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Friday’s Feature By Theresa Friday December 10, 2011 Add a little frostiness to your Florida landscape In Northwest Florida, the temperatures have been a bit warmer than some would like during a holiday season. If you have dreams of Jack Frost nipping at your nose or seeing your good friend Frosty the Snowman, take heart. Today’s article will bring visions of winter wonderlands to your Florida garden. Diamond Frost® - Euphorbia graminea Diamond Frost Euphorbia is a jewel of a plant and one of the shining stars in the horticulture industry. Home gardeners will love the non-stop color, versatility and ease of maintenance this plant offers. From spring until fall frost, Diamond Frost Euphorbia produces clouds of dainty white bracts (colored leaves). It grows 6 to 12 inches tall and 20-plus inches wide. Its sprawling growth habit cascades over the sides of containers or fills in spaces within landscape beds. It also gives a dramatic solo performance in hanging baskets, engulfing them with spherical mounds of color that look like snowballs in the summer landscape. The leaves of Diamond Frost Euphorbia are tiny, gray-green and masked by the colorful bracts and tend to fade into the background. Diamond Frost Euphorbia prefers morning sun, afternoon shade and moist, well-drained soil. It is selfgrooming in that the old flowering bracts will wither and drop off, so they don’t have to be removed by hand to maintain a neat appearance. Diamond Frost is moderately salt tolerant - it can withstand the amount of salt encountered when planted 30 feet or more from the source of the salt. This plant is a member of the poinsettia family and produces a sticky latex-like sap when cut. Most people will have little or no reaction due to sap exposure. However, people with sensitive skin or latex allergies should be cautious when handling euphorbias. If you have ever experienced a skin irritation due to contact with poinsettias you should be cautious with all euphorbia. Although Diamond Frost Euphorbia is a summer annual, containerized plants can be over-wintered indoors in a bright, sunny location and then taken outside again after the last spring frost. Iceberg Rose Looking for that wholesome white rose to add to your landscape? This pure white floribunda rose was introduced in 1958 and remains in the nursery trade. Its long pointed bud opens into a medium sized, ruffled flower with about 25 petals. Flowers form in large clusters typical of floribunda roses and are scented with a honey-like fragrance. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. This vigorous upright grower has light green leaves and grows to about three to five feet tall and wide. Iceberg rose Snow White Tomato True tomato lovers enjoy trying new varieties although growing them can be challenging in our Northwest Florida environment. If you crave a different-looking small tomato that delivers a big punch of sweetness, try the Snow White tomato. It is a cherry tomato but turns from white to pale yellow as it matures. They are just the perfect size for snacking or salads. Florida Blizzard Caladium Caladiums are ornamental plants that display a wide diversity of leaf shapes, colors, and vein patterns that are rarely found in other cultivated plant species. Their colorful leaves rival many flowers, and the plants grow well in summer heat and shady conditions. Developed by the University of Florida caladium breeding program, Florida Blizzard is an attractive addition to the white fancy-leaved cultivar group with its unique foliar color pattern. Released in 2001, it has white The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. veins, large white blotches, and dark-green margins. These are just a few of the “coolest” plants around. So if Santa drops a gift card in your Christmas stocking this year, put a little frostiness in your Florida landscape. Florida Blizzard Caladium Photo credit: UF/IFAS Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County. The use of trade names, if used in this article, is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others. For additional information about all of the county extension services and other articles of interest go to: http://santarosa.ifas.ufl.edu. ### The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions, or affiliations. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A&M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating.