Tag: Central Florida

UF/IFAS Extension offers Gardening with Native Plants in Hybrid Format

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

Florida native plants are a smart choice for your landscape. They are well-suited for survival in Florida and provide a number of ecological benefits to our environment. Join UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County on Thursday April 13th from ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Annuals, Archive, Central Florida, Event, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida Native Plants, Hillsborough County, Hybrid, In Person, Online Event, Perennials, Tampa, Trees, Tsilvasy, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildflowers, Zoom

Gardening with Florida Native Plants

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

Watch our Gardening with Native Plants webinar with Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS Extension and Anita Camacho, Little Red Wagon Native Nursery What is a native plant?Let's start with a few definitions. A native plant is one that has been documented ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Home Landscapes, Landscape, Landscaping, Milkweed, Monarch, Native, Native Plants, Plants, Tsilvasy

University of Florida Experts offer Pest and Disease Workshop for Tampa Bay

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

Join UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County as we host the Florida First Detector Workshop on Friday May 19th from 9:30 to 11:30am. This class offers residents an introduction to identifying pests and diseases in your home landscape from experts ... READ MORE

Category: , Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Archive, Central Florida, Disease, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Hillsborough County, Home Landscape, Master Gardener, Pest, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy, UF/IFAS Extension

Tips for Edible Landscaping

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

View the recording of our Edible Landscaping webinar on YouTube here. The concept of edible landscaping primarily applies to growing vegetables, herbs and fruit trees in a way where it fits in with your home landscape. With proper plant ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Edible Landscaping, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Herb, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Master Gardener, Tampa, Tsilvasy, Vegetable

Success story: Native Plant Garden at Lettuce Lake Park Provides for Wildlife

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

We did it! Thank you to the Florida Master Gardener Program Volunteers, Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Hillsborough County Park staff who came out on June 28th to plant 60 native plants of 20 different species. Our ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Butterfly, Central Florida, Conservation, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hillsborough County, Landscaping, Master Gardener, Native Plant, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildflowers

Vegetable Gardening in Central Florida

by Tia Saracino
April 14, 2026

For a deep dive into Vegetable Gardening in Central Florida, watch our YouTube of the webinar recording. If you are getting started with growing your own vegetables in Florida, choose a site that is full sun with access to water. Gardens ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Tampa, Tsilvasy, Vegetable, Video, Webinar

Water Conservation During Drought

by Tia Saracino
April 14, 2026

When it's hot and dry out it is important to think of water conservation. In Florida, more than 50% of our potable water is used for lawns and landscapes in residential housing. The goal is to keep our plants alive, while conserving water. ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Central Florida, Desalinization, Drinking Water, Drought, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hillsborough, Home Landscapes, Landscape, Lawn, Population, Potable Water, Tampa, Tsilvasy, Water Conservation

Native Plants to Protect the Tampa Bay Watershed

by Tia Saracino
April 14, 2026

Thanks to a $5,000 bay-mini-grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County was able to develop a Bay Friendly Landscaping program. Educational classes were offered to teach residents about protecting the environment ... READ MORE

Category: , Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Home Landscapes, Native Plants, Tampa Bay, Tampa Riverwalk, Tsilvasy, Urban Wildlife, Video, Water, Water Quality, Watershed, Webinar, Wildlife

What is a nativar and why use them in the landscape?

by Tia Saracino
April 14, 2026

What is a nativar? A nativar is a cultivated variety of a native plant. Nativars have the same drought-tolerance and local adaptations as straight natives, but may also have improved form or other traits desirable for urban landscapes. A ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Cultivar, Florida Native Plants, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Native, Pollinator, Tsilvasy

Growing Bamboo in Florida

by Tia Saracino
April 13, 2026

In Florida, we have temperate to tropical climates that allow us to grow many species of bamboo. There are 1,400 of bamboo species in 115 genera worldwide. We also have a Florida native bamboo species, called switchcane (Arundinaria gigantea) ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Bamboo, Central Florida, Clumping, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Home Landscapes, Invasive Plants, Propagation, Running, Tsilvasy

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