S & J Nursery’s Guide to growing
Forest Green Anise
in the Jacksonville | St. Augustine
Northeast Florida area landscape
( Illicum parviflorum ‘Forest Green’)
Forest Green Florida Anise Illicum parviflorum Origins:
– Yellow Florida Anise / illicum parviflorum is a Florida native and makes an excellent privacy screen or large hedge in the North Florida landscape. Forest Green is a naturally occuring variant of that plant with wider leaf blades and a deeper richer olive green coloring.
Preferred Exposure of the Forest Green Anise :
– Anise will tolerate full sun to full shade situations in the North Florida |
Jacksonville | St. Augustine areas gardens. Although the plants may need supplemental irrigation in more sun locations with dry soils.
Foliage of the Forest Green Anise / Illicuym parviflorum ‘Forest Green’:
– Large leaves with a wider leaf blade and an olive green coloring mark this selection from its parent plant. Foliage has a thick almost leathery feel to the leaves.
– Evergreen foliage has a strong but pleasant licorice scent when crushed or cut.
Soil Preference / Salt tolerance of Anise Forest Green:
– Forest Green Florida Anise is remarkable adaptive to a wide range of soil components and moisture levels, from wet to dry and sandy to clay. These Florida native plants are found growing naturally in moist areas and make an ideal plant solution for rain flooded gardens.
– Recommended for use in poorly drained areas that will stay wet during our heavy rain season, as well as drier landscape areas.
– Yellow Florida Anise ‘ Forest Green’ has a low salt tolerance and should be avoided on coastal properties.
‘Forest Green’ Yellow Florida Anise Size Variance:
– A newer introduction to the market, these plants are said to grow Yellow Florida Anise can reach sizes of 6-12 ft in height and 6-10 feet wide depending on how many trunks are allowed to develop. Expect them to get larger when planted into ideal situations in consistently moist soils that are partially shaded.
– Yellow Florida Anise can be maintained to as little as 4-6 ft high and
3 ft wide with simple annual pruning. But I really don’t recommend this plant to be kept as a hedge for much smaller than 3.5-4 ft heights.
‘ Forest Green’ Yellow Florida Anise Growth Habit:
– Forest Green Florida Anise shrubs will need clipped and shaped to keep it as a squared hedge for privacy screens and foundation planting. it has a naturally upright somewhat rounded growth shape.
Forest Green Florida Anise Growth Rate:
– Fast growing shrub quickly establishes itself into the landscape.
Forest Green Florida Anise Bloom:
-Small yellow spring / summer flowers of the illicum parviflorum are small and yellow- green colored, not really very showy blossoms but are utilized by our native pollinators.
Forest Green Anise Water Requirements:
– Forest Green Florida Anise is moderately drought tolerant once established into the landscape but native to the wetter areas of Florida.
– Perfect plant selection for areas that tend to hold water after extended
rains.
Remember to check water needs daily after planting until the plant gets rooted in and growing on its own.
Watering your newly installed smaller shrubs
Best Uses For Forest Green Anise:
– Forest Green Florida Anise is a great choice for a fast growing shrub or small tree. Use them as the backdrop to the perennial border or as a hedge screen that is just perfect for a quick privacy fence.
– Excellent choice for a small landscape specimen tree.
– Yellow Florida Anise Forest Green may not be the best choice for hedges that need to be kept much under 4 ft unless you just love pruning your hedges. These fast growing plants flush new growth almost immediately after a pruning so if attempting to keep them as a foundation plant remember to prune down 3-6 inches beneath where you would like to see their growth be to give yourself some time before the next pruning is needed.
Care of S & J Nursery’s North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine Shrubs:
– Shrubs can be planted in the North Florida | Jacksonville | St. Augustine area at any time during the year. In normal and well draining soils dig the hole as deep as the root ball and two to three times as wide. Plant the top of the root ball level or slightly higher than the surrounding soils. When planting in poorly drained soils make sure to plant your shrubs a minimum of 3 inches ABOVE the surrounding soil level.
– Water every day during the establishment period. For most 3 gallon size shrubs in the North Florida landscape in average soil, that is neither heavy clay that holds water or really sandy that will take 2-3 weeks of daily watering to ensure that your newly planted shrub will begin to put out new roots and grow into its new home happily. After the first few weeks begin tapering back your watering to every other day then every third day and so on until your newly planted items are flourishing without your assistance.
– If planting larger shrubs you may need to extend the initial care a bit longer to protect your investment and get your shrubs off to the best start possible.
– IMPORTANT: If planting shrubs in heavy clay soils that hold allot of water after a rain or irrigating, remember to check the soil for moisture by sticking your fingers into the soil near the root ball of the newly planted shrub down to 2-3 inches. If it remains wet from the previous watering wait for the top 2-3 inches to dry out before watering again.
– IMPORTANT: When planting shrubs into poor sandy soils be sure to amend the planting hole by mixing compost or cow manure etc. with the native soil that will go back in the hole around the new plants root ball when installing your shrub material, this will not only give your new shrubs good soil to grow its new roots into but help it hold water.
– When planting shrubs from containers be sure to loosen the roots as much as possible pulling loose roots away from the root ball before installing your new plants, if the roots are to tight to easily loosen with your hands use a knife to cut a few slits into the root ball being careful to go all the way from the top to the bottom and making the cut at least an inch deep. This will ensure that your plant will immediately begin to form new roots into its new surrounding soil.
– Mulch newly planted shrubs whenever possible.
– Fertilize each spring with a mixture of Milorganite and a slow release poly coated plant food such as Osmocote or Stay Green general purpose plant food, sprinkling the fertilizer around the mulch circle underneath the foliage of the tree
– Prune as needed to shape each spring and or summer.