Page 8 - Southern Exposure - November '21
P. 8

Page 8, Southern Exposure





                                                              northern noteS




                                              Fall And Winter In Florida



                                            By Katie Roundtree, Finance Director, Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District

        Many  people  come  to                          aggressive and will take over turf areas which are thin   our beautiful plants that love this weather just as much
      Florida  to  enjoy  its  mild                     from irrigation, bug or fungus problems. Proper mowing   as we do. There are so many reasons to live in Florida,
      fall  and  winter  but  miss                      and irrigation will help to control its spread.    including enjoyment of our native plants. Happy holidays
      the  changing  seasons  and                         So, enjoy the changing seasons here in Florida, with   to all of you!
      seasonal  plant  changes  that
      the  northern  regions  offer.
      Here  in  Florida,  we  have
      our own kinds of plants that
      bloom  during  the  fall  and
      winter  that  give  our  area  a
      feeling of the cooler seasons
      up  north.  During  October
      and November, muhly grass blooms with beautiful pink,
      red  or  purple  blooms,  creating  vistas  of  color  in  our
      landscaped areas, dry detention areas and road medians.
      During the drier winter months, pusley (also known as
      “Florida snow”) blooms with white or light purple flowers
      that blanket lawns and sides of roads creating the look of
      “snow.”                                           Muhly grass in Abacoa dry detention areas. Photos by Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District staff





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      Florida pusley (Richardia scabra). Photo by The Palm Beach
      Post, Kimberly Miller

        Muhly  grass  is  a  native  landscape  plant  that  has
      found favor with landscapers for its ease of growth and             Sally S Stahl, AAMS®
      large  clusters  of  tall,  grass-like  appearance.  Known          Financial Advisor
      scientifically as  Muhlenbergia capillaris, this easy-to-
      grow ornamental grass produces clumps that can reach 2              1851 W Indiantown Rd Ste 106
                                                                          Jupiter, FL 33458
      to 3 feet tall and up to 3 feet wide when mature. During            561-748-7600
      the fall, particularly in the month of October, it produces          www.edwardjones.com
      fluffy pink and purple flower stalks that can reach up to            M e m b  P I S   r e  C

      5 feet tall and give the plant a distinctive and attractive
      appearance. A large amount of them can be seen in the dry
      detention areas within Abacoa. When in bloom, a carpet
      of  pink  unfolds  and  greets  residents  and  visitors  with
      beautiful colors. Muhly grass looks good in the garden
      even after the flower stalks fade, thanks to its slender,
      dark green foliage. (Source: University of Florida IFAS)
        Florida pusley (Richardia scabra), on the other hand,
      is a native plant that is beloved by some and hated by
      others. With funnel-shaped flowers of white, pink or light
      purple, pusley, nicknamed Florida snow, can be a burden
      or beauty depending on perspective. It’s drought tolerant
      and attracts butterflies, but turf purists may rebuke the
      invading ground cover as a weed. Some people embrace it
      and use it to accent their holiday decorations, even adding
      light-up snowmen on top to create a winter wonderland
      scene.  However,  others  striving  for  the  perfect  lawn,
      struggle  to  remove  this  plant.  It  has  very  small  seeds
      and is drought tolerant, allowing for proliferation during
      Florida’s  typically  drier  winter  months. This  weed  is
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