Question. A shrub that opens purple and white blooms is growing in several local landscapes. What is the name, and is it cold hardy?
Answer. Some might call this a magical shrub as the flowers open purple, fade to violet and then white over several days. All blooms may be on the plant at one time, periodically, spring through late fall. Your colorful shrub is of the genus Brunfelsia and has the appropriate common name of “yesterday, today and tomorrow.” Use Brunfelsia shrubs that grow up to eight feet tall as accents in easy-to-view areas for their attractive flowers. The shrubs normally survive all but severe freezes, which are becoming rare locally. Grow in full sun to light shade to establish plantings in most well-drained soils. Regretfully, this is a member of the nightshade family, and all portions are poisonous if ingested. It would be best to avoid plantings in areas where family members and pets might give them a taste test.
Q. We planted a navel orange tree that now has a few orange fruits. How do we know when they are ready to eat?
A. Bright orange navel fruits are ready to harvest from October through January. If they remain on the tree until about the middle of this harvest period, they normally develop the best flavor with a sweet taste. With all citrus fruit, the taste test is the sure way to determine if the fruit is ready to enjoy according to your preference. If you only have a few fruits on a young tree, now would probably be a good time to give one a try.
Q. Some of the crape myrtles in our neighborhood have lost most of their leaves, but others have lots present. Why the difference?
A. Varieties of crape myrtles may react differently to the changing season. Most are showing a loss of leaves, but a few could be slower to drop their foliage. Anything that lengthens the growing season, like extra fertilizer or water and late pruning, may keep foliage and new shoots growing on the plants. One big factor that could encourage crape myrtles to maintain their foliage and even flower in late fall or winter is nighttime light, especially from street or parking lot lights. Regretfully, the extended growing time makes the shrubs or tree forms more susceptible to cold. During freezes, these still-growing crape myrtles have been severely damaged.
Q. It is almost Christmas, and my poinsettia is looking pretty good inside the home. How much longer can it remain in the home, and what should I do when it starts to decline?
A. Poinsettias in a bright location at normal room temperature can last for months. Do expect lower leaves to turn yellow and drop, but the colorful bracts normally remain attractive well into the New Year. Keep plants moist by watering when the surface soil begins to feel dry, which could be once to twice a week. When the plants start to decline, or you want to change them out, move the poinsettias outdoors into the shade or filtered sun when the weather is warm. You could apply fertilizer once a month when they are outdoors. Around March, decide if you want to keep the plants and give them larger containers or set them in the ground.
Q. I have a phalaenopsis orchid in a small container with lots of roots that are starting to form a flower spike. Is it too late to repot it?
A. Orchids don’t mind cramped quarters where the roots creep out over the sides of their containers, so there is no rush to give this plant a new pot. Transplanting at this time could disrupt the flowering process, and the new spike might be damaged. Why not wait until flowering is over to transplant your phalaenopsis, also known as the moth orchid, to a new container? Sometime in spring or early summer, when the plant begins new growth, would be ideal.
Q. I would like to save seeds from my flowers and vegetables. What is the best way to save and store the seeds?
A. Let the plants tell you when it’s harvest time for the portions that contain the seeds. Often, pods or capsules turn yellow to brown and open to reveal the seeds. Fruits become very colorful when it’s time to extract the seeds. Remove the seeds from each and allow them to air-dry in a shady spot. After a day or two, the seeds can be placed in a plastic bag or jar to store in the vegetable section of the refrigerator. Some like to add a small packet of desiccant to maintain a low moisture level. Most flower and vegetable seeds are ready to grow immediately after harvest, so you can sow them when it’s the proper time for the next planting.
Q. I know you recommend starting tomato, pepper and similar seeds for transplants in January. Is there any advantage to sowing them sooner?
A. Figure it takes six weeks to produce a transplant during winter for an early March garden. Mid-January would be the best sowing time to keep the plantings on schedule. Unless you have a place to raise transplants to a large size, there is little advantage to starting the seeds earlier. Seeds sown in January should be 6-to-8 inches tall and ready to make good growth in the garden by March. You may have to provide some cold protection, but your plants should grow to good-size bushes and be ready to flower at the proper time by following this schedule.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com.
