Growing Shrubs For Privacy Border & More

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IF YOU LIVE IN THE AMELIA ISLAND, YULEE, CALLAHAN, HILLIARD AREAS (NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA), GET YOUR LOCAL GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING QUESTIONS ANSWERED. CALL OR SEND AN E-MAIL TO REBECCA JORDI AT THE NASSAU COUNTY EXTENSION...(904)879-1019, e-mail: rljordi@ifas.ufl.edu
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Swedish Ivy

QUESTION: I'm attaching a picture of my Swedish ivy which I have had in a hanging basket for awhile. Lately it seems kind of pitiful looking, and I'm wondering what I could do to perk it up some. HP

JORDI: Swedish Ivy is often used as an indoor hanging plant but it can be placed outside if the conditions are appropriate. Ideal temperatures are 55 to 60 degrees at night and up to 80 degrees during the day. Since most of our summer days are above 80 degrees, this plant should be grown in an area that never receives direct light. This would be especially true during the summer.

Keep the soil evenly moistened in summer but drier during winter. Do not over-water because this could cause root rot. Fertilize regularly, spring through fall, with a house plant fertilizer used according to label directions. The plant needs pinching to keep it bushy. If the bottom leaves turn yellow and fall off, reduce watering. Propagation is by cuttings, therefore, ideally you might consider taking the plant indoors. If you need outdoor hanging plants you might consider herbs, begonias, spider plants, ferns or another ivy plant.

QUESTION: I need to block out the view of my neighbor's yard. What kind of shrubs grow best in this area? NB

JORDI: You mentioned Red Tip Photinia but as you have noticed many nurseries have stopped stocking them because they can contract a serious disease called fire blight. However, we have several other plants that grow quite tall and should provide you with a good screen cover.

Think about wax myrtle, viburnum or pittosporum. Southern wax myrtle, Myrica cerifera, takes a variety of soils, grows in full to partial sun and can reach heights 12-15 feet. Plant should be placed 10 feet apart, watered well at establishment but will then need no further care. Wax myrtle is moderately drought tolerant but can tolerate salt spray. It may have an occasional worm defoliate leaves but those can be easily pruned out to control any potential infestation.

Sweet Viburnum, Viburnum odoratissium, grows quickly in full sun or partial shade in a wide variety of soils. It is moderately drought tolerant but it is a poor choice for salty areas. This plant can reach heights of 18 feet and will spread about the same width. It is generally free of pests and easy to maintain.

Pittosporum

Pittosporum, Pittosporum tobira, grows in partial shade to partial sun on a variety of soils. They can reach heights of up to 12 feet with a 12-18 feet spread. Plant should be placed 3-5 feet apart. It is highly drought tolerant so little water is needed after establishment.

Consider using all three and staggering them between each other. They all have different colored leaves and the growth habits are complimentary. These are just a few choices but they should be enough to get you started.

QUESTION: The hickory trees in my yard and those around the neighborhood seem to be doing poorly. Some of the tops of the leaves are turning brown and the undersides have white spots. MH

JORDI: I am so glad you brought me some clippings of the tree because it was hard to do a diagnosis over the phone. After looking at the leaves under a microscope I was able to identify the culprit as downy mildew, which is a common disease on walnut and hickory. The white mold occurs on the underside of the leaves in early spring when temperatures are low but moisture is high. This year we have had an abnormally cool spring which contributed to the large downy mildew outbreak on the hickory trees around your neighborhood. You can expect the disease to reappear next year if weather conditions are repeated.

Downy Leaf Spot

Downy mildew will not kill the tree and is really more of a nuisance than a true problem. During the summer the leaves will shrivel and drop and this would be the best time to clean up the leaf litter. This simple sanitation method is important in disease control but there is no chemical we would recommend to manage the disease. This is one of those grin and bare it disease situations.

QUESTION: I am new to the area and wanted to know if a yellow poplar will survive and do well in this area? AW

Yellow Poplar

JORDI: Welcome to Nassau County and to Florida. I would encourage you to try the yellow poplar, Liriodendron tulipfera, which has beautiful fragrant, yellow flowers and unusually squared tipped leaves. Tuliptree grows 80 to 100 feet tall and maintains a fairly narrow oval crown, even as it grows older. Tuliptree has a moderate to rapid (on good sites) growth rate at first but slows down with age like most of us. The soft wood reportedly is subject to storm damage but the trees held up remarkably well in the south during hurricane ‘Hugo’. It is probably stronger than given credit.

The largest trees in the east are found in the Joyce Kilmer Forest in NC. Some of these North Carolina trees reach heights of more than 150 feet with seven-foot diameter trunks. The fall color is gold to yellow being more pronounced in the northern part of its range. The scented, tulip-like, greenish-yellow flowers appear in mid-spring but are not as ornamental as those of other flowering trees because they are far from view.

The best time to plant it is spring, but those in containers can be planted almost year round. During hot, dry weather interior leaves turn yellow and fall off. This condition is due to the weather and is not a disease. The problem is most common on newly transplanted trees, but also develops frequently on established trees. Yellowing may be preceded by small, angular, brown spots on the leaves. Tuliptrees should be planted in full sun. They can tolerate occasional wet soil and will grow in most any type of soil pH.

QUESTION: My tomato plants have wilted from the top. They look like they need to be watered but I know they have been getting enough water. I cut the stem like you suggested and I see a brown ring. What does it mean? MD

Fusarium Wilt

JORDI: It sounds like Fusarium wilt. The earliest symptom is the yellowing of the older, lower leaves. It is a soil borne fungus that attacks tomatoes and other crops. The yellowing process gradually includes more and more of the foliage and is accompanied by wilting of the plant during the hottest part of the day. The wilting becomes more extensive from day to day until the plant collapses and dries up.

The vascular tissue of a diseased plant is dark brown in color. This browning often extends far up the stem and is especially noticeable in a petiole scar. This browning of the vascular system is characteristic of the disease and generally can be used for its identification. Fruit infection occasionally occurs and can be detected by the vascular tissue discoloration within the fruit. It is controlled only through the use of resistant varieties. Before you plant a variety, make sure it is resistant to Fusarium wilt. This resistance is denoted by the letter F after the name. Example: Celebrity VFN. A 5-7 year crop rotation will greatly reduce losses on infested land or grow the few plants you have in pots.

QUESTION: I am planning for plants around my pool and want a tropical look. What can you tell me about the papyrus plant? I have purchased three 3 gallon pots and want to know how quickly they spread. I live in the Callahan area. PF

JORDI: Since you live in Callahan, you fall under zone 8 which does put a limit on the type of tropical plants you can use. I am not sure which type of papyrus you have, but there is an umbrella papyrus, Cyperus involucratus, which prefers boggy sites but can survive in drier areas. Another common papyrus is Cyperus papyrus, which would

Umbrella Sedge

survive better if placed in a watery environment. However, both papyruses are found in common man-made ponds and water gardens which have recently become so popular. The umbrella sedge reaches heights of 2-6 feet and is classified as a tender perennial, which means it will die back in cold temperatures but should return once spring occurs. Both are very attractive, grow quickly, propagate easily and are easy to find in nurseries.

We also discussed bamboo, which I strongly suggested you confine your choices to the clumping variety to avoid angry neighbors and law suits. I, of course, say this in jest, but truly running bamboo often does not stay confined to one area and will end up in your neighbor’s yards. Therefore, choose wisely! When you go to the nursery, ask for tropical plants that will survive in your zone. You might consider a native hibiscus too. The bloom is beautiful and certainly lends a tropical flair.
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Rebecca Jordi

Rebecca L. Jordi
Nassau County Extension
Environmental Horticulture
(904)879-1019
543350 U.S. Highway #1
Callahan, FL 32011
e-mail: rljordi@ifas.ufl.edu
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