UF/IFAS GLOBAL BLOGS
If you give mom a plant for Mother’s Day, you might appreciate the aroma and aesthetics of the flower you bought – and flora in general. You might even wonder how the plant got to the retailer or… Read More
Crape myrtles are all around good tree selections for the landscape. When left in their more natural form with just a little selective pruning, crape myrtles can provide shade during our hot summer days. Learn the many qualities… Read More
The principles of the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ program are often applied to lawns and ornamental landscapes, but they can be applied to edible landscapes containing vegetables, herbs and fruit trees too! By following the nine FFL principles, you can produce… Read More
It is a great time of year to refresh your landscape beds with mulch. A good source for (free) mulch is fallen oak leaves, which are in abundance this time of year. Oak leaves are a lovely shade… Read More
Have you visited the Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) Demonstration Gardens at UF/IFAS Extension Polk County in Bartow? These gardens feature the nine principles of FFL and received a state award in 2019. The gardens are open to the public… Read More
When it comes to butterfly gardening, monarch butterflies seem to get all the love. Monarchs are the butterfly “homecoming queens”! They are drama queens, too, as they lead fascinating lives of intrigue, participating each year in a miraculous-seeming… Read More
Throughout the year, I collect pinecones, acorns, grasses, and seedpods in my yard and on hikes (where permitted). However, in the fall I really step up my activity. Mother nature is drying some of them for me this… Read More
Social distancing has become an all-too important description of our healthy relationships with one another during the pandemic. Did you know plants can benefit from “distancing” too? In fact, for central Florida gardeners, “distancing” in our landscapes has… Read More
Welcome to Weed Science Wednesday, a weekly series aimed at helping homeowners and horticulture professionals better identify and manage common landscape weeds in Florida. The weed of this week is long-stalked phyllanthus (Phyllanthus tenellus). Long-stalked phyllanthus is native… Read More
Have you ever fallen in love with a flower? I fell in love with zinnias about 6 years ago when I first realized this stunning flower could grow quite well in Florida. The blossoms beckon butterflies and the… Read More
