New to the Area?
Polk County has many new residents every year
Polk County has many, many new residents. Some of those residents are full time, others only here for part of the year. One statistic often thrown around is that Florida gets 1000 new residents every day, and of this number Polk County gets its share. The purpose of this section of our web site is to help introduce new residents to gardening in central Florida specifically Polk County, Florida. We will try to introduce useful gardening concepts to you, and we will describe a few of the common trees, shrubs and vines you see in the landscape.
Gardening is Different Here
If you come from "Up North" (by "Up North" we mean anyone from Northern Florida to the Arctic Circle), you will find things different here. We have plants you are not familiar with, and consequently, you may wonder why your old favorites will not grow here. Some plants you grew as house plants we grow outside. We garden all year, not just in the summer. There are bugs, fungi, bacteria, and diseases you may never have heard of. In the summer plants grow fast. Some plants can be trimmed nearly to the ground but they will come back and perhaps bloom in a few months. You don't have to wait for a season to see the results of your pruning. Some plants you considered annuals back home are perennials here. Others are much larger as compared to those back "Up North". Flowers you are used to planting in the spring are planted here in the fall, and will grow and bloom all winter. We grow flowers both in the summer and the winter!