Schatz Landscape Design

01/29/2022

The Saturday forecast is rough in Tampa and likely elsewhere in central Florida where we push the limits of tropicals growing a bit too far near the freeze lines.

The bleakness is here:
It’s not going to frost because it’s going to be windy. Winds are 15-20mph with, holy crap, 40mph gusts. This complicates the “covering your plants” issue. Why? If the complete covering to the ground cover blows off, you are screwed. Thankfully, it’s not going to rain. Whew!

Here’s the salient point. If the *duration* of freezing hours passes four hours straight, tropical plants will suffer or die if that cover is not tight and complete in which to trap in the earth’s radiant heat. Light bulb (incandescent ones) under the cover help a lot: but don’t be sloppy and start a fire if the wind blows your cover all over the place.

Bring all potted tropicals inside. Any potted tropical is in a pot and not in the ground, and those roots are exposed to freezing air. The potted tropicals are far more vulnerable.

If you have one or two hours of predicted freeze hours, then you might luck out. But if your area is gonna have more than four consecutive hours of freezing temperatures, we’ll then. Get ready and prepare now.

Some say, “Holy crap, my tropical plant has grown too big to cover.” Well, you might consider cutting it way back so you can cover it well. But do this too. Shove a light bulb in there too. Why? You cut back the plant: it doesn’t have outgassing leaves to help create heat. It’s only relying on the earth’s heat rising. But please be careful. Windy weather tears apart the tents we make easily.

Get out your thermal blankets, old comforters, old duvets and multiple layered sheets. Have plenty of clothes pins, clamps, stakes and rocks to create a good ground to ground cover.

Plastic? Maybe.

Only plastic as the outer layer of cloth material. The plastic should not touch the plant.

I hate cold weather because I get dozens of last minute calls as to: “Will this freeze, Brian? What do I do? How do I protect them?

Best wishes to all.

11/25/2020

Amazon Lily (Eucharis amazonica)
Performs wonderfully in shade and in rich organic moist soils.

10/18/2019

The proverbial "before and after photos" are here. We even had the client change their lighting fixtures. Our designs feature layered sheets. See the Overstory and the Understory sheets here as well.

04/04/2019

Installing a mature Ponytail Palm that’s really not a palm at all. It’s really a large woody lily, believe it or not.

12/14/2018

Working on a South Tampa Bungalow driveway with circular and herringbone patterns interlaced. John Ruggeri and his crew at Precision Pavers are truly amazing craftsmen.

11/16/2018

Here’s a recent beauty we’ve created on the Palma Ceia Golf Course not too far from the clubhouse.

08/30/2018

The Brazilian Red Cloak
(Megaskepasma erythrochlamys)

This tropical beauty always garners remarks. It’s a massive shrub quickly and easily growing 14’ x 14’ but can be maintained at half that height and width. The flowering season starts in August and ends in February-March, when we’re outside most to enjoy its beauty.

Those flowers are smaller white tubes, yet those scarlet red bracts, like that of the Bougainvillea, are what gets people to say, “Wow Brian Schatz, what is that? That’s incredible.”

Part sun to full sun with almost any type of Florida soil is fine. Just give these plenty of room and protect from hard freezes, and you’ll be fine. The one photographed here is in North Tampa in our back yard by the lake. It froze bake about 6’ but quickly recovered. I did not cover it.

Those flower heads by the way are enormous. They’re 16” tall by 6” wide.

01/11/2017

Holmes Architects were featured in Metro Home Tour. Schatz Landscape Design provided the landscape to this modern beauty. http://www.tampabaymetro.com/public/digital/metro_dj17/index.html =34

07/02/2015

Groupings of pots can be a lovely focal point and offer pops of color and texture that can be changed up seasonally!

02/19/2015

Weather advisory regarding the cool temps we will experience this evening. We are keeping our eye on the hourly temps and according to www.weather.com, the temps will go below freezing for more than 4 hours between the hours of 3 am and 9 am. This duration of 32 degrees or below is when plants really become susceptible to damage.

Please check the weather for your exact area to determine if your plants need protection. We are recommending tender tropical perennials or exotics be covered for protection. Here are some helpful tips:

1) Use blankets, comforters, towels or frost sheet in multiple layers to protect your plants. The covering should be secured to the ground to trap in the heat. Use bricks, rocks, etc. to hold down the covering. Loose coverings or those not touching the ground will not be as helpful.
2) There is a light wind predicted, which is good news as this will help to keep the frost off of the plants.
3) If you have landscape lighting, flood lights, pool lights, etc., we suggest to keep these on until after dawn for added protection.
4) If you have smaller potted exotics, orchids, etc., and can move them, we recommend brining those indoors.
5) A short list of tender perennials and exotics to protect include: pentas, crotons, arboricola, ti plants, gingers, orchids, and firebush.
6) Here is some helpful information: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg025.
7) Here is a document on cold damaged palms: http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/Hort/GardenPubsAZ/Cold_Damage_to_Palms_Jan2010.pdf. Do not remove any brown or dead looking foliage right away!

The Weather Channel and weather.com provide a national and local weather forecast for cities, as well as weather radar, report and hurricane coverage.

12/18/2014

Kuddos to a client of ours featured in Tampa Bay Times - many years of hard work and appreciating the ever changing native landscape: http://www.tampabay.com/features/homeandgarden/diggin-florida-dirt-wildflower-champion-shares-tips-on-growing-native/2204773

From across the yard, Joanne Mason's biggest frostweed bush looks to be straining to tug itself up by the roots and go for a stroll.