Bushy St. Johnswort

Year-round

Bushy St. Johnswort is a wetland edge shrub from the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. It is not on the list of plants documented as native to Florida, so growing it in Orlando means treating it as an outside-range planting rather than a straight native pick.

• Give it full sun to part shade and keep the soil evenly moist, it also handles short dry spells once it is established.
• It naturally grows along stream banks, pond edges, and wet meadows in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, not in Florida, so watch how it handles Central Florida's heat and humidity the first year or two.
• It tolerates a wide range of soils from sandy to clay and from moderately acidic to neutral, which covers most Central Florida yards.
• It flowers on new growth and blooms from around June into early fall, with bright yellow flower clusters.

Fall

Fall in Orlando means the rain tapers off and this shrub shifts toward its dormant look, with fall color and seed pods to watch for.

• Watering needs drop as Central Florida's dry season sets in around October, cut back to weekly deep watering only if no rain falls.
• Foliage often turns yellow to gold before dropping.
• Hold off on any hard pruning now, cutting back in fall removes the coppery bark and seed pods that give winter interest, and can stress the plant before cooler nights.
• The small cone shaped seed pods from summer's flowers stay on the branches into winter, showing more once the leaves thin out.

Trimming back this shrub's spread along the bed edge in fall keeps front yard plantings HOA-friendly and stops it from crowding a walkway.

Winter

Winter stays mild for this shrub in Orlando, expect little to no dieback since Central Florida rarely sees the hard freezes that trigger real winter kill further north.

• Watering can mostly stop, winter is Orlando's dry season and this shrub is dormant or semi-dormant, only water during an extended dry spell of two weeks or more without rain.
• If a hard freeze warning comes through, a layer of mulch around the base helps protect the roots, top growth usually recovers even if some leaves drop.
• Save any structural pruning for late winter just before new growth starts, cutting too early in winter can expose fresh cuts to a cold snap.
• Leave the seed pods and coppery bark alone through winter, they are the main visual interest on the plant until spring pruning.

Spring

Spring in Orlando is prune and watch season for this shrub, the dry season is winding down and new growth needs a close eye in the early heat.

• Cut back last year's growth by about a third in late winter to early spring before new leaves fill in, this shrub flowers on new wood so pruning now sets up this year's blooms.
• Water deeply about once a week if spring stays dry, Central Florida's dry season often runs into May before the rains pick up.
• Watch new growth for wilting on hot afternoons, Orlando warms up earlier in the year than the cooler climates this shrub usually grows in.
• Skip fertilizer unless growth looks weak, a light balanced feed worked into the soil in early spring is enough for most yards.

A hard spring pruning keeps this shrub low and tidy in a front yard bed, which reads as HOA-friendly.

Summer

Summer is peak bloom season, and Orlando's rainy season actually suits this wetland edge shrub well.

• Expect clusters of bright yellow flowers from around June into early fall, this is the shrub's main show.
• Central Florida's summer thunderstorms usually cover watering on their own, only add extra water during a dry stretch of a week or more.
• Good drainage still matters even though this shrub tolerates wet soil, standing water for several days in compacted or clay spots can still cause root rot.
• After the flowers fade, small cone shaped seed pods start to form and will stay on the branches into winter.