Practical, zone-appropriate advice for Miami Shores gardeners: what to plant each month, which natives and tropicals thrive in our limestone and sand, and how to keep it all standing through the wet season.
Our seasons are flipped compared with most of the U.S.: the cool, dry months (October–April) are prime vegetable season, while the hot, wet summer is the time to plant trees, palms and natives and give vegetable beds a rest.
Timing follows general UF/IFAS guidance for South Florida. Microclimates vary, and plants near Biscayne Bay often stay a little warmer in winter. For crop-by-crop dates, see the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide.
A mix of tough Florida natives that feed local wildlife and tropical favorites that love our climate. Natives are marked. They're adapted to our alkaline soil, need little fertilizer and support pollinators.
A slow-growing native cycad with glossy, fern-like fronds. Takes sun to shade and drought once established. It's the only larval host for the rare atala butterfly, which has made a comeback in Miami-Dade gardens.
Fast-growing native shrub with red-orange tubular flowers nearly year-round. A magnet for hummingbirds and butterflies like zebra longwings. Look for the native variety rather than the non-native dwarf ‘Compacta’ types.
A bold native clumping grass, 3–5 ft tall and wide. Handles both wet spots and dry spells, makes a soft screen or a lawn alternative for low areas, and shelters wildlife.
Two coastal natives with high salt tolerance, ideal near the bay. Sea grape has big round leaves and edible fruit clusters. Cocoplum makes a dense, glossy hedge.
Muhly grass sends up clouds of pink plumes in fall. Beautyberry bears clusters of vivid purple berries that birds love. Both are low-input natives for a softer, wilder look.
Low, spreading native with small blue flowers that butterflies visit all day. Buy the native species. The taller look-alike S. cayennensis is non-native and invasive.
The classic tropical shrub, with big blooms in nearly every color. Needs full sun and regular feeding with a fertilizer that has micronutrients. Yellowing leaves often mean a nutrient deficiency. Watch for pink hibiscus mealybug, whiteflies and aphids.
Fragrant blooms from spring to fall on a succulent, easy-to-root tree. Wants sharp drainage and full sun, and often drops its leaves in winter. Watch for plumeria rust and the large frangipani hornworm (tetrio sphinx caterpillar).
Low-maintenance color for shade (bromeliads) and sun (crotons). Flush bromeliad cups with fresh water weekly so mosquitoes can't breed there.
South Florida's signature fruit. Blooms in winter, ripens roughly May–September depending on variety. In small yards, choose compact or "condo" types and keep them pruned to a manageable height after harvest. Anthracnose is the main disease in wet weather.
Plant from late September through February. Summer heat stops fruit set and brings disease. Heat-set and disease-resistant varieties do best. Cherry types are the most forgiving. Grow them in raised beds or large containers with rich mix.
Year-round/warm: basil, culantro, Cuban oregano, lemongrass, chives. Cool-season only: cilantro, dill and parsley (they bolt in heat). Rosemary and thyme need excellent drainage and dislike our humidity.
Regular spinach and lettuce won't survive our summers, but these tropical perennials thrive in heat and rain. They keep the kitchen garden productive while traditional crops rest.
The heat-loving trio for spring and summer. Plant March–June and they'll keep producing through the hot months when little else will.
Much of Miami Shores sits on a thin layer of sand over porous oolitic limestone. That soil drains fast, holds few nutrients and is alkaline, so many plants can't absorb iron, manganese or magnesium even when it's there.
Warm winters mean pests never fully take a break. Scout weekly, start with the gentlest fix, and save broad-spectrum sprays for last so pollinators and beneficial insects survive.
Rugose spiraling whitefly leaves white spirals and sooty mold on gumbo limbo, palms and many ornamentals. Hose off colonies, use insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and let natural enemies (lady beetles, parasitic wasps) do their work.
Look for sticky honeydew, ants and sooty mold. Prune out heavy infestations and treat with horticultural oil, covering leaf undersides thoroughly. Pink hibiscus mealybug is a frequent hibiscus pest.
Big, slow and hungry, especially in spring on amaryllis, lilies and citrus. Hand-pick the young nymphs early, when they cluster.
Green iguanas are invasive and eat hibiscus, vegetables and fruit. Remove fallen fruit, use physical barriers and wire cages over beds, and check current FWC guidance on humane removal.
Report any giant African land snail sightings to the Florida Department of Agriculture and don't handle them bare-handed. Root-knot nematodes thrive in sandy soil, so rotate crops, add compost and solarize beds in summer.
"Tip and toss" standing water every week: saucers, buckets, tarps, gutters and bromeliad cups. That's the single most effective step in a humid yard.
Mimi's Garden is a homegrown guide for gardeners in Miami Shores and nearby South Florida neighborhoods. Most gardening advice is written for places with frost, rich soil and a spring planting season. Ours has none of those. Here you'll find guidance written for our calendar, our limestone, our rains and our storms.
We favor Florida-friendly practices: right plant, right place, natives wherever they fit, careful water use and as little fertilizer and pesticide as possible, so our yards help the bay and the butterflies.
A short email at the start of each month: what to plant, what to watch for, and seasonal reminders like hurricane prep and fertilizer windows. No spam.
Have a question about your yard? Write to us at hello@mimis-garden.com (placeholder address).
For diagnoses and soil testing, your local UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade office is a great free resource.