The Florida Gardener

rootsredefined
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Home & Garden

When it comes to gardening, Florida may as well be its own country. Our subtropical to tropical environment hosts a diverse variety of plants, BUT you may have to throw much of what you know out the window because what the rest of North America is doing doesn’t always apply down here. So come along as we discuss gardening in the Sunshine State!

  1. May 20

    EP 33: Bring in the Birds! | Small Space Gardening for Backyard Birds & Hummingbirds

    You don't need a bird feeder or a massive back yard to attract a ton of different birds to your Florida garden. In today's episode we discuss how to design and create a bird friendly garden - even in the tiniest of spaces. FLOWERS Red Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea) Spanish Needles (Bidens Alba) Tickseed (Coreopsis) Blanketflower (Gaillardia pulchella) Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia cyathophora) VINES Blue Sky Vine (Thunbergia grandiflora or Thunbergia laurifolia) Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Morning Glory (Ipomea indica) Purple Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata L.) SM-MED SHRUBS Firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens) Walter’s Viburnum (Viburnum obovatum) Sweet Viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum) Sandankwa Viburnum (Viburnum suspensum) Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) Everglades Tomato, Sprawling Shrub Like Vine  (Solanum pimpinellifolium) TREES & LG SHRUBS Oaks (FL has over 20 native species) Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto) Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) HUMMINGBIRDS! Red Tropical Sage (Salvia coccinea) Orange Mexican Sunflowers, Annual (Tithonia rotundifolia) Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides) Coral Honeysuckle Vine (Lonicera sempervirens) Red Firespike (Odontonema cuspidatum) Purple Firespike (Odontonema callistachyum) Firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens) Pink/Coral Porterweed (Stachytarpheta mutabilis) PURCHASE NATIVE SEEDS Florida Wildflower Co-Op - ⁠floridawildflowers.com⁠ PURCHASE NATIVE LIVE PLANTS Garden for Wildlife - ⁠gardenforwildlife.com⁠ VISIT MY WEBSITE ⁠⁠rootsredefined.com⁠⁠

    35 min

  2. Apr 6

    EP 32: Plant Q&A | Cold Hardy Landscapes? Building a Resilient Garden.

    We had a listener write in with the following question: Can you talk about plants that are frost tolerant. With climate change, I fear colder than normal weather is going to be the norm. I live in Vero Beach Florida and I'm going to lose all my hibiscus to the recent frost. LET'S CONNECT Subscribe to the Newsletter, Submit a Gardening Question, Shop my Garden: RootsRedefined.com COLD HARDY PLANTS DISCUSSED TODAY VINES 1. Coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) NATIVE 2. Confederate Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) 3. Muscadine Grape (Vitis rotundifolia) NATIVE SHRUBS ​ Firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens) NATIVE *Hummingbirds!​ American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) NATIVE​ Azaleas (Rhododendron)​ Viburnums (Viburnum odoratissimum, Viburnum suspensum and Viburnum obovatum) Only obovatum is NATIVE - All three are great though. Firespike (Odontonema cuspidatum) *Hummingbirds!Podocarpus (Podocarpus macrophyllus) PALMS Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto) NATIVE LAWN/TURF 1. Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora) NATIVE 2. Fleabane Erigeron quercifolius) NATIVE BOARDER PLANTS/FILLERS 1. Coontie (Zamia integrifolia) NATIVE 2. Monkey Grass (Liriope) 3. Asparagus Fern (Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri')

    27 min

  3. Mar 3

    EP 31: Understanding Orchids & Proper Care Techniques

    I brought a Moth Orchid home. Now what? Orchids are a huge diverse family of plants. Learn how to care for your grocery store orchid while also gaining a deeper understanding of the family Orchidaceae as a whole. ORCHIDS DISCUSSED TODAY ​Phalaenopsis Aka Moth Orchid (most common)​Dendrobiums - My favorite genus! Easy to source.​Terrestrial / Ground Orchids - Behave more like "normal" plants. Two common ground orchids are Epidendrum radicans / Reed Stem (sun) and Spathoglottis plicata (shade). Easy to source.​Florida Vanilla Orchid: Vanilla phaeantha, Vanilla dilloniana, and Vanilla barbellata *commercially exploited. be mindful.​Water-spider orchid (Habenaria repens)​The cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor) *rare, be mindful if sourcing.​Florida butterfly orchid (Encyclia tampensis) commercially exploited, be mindful​Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor) Beautiful foliage. Easy to source. Recommended for indoors by UF IFAS. SOURCES American Orchid Society https://www.aos.org/orchids/articles/cold-tolerance-of-warm-growing-orchids UF IFAS https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/floridas-native-orchids/ Florida Nature Photography https://www.floridanaturephotography.com/project/native-orchids/ St Augustine Orchid Society https://staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/200110Tips-ColdTolerance.pdf

    20 min

  4. Jan 26

    EP 30: Plant Q&A | “How To Find Reliable Sources of Gardening Advice?”

    We had a listener in SW Florida write in with a couple questions. "I'm struggling to find reliable sources of gardening advice. I'm getting lots of suggestions of things to try, but the advice is not consistent, and I end up mostly confused...do you have any suggestions on the best sources for local gardening advice?" "Also, I'm going to be away for several months and wondering if there are people who can be hired to take care of my fruit trees and other plants." Tune in to episode 30 for my response. Have your own question for the show? Write in to us. RootsRedefined.com > The Florida Gardener Podcast > Write in to the Show Episode Resources: 1. South Florida Plant Guide (online plant guide) south-florida-plant-guide.com 2. Stacks Urban Harvest (website + youtube) stacksurbanharvest.com 3. Flip My Florida - tv series. free to watch on youtube. just search the name. 4. Your Central Florida Yard - podcast. Available on Spotify and Apple podcasts. 5. Become a Florida Master Gardener - https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/mastergardener/what-we-do/become/

    11 min

  5. Jan 14

    EP 29: How I Started My Garden Business

    I’ve had a few folks reach out inquiring about how I started my gardening business - some of you are even interested in starting your own!  So, I decided to dedicate an entire episode to this. I hope you enjoy. SAY HI, SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER & SHOP MY GARDEN: RootsRedefined.com EPISODE RESOURCES: Courses & Certifications: FNGLA, UF Audio Books: David Goggin’s “Can’t Hurt Me” Minimalism “Live a Meaningful Life” Podcasts: The Minimalists, Plants Grow Here, Native Plants Healthy Planet, The Beet, Gardening with the RHS, BBC Gardeners World Shows: Your Garden Made Perfect, Monty Don (he has been in many!)

    23 min

  6. 12/01/2025

    EP 28: Plant Q&A | “What’s Wrong with my Rubber Tree?”

    This is a new segment where listeners can write in with garden and houseplant questions. Today's patient is a 30-year old houseplant (ficus elastica). Unfortunately, this little lady is not doing well and her parents are worried about her decline in health. Let's see if we can help! Shop My Garden (& support the show): RootsRedefined.com > Amazon Garden Collection Have a question for the show? Submit your question one of two ways: ​Email: roots.redefined@gmail.com ​Website: RootsRedefined.com ＞ The Florida Gardener Podcast ＞ Write in to the Show Article sourced for this episode: https://growplant.org/blog/rubber-tree-life-cycle/

    13 min

  7. 11/12/2025

    Send Me Your Garden and Houseplant Questions!

    Ready for your 5 minutes of fame? Send in your garden and house plant questions!  Potted, in ground, cut flower, dish garden. If it relates to Florida gardening or interior plants I would love to try and help. No question is dumb or silly - if it's on your mind let us know. Write in to the show and I’ll answer your question on a future episode. Submit your question one of two ways: 1. Email: roots.redefined@gmail.com 2. Website: rootsredefined.com > The Florida Gardener Podcast > Write in to the Show

    1 min

  8. 11/10/2025

    Part 2: A Lovely Chat with a British Gardener

    We are back for Part 2! If you want to keep the conversation going, I encourage you to connect with Bailey. He’s planning a  third trip to Florida, this winter. If you have a neat spot he should check out whether it’s a botanical garden, a hidden gem in Florida that no one knows about, a neat plant you’re growing at home, or even a cool skate or surf spot.  He is very interested in all things the sunshine state.  Connect with Bailey: baileyjwa@gmail.com

    35 min
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4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

When it comes to gardening, Florida may as well be its own country. Our subtropical to tropical environment hosts a diverse variety of plants, BUT you may have to throw much of what you know out the window because what the rest of North America is doing doesn’t always apply down here. So come along as we discuss gardening in the Sunshine State!

Information

  • Creator
    rootsredefined
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    35
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © rootsredefined
  • Show Website
    The Florida Gardener

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