Back in the Game

The air is fresh and clean, the sky is clear and blue, and it's time to venture out into My Florida Backyard again! So far, all we've done is pull some weeds, but it's made enough of a difference that we can finally admire the autumn splendor of Muhly Grass and Winter Cassia.

  

Much better than when I did my last post, right? There's still a lot of work to be done, but it's nice enough that we can spend a little time out there without feeling sad and a little embarrassed. And just in time, too, since migrating birds like these little Yellow-Rumped Warblers (Setophaga coronata) are starting to make their way back south for the winter.

And pulling weeds does reveal the occasional surviving gem, like the tiny delicate blooms of Georgia Calamint (Calamintha georgiana), still hanging on in one corner of the butterfly garden.

So there's a lot to look forward to in the months ahead. And as soon as this wind leftover from Crazy Storm Sandy (as I've started calling it) dies down a little...

... it'll be time to get busy in the gardens again. First up, hopefully this weekend, is the butterfly garden. Just look at all the room we have for new plants! 

Morning Glow

We're not really morning people in My Florida Backyard - evenings are more our speed. However, some mornings are worth getting up for, and this was one of them. The soft haze and filtered light brought an almost unearthly glow to the blooms of our favorite Florida fall foliage - the Muhly Grass.

If you're a fan of ornamental grasses, Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is one you simply must have. A foolproof Florida native, Muhly Grass is green and full most of the year, drought-tolerant and happy in full sun or part shade. For about six weeks each fall, though, Muhly Grass puts on an amazing display as it goes to seed.

Some would argue that these seed fronds are pink, and in fact this species is commonly called Pink Muhly Grass. However, an up-close look reveals that the true fall color of this plant is purple.

This is a very overlooked Florida native that should be more readily available outside native plant nurseries. You'll find it planted in medians and even parking lot dividers at places like Lowe's, but the big box nurseries are more likely to offer fountain grass species (Pennisetum) instead, some of which are beginning to appear on the invasive plant lists.

Muhly Grass is wonderful for wildlife. Planted in groupings, it creates shelter for small creatures including butterflies, who like to hang from grasses in a rainstorm or at night for protection. Songbirds love the seeds produced in the fall, and may even pluck dead stems to use in building their nests.

Muhly Grass gives us reason after reason to fall in love with it season after season. Every year, we await the "purpling of the Muhly Grass" with delight, knowing that in My Florida Backyard, it represents the very best Florida has to offer in the fall.

Deep Purple

According to The Foliage Network, fall color up north is reaching its peak in many places. The "leafers" are no doubt out in full force, admiring one of nature's most spectacular shows. It's always around this time of year that some relative from up north asks if we don't miss the changing of the seasons down here in Florida. And once again, we explain that seasons do indeed change here, although in perhaps a more subtle way. As our days grow shorter and the rainy season ends, our plants and trees offer changes of their own, some of which of just as showy as the changing leaves up north.

When we think of fall color in Florida, we think of purple. One of the first to show this regal hue is the American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), a really terrific Florida native. In the spring, this shrub has delicate pink flowers, which yield clusters of brilliant purple berries in the late summer and fall.

This is a popular bush with native plant gardeners, because it's very easy to grow and nearly any native plant nursery carries it. Ours grow happily on the north side of the house and require little attention from us. We prune them pretty heavily in late winter to encourage bushier growth - when you leave them to grow naturally they get quite leggy, which can be a great look in a wilder landscape.

A few interesting Beautyberry facts:

• The leaves of the plant, when crushed, yield oils that serve as a natural insect repellent. 
• The berries are edible, although fairly bland. Some say that Beautyberry Jelly is delicious, though we ourselves have never tried any. 
• A white-berried cultivar (C. Americana var. lactea) is available at some native plant nurseries.

Beautyberry is just the first of the purple fall foliage in Florida. Tune in next time when we feature our personal favorite, just now reaching peak purplitude*. Any guesses what it might be?

*OK, not a real word, but you get the idea, right?

Flowers are Red

We love salvia in My Florida Backyard, and the butterflies love it too. Back in June, we bought a lovely little Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans) plant at the Butterfly and Native Plants sale at USF, drawn by the sweet smell of the crushed leaves (hence the name) and the promise of bright blooms to come. It's grown like crazy all summer long, and now that the shorter days are here, it's finally started to flower.

Pineapple Sage is what's known as a "short day plant", meaning it doesn't begin to flower until it receives a certain amount of uninterrupted darkness (that amount differs by plant and region). Now that the nights are longer than the days, Pineapple Sage has begun to put on its showy red blooms, reputed to be very attractive to both butterflies and hummingbirds. It's native to the highlands of Mexico, where a study found it to be one of three plants most visited by hummingbirds.

It will continue to flower throughout the fall and winter, unless a hard freeze kills it to the ground, in which case it should grow back from the roots. Pineapple Sage is very easy to propagate from tip cuttings  - in fact, several branches of ours grew along the ground and developed their own root systems, and we were able to divide them and plant them on their own very successfully. Like many plants, it flowers best with regular watering, but tends to be pretty drought-tolerant once established.

Autumn brings lots of great things to My Florida Backyard, and the blooming of Pineapple Sage is just one of them. Over the next few weeks, look for more posts highlighting the plants and animals that tell us fall has arrived. In the meantime, we're wondering - what says "Fall in Florida" to you? Tell us in the comments!