The coontie is one of the most appreciated and acceptable native plants for landscaping in our area. Every garden center has some in stock and the coontie’ s unique beauty is its selling point. The horticultural qualities as a Florida-Friendly ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Yellow and orange flowering plants bring a bright and cheery appearance to any garden. Bulbine is one such plant that makes a very useful groundcover with yellow and orange flowers, an interesting succulent foliage texture, and a care-free ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Just recently, I received a great plant from a volunteer – a sharp and pointy agave, large but in its infancy. Despite its young age, it is still an ornery plant for the garden. This agave when planted in the landscape will grow to become ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Post-hurricane our landscapes are blank canvases awaiting renewal and reinvigoration. What better time to explore the Florida- Friendly Landscaping™ manner of gardening! Our yards are merely small models of the outside environment. ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Aloe plants are very popular due to their Its adaptability to a variety of conditions. Besides the ever-familiar Aloe vera plant, there is another species known as the soap aloe or Aloe maculata. Very ornamental and a great beginner ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Although not a panacea for lawncare issues, Bermudagrass is a hardy turf option, tough enough to handle lots of foot traffic and horsing around (no pun intended). Because of its tough-enough reputation, Bermudagrass is the species of choice ... READ MORE
Category: Horticulture,
When you start noticing more underutilized flowering shrubs being planted in the area, the value of that plant begins to shine through. Several years ago, I noticed a whole hedge line of Panama roses in front of a commercial building on ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
For a while, I was OK with COVID. Not happy, but you could say “average.” After almost a year of this pandemic, like most folks, COVID fatigue has set in for me. When the pandemic struck, I needed to find something I could control. With ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Turf, UF/IFAS
By Ralph E. Mitchell Most of us recognize sunflowers for their height and massive flowers. Take that image of a sunflower, miniaturize it and turn it into a groundcover, and you have something special! One of the best groundcovers available ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
The very first plant I received when I moved to Charlotte County almost twenty-years ago was a desert rose given to me by Master Gardener volunteers as a welcome gift. It was a plant I had heard of, but never grown before. First in a pot ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes