Miami-Dade sits in USDA zone 10b to 11a, with a wet season running roughly May to October and a dry season from November to April. These guides cover what to do in each, how to prepare a yard before hurricane season, and what changes when you buy plants from a grower instead of a
The wet season is not simply “the rainy months.” From roughly May to October, Miami-Dade sees afternoon downpours most days, humidity stays high, and that combination drives fast growth, fungal disease, and heavy weed pressure. Planting early in the wet season lets new roots establish on free rainfall before the dry months arrive.
The dry season, November to April, is when watering discipline matters most and when it is comfortable to work outside, so it is when many people take on larger planting projects. It is also the safe window for hard pruning, because you are not cutting into the wind-and-disease pressure of storm season.
All 3 guides
Miami Planting Calendar: What to Do Each Season
Miami does not really have four seasons. It has a wet one and a dry one, and almost everything follows from that.
Read the guide · 6 min Miami & SeasonalPreparing Your Miami Yard for Hurricane Season
Most storm damage in a yard is predictable, and a good share of it is preventable months in advance.
Read the guide · 6 min Miami & SeasonalBuying Plants Direct From a Grower in Miami
A retail garden centre does not grow what it sells. Understanding what that changes is worth a surprising amount of money.
Read the guide · 6 minFrequently asked questions
When is the best time to plant in Miami?
Does Miami really only have two seasons?
Should I prune before hurricane season?
Why does general gardening advice fail in Miami?
When is the best time to plant in Miami-Dade?
Do I need to change my irrigation seasonally?
Browse another category
Why Miami advice has to be Miami advice
Five conditions here differ from almost everywhere else in the continental United States, and standard gardening advice assumes the opposite of nearly all of them.
No dormancy. Zone 10b, effectively frost-free. Plants never fully shut down, so feeding, watering and pest pressure continue year-round — and pest populations that a freeze would reset elsewhere simply carry over.
Alkaline soil. Sand and fill over oolitic limestone at pH 7.4 to 8.3. Iron, manganese and zinc become chemically unavailable at that pH, which is why yellow new growth with green veins is the single most common plant complaint in the county — and why more fertiliser does not fix it.
Fast drainage, low fertility. Sand holds very little. Several light feeds across the year do far more than one heavy application, most of which leaches straight through.
Two seasons, not four. A saturated May-to-October wet season and a dry November-to-April. Irrigation is a seasonal instrument, not a fixed setting — running one schedule year-round drowns plants in summer and starves them in winter.
Salt, wind and storms. Coastal exposure narrows the palette, and hurricane season shapes both species choice and pruning timing. Hard pruning between August and October forces soft growth at exactly the wrong moment.
New to gardening here? Start with the blog’s Miami gardening guide and seasonal care, then use these guides for specific jobs.