CRA Newsletter June 2019

As commonly expressed, “wow this
year has flown by; I can’t believe we are
already in June!” Six months into the
year, and while our friends up north are
just getting into the midst of their gardening
season, we are beginning our “sit back
and watch it grow” period. The rainy
season has begun, the heat and humidity
are high, and our gardens are growing
quickly each month. We have gone
from every two weeks mowing, to at a
minimum, once a week mowing.
Even as I write this, I am thinking,
don’t forget to remind everyone to make
sure their lawn is being mowed at correct
height: four inches if you have St. Augustine.
Now, as we slow down a bit in this
heat, sit and sip our cool beverages in the
shade, we should take a little time to
consider what needs to be removed from
our yards. Recently, I had an opportunity to
speak to the Green Your Routine organization
on Florida-FriendlyLandscaping. A
question was raised in regard to the presence
of invasive plants. Currently, when a
homeowner applies for a Florida-
Friendly Yard certification; the presence
of plants that have been designated an
invasive species in our area is one of the
most common reasons a certification is
denied.
This is often because there are many
plants that were commonly planted in
our South Florida landscape in recent
decades, still remaining in many yards
today. After proper research, we now
understand they are harmful to our native
plant environment. Many of these plants
had been approved for planting in our
landscape “back in the day”, but we now
realize some of these popular species in
our yards are making their way into
natural areas, crowding out and replacing
native species; affecting not just native
plants, but our native wildlife populations
as well.
It is up to us, to remove plants identified
as invasive and harmful when we can,
and certainly to do what we can to prevent
them from spreading further. In order to
help us in this mission, as plant research
is concluded, we have access to the updated
information from several official
sources.
In South Florida the two main “go to“
resources for us to use are: The Florida
The Garden Project
Anthony Gross
Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) and
the University of Florida/Institute of Food
and Agriculture (UF/IFAS) Assessment
of Non-Native Plants websites. When
you check these websites, you might be
surprised to learn what is in your yard,
that is now on one of these lists, because
it has been determined they are harming
our natural areas.
Unfortunately, unlike the seemingly
annual revolving argument “eggs are bad
for you, avoid them; no, they are good
for you, go ahead and enjoy them” the
assembled volume of evidence shows,
we have a serious problem with some
specific species of nuisance plants.
While, you might have the best landscaper
(one who keeps your oyster plants
contained in a nice round bed under a
tree, just like your grandmother did); you
need to consider the impact a plant species
may be having, just like you do an animal
species. For instance, iguanas were once
an approved pet species. However, we
can see containment didn’t work then,
and now they are “out of control” here.
This happens with known nuisance
plants as well. They can choke out, take
over, and often entirely replace our
native plant species.
Florida-FriendlyLandscaping becomes
a style, when you learn how to evaluate
your yard with the University provided
assessment list. Containing and removing
invasives is one of the first places to
start. I am not a big fan of “rip it all out
and start over” but, these lists give you a
place to set your priorities. Most people
know the biggies like Brazilian Pepper
(Schinus terebinthifolia), Australian Pine
(Casuarina glauca and C. equisetfolia), and
Melaleuca (Melaleuca quinquenervia), but
when it comes to the smaller plants that
have been incorporated into well-manicured
beds, I find that several are overlooked.
Usually, I am not a big fan of lists, but
for something this important, I do have a
top five plants that I think it is important
to consider removing from your yard and
it includes:
Oyster Plants, Tradescantia spathacea
This is a great example, of a plant that
at one time was used widely and is still
found in many older established yards.
Many homeowners have them in nicelooking
well-organized beds, yet they
realize they are popping up in all corners
of their yards, as well as their neighbors’
yards. Consider this a clue as to what a
mistake this plant actually is. Often
times, homeowners respond with the “I
see it all over in Orlando” comment.
That would be correct, it is not considered
by the UF/Assessment list to be a problem
in Central Florida. Yet in South Florida,
here in our Zone 10 and 11, it is classified
as an invasive by
them and also as a
Cat 1 invasive on
the FLEPPC list.
Research has shown
it isn’t just invading
your neighbors’ yards,
but also our natural
areas and it should not to be used.
Mother-in-law’s-tongue or Snake Plant,
- Sansevieria trifasciat
This is another plant that was used
extensively long ago, and thanks to our
new social media, it is once again very
popular with the Modern Design crowd
on Pinterest etc. For the reader who
might think otherwise, I encourage you
to check out the SNAKE PLANT
STRIKE FORCE, an invasive plant removal
group here in South Florida with a Facebook
presence, that has regular removal
days at our county parks, during our
cooler winter
months. This
plant should
never be planted
in a South
Florida yard.
Pothos – Epipremnum pinnatum cv Aurem
This is another plant that up north is a
great houseplant, but here in South Florida
it becomes a monster and completely
covers trees. When kept at ground level it
runs everywhere
and your neighbor
is constantly
pulling it out.
DO not plant.
Arrowhead vine- Syngonium podophyllum
This one gets two photos because the
younger leaf (on the left) is probably
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