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Tag: landscape management

Soil Testing at UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension

by Tia Saracino
April 16, 2026

Florida’s year-round growing season is a great reason to love gardening. While we have different seasons, the one constant for our plants is the soil that they’re grown in. While we can control our plant’s water and fertilizer needs, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Fertilizer, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits And Vegetables, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscape Management, Nutrients, PH, Soil, Soil PH, Soil Testing, Tampa, Tsilvasy, UF/IFAS Extension

Soil pH Testing Returns to Orange County Plant Clinic!

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

Summary Orange County Plant Clinic temporarily paused soil pH testing, but effective August 1st, 2023 we will resume offering this service for $2 per sample. This service is for residential samples only. If you are a contracted landscaper ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #extensionforall, FFL, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscape Management, Ocextension, Orange County, Soil, Soil PH, Soil Test, Soil Testing, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, Vegetable Gardening

Residential Plant Clinics around Orange County

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

Whether you're an avid backyard gardener or just starting your houseplant collection, the Orange County Plant Clinic is here to help! Operated by dedicated Master Gardener Volunteers, the Plant Clinic is your go-to resource for plant questions ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits And Vegetables, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Irrigation, Landscape, Landscape Management, New Vegetable Gardener, Ocextension, Orange County, Orange County Master Gardener Volunteers, Orange County MGV, Orange County Plant Clinic, Pests, Plant Clinic, Plants, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, Vegetable Gardening

Winter is Coming: Protect Your Plants from the Cold

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

One of my favorite things about Florida is our year-round warm weather. However, when we occasionally get cold weather that falls below freezing, we need to prepare our tropical loving plants. Certain varieties of palm trees, avocadoes, mangoes, ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: (MGV), Agroecology, Cold Protection For Plants, Cold Weather, FFL, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida Master Gardener, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Freeze, Freeze Damage In Florida Gardens, Freeze Protection, Frost, Frost Cloth, Frost Protection Techniques, Fruits And Vegetables, Garden, Gardening, Gardening Tip, Horticulture, Landscape Management, Lawn, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, OC MGV, Ocextension, Orange County Master Gardener, Plants, Trees, Tropical Plant Care In Winter, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening, Vegetables, Winter

Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Invasive Houseplants

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

Welcome back to our Florida’s Hidden Invaders Blog Series where we focus on spreading awareness of invasive species and their impacts. In this section we will focus on houseplants that become invasive if planted in the landscape. For much ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Invasive Species
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida Gardening, Florida Wildlife, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Floridas-hidden-invaders, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasives, Landscape, Landscape Management, Native Plants, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Invasive Plants in Our Yards Part 1

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

Walk through almost any Florida neighborhood and you’ll probably spot a few invasive plants without even realizing it. Many were originally planted for their beauty, drought tolerance, or easy care—but those same qualities make them quick ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida Gardening, Florida Wildlife, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Floridas-hidden-invaders, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasives, Landscape, Landscape Management, Native Plants, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Invasive Plants in Our Yards Part 2

by Clarissa Chairez
April 16, 2026

In Part 1 of this series we explored several popular but invasive plants often found in Florida yards, including Mother of Millions, Wandering Dude, Mimosa Tree, Chinese Wisteria, and Common Lantana. These species may look beautiful, but their ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida Gardening, Florida Wildlife, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Floridas-hidden-invaders, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasives, Landscape, Landscape Management, Native Plants, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Tackling Invasive Species

by Clarissa Chairez
February 19, 2026

Welcome to our Florida's Hidden Invaders Blog Series where we focus on spreading awareness of invasive species and their impacts. In this introduction section we will focus on what invasive species are, common traits, how they get here, and ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species
Tags: Florida Friendly, Florida Gardening, Florida Wildlife, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Floridas-hidden-invaders, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasives, Landscape, Landscape Management, Native Plants, Ocextension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

UF/IFAS Extension Orange County Commercial Horticulture Classes–2026

by Hannah Eason
January 23, 2026

Good things are growing in Orange County, Florida! Let’s keep our minds as sharp as our tools and learn together in 2026. The exciting line-up of classes is designed to build upon topics from the basics to specifics of commercial horticulture ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: BMP, CEU, CEUs, Cflandscapes, Fertilizer, FFL, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Horticulture, Hwooten, IPM, Landscape, Landscape Management, Orange County, Palm, Palm; Palms; Turf, Palms, Pest Control, Tree, Trees, Turfgrass; Best Practices; Bmp; Bmps, UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

Remarkable Roselle: From Seed to Harvest in Central Florida

by Heather Kalaman
December 11, 2025

This season, our gardening team has been hard at work cultivating Hibiscus sabdariffa, commonly known as roselle, sorrel, or Florida cranberry, in our UF/IFAS Extension Orange County Exploration Gardens — and the results have been nothing ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits And Vegetables, Garden, Gardening, Healthy Living, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscape Management, Master Gardener Volunteer, New Vegetable Gardener, Ocextension, Orange County, Plants, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening