County Events are a welcoming chance for 4‑H members to share what they know, teach a skill, and celebrate learning with their club and community. This quick guide outlines what you can enter, how to choose the right category, how to register, ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum
While orchids are not my specialty, I have dabbled with them from time to time. Perhaps the most success I have had is with cattleya orchids. Giant spectacular blooms, fairly easy to care for and somewhat forgiving of my occasional neglect, ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
Our office is often asked what type of groundcovers are best to plant or is there even a turfgrass alternative. While several come to mind, one popular choice is called sunshine mimosa. Sunshine mimosa is a great native groundcover and ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn
Why is the shrub known as “Golden Showers”, “Rain-of-gold”, or Thryallis considered a great Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ approved plant? Flowering almost all year round, this graceful shrub is a low-maintenance evergreen that ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Fair week is loud, busy, and unforgettable—then it’s suddenly over. A few minutes of reflection helps kids turn all that experience into real growth. When children pause to name what happened and how it felt, their brains strengthen memory, ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum
Freezes and frosts – just like death and taxes – can be expected even here in Southwest Florida. I remember twenty-six years ago when I first arrived in Charlotte County. I planted a couple of marginal plants that I thought would ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Many plants in our landscape are just not going to tolerate shade to any degree and look usefully ornamental - they often become leggy, lose foliage color or never flower. There are a few exceptions to this rule however and one example ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
While many crape myrtles do best with cooler weather found north of us, there is one type of this beautiful flowering tree that actually benefits from warmer, subtropical temperatures. This crape myrtle reigns supreme in flower and leaf ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
I wanted to write once more about the ylang-ylang tree as I saw some in the area during early fall that spurred my memory. Fragrance in the garden can be subtle or sometimes overwhelming, but always memorable. When I lived in the West ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
Imagine a nice patch of yellow, red, and orange flowers which bloom practically every day – this is the reality of the blanket flower – Gaillardia. Perfect for hot, sunny areas, blanket flowers are wonderful short-lived perennials (sometimes ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes