Tag: Central Florida

A Gardener’s Guide to Plant Propagation, Part III: Propagating Plants from Seed

by Lauren Spaduzzi
October 6, 2026

In Parts I and II of this series, we looked at the plant structures involved in propagation and how stems and leaves can be used to produce new plants. Now, it’s time to look at another way plants reproduce: seed. Growing plants from ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Landscape, LSpaduzzi, Master Gardener, Seed, Seed Propagation, Seed Saving, Seed Starting, Seeds, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening
Three sets of images with two painted rain barrels on left, small pond in middle, and gray birdbath on right.

Simple Steps to Reduce Mosquito Breeding in Your Landscape

by Julie Schelb
September 29, 2026

Reducing mosquito breeding sources in the landscape begins with identifying areas where water can collect and remain standing. Many common landscape features and gardening items can hold enough water for mosquitoes to complete their life cycle. ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Mosquito, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Rain Barrel, Rain Barrels, Turfgrass, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

A Gardener’s Guide to Plant Propagation, Part II: Propagating Plants from Stem and Leaf Cuttings

by Lauren Spaduzzi
September 22, 2026

In Part I of this series, we looked at the plant structures involved in propagation, including stems, leaves, buds and roots. Now it’s time to put that anatomy knowledge to work! A cutting is a portion of a plant that is removed from ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Central Florida, Cuttings, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida Native Plants, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Landscape, Master Gardener, Native Plants, Plant Propagation, Propagation, Tampa
A row of large collard plants in a vegetable garden

Fall Vegetable Planting Dates for Central Florida

by Tia Saracino
September 19, 2026

When to Plant Warm-Season Vegetables in Central Florida The ideal planting date for warm-season vegetable crops in Central Florida is September 15. Gardeners in North Florida can generally plant about two weeks earlier, while South Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, Fruit And Vegetable, Garden Calendar, Garden Planning, Planting Dates, Vegetable Gardening
Propagating fig cuttings

A Gardener’s Guide to Plant Propagation, Part I: The Anatomy of Propagation

by Lauren Spaduzzi
August 27, 2026

Have you ever read instructions to “cut just below a node” or “include an axillary bud” and wondered exactly what part of the plant that meant? Understanding a few basics of plant anatomy can make propagation much easier to understand, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Horticulture, Master Gardener, Plant Anatomy, Plant Propagation, Propagation, Residential Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Green timber bamboo

Growing Giant Timber Bamboo in the Home Landscape

by Tia Saracino
August 17, 2026

Giant Timber Bamboo Giant timber bamboo, or Oldham’s bamboo (Bambusa oldhamii), has the large green culms (stems) to 3 – 5”. Bamboo is in the grass family and this one is an impressive giant clumping bamboo species growing up to 65’ ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Bamboo, Bambusa, Central Florida, Edible Shoots, Home Landscapes, Subtropical
large oak trees with Spanish moss hanging in the canopy.

Tree Bark: A Landscape Showstopper- A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

by Anne Yasalonis, Julie Schelb and polkmgAvatar photo
August 10, 2026

Tree Bark: A Landscape Showstopper Join us in this episode as we take a closer look at trees with interesting bark. Whether you’re designing a landscape or just love trees, you’ll come away seeing bark in a whole new way! Your Central ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Trees, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Weeds, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast
Hands of bananas on a cutting board next to a pair of red clippers.

Top Five Sub-tropical Fruits to Grow in Central Florida

by Tia Saracino
July 30, 2026

Central Florida has a sub-tropical climate that is excellent for growing a variety of fruits. Here are our top five choices for easy-to-grow productive fruits for your home landscape.   Pineapple Pineapples can be grown and fruit ... READ MORE

Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Avocado, Banana, Central Florida, Edible Landscaping, Featured Hot Topic, Fruit, Home Landscapes, Mango, Papaya, Pineapple, Silvasy, Tampa Bay

The Landscape Order of Operations: Water. Test. Fertilize—if needed.

by Lauren Spaduzzi
July 15, 2026

A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer. When plants start looking unhealthy, it's tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water
Tags: Central Florida, Fertilizer, Fertilizer Ordinances, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Irrigation, Landscape, Master Gardener, Soil PH, Soil Test, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening, Watering Efficiently

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