Using a mix of Florida landscape plants, create Fall planter arrangements that hold up to our cool season temperatures while providing seasonal color. Cypress, Maple, and sweetgum are a few of the trees that provide us seasonal color later in the season. As Florida’s forests say “not yet” to the September 22 start of Fall, we can speed up the process in beautiful pottery placed in entranceways, on patios, and around pools. Start by planning your Fall planter arrangements to include seasonal colors such as orange, red, purple, and yellow. Terri and Kevanie created these examples of Fall planter arrangements from a mix of plants that provide color and hold up to our cool season climate.
The TALL container contains Coleus, Alternanthera, Red Fountain Grass, Sloppy Painter Croton, and Sweet Potato Vine. The MEDIUM container contains Coleus (2 varieties) and Bulbine. The SHORT container contains Coleus (3 varieties), Mammy Croton, and Foxtail Fern.
1. Combinations of foundational plants such as Blue Point Juniper makes a stately impression at entrances and as a focal point. makes a stately impression at entrances and as a focal point. 2. Around the base of the juniper consider adding cool-season Flowering Cabbage for an instant pop of color. adds an instant pop of color to the Fall/Winter container garden. 3. Alternate placement of Dusty Miller with its silver foliage for contrast to this now colorful arrangement.
1. Platinum Dynasty Cabbage is an early main-season cabbage that can be rotated from the garden into your planter arrangements. 2. Ornamental Cabbage with its purple rosette center and wavy greenish-purple outer leaves is an attractive relative of garden cabbage best suited for planter arrangements and as landscape decor. 3. Licorice plant has the fragrance of licorice without the taste and is best used as a velvety planter spiller that puts on a show with its cascading foliage.
1. Poinsettias are recognizable as a holiday plant with brilliant red leaves in winter that serves as a thriller in any arrangement. 2. Dwarf White Pentas have a mounding habit and vibrant white star-shaped blooms. 3. Ornamental Cabbage is a go to cool-season choice setting the tone for seasonal arrangements. 4. Aztec Grass is a cold hardy clumping plant that spills beautifully its variegated silver and green.
1. Creeping Jenny is a light green perennial favorite with its trailing habit. 2. This variety of Ornamental Cabbage has a creamy white center and rich green outer leaves. 3. Dreams Red Picot Petunias have a mounding habit with blooms with wide white edges and red centers.
Plant your choice of seasonal color or strictly place the plant’s pots and all in your Fall plant arrangement. Monitor your containers to keep up with their watering requirements or consider a drip irrigation system on a timer for periodic watering. As the plants grow, they can be given a haircut trimming or switched out with other plants.
If you’d prefer to have Earth Works maintain your planter arrangements contact Matthew Barlow who provides this service for Earth Works clients. And remember for comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online or at 904-996-0712.
Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Earth Works builds ecosystem ponds that work with natures’ nitrogen cycle for pond owners wanting to provide a healthy aquatic environment for plants and animals. Organic debris, including fish food, animal, and plant waste, accumulate in ponds and are broken down by nitrifying bacteria making nitrogen available to plants in a process called nitrogen fixation. “Nitrification constitutes a two-step process,” according to the Journal of Microbiology. “In the first step, ammonia is oxidized to nitrite by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), followed by the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate by ubiquitous nitrite-oxidizing bacteria.”
High organic nutrient concentrations from runoff pollution are often in the news causing oxygen depleting algal blooms and high levels of harmful bacteria that kill fish and other wildlife. Earth Works offers annual pond cleanouts as part of regular maintenance for the healthy pond ecosystem. We stock both cold and warm water activating beneficial bacteria for dosing your pond filter to fuel the eco-friendly nitrogen cycle for pond owners. While it sounds complicated, the properly constructed and engineered pond with adequate filtration, skimmer, pump turnover rate, and properly stocked fish and plants with annual cleanouts are ecologically balanced and easy to maintain. “Nitrosomonas bacteria first convert nitrogen gas to nitrite (NO2-) and subsequently Nitrobacter convert nitrite to nitrate (NO3-), a plant nutrient,” according to Lenntech. Nitrates become unhealthy for fish at 120 ppm where plants are insufficient for absorption. While these processes are invisible Earth Works supplies various water test kits and water additives to treat and regulate pond water parameters.
Under dirty conditions, certain bacteria species threaten the health of fish and other pond wildlife populations. “Aeromonas Alley” is described as when water temps are between 42F and 62F when Aeromonas bacterial strains at high concentrations in dirty ponds can result in fish ulcers, hemorrhagic septicemia, brown blood disease (caused by nitrite toxicity), and death. Good and bad bacteria populations are increasing their activities as water temperatures increase, making nitrogen bioavailable over what pond plants can use, which is why we encourage clients to schedule their pond cleanouts in winter heading into spring. Complicating matters, some of these Aeromonas bacteria species convert nitrates back into nitrites in denitrification. Nitrite levels over 0.15 milligrams per liter in fish inhibit their absorption of oxygen. Regular dechlorinated water changes are the best low-tech approach to reducing levels of nitrites and nitrates in the pond.
The nitrogen cycle explains the basics for converting nutrients into plant food. Earth Works and a network of Certified Aquascape Contractors provide information, products, and services to improve biosecurity to beautiful, low-maintenance ecosystem ponds.
For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden, and landscaping needs, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online or at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
Considering there are more dog-friendly plants than those that cause them harm, we’ve cross-referenced the Chewy.com, PetMD.com, and ASPCA lists of plants toxic to dogs and provided below. Grass tends to be the most commonly consumed plant by dogs. The science is not clear as to why dogs eat grass. It could be a primordial deworming process or something they do when sick to induce vomiting. Still, thankfully dogs, typically leave our landscape flowers and plants alone as many cause them to have upset stomachs and have varying degrees of toxicity.
Common Plants Toxic to Dogs:
Aloe
Alocasia
Amaryllis
American Mistletoe
Ambrosia Mexicana
American Mandrake
American Yew
Angel Trumpet
Apple tree plant parts contain cyanide.
Apricot (stems, leaves, and pit contain cyanide)
Arrow-Head Vine
Arum
Australia Nut
Autumn Crocus
Asparagus Fern
Azalea
Baby’s Breath
Barbados Pride
Bay Laurel
Begonia
Bergamot Orange
Bird of Paradise Flower
Bishop’s Weed
Bitter Root
Bittersweet
Black Calla
Black Cherry
Black Laurel
Black Nightshade
Black Walnut
Bleeding Heart
Bog Laurel
Borage
Boxwood
Brunfelsia
Buckeye
Buckwheat
Burning Bush
Buttercup
Butterfly Iris
Caladium
Calamondin Orange
Calla Lily
Cape Jasmine
Caraway
Cardboard Palm
Castor Bean Plant
Carnation
Ceriman
Chamomile
Chandelier Plant
Cherry (stem, leaves, and pit)
Chinaberry Tree
Chinese Evergreen
Chinese Jade
Chives
Chrysanthemum (also known as Mums)
Clematis
Clivia Lily
Coffee Tree
Coleus
Coontie Palm
Cornstalk Plant
Cow Parsnip
Cowbane
Cycads
Cyclamen
Daffodil (especially the bulbs)
Dahlia
Daisy
Desert Rose
Deadly Nightshade
Dieffenbachia
Dog Daisy
Eastern Star
Elephant Ears
Elephant-Ear Begonia
English Ivy
Epazote
Eucalyptus
Fetterbush
Fiddle-Leaf Fig
Fig
Fleabane
Foxglove
Garlic
Gardenia
Geranium
Giant Dracaena
Gladiola
Gloriosa Lily
Gold Dust Dracaena
Grapefruit (skin and plant parts; fruit isn’t toxic)
Hawaiian TI Plant
Heavenly Bamboo
Hellebore
Holly
Hops
Horse Chestnut
Hosta
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Rubber Plant
Iris
Iron Cross Begonia
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Jade Plant
Japanese Yew
Jerusalem Cherry
Jonquil
Kaffir Lily
Kalanchoe
Laburnum
Lambkill
Lantana
Larkspur
Laurel
Lavender
Leek
Lemon (skin and plant parts; fruit is non-toxic)
Lemon Grass
Lemon Verbena
Lily of the Valley
Lime (skin and plant parts; fruit is edible)
Lobelia
Locust
Lovage
Macademia Nut
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Maleberry
Mapleleaf Begonia
Marijuana
Marjoram
Mayapple
Mayweed
Metallic Leaf Begonia
Milkweed
Mint
Mistletoe
Mole Bean Plant
Morning Glory
Narcissus
Nightshade
Oleander
Onions
Orange (skin and plant parts; fruit isn’t toxic)
Oregano
Ornamental Pepper
Painter’s Pallet
Parsley
Peace Begonia
Peach (stem, leaves and pit)
Peace Lily
Pencil Cactus
Peony
Perennial Pea
Periwinkle
Philodendron
Plum (stem, leaves and pit)
Poinciana
Poinsettia
Poison Hemlock
Portulaca
Pothos
Prayer Bean
Prickly Ash
Primrose
Privet
Purslane
Ragwort
Ranger’s Button
Red-Marginated Dracaena
Red Sage
Rex Begonia
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Sago palm
Shamrock Plant
Schefflera
Skunk Weed
Sorrel
Snake Plant
Split Leaf Philodendron
Spring Parsley
St. John’s Wort
Stinging Nettles
Striped Dracaena
Sweet Pea
Sweet William
Tahitian Bridal Veil
Tarragon
Thorn Apple
Tobacco
Tomato Plant
Tulips
Vinca -Virginia Creeper
Wahoo
Wandering Jew
Watercress
Winter Cherry
Winterberry
Wisteria
Yarrow
Yucca
We hope this information about plants toxic to dogs is useful to you. For comprehensive solutions to your specific lawn, garden and landscaping need, contact Earth Works of Jacksonville online and at 904-996-0712. Earth Works operates a retail Garden Center/Plant Nursery in Jacksonville and provides landscaping, hardscaping, water features, lawn care service, lawn spraying, and drainage solutions. Contact us with your questions and to book design consultations. We proudly serve clients in Northeast Florida, including Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra Beach, Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach, Jacksonville Beach, Nocatee, St. Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Middleburg, Green Cove Springs, Amelia Island, Fernandina, and St. Augustine.
