Even though plants in Central Florida stay green during the winter, they are still dormant.  Many plants will grow very slowly or not at all during our coolest months.  You will find that grass will not need to be mowed but every two to three weeks and will require less water. Watering every two weeks is sufficient.  Grass that is allowed to grow a bit taller is less likely to suffer damage if there is a heavy frost or freeze.  Fertilizer should not be applied during the winter months either.

Many culinary herbs thrive in Florida's cool winter weather.  Some to try are parsley, thyme, sage, dill, fennel, garlic chives, rosemary, and coriander (cilantro).  Herbs prefer well drained soil and not much fertilizer.  Try growing them in large pots close to the door near your kitchen so that they are conveniently available when you are cooking.  Some of you, like me, would love to grow lavender.  You can sometimes find lavender plants already in bloom and they will grow quite well during the winter and spring months.  But, it is best treated like an annual plant because once the hot, humid summer arrives, along with lots of rain, it will succumb to fungal diseases and should be discarded.  For mor information, access Herbs in the Florida Garden on the internet at : http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh020

 You still have time to grow some vegetables in pots this winter.  I have a tomato, sweet pepper and some herbs growing on my pool deck inside the screen to protect them from deer and other critters.  Consult the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vh021 for planting dates and varieties suitable for our climate.  

It is easy to forget that cold weather might be just around the corner.  See my earlier post for cold protection information or access Cold Protection of Ornamental Plants at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MG025

Winter and spring annuals make a colorful addition to the winter landscape.  Pansies, petunias, sweet alyssum, snapdragons, million bells and pinks are a few nice ones to use in flower beds or in baskets and containers.  All of these will survive forsts or freezes and keep on blooming.  Other annuals that are a bit more sensitive to frost, but are good to plant now are impatiens, geranium, and begonias.  Remember that impatiens are deer candy, so they are best kept in containers out of the reach of hungry deer.  If you can find plants of fox glove and/or delphinium, they can add a tall punch to either large containers or flower beds.  To keep all of these plant blooming into spring, remove spent blooms periodically, and provide a light application of slow release fertliizer at planting and then every two months.  

Citrus fruit must be fully ripe when harvested since the sweetening process stops once the fruit isis picked.  Many varieties of citrus have a long season in which they can be left on the tree and gathered as needed, usually about three months.  After this time, if the fruit is left on the tree, the quality declines as the fruit dries out.