Tag: mulch

Chop and Drop Gardening: Turning Plant Waste into Healthy Soil

by Lauren Spaduzzi
May 29, 2026

Nature doesn’t waste nutrients, and your garden doesn’t have to either! What is ‘chop and drop’ gardening? Chop and drop gardening involves ‘chopping’ plant material, and then ‘dropping’ it in place, where it decomposes naturally ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Chop And Drop, Compost, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Gardening, Home Landscapes, Mulch, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable Gardening

Healthy Plants, Watering Restrictions, and Extreme Drought

by Julia Sirchia
May 14, 2026

In Florida, annual dry periods and drought conditions in the fall and spring are completely normal. But during periods of extreme drought and below-average rainfall, like the conditions we are experiencing this year, there are some cultural ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Water
Tags: Drought, Efficient Irrigation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening In Drought, Horticulture, In Times Of Drought, Irrigation, Mulch, Water, Water Conservation, Water Restrictions

Homeowners, contractors differ in their perceptions of artificial turf as lawns

by Brad Buck
May 5, 2026

Artificial turf may not be a common sight in Florida yards, but a new University of Florida survey shows some homeowners are warming up to the idea. The appeal is simple: less mowing, less irrigation and far less time spent wrestling with lawn ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Agricultural Education And Communication, Artificial Landscape, Center For Land Use Efficiency, Claire Lewis, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, FNGLA, Gravel, Green Industry, Laura Warner, Mowing, Mulch, Non-plant Landscapes, Right Tree; Right Place, Rocks, Synthetic Turf

Using Mulch Around Trees and Palms

by Jamie Daugherty, Ph.D.
April 30, 2026

While some think of mulch as simply an aesthetic component of a landscape, it is so much more. Mulch has a large impact on the health of your landscape plants, including your palms and trees. Selecting the correct mulch and the appropriate application ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Mulch, Palms, Trees, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Sumter County, Urban Forestry, Urban Forestry Extension, Urban Trees

Companion Planting Can Help Reduce Or Eliminate Insecticide Use In The Garden

by Duval MGV
March 2, 2026

Spring has returned and now is the time to start planting your warm season vegetables Part of the fun of gardening is trying new methods like companion planting. In the past, gardening wisdom would just declare that certain vegetables did not ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Crops, Duval, Florida Gardening, Gardening, Landscape, Mulch

UNF Botanical Garden – Focusing on Sustainability Through Florida-Friendly Landscaping™

by Stephanie Means
January 9, 2026

Recently Rhonda Gracie, the University of North Florida Botanical Garden Horticulturalist and mastermind behind the gardens for the last decade plus, received the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (FFL) Ambassador award. An FFL Ambassador is ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 9 Principles, Botanical Garden, Conservation, Duval, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Groundcovers, Mulch, UNF Botanical Garden

Garden Tasks that WOW: A New Episode of Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

by Julie Schelb
December 24, 2025

Garden Tasks that WOW In this episode of Your Central Florida Yard podcast, join us to learn about which garden tasks can make a big difference in the appearance of your landscape. Anne and Julie also share their top two favorite tasks ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Jschelb, Master Gardener Volunteer, Mulch, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Weeds, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Scientists to share latest hemp production research during free Aug. 13 field day

by Megan Winslow
August 4, 2025

What: Hemp Field Day, presented by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). When: Aug. 13, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Where: The UF/IFAS Plant Science Research and Education Unit, 2556 Co. Hwy. 318, Citra. About: ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Cannabis Sativa Plants, Citra, Drone, Economic, Emerging Crop, FDACS, Fertilizer, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Free, Hemp, Hemp Field Day, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Lunch, Marijuana, Megan Winslow, Mulch, Pilot Project, Plant, Plant Science Research And Education Unit, Psreu, Research, Tour, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Weed

Spring Gardening Tip: Prepping a Landscape Bed for Planting

by Anne Yasalonis
April 7, 2025

Spring is a great time to plan for that new garden or landscape bed, and one of the most important steps to take for the future health and beauty of your new plants is pre-planting landscape bed preparation. Unfortunately, it is often a dreaded ... READ MORE

Category:
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Bed Prep, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Mulch, Polk County, Polkgardening, Spring, Spring Gardening, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Support Your Local Bugs: Leave the Leaves (Get a FREE Bumper Sticker!)

by Jackie Lebouitz
March 19, 2025

You may have heard the phrase "leave the leaves" before. It was first coined by the National Wildlife Federation, then popularized by the Xerces Society. After that, many other groups followed suit. Before we dive into what that phrase means, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Arthropod, Bug, Drop, Entomology, Insect, Invertebrate, Leaf, Leave The Leaves, Leaves, Mulch, Pgm_Chemicals

Subscribe For More Great Content