Q: My sister-in-law is always talking about things which leave me in the dark. The other day she was talking about some plant called ageratum. I never heard of such a plant. What can you tell me about it? A: Don’t worry about not knowing ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: Several people have called me in the last two weeks asking about pruning various perennials, shrubs and trees. Many people, like you, have said the plants look poorly this time of year and they want to prune them down to the ground. As a ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: I am so glad you brought in a photo of the fern as this made it very easy for me to identify the fern as Resurrection fern, Pleopeltis polypodioides. This plant is native to Florida and found in moist areas and sometimes on the trunks of ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
By Ralph E. Mitchell I often wander through our Demonstration Garden at the East Port Environmental Campus on Harbor View Road in Port Charlotte to see what is blooming, producing fruit, or has a pest infestation. Our Natal plum specimen, ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
A: Giant leather fern, Acrostichum danaeifolium, can indeed be grown here as it is suitable for cold hardiness zones 8b through 12. Remember we, in Northeast Florida are 8b (west part of the county) – 9a (east part of the county). It can reach ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: According to North Carolina State University, it is in cold hardiness zone 9, so you might want to try it. Christmas fern, Polystichum acrostichoides, gets its common name from some parts of the plant remain green throughout the year in Northern ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: Bird's-nest fern, Asplenium nidus, is a large epiphytic fern, with erect, simple, wavy, bright green leaves which can reach lengths of 4 feet. Asplenium nidus `Crispafolium', the wavy Bird's-nest fern, is similar to Bird's-nest fern but fronds ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Q: I have a very shaded lot and I have been adding ferns to my landscape. I know this is a silly question, but I want to know why they call my most recent purchase - autumn fern. A: No question is silly if you are curious about the answer. ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: Thank you so much for sending me a photo, which helped me narrow the field. I believe your palm is actually an Australian fern tree, Sphaeropteris cooperi. It was introduced to the United States from Australia. The Australian tree fern is ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
A: The plant you showed me is called Asparagus fern, Asparagus setaceus, but it is also known as Common Asparagus Fern. There are many varieties of asparagus fern and a few, such as Asparagus aethiopicus, are classified as type I Invasive according ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes