The Neighborhood Gardener
June 2025
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Homegrown Teas
Second only to water, tea is among the most widely consumed drinks on Earth, used in both formal ceremonies and everyday mealtimes. Florida gardeners might be surprised to learn that we can grow plants for tea, even a caffeinated option. Many Florida-Friendly plants like roselle, ginger and mint will make a delicious herbal tea. And while few home gardeners might take on growing the traditional (and finicky) tea plant Camellia sinensis, the leaves of our native yaupon holly can be brewed for your favorite fan of caffeine.
Wind-Resistant Trees
Trees provide ample benefits to the landscape, including shade and wildlife habitat. But they can become hazards during storms, especially in Florida during hurricane season. Tree selection is one key element when designing your landscape with hurricanes in mind. Certain trees perform better in storms and can be considered wind resistant. UF/IFAS researchers analyzed common urban trees in Florida and rated their ability to withstand high winds. A new article in Gardening Solutions lists some of the top-rated trees in the study.
Bat Benefits
Bats play a crucial, yet overlooked, role in gardens. Florida’s native bats provide the dual benefits of natural pest control and organic fertilizer. With a few bat-friendly features, you can welcome native bats into your landscape. Their food source (insects) is in plenty supply, but bats also need access to water and somewhere to roost, like bat houses or natural roosts such as snags (dead trees), peeling bark on pine trees and dead palm fronds. Reap the benefits by embracing them as natural allies in the garden.
Wendy’s Wanderings
Let’s play a guessing game! What houseplant has low watering needs, can be found with many different leaf shapes, variegation and textures, is easy to propagate and loves bright, indirect light or partial shade? Need more? This plant grows as a vine or a trailing, spilling plant, and has waxy, evergreen, semi-succulent leaves. One more clue: it produces fragrant, star-shaped flowers in pink, yellow, cream, orange, maroon—or combinations of all of them! No guesses? Read on to find out.
Plant of the Month: Pawpaw
If you’re looking to add some fall color to the landscape or diversify your native edibles, then pawpaw is the tree for you. Common pawpaw (Asimina triloba) provides an autumnal display of yellow leaves that eventually fall and sweet fruit that attracts both people and wildlife. This small tree grows in zones 5A through 8B, and is easy to care for, but for best results, plant it in a sunny area with rich, slightly acidic soil. Pawpaw is also the host plant of the zebra swallowtail, the only kite swallowtail butterfly native to the United States.
June in Your Garden
The calendar has caught up with Florida; it’s “officially” summer. Add heat-tolerant color with bedding plants like tropical sage, sunflower and zinnia. For the summer edible garden, plant pigeon pea, sweet potatoes and papaya. The hot and humid weather makes June a good time to plant palms. For existing palms, remember that not all palms need to be pruned. Read more about pruning palms on Ask IFAS.
For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida’s gardening regions—North, Central and South.
What’s Going On?
If your Master Gardener Volunteer program or Extension office is having an event, be sure to share it with us.