FLORIDA

Pretty Mandevilla
Want a plant that will flower continuously from now till frost? This is the vine for fabulous, nonstop color. Clusters of huge, pink, trumpet-shaped flowers contrast well with the leathery, dark green foliage. Train this versatile, fast-growing vine to climb a lamppost, mailbox, lattice, fence, or arbor. Mandevilla flowers best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade. It can be grown along the coast as long as it receives protection from excessive salt spray. It will thrive in the summer heat and produce blooms from spring through fall. --David W. Marshall

North and Central
Shrub care--Recently planted shrubs require special attention now. Overhead irrigation systems often don't provide adequate water. Use the touch method to see if your shrub is getting enough. To do this, stick your finger in the soil around the base, and make sure it is wet to the touch after the system has finished running. If your system isn't doing the job, consider installing drip hoses or a flexible micro-irrigation system so that each shrub has its own emitter.
Lawns--In this dry season, don't overwater your grass. Water only after a significant portion of the lawn begins to turn grayish-green, indicating wilt. Then apply from 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 inch. If you water deeply like this, you will find that you need to do so only once a week during periods of no rainfall. Your grass will develop a deeper root system, which makes it more tolerant of drought.

South
Frangipani trees--The beautiful flowers of these tropical trees are used for leis in Hawaii. Plant one in a sunny spot in your yard, and you can enjoy the lovely, fragrant blooms. The most common type is plumeria (Plumeria rubra). However, there are several other species available, such as white frangipani (P. alba) and Singapore plumeria (P. obtusa).

Entire State
Flowers--Plant blooms now that can take hot weather. For full sun, bush allamanda and yellow bells (Tecoma stans) are easy-to-grow, small shrubs with yellow flowers. Angel's trumpet (Brugmansia sp.) grows to about 8 feet with fragrant blooms in yellow, white, or peach. Red powder puff (Calliandra haematocephala), a medium-size shrub, has red flowers followed by red berries. For partial shade, use Brazilian plume flower (Justicia carnea) or Persian shield.

Central and South
Citrus--Feed citrus again using a fertilizer such as Schultz Expert Gardener Citrus & Tropical Plant Food 10-4-10.
Palms--Use a special palm fertilizer, such as Vigoro Palm & Ixora Food 9-4-9 or Lesco 8-10-10 Palm Tree and Tropical Ornamental Stakes, to feed palms again this month.