Ornamental plants get quite a few interesting names attached to them based on their appearance. One such plant is the screw pine. It is not a true pine, but it does have whorled foliage which could be interpreted as being in a screw-like pattern. ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
By Ralph E. Mitchell Many gardeners treasure bromeliads because of their adaptation to very shady areas. This characteristic help brighten up dark, shady sites. However, what if you have all sun and still want a bromeliad? Are you going to ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
My heliconia never fail to impress me – a blaze of red, orange and yellow in a sea of tropical green! I see my lobster-claw heliconia bracts beginning to emerge and I know my others will be in bloom soon. Nothing says tropical like heliconia ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
Above: The earleaf acacia (Acacia auriculiformis) grows to 40 feet tall and has unique curled, “ear” -whose ear? seed pods and unique, elongate leaves with parallel veins. Right, above: Compare ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS Extension
By Ralph E. Mitchell Heliconias do great in Southwest Florida! This native to tropical America easily adapts to a variety of home landscapes and sports colorful bracts of red, yellow, orange, and pink which adorn deep green leafy plants ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Researchers have, in the past, reintroduced fire to restore a forest without considering its effect on exotic species that have become invasive. But a recent study by a University of Florida researcher shows that fire actually ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Do you long to see more birds and butterflies flying about your garden? Do you want to help Florida’s wild critters survive? Are you tired of spending money and time watering, fertilizing, pruning and mowing your landscape? By knowing and ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Call it a beetle to battle the bulbil. The tiny air potato beetle (Lilioceris cheni) might be the key to stemming the invasion of a “noxious weed” – the air potato plant – that can overrun Florida’s natural ecosystems, and you can ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, WildlifeDo you have any exotic pets you can no longer care for? Would you like the opportunity to surrender those pets without any penalties or fines? Then join the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Gulfarium Marine Adventure ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife