There is an ornamental grass that I am beginning to use a lot in my landscapes, it is called Lemon grass.

From a distance, lemon grass looks similar to Pampas grass except the leaves are greener and a little but wider. The good news with the Lemon grass is that the leaves do not cut you like a Pampas grass.

Right now is when you should be planting your vegetable garden. Most of the nurseries should have a variety of plants and they are usually available in four inch pots. One of the methods that I like to use is:

Now is the time to do your final trimming of the year. This time of year, no harsh pruning should take place. The pruning that is necessary now is a light to moderate trimming to shape the plant.

If you are not aware, there is a new Florida state law that allows you to landscape your yard with Xeriscape plants and allows you to replace your St. Augustine grass with a drought tolerant grass or plant ground cover plant. The great thing is, you as the owner of your own property now have the law on your side and this new law overrides your home owner association rules for landscaping.

Here is a new flowering variety of impatiens that tolerates all day sun. It is called Sunpatiens. I have been testing these plants since spring in my front yard and I have been very pleased with the results.

This is a great time of year to do some pressure cleaning. In Florida, the green slimy algae grows on stepping stones, sidewalks, rocks, and even homes. It is especially prevalent, on the north side of homes.

I have a basic Garden Rebel rule, if the lawn is more than 50% weeds... it is no longer a lawn, but rather a weed patch. Spraying the weeds will leave bare ground, and bare ground left for a week or more will have a new variety of weeds germinating, so it is best to face the reality and put in a new lawn.

As it gets hotter and hotter and our daily temperatures tend to staying the 90's the lawns and the plants become stressed out. One of the things that many homeowners never do, but should do on a regular basis, is check and double check their sprinkler systems.

I completed this landscape this spring and it is now in its prime. Notice that it has a star burst of color with the blue, red, yellow and deep maroon leaves of the Lorapedulum. In this type of setting it is important that all plants are maintained low so the view is not obstructed.

To all my friends, I have been working with Diane and the Good Neighbor Program for many years. It is a great organization and they have a big event coming up. Please see Diane's letter below and if you can help, please do. Remember to mention the Garden Rebel sent you when you talk to her.