Well, it's that time of year again - just between Christmas and New Year's - and I'm wondering how much longer the evergreen centerpieces we received as gifts will last. We got two this year. One was from my sister aka Part Time Fla Person. It is a mix of daisies and red roses in a wooden train with a few added greens. The roses bit the dust within two days of receipt but the daisies are going strong. The greens are looking a bit dreary but still hanging in. The other came from my husband's brother and family. It is a mix of evergreens with star-of-bethlehem (ornithogalum umbellatum) and a candle in the center. This, too, is a gorgeous centerpiece and I hope it will also last for a little more time.

We also got a poinsettia. My husband saw this Winter Rose Poinsettia when he went to the home and garden store about a month ago and brought it home. It's doing quite well since we have it in a well lit spot and water it once a week. As the weather warms just a bit I'll move it to the front porch where it will still get good light but be protected from any sudden cold. The next move will be directly into the garden. I'll probably put it in the garden near the new driveway where it will get plenty of light and can reach a height, some say, of up to 7 feet tall although the tallest I've seen is 3 feet. Here's a fun fact. Did you know that there is actually a National Poinsettia Day? Yep - December 12. Why? That day marks the death of the person who brought the plant to the US - Joel Roberts Poinsett. So next year be sure you get your poinsettia in plenty of time to celebrate or just go out to your garden and admire those from last year. Happy Florida Gardening.

I had to chuckle the other day. My husband and I were walking out of Home Depot and, as usual, I glanced at the plants outside of the garden area. There were a large number of palm trees and the usual bougainvillea sitting around. Then I noticed what I thought was a pine tree - unusual for Home Depot. Sure enough, as I approached it was a pine - about 6 feet tall and very healthy. I wasn't sure what type of pine it was so looked for the tag. Home Depot identified it as a pinus pine. What? I looked again for the small print but there was none. Sure enough, they were labeling this pine as a pinus pine.

Now, from everything I know and have read a pine is a pinus and a pinus is a pine. But that doesn't tell me what type of pine or pinus this tree was. So I pulled out my handy dandy Florida's Best Native Landscape Plants and started digging around (no pun intended). I'm pretty sure what I saw at the store was a Longleaf Pine or pinus palustris. Here's why I think that - the needles were longish, draped downward, and there were quite a few coming from one cluster. The longleaf pine grows from 60 to 120 feet and spreads 30-50 feet preferring full sun and sandy soil. Apparently it does not require supplemental irrigation. I also read that its life span is in excess of 200 years and they are hardier and longer lived than other pines in the south. Companion plants for the longleaf pine include wiregrass and sand live oak.

I have some advice for Home Depot. When you stock your stores be sure to label your plants - folks count on knowing what they're buying before they do so. To the rest of us we may need to download that Pocket Gardener I told you about so you don't have to carry your reference books with you. Happy Florida Gardening.

It's cold! Not only is it cold, it's friggin' cold! I didn't move here for this. It's going to be in the 30's tonight and we finally had to turn on our pitiful little heat pump to keep us warmed up overnight. We hate turning on the heat - it brings back too many memories of living up north, not that there's anything wrong with that, and enduring those endless days of ice and snow and friggin' cold. Our appliance repair guy is a transplant from Boston. He's been here over 20 years and to this day refuses to wear anything but short sleeves and shorts. Imagine how cold that can get when you're riding around in a truck in the early morning. I don't even want to think about it. (Shivers...)

Anyway, we are used to an occasional cold day here during winter. Many folks get very excited and wrap their prized shrubs and other favorite plants to ensure they don't get frozen out. Unfortunately, a few weeks later they are still wrapped and guess what? Right - they are getting baked in the heat of the wrap! Some folks use sheets or blankets - that's not too bad. It's the ones who use tarps or plastic sheets who really concern me because they are usually the ones who wax forgetful to the detriment of the poor plants. So, our poor pitiful plants have to suffer in the cold just like we do (try not to feel too sorry for us) as we struggle through an infrequent cold snap. Luckily we've got many natives in our gardens that can survive the cold or will die down and come back stronger. As we sit here suffering swathed in our sweats and drinking hot toddies (is that a ys or ies?)we still say - what the heck tomorrow will be sunny and in the 60s. We can't complain. And we'll still be gardening in January. Happy Florida Gardening.