​In Love with Acorns

Tallahassee Democrat, Thanksgiving Day 2007

Size and shape vary in the noble oaks—from the diminutive running oak, usually less than three feet tall and forming extensive ground cover by underground runners, to the stately southern red oak, up to 125 feet tall. The Florida champion live oak in Gainesville has a spread of 160 feet and a height of 85 feet. I’m lucky to have a patriarch live oak in front of my house on Ellicott Drive in Tallahassee. It has three huge vertical trunks and one big horizontal limb 36 inches in diameter that sprawls 81 feet across my yard. It is a massive weight to hold horizontally, requiring strong wood. The limb seems to be tiring with age; it rests wearily on our yard. Fifteen years ago it was six feet off the ground.

I like to think of this tree as mine, but it really belongs to the people of Tallahassee. This tree produces many acorns. The few that survive the blue jays, squirrels and acorn grubs may grow into other majestic specimens for future generations to enjoy. So the acorn holds a wonderful promise for the future. Maybe that is why I love acorns so much.

Amaryllis

If you like bold, striking flowers, you’ll love amaryllis. They can be used indoors in beautiful arrangements that last for weeks or planted in your garden where they’ll add a lot of color to your spring landscape year after year. They’re low maintenance, drought tolerant, beautiful and they multiply and spread with time. I cannot think of a single down side.

Do be careful however when you’re choosing cultivars if you’re planning to plant them in your landscape. Not all cultivars naturalize here in Tallahassee. Any of them will come up and bloom the first year, but you want to be sure to get one that will multiply and bloom beautifully for years to come. We just got about a dozen cultivars in (pictured on this page), and they will all naturalize here. They’re also nice and large. Large amaryllis bulbs produce more flower stalks and larger flowers.

Amaryllis will tolerate sun or shade, but they do best in light shade. Plant them in rich soil that drains well with the neck showing slightly above ground. If your soil holds too much water, consider creating a raised bed for them. They’re beautiful planted individually in key spots to make a statement, or used in mass. Plant them 12 to 15 inches apart when planting more than one in a group. Water your newly planted amaryllis thoroughly and keep the soil moist but not wet until they’re established. Once established you will only have to water them during times of prolonged drought. Fertilize with Espoma Bulb-tone (all natural and organic) in the early spring when the new growth first starts to show.

As mentioned, amaryllis bulbs grow and multiply over time. Once every few years or so (before they become too crowded) you’ll want to dig them up, separate and replant them. This is also a great time to share with a friend. The best time to do this is in the winter months well before the new growth shows and after the foliage has died back naturally. Do not ever cut the foliage back before it dies back on its own. The plants are creating the seed of next year’s blossoms during this time. To cut the foliage too early is to ensure a spring with few to no amaryllis flowers. Remember to mark the location of the bulbs before the foliage dies back though when you’re planning on digging and separating. The bulbs may be difficult to locate otherwise.

Remove spent flower stalks before seed pods are produced. This is a good idea for the same reason you do not cut the foliage back before it dies back. Plants expend a great deal of energy to produce seed. That is energy they could otherwise use to produce lots of healthy foliage. Allowing the plants to produce seed would interfere with their ability to produce lots of big flowers the next spring. You’d still get flowers—but probably not quite the same pizzazz.

You can also grow amaryllis indoors in soil or water. This is called ‘forcing’ the bulb, and it produces a very striking display that will last for weeks. You will need a forcing jar if you choose the water method. Almost any decorative container that holds water will do as long as it’s large enough to contain the bulb and sturdy enough to stand upright when the plant is in full bloom. They can be top heavy. Using gravel or marbles can add ballast and interest to your display. My favorite containers for this purpose are clear and tall with the bulb nestled in an attractive layer of rocks or marbles in the bottom. Liz will have some bulb arrangements started for the holiday season. They can be purchased, or you can just come see what she’s done before creating your own. The most important thing to remember is to add only enough water so it barely touches the bottom of the bulb. If the bulb sits in water, it will rot. Once the roots grow down into the gravel, keep enough water in the bottom to submerge them; but at this point the level of the water does not have to (and should not) touch the bulb at all. You also want to trim any dead roots from the bulb before creating your arrangement. Leave only the ivory colored, fleshy roots. The dead roots do nothing to support the plant and will rot in the water. Believe me, you do not want your nose anywhere in the vicinity if that happens. Place your arrangement in a bright, warm place. It should bloom within 4 to 6 weeks. Once the flowers open, do not place the jar in bright sunlight. Direct sunlight will shorten the life of the flowers.

To force your amaryllis bulb in soil you will need a pot with drainage instead of a jar. The diameter of the pot should be approximately one inch larger than the diameter of the bulb. Use potting soil that drains well (such as the potting soil we make here at at the nursery), and plant the bulb with one-quarter to one-third of the bulb exposed. Water the pot thoroughly; and place it in a warm, well lit spot. Do not water the plant again until the flower stalk and bud appear. This will usually take two to four weeks. Once you have flower buds, water your amaryllis regularly, but allow it to dry slightly between waterings. As with forcing in water, do not leave your potted amaryllis in direct sunlight once the flower buds have begun to open.

After your amaryllis is done blooming for the season, continue to care for it as the foliage appears and eventually dies back. As with the amaryllis in your landscape, cutting that foliage before it dies back will interfere with the next year’s blossoms. Continue to water your potted amaryllis letting it dry out some between waterings. You want to water it often enough so the bulb remains firm. Protect it from freezing temperatures if you keep it outdoors until the next blooming season. Once the foliage dies back on the bulbs you force in water, remove the bulbs from the forcing jars, dry them and trim the roots leaving only those that are healthy, fleshy and firm. Pack your bulbs in sawdust or some other dry packing material and store in a cool, dry place. Next year you can take them out and start all over again. Or, if you’d prefer, you can plant your potted amaryllis or those you forced in water in your landscape.

In the ground, in a jar or in a pot—amaryllis will bring you a great deal of pleasure (and color) or years to come.

Purpletop Grass

If you like ornamental grasses but do not have a good sunny spot, purpletop grass (Tridens flavus) may be just what you’re looking for. Although it prefers full sun, purpletop does quite well in shade (just not full shade). This perennial native bunch grass* is not fussy at all. In addition to tolerating a wide range of light conditions, it adapts well to a variety of soil types, from clay-loam to sand and from slightly moist to dry.

Purpletop grass is native from Vermont and New Hampshire, south to Florida, west to New Mexico and north to Minnesota. It also occurs in California. The foliage grows to 12 to 18 inches in height with 3 to 4 foot flower culms (stems) above. The inflorescence is purplish-red (sometimes almost black) and holds its color for a long time. Like most ornamental grasses, it’s blooming now (late summer/fall).

Although purpletop may not look like much along the roadside, it can make a beautiful addition to your landscape. It makes a real pretty mass planting. Having said that, this might be a good time to bring up the subject of ‘low-maintenance native plants’. Yes, once they’re established, many native plants can mostly be left to survive on their own if that’s your intention. Customers sometimes tell us they want native plants because they perceive they’re easier, and they will not have to spend any time or effort on them. However most of us expect something a bit beyond mere survival from the plants in our yards. We want our yards and gardens to be beautiful. In nature most native plants survive periods of drought in one form or another, but they sometimes look half dead until the rains come again. Give them adequate water when nature does not, and I promise you’ll be much happier with the results.

Low maintenance is important, but at Native Nurseries we especially value native plants for their food value and importance to native wildlife. Purpletop grass is a good choice for this purpose. It is a larval food for at least half a dozen skipper butterfly species, small mammals eat the foliage and birds eat the seed and use the plant for nesting material. It is even good forage for livestock.

So, are you ready to give purpletop grass a try? As usual I have sold myself. It just occurred to me that it might be just the thing for a certain spot in my yard I’ve been mulling over—a certain spot that gets light shade. Hmmmm. We have some real pretty gallons in stock right now. I’ll give you all till Saturday closing—then what’s left is mine. :)

* Forms a clump as opposed to grasses that creep or spread. The base of the bunch grass gradually increases in size.

At Native Nurseries, we stock purpletop grass in 1-gallon pots when we have it (usually in the fall when it's blooming). As always, give us a call to check availability before making a special trip (although we’re always happy to see you). Sorry . . . we do not ship plants.

Some information for this blog post came from the following sources –

Common Grasses of Florida and the Southeast by Lewis L. Yarlett

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP34100.pdf

http://fnpsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/florida-wildflower-garden.html

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=B987-4