Q:
I came to Florida from Long Island and would like to grow peonies. I plant them in pots but after some growth they die. What can I do?
A:
Such cold Florida winters might make you feel like you are back in Long Island, but the temperatures here are still not low enough long enough for peonies. It’s one beautiful flower with softball size white, pink or red and often fragrant blooms, but try as you might this is one plant local gardeners cannot grow in their landscapes. Florida does not have anything similar to offer but there are plenty of attractive annuals and perennials that grow and are in bloom at the same time as peonies.
Check hibiscus for green stems
Q:
We added a few hibiscus to the landscape last year. After the freeze all have lost their leaves. Will they come back?
A:
If the stems are green, the plants are alive and likely to make a full recovery. Use your finger nail or knife to scrape the stems. Look for green below the outer back. If the tissue is green and moist, it is alive and usually capable of making growth. Wait a few more weeks and then give the hibiscus a renewal pruning. This is a good time to reshape the plants and remove any of the damaged portions. Keep the soil moist and give the plants the first feeding when new growth in noted.
Improving taste of tomatoes
Q:
OK, I have to get this off my chest: Florida has the worst tomatoes I have ever eaten. I want a tomato that is high in acid and turns a BLT into food for the gods. Is it possible to grow such a thing here?
A:
Isn’t it nice to release some of those rotten inner tomato feelings? And don’t feel alone as over the years a number or readers have expressed similar dislikes for Florida tomatoes. Regretfully for all, growing some of those heavenly fruits has been a bit elusive.
All tomatoes have about the same acidity, but the flavor is what often appears to be watered down. Some varieties do seem to have better flavors. A few selections for slicing gardeners like include Better Boy, Champion, Big Beef and Park’s Whopper. But to get good tomatoes you have to follow a proper cultural program. One is to set transplants in the ground in either early March or mid-August. This allows them to grow during the best times of the year for fruit set and good harvests.
Make sure the plants are in full sun and improve sandy soils with lots of organic matter. Then keep the soil moist. Add a mulch to stretch the time between waterings. Usually watering every few days after the plants are established is adequate. Keep feedings to every 3 to 4 weeks. Any general garden fertilizer should do or you can use one of the slow-release products. For best growth train the plants to a trellis or ring of fencing. This makes pest control and picking easy.
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