Panama rose at a glance
By Ralph E. Mitchell One or two flowering plants hardly make an impact at a glance, but a whole line of them close to the road can make you put the brakes on! Once I saw this mass… Read More
A universe in your garden
By Ralph E. Mitchell As you are planning your annual flower bed this year, one that I have really had good success with in Charlotte County is Cosmos. This annual flowering plant comes in many sizes, shapes and… Read More
Oh nuts!
By Ralph E. Mitchell I was out in our Demonstration Garden at the East Port Campus on Harbor View Road in Port Charlotte this morning and smelled a floral fragrance of some type –a honey-like scent. I followed… Read More
All about seaweeds
Macroalgae are large species of algae often referred to as seaweeds. When not attached to bottom sediments, they are commonly called drift algae. Macroalgae come in colors of red, green, brown and black, and they randomly wash up… Read More
Yes, fish have ears – and they’re super cool too
Your ears are prominently displayed on the sides of your head. But when you look at a fish, you can’t see its ears. That’s because a fish’s ears are located inside its head, right behind each eye. Each… Read More
What’s blooming now – the powderpuff shrub
By Ralph E. Mitchell Blooms at this time of year catch the eye and draw you to a passing landscape. I have been seeing powderpuff shrubs in bloom with their puffy pink to red flowers punctuating the green… Read More
Ylang Ylang – exotic and tender
By Ralph E. Mitchell My first experience with a ylang ylang tree was living next door to one in the West Indies. At night, the heavenly fragrance would slowly drift through the air currents and eventually float into… Read More
Firespike – red or purple – a great winter bloomer!
By Ralph E. Mitchell I recently visited the Naples Botanical Garden and was overwhelmed by the beauty and the splendor of the plantings – my first visit! Of all the plants I could have focused on, the firespike… Read More
Orchids underfoot
By Ralph E. Mitchell Unawares, you could be walking on a Lilliputian orchid in your own lawn and not know it! This orchid is known as the Soldier’s Orchid or Lawn Orchid. I have always known it as… Read More
The gall of some bacteria
By Ralph E. Mitchell One problem of roses, and hundreds of other plants, is a disease called crown gall. It is caused by a bacterial disease that produces tumor-like growths on the stem of the plant near the… Read More