Your lawn and shrubs may be as brittle as burnt porcelain now, but in mere months they will become part of a lush backyard world.

Get ready to manage a jungle.

Whether you’ve lived here forever or only a few years, you may remain in awe of the explosion of verdant growth that happens to lawns, bushes and trees once rainy season arrives June 1.

It only makes sense. Forty-two of the region’s annual 53 inches of rain come during the wet season, which will continue until after you’ve carved both a jack-o-lantern and a turkey.

They don’t call Southwest Florida subtropical for nothing.

But instead of becoming a slave to your growing green yard this summer, grab control now.

Homeowners can take easy steps during the dry, not-so-steamy May days to better manage the outside chore list this summer.

“Prepare the yard,” said Lola Brown, a Fort Myers lover of gardening who has become used to summer and fall’s expansive growth since moving here 14 years ago.

Her best tip: “Make sure you’re weed-free first — before rainy season.”

In fact, May is a useful month to get stuff done around the yard to make life easier for both you, your plants and your soil come summer, said Mary Ann Parsons, a program assistant for the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods, which is a University of Florida extension program for residents.

That said, here is The News-Press’ list of five useful things yard-lovers can do at the tail-end of dry season to get ready for the wet stuff:

1. Get a list of plants that like to get their feet wet, and make a plan for what you’ll plant where once the rain is about to start.

Specialists caution against planting in early May because conditions are drought-like. But planning is masterful.

When you shop, look for the official term — you want “littoral plants.” Consider for your wet-prone areas some of these native favorites: leather fern, red maple, dahoon holly, red bay and cypress.

Remember, when planning where to put plants, group them together according to their water requirements.

2. Manage what you have.

Pull your weeds. Consider a pre-emergent herbicide to suppress weeds to come.
Also, remove your cold-tolerant flowering plants such as impatiens. They may be summer flowers up north, but down here they’re your winter friends — and they won’t like the summer heat and rain.

Instead, enjoy flowers that flourish in the summer wetness. Orchids and bromeliads make great “garden accent plants,” said Fort Myers resident John Kiseda, whose yard is predominantly native plants but who enjoys the explosive color from these beauties.

“They may take extra care, but they like the rain and humidity, and the bromeliads hold the water,” he said.

3. Tune up your lawn mower.

“People are surprised the way things grow — even surprised at how quickly lawns grow,” said Stephen Brown, horticulture program leader with University of Florida/ IFAS, who writes a column for The News-Press.

Don’t underestimate the need for annual service on the motor — and get the blades sharpened on a regular basis once the rain starts. Not only does it make it easier to cut the grass, but it’s a cleaner cut and your lawn will look nicer.

4. Mulch, mulch, mulch.

A mulch layer around trees, shrubs, planted beds and covering bare ground provides too many benefits to even list here.

For example, mulch buffers soil temperature, keeping soil cooler in summer. Fresh mulch inhibits weed germination and growth — a good thing when it’s “weed season.” And over time, many types of mulch improve soil aeration, structure and drainage. Plus, when weather is dry, mulch helps to hold moisture.

More on mulch is in “A Guide to Florida-Friendly Landscaping,” a Florida Yards & Neighborhoods handbook.

5. Put in place “runoff prevention.”

You don’t want all the summer rain to take your topsoil away. You can make every raindrop help your yard by “earth shaping.”

Incorporate attractive, functional swales (small dips in the ground) and berms (raised earthen areas) to divert runoff that would otherwise rush from your yard. A densely growing turfgrass or groundcover (think native vines) proves especially useful to capture rainwater, filter nutrients, recharge ground water and reduce soil erosion.

source : www.news-press.com

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