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Gopher's Garden March The sweet viburnum is growing as a hedge in front of the house. In early March, after they had finished blooming, I cut them down to 1/3 their size. This is a drastic cut but I had asked some Master Gardeners and they all assured me that they will come back. I waited until after the last frost because I did not want them to start new growth, only to it killed back by frost. Last fall I experimented with a small corner of the viburnum and drastically cut it back - to see if new growth would continue. It did, so I also cut back a confederate rose (Hibiscus mutablis) which, at twenty feet high, looked like a small maple tree. Cut back to about three feet. We will see what will happen. I understand that I could have cut it to the ground. Frost killed back the elephant ears and it looks gloomy. Experimenting, I did not cut it back, but left it alone. Last fall I cut back the loropetalum by a third. It is blooming now. I also cut back the lantana by a third.
Since much of the back yard consists of ground cover, which many would consider invasive weeds, they will just have to battle it out until I can find time to assist one side or the other. In a large circle, around one water oak is a bed of wedelia that has died back with the cold. It will come back by itself -fiercely. However, it is one battle I do not have to fight, yet. Wedelia trilobata is a "rampant groundcover and is particularly useful for growing in dry shade under trees" according to the "A - Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants".
I was weeding that bed when I found, under the wandering Jew, a bilbergia still in bloom. Very beautiful red stalk. Another bed is the battle ground of spider plants, variegated spiders, mondo grass, purple wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina), volunteer glory bower (Clerodendrum thomsoniae) and influxes of vinca major - all battling for control. In the large front bed vinca major (with violet flowers) and the native ferns are fighting. They are also trying to see who can move into the lawn first. Two sago palms in this bed are smothered.
The other front beds are being overrun with alligator weed (carpet weed?) and another weed which I cannot tell if it is Florida pursley, Florida pellitory or even something else like pigweed. Four o'clocks (Mollugo verticillata) have re-seeded themselves in two areas in front of the house. They look like they are going to take over.
April I have the lawn looking ok after twice weeding by hand. I am sure the weeds are not beaten yet, and expect to hand weed a few more times. A chore that needs to be done on hands and knees with "no-see-um" gnats attacking.
I have also been pulling the alligator weed and the Florida purslane from among the junipers in two front beds. The plants that wintered indoors are being repatriated outside for the summer. Last month I brought out all of the spider plants in pots - many of which looked dead after wintering in the garage. Now I am bringing out the cactus and succulents and have added them to the front bed with the agaves. The philodendrons and the smaller shefflera are in the back where it is shady. A begonia that made through the winter in the bedroom is in one of the front beds to get a little sun. I need to get the peppers in the ground and some tomatoes.
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I feel sure that they will come back. I am trying to reassure myself since they are very naked, mostly looking like two-foot sticks.
This month, the beginning of spring here in Northern Florida, the backyard is going to look like a jungle. I do not have the time to control it all and will just have to deal with it one bed at a time.
The Algerian ivy (Hedera canariensis) and a green wandering Jew (Tradescantia fluminensis) - very beautiful tiny white flowers - are battling for control of a large bed. I cannot tell who is winning, but I think that I will come down on the side of the ivy and weed out all of the other. However, not yet.
Another front bed consists of Vinca Major, ferns, 
The big effort this month is the lawn. It is St Augustine grass and is seriously invaded by three weeds: Florida pursley (again, it could be some other), a purple clover-ish invasive (oxalis corniculata?), another clover type invasive (Oxalis stricta? Or Oxalis Florida?). Just to keep them company another stringy weed (perhaps a spurge) is spreading. I am pulling these by hand since I do not want to put down chemicals. Towards the edges of the lawns, near some of the beds, the vinca major, ferns, and other "ground cover" are trying to escape their beds.
My second task is to weed the front bed that contains all of the plants that need no water. Agaves, a pindo palm, a "nearly wild" rose, and some