What to Plant
Annuals/Bedding Plants: Summer annuals to plant now include celosia, coleus, torenia, and ornamental peppers.
Bulbs: Butterfly lily and gladiolus are bulbs that can be planted during the middle of summer.
Herbs: While summer is too hot to start herbs from seeds, many, such as oregano and mint, do well if started from small plants.
Vegetables: Plant tropical vegetables, such as boniato, calabaza, and chayote this month.
Palms: Continue planting palms while the rainy season is in full swing. Support large palms with braces for 6–8 months after planting. Do not drive nails directly into a palm trunk.
What to Do
Pests on Lawns: Determine the cause of any lawn problems before taking action. If an insect is the culprit, treat only the affected area. Rule out disease or sprinkler malfunction.
Fertilizer Bans: Numerous municipalities in south Florida prohibit the application of fertilizer to lawns and/or landscape plants during the summer rainy season (June– September). See if such an ordinance exists in your area.
Vegetable garden: Use summer heat to solarize
the vegetable garden for fall planting. It takes 4–6 weeks to kill weeds, disease, and nematodes, so start now. See Soil Solarization: edis. ifas.ufl.edu/topic_soil_ solarization.
Pests on ornamental plants: Inspect the leaves of ornamental plants for small white dots that may indicate lace bugs at work. Spray forcefully with water to help control this pest.
Tropical fruit trees: Check for damage to fruit or leaves and take action to minimize the effect of insects and/or disease on developing fruit or the overall health of the tree.
Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension