Category: Home Landscapes

Prepare your landscape and trees for the hurricane season

by Brad Buck
May 5, 2025

Given the damaging impacts of hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton last year, you may want to prepare your landscape and trees for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season – and the sooner the better. “Best management practices include supporting ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Alyssa Vinson, Arborist, Bird Feeders, Claire Lewis, Damage, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Furniture, Gutters, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Season, Hurricanes, Irrigation, Landscapes, Lynn Barber, Pruning, Soil, Trees

May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 5, 2025

Recap of May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector In May, we continued our talks about wood-boring insects. This time, we focused on bark beetles. These are small beetles in the insect family called Curculionidae. Some bark beetles ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Avocadoes, Bark Beetles, Biosecurity, Early Detection, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Forestry, SeminoleCountyAg, Trees

Flower Friday: 4 Native Plants Blooming Now

by Duval MGV
May 2, 2025

Native pollinators are a crucial part of our ecosystem. Our native flowers and plants support those native pollinators in many ways that nonnative plants often cannot. Keep your eyes peeled for these blooms opening in nature near you. Whether ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Flower Gardening, Flowers In Florida, Native Plants, Pollinator Gardening, Wildflowers

Time for Blueberries in N.E. Florida

by Larry Figart
May 2, 2025

While Florida is known nationwide for citrus, and winter vegetables, the Florida commercial blueberry industry has expanded recently with over five thousand acres in berry production producing over 20 million pounds annually. You may already ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Blueberries, Duval, Figart, Fruit, Horticulture, IFAS

Hurricane Season Begins June 1: Time to Prepare

by Kevin Camm
May 1, 2025

June 1st is the first day of the 2025 hurricane season in the Eastern part of the United States. The 2024 season is a reminder of how active and unpredictable hurricane activity can be, with multiple named storms impacting our region. With the ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Disaster Preparation, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Disaster Preparation, Disaster Resources, Food Safety, Hurricane, Hurricane Kit, Hurricane Prep, Hurricane Preparations, Hurricane Preparedness, Hurricanes, Ocextension, Orange County, Tree Risk

Reclaiming Water: A Series on Smart and Sustainable Choices

by Jacob Burris and Tina McIntyre

April 29, 2025

Did you know? The water you use to irrigate your lawn could be reclaimed water—water recycled from wastewater! Sounds odd? Maybe. But it is one of Florida’s best tools for protecting our freshwater supply. 1. What is “Reclaiming Water”? The ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Lawn, UF/IFAS Extension, Water

Effects of Drought on the Landscape

by Grantly Ricketts
April 29, 2025

Driving around the neighborhood, it is evident that there is a lack of rainfall. Grass is turning brown, and some ornamental plant leaves are drooping and showing signs of wilting. In Florida, rainfall is not evenly distributed throughout the ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Lawn, Water
Tags: Plant Care

Surprises in Your Garden

by Donna Corbelli Castro
April 29, 2025

I love a good surprise! Who doesn't? I have been gardening personally and professionally for over 50 years and my garden never ceases to amaze me. If you have a Florida Friendly garden with native plant diversity and especially flowers, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, , Wildlife
Tags: 9 Principles, Cosmos, Florida Friendly, Long Horned Bees, Native Bees, Newsletter, Pollinator Gardens, Pollinators

Vegetable Garden Site Selection

by Calvin Gardner
April 29, 2025

The First Step of Gardening Have you ever wanted to start a garden but just didn't know where to begin? Look no further, because the first step to gardening is to pick the right site. Choosing the correct site won’t just put your plants ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida Gardening, Extension, Ocextension, Vegetable Gardening

Herbs for the Summer Gardener

by Abbey Smith
April 28, 2025

Herbs are one of the best ways to add diversity to your garden or patio in the summer as they have many uses and unique traits. Summer is the season where herbs truly shine. There are many benefits of growing and using herbs at home, such ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Garden, Herbs

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