Tag: ayasalonis

How to easily grow Florida native milkweed in sandy landscapes


October 10, 2025

To support monarch butterflies, the University of Florida and other conservation groups recommend Florida native milkweed species as host and nectar plants. Currently, there are three native milkweed species that are most commonly found ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, , Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Butterfly, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Master Gardener Volunteer, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Plants, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Pollinators, Sandy Soil, UF-IFAS, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Fruit Trees for Your Central Florida Yard: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


October 10, 2025

Fruit Trees for Your Central Florida Yard In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, Anne and Julie talk about growing fruit in central Florida. There are so many varieties of fruit trees from temperate to tropical that it’s ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Fruit, Fruit Trees, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast
closeup of monarch butterfly on leaves

Monarchs and Milkweed: An Important Update


September 25, 2025

Ahhhh, monarch butterflies…  Their life cycle and fascinating migration patterns, as well as their striking beauty make them intriguing and beloved to gardeners and scientists alike.  The following blog post covers some of the latest ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Milkweed, Native Plants, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Tropical Milkweed

Fragrant Plants for Your Central Florida Yard: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


August 25, 2025

Fragrant Plants for Your Central Florida Yard In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, we talk all about our favorite fragrant plants. What type of garden scents do you prefer? Some people like heavy florals while other people ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Fragrant Flowers, Fragrant Plants, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Pollinators, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Growing Happy Houseplants: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


August 18, 2025

Growing Happy Houseplants In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, we talk all about how to successfully grow houseplants. Join us as we chat about how to select a houseplant for your home’s light conditions, basic tips for house ... READ MORE

Category:
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Growing Houseplants, Houseplants, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast
Blue UF/IFAS sign with green shrubs in front

Urban Wildlife Corridors


August 6, 2025

An important and growing landscaping trend is gardening for wildlife. This important conservation effort can help our native small wildlife populations with plants that attract and support a wide variety of our native species, especially birds, ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida Native, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Flowers, Gardening, Hurricane Preparedness, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plant Month, Native Plants, Polk County, Polkgardening, Pollinator Plants, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

A Gardener’s Story with Betty: A Special Bonus Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


May 30, 2025

A Gardener's Story, A very special bonus episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast A Gardener’s Story is special bonus episode where we sit down with a UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer who is dedicating their time and ... READ MORE

Category:
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Gardening, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Growing and Cooking with Herbs: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


May 12, 2025

In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, Andrea Nikolai, the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, joins us to talk all things herbs! From growing to cooking, health benefits to recipe ideas, it's thyme for a fun episode! Many ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes
Tags: Andrea Nikolai, Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Family And Consumer Science, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Growing And Cooking, Health, Herbs, Master Gardener Volunteer, Nutrition, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Spices, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast
Close up of red, yellow, and orange croton leaves

Colorful and Carefree: Growing Crotons in Your Central Florida Yard


May 10, 2025

Are you looking for a low maintenance plant that adds color and beauty to your landscape with very little effort?  Say hello to the overlooked beauty of the garden, the croton.  Crotons (Codiaeum variegatum), are tropical evergreen shrubs ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Croton, Crotons, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Foliage, Foliage Plants, Gardening, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Tropical, Tropical Plants, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Florida-Friendly Edible Plants: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast


May 8, 2025

Florida-Friendly Edible Plants In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, we explore edible plants that not only thrive in our unique climate but also align with Florida-Friendly Landscaping principles.   From herbs to fruits ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Plants, Jschelb, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Vegetable Gardening, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

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