If the sight of hummingbirds and butterflies dancing in your yard brings joy and excitement, then Florida’s native grown Firebush is the shrub you’ll want in your garden or when used as a base plant for large commercial buildings. Besides the flower’s nectar butterflies and hummingbirds sip, the small, black, glossy fruits on the plant are a continuous feast for birds too.

The Hamelia patens, (its scientific name; pronounced: huh-MEE-lee-uh PAY-tenz), from the family of Rubiaceae, is a native semi-woody perennial shrub of Florida. The Firebush has two other names: Scarlet bush and Hummingbird bush. It does grow fast and will reach 12 feet tall and 8 feet across. Though it is a dense soft-stemmed shrub, it doesn’t need…

If you hadn’t noticed already, you have bugs! Then again, we all do. It’s that time of year where all things creepy and crawly emerge, with oddly shaped wings and long legs, making buzzing noises and snapping their pinchers looking to invade our yards to feed their never-ending appetites.

That’s right it’s time to jump into action and pull out that pest control suit, shake up those aerosol cans, pump up that pesticide bottle, throw down the bait, and spread out the homemade bug killer concoctions. But, before you swoop down to save your Tallahassee yard from utter annihilation, let’s put the cape away and take a moment and look at five critical areas for easy insect management.

When you want an attractive, ornamental houseplant that is indestructible and tolerates shade and cold conditions and will survive a high level of neglect, drafts, droughts, and pests then look no further than the cast iron of plants the Aspidistra. This cast iron plant has over 100 different species and is a virtual warrior in the ground flora arena.

The Aspidistra elatior, (its scientific name; pronounced: ass-pid-DISS-truh ee-LAY-tee-or), from the family of Liliaceae is not a native perennial or herbaceous plant of the United States. The Aspidistra originates from areas where there are high rains, and that grows in forests or underneath shrubs. Its home of origins is eastern India, Indochina, China, Vietnam, and Japan.

With June now underway, it’s time to pull out your Tallahassee yard’s checklist. During this month there are six “must-do” items Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care recommend every Leon County homeowner do so their yard stays vibrant as temperatures rise.

How much should you water in June?

We all know that June 1st kicked off our hurricane season, and watching the weather daily, is a crucial part of our lives. On average daily temperatures are typically 90 degrees or higher, which includes higher humidity too. The surface of the soil, however, will usually dry quickly as the extreme heat settles in for the summer. With the warmer temperatures on the rise…

Here at Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care, we are asked often about some of the best lawn care practices are a Tallahassee or Leon County homeowner, or business owner should do. So today we’ve put together our 7 Best Practices for Lawn Care you can apply today.

Our seven recommended best lawn care practices encompass four crucial areas:

• Fertilizing

• Mowing

• Watering

• Pest Control

These four sections are the basic foundation and requirements your office lawn or home’s yard needs to remain healthy and vigorous year round.

When you are looking for a healthy native plant, that can withstand extreme cold or scorching heat, look no further than the Needle Palm. This slow-growing, tough-as-nails, shrubby porcupine palm will grow upwards from eight to twelve feet tall and about the same width once mature. The Needle palm is an adaptable plant that will grow in the shade or the sun. However, it flourishes more when given some shade and best of all, it will tolerate a range of soils from wet to dry.

The Rhapidophyllum hystrix, (its scientific name; pronounced: rah-pid-o-fill-lum hiss-triks), from the family of Arecaceae is a native perennial plant of the United States Southeast. You’ll see it in many home and business landscapes throughout Tallahassee and Leon County. Its glossy, evergreen leaves make it a fabulous accent plant and its fiber husk protect the Needle Palm from cold, harsh winters while presenting a lush green appearance beneath established trees or new saplings.

There is no question when you ask any Tallahassee homeowner if they want their property to look beautiful all year. Without a doubt, they do. However, when they decide on doing the landscaping themselves, and it does not turn out as expected, they hate how it looks and feel they’ve wasted a lot of time and energy, and then turn to us. If you want to avoid landscape frustration, then follow these five Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care tips, and you’ll always have an attractive piece of real estate.

What you should know about your soil

When you purchase any plant, the soil it’s transplanted to is crucial to its longevity. The reason for that is some plants will flourish in soil with more acidity, while others will not. Additionally, sandy soils and clay soils will impact individual plants differently and whether or not they will thrive in your landscape’s setting. If there are plants you want in your yard, but the ground is not ideal, then improving the soil is your first step.

The secret to getting a perfect lawn cut every time starts with your mower’s blade. If you always want a great looking lawn, then a sharp, well-balanced lawnmower blade is a must. A dull one, on the other hand, will cut, but it will shred the tips of your turf, and the lawn will look uneven.

After a few days, those ragged ends can turn brown ruining the appearance of your grass, even worse the damaged tips become entry points for disease. So, you’ll want to inspect your blade at least once a year. However, if you are mowing where the conditions are sandy or on rough terrain Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care recommend inspecting your blades at least once a month.

Living in Tallahassee, in recent years, we’ve all experienced some extreme weather conditions together. For the past 18 years, you and I have been through 7 tropical storms and 4 hurricanes that impacted Tallahassee and Leon County directly. Not only did the heavy rains and high winds devastate our homes and businesses, but it also wreaked havoc with our yards, gardens, and lawns from the fallen debris left behind.

With only two weeks left before the 2019 Hurricane Season begins, the job of preparing your lawn for the upcoming weather is easy to do. Below, we here at Dickerson Landscaping and Lawn Care have created three simple steps for you to review and implement as you prepare your yard for this upcoming hurricane season.

Providing proper lawn care for your Tallahassee yard doesn’t end with fertilizing, mowing and edging. In fact, in our previous article Did you fertilize your Tallahassee lawn too soon? we touched on the importance of irrigating your yard when you find fertilizer burn patches.

However, in this article, there is more to discover about watering your lawn than merely turning on a hose for a few minutes. Below we’ve provided the answers to the top three irrigation lawn care questions Dickerson Landscaping, and Lawn Care get asked.