County Extension

When most think of a mimosa, it’s a good excuse to drink a bit of sparkling wine early in the day with some of Florida’s favorite breakfast beverage. Those of us with the permanent dirt (soil) under our fingernails think of a summer-flowering plant with the botanical name of Albizzia julibrissin that definitely doesn’t roll off the tongue. While the Latin may be a bit cumbersome, the pink flowers on this fast- and easy-to-grow small tree catch the attention of even casual gardeners.

When most think of a mimosa, it’s a good excuse to drink a bit of sparkling wine early in the day with some of Florida’s favorite breakfast beverage. Those of us with the permanent dirt (soil) under our fingernails think of a summer-flowering plant with the botanical name of Albizzia julibrissin that definitely doesn’t roll off the tongue. While the Latin may be a bit cumbersome, the pink flowers on this fast- and easy-to-grow small tree catch the attention of even casual gardeners.

The weather of late reminds me of the tired, old joke about the disgruntled restaurant patron who asks the surly waiter, “What’s a fly doing in my soup?” A cursory glance brought the comment, “It looks like the backstroke, sir.”

Backstroke, butterfly or freestyle, lots of us have been dealing with too much water lately. While that may be only a minor inconvenience for most of us solved with a good umbrella, our plants aren’t so fortunate. Saturated soils mean we will see lots of root-related problems.

Summer may be the time for kicking back and relaxing for humans, but it’s a stressful time in the garden. Hot days, warm nights and short-term droughts conspire to send those plants that prefer the cooler times into horticultural heaven sometimes known as the compost pile. But, if you want easy summer living in the garden and you want to show your team spirit, crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia sp.) are hot-weather high performers.