Planting in July
July brings some of the hottest temperatures throughout Florida, so residents should choose heat-tolerant plants when gardening. To see what you should plant this month, use these recommendations based on Florida’s climate regions. You can identify your region with the gardening region map.
North Florida
Annuals: Gardeners in north Florida should plant heat-tolerant annuals, such as ornamental pepper, tropical milkweed, and crossandra.
Bulbs: Plant society garlic and gladiolus bulbs that can survive throughout the summer.
Vegetables: Try planting watermelon, okra, and eggplant this month.
Palms: Throughout the summer’s rainy weather, continue planting palms and support large palms with braces 6–8 months after planting.
Central Florida
Annuals: It’s best to plant summer annuals, including celosia, torenia, and coleus.
Bulbs: Keep your garden colorful with butterfly lily and gladiolus bulbs.
Herbs: Although it’s too hot to grow herbs from seeds, many small plants can still grow well.
Palms: Plant palms during July’s rainy weather.
South Florida
Annuals: South Florida gardeners should plant annuals that can tolerate summer heat, such as ornamental pepper, torenia, and celosia.
Bulbs: Like central Florida, butterfly lily and gladiolus bulbs can withstand the heat.
Vegetables: Start preparing your fall vegetable garden and grow seeds now to transplant later. (To learn which vegetables serve as good transplants, visit "Starting the Garden with Transplants.")
Herbs: Instead of planting seeds, use small plants to grow herbs.
Palms: July is a great month to continue planting palms.
Adapted and excerpted from:
“Florida Gardening Calendar,” UF/IFAS Florida Gardening Calendar (Accessed 07/2014).
Related Sites & Articles
- Hot Topics
- Summer Vegetables
- UF/IFAS Publications
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide
- Gardening with Annuals in Florida
- Transplanting Palms in the Landscape
