May 2026

Your newsletter this month features what to do in the landscape, what's blooming now, upcoming workshops, and more!

May 08, 2026

Welcome to May in Your Central Florida Yard!

Thank you to everyone who attended our spring plant sale! We are so happy that many of you were able to purchase plants after multiple winter cold snaps! Check back with us this fall as we offer our fall plant sale in October each year.

If you are not sure what to do in your central Florida yard at this time (or any time) of year, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Plant Clinic and we can help!

Also, consider getting yourself educated at one of our workshops. Make sure to check our event page for any updates and new workshops added.

Have you been staying up-to-date with our monthly podcast, Your Central Florida Yard? Subscribe, rate, and review if you enjoy it!

Let us know how we can help by contacting our Plant Clinic with your questions or visit a with a Master Gardener Volunteer at a local farmer’s market booth or community event.

Happy Gardening!

Your Central Florida Yard Monthly Checklist

Your Lawn in May

Keep an eye out for chinch bugs in St. Augustinegrass and mole crickets in Bahiagrass.
As our drought conditions continue, make sure “that brown spot” is properly identified! At this time of year it could be drought OR pest issues.
Cultural practices are key to maintaining a healthy lawn! Proper mowing height, irrigation, and pest management.
Check your sprinkler system for uniform coverage and repair any broken heads. Follow all watering restrictions.

Your Landscape in May

Plant heat-tolerant annuals and perennials.
Prepare you landscape for hurricane season: See information here.
Watch your landscape for pest and disease issues. Proper cultural practices will help to minimize them.
If you would like to plant palms, select one now to plant over the summer! Find a list of palms here.

Hurricane season starts June 1st. You are probably aware of preparations you need to make inside the home, but what do you need to do in your landscape?

Survey your property now and look for things that may be an issue such as:

Flooding
Erosion
Wind directions
Tree failure (and the potential impacts to your property)

1. Prune trees PROPERLY
To prune or not to prune, that is the question. First and foremost, properly planted and maintained trees are the best defense against any potential hurricane damage. Prepare for hurricane season by checking trees for damaged or weak branches and pruning if needed. Hire an ISA-certified arborist.

But, if it has been a while since you pruned your trees, make sure that you follow this checklist:

Remove any dead or broken branches
Stake leaning trees and leave newly planted trees staked
Remove limbs that overhang structures
Prune your trees with a healthy central leader in mind

Be wary of services willing to “hurricane prune” your trees and palms! Always contact a Certified Arborist and make sure any pruning does NOT include topping, tipping, or lion-tailing.

Palms must be pruned properly as well. ONLY remove dead leaves (completely brown) and never prune above the 3:00 and 9:00 hands on a clock. For more information on properly pruning palms go here.
This blog post from UF/IFAS Extension Monroe County is really helpful in determining how and when to prune your trees before a hurricane.

2. Clean gutters
Really, this is important before the start of the rainy season anyway. Make sure that your gutters are clean and clear so that when large rainfall events occur water can flow freely.

3. Make a plan for potted plants
…and other objects around your yard. Where and how will you secure them if needed?

4. Anchor and/or brace outdoor structures and consider how to deal with potential wind damage to solid fencing.
Can you remove any panels from your solid fence so that wind can move through?

5. Take photos and document your property before the storm.
For more information on preparing your landscape for a hurricane, cleaning up your landscape after a hurricane, or selecting wind resistant trees for your landscape, contact us.

What’s Blooming Now?

Check out the May blooms at the UF/IFAS Extension Polk County Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Demonstration Garden in Bartow.

Don’t forget that the gardens are open every day and we welcome you to visit!

Current blooms in the Florida-Friendly Landscaping demo garden includes red-pink drift rose blooms, lavender flowers of chastetree, yellow blooms of thryallis, and pink flowers of pentas.

Clockwise from top left: Coral Drift® Rose (Rosa ‘Meidrifora’), chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus), thryallis (Galphimia gracilis), pentas (Pentas lanceolata).

Maintaining your lawn during this drought under one-day-per-week water shortage restrictions is possible. Realize that the lawn may not look as lush and green as it does in the middle of summer when we are receiving normal rainfall, but it is still possible to keep it up.

A few simple tips included:

Postponing fertilizer and herbicide treatments.
Making sure irrigation is applied uniformly.
Apply the correct amount of water of 1/2 to 3/4 inches of water.
Mow at the highest recommended height for your lawn species.

For more information on managing your lawn during a drought, check out this article for additional tips and in-depth explanations.

Gardening Workshops

Join UF/IFAS Extension Polk County Gardening and Landscaping experts at our monthly workshops! For full workshop descriptions and to register, go to: http://polkcountyextension.eventbrite.com

Colorful Shrubs
Monday, May 11, 10:00 am
Winter Haven Public Library

Lunch & Learn: Microirrigation for Home Landscapes
Tuesday, May 12, 12:00 pm
Haines City Public Library

Vegetable Gardening—Get Growing!
Monday, May 12, 10:30 am
Studio 37, Mulberry

Love Your Shoreline & Protect Your Water the Florida-Friendly Way
Tuesday, May 19, 10:00 am
Lake Crago Recreational Center, Lakeland

Growing and Cooking: Summer Style
Tuesday, May 26, 10:00 am
Lakeland Public Library

Come Chat Plants With Us!

Every Monday at Mackay Gardens
Chat with Master Gardener Volunteers as they work in the Florida-Friendly Landscape at Mackay Gardens in Lake Alfred from 9:00-11:30 am. See us at the blue table and we can answer your gardening and landscaping questions!

Local Farmer’s Markets:
Winter Haven: Second Saturdays of the month

Lakeland: Third Saturdays of the month

Lake Wales: Fourth Saturdays of the month

Plant Local (formerly The Nectary Nursery): Fourth Saturdays of the month

Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Available on most podcast platforms.

The podcast from UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard is here to help you successfully garden in this unique part of the state. New episodes are out the first week of every month.

For show notes, transcripts, and links, visit our website.

Listen Now!