rich soil and ample moisture are needed for the production of large flowers. Keep plants in bloom by removing old flowers before seed is formed. Fertilize during the growing season. Occasionally plants will survive the winter in sheltered locations north of hardiness zone 8. The plants grow six to ten inches high and are spaced six to eight inches apart.