Why would I encourage you to grow cabbage in your backyard garden when it is one of the most affordable green vegetables you could pick up at the grocery store? Well, cabbage is perhaps the easiest fall vegetable to grow in our area. ... READ MORE
Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes,
Welcome to our 2024-2025 4-H year blog series, "The Great 4-H FAQ Adventure"! At the 4-H office, we get a wide range of questions from the curious to the bizarre, and even the downright hilarious. We’ve decided to share some of these questions ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum
Being in Southwest Florida in more or less Hardiness Zone 10a, we have some wiggle room that other parts of Florida north of us do not enjoy. Some of this leeway involves being able to grow annuals in fall without too much fear of freezing ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
I was walking through our Demonstration Garden at 25550 Harbor View Road in Port Charlotte awhile back and found a relatively new planting of sea oxeye daisy, Borrichia frutescens. This beautiful native flowering perennial plant is chock ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
I walked by a ‘Gold Mound’ golden dewdrop in my front yard the other day and noticed something strange. Many of the leaves at the bottom where blackened and sticky looking. I looked closer and saw clouds of tiny white specks flying ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Some plants do not do well in our full-sun landscapes. They are adapted to part-shade to full shade and will otherwise burn up outside of that ideal environment. So, if you have shade, take advantage of this habitat with colorful foliage ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
Of all the citrus varieties to choose from, a new type called the Australian finger lime is indeed different - a curiosity worth exploring. Not only is its fruit very different from any citrus you have seen and/or grown, but it is also ... READ MORE
Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
While ornamental plants may have colorful foliage or flowers, some may be useful – perhaps even outstanding - with colorful fruit to delight the eye. One such group of plants that is especially pertinent at this time of year are called ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
Summer is in full blast, and I wanted to reissue some information on the topic of stinging caterpillars. When you think of caterpillars, you think of worm-like leaf-eaters that are generally harmless to humans. Caterpillars may be hairless, ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Perhaps one of America’s favorite house plants is the dragon tree. This exotic-looking plant sports wiry branches which end in clusters of ribbon-like leaves. A member of the agave family native to Madagascar, this abstract plant is ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes