I’ve got a Nagi feeling about this… Natural and Horticultural History Human desires can be capricious and plants can fall in and out of vogue. Somewhat surprisingly, things as long-lived as landscape trees have different levels of merit ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
By Ralph E. Mitchell Do you like to use native plants in your landscape? If you do, the wax myrtle may be your plant. Useful as a plant for above ground planters, as a hedge, or as a small to medium-sized tree, the wax myrtle is a hardy ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
By Ralph E. Mitchell I visited Bok Tower Gardens late last year and spotted a patch of exotic-looking flowering plants in a shady nook. These plants were about six-feet tall and formed clumps of similar size. Atop many of the stem tips ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
As soon as I start my walk in the Exploration Gardens, I smell the delightful scent of the banana shrub. I can’t figure out why this plant isn’t used more in landscapes because it has so many good qualities. This evergreen shrub is both ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
By Ralph E. Mitchell As I mentioned last week, we just finished our 2018 Master Gardener Training activity called the “Parade of Plants” where Master Gardener Trainees pick a plant they like and then develop a short ten-minute presentation. ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
A: The term evergreen is a loosely used term by the general public, which generally means a tree retains its leaves year-round. Deciduous refers to those trees that drop all or most of their leaves when the temperatures drop and the amount of ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes
This densely-foliated, wide pyramidal, columnar or oval evergreen grows fairly quickly, ultimately reaching heights up to 40 feet with a 25-foot spread. Some individual plants grow wider than tall as they grow older. Some botanists do not make ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
This rapidly-growing North American native evergreen reaches 30 to 40 feet in height with a 15 to 25-foot-spread. It is referred to as Cupressus glabra by some botanists. The green foliage has a silver/gray shimmer and the branches ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
This sprawling, evergreen ground cover produces deep purple foliage and stems when grown in full sun. The rather brittle stems, a foot or more high, have a tendency to flop over, creating a trailing effect that lends itself nicely to informal ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
This rapidly growing, evergreen, Florida native shrub has olive green leaves and reddish-purple, starry, two-inch flowers. The many slender branches of Florida anise droop to he ground, giving a rounded, open canopy in the shade, ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes