Tag: newsletter2

Portrait of a Career in Urban Horticulture – Michael Orfanedes

by Donna Corbelli Castro
January 7, 2026

Third in a series highlighting those who have chosen careers in horticulture - "How did we get here?" Man can not live on tech alone We are increasingly becoming a society based on technology, however, we must remember that careers in agriculture, ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Arboriculture, Broward County, Careers, ISA, Michael Orfanedes, Newsletter, Newsletter2, PPQ, Trees

How to Grow a Forest – My 25 Year Experiment

by Donna Corbelli Castro
September 23, 2025

Why make a forest? I was born in Buffalo, NY and then moved to Durham, North Carolina after college. Both of these areas were less populated and had lots of forested areas near the urban centers. South Florida, I soon discovered, had hardly ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, , Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: 2022 Blogger Award Winner, Bird Habitat, Climate Change Solutions, Earth Day, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscapes, Low Maintenance, Making A Forest, Microforests, Miyawaki, Most Impactful, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Plant More Trees, Planting A Forest, Recipe For A Forest, Urban Forest

Portrait of a Career in Urban Horticulture – Indyli Brown

by Donna Corbelli Castro
August 14, 2025

Municipal opportunities abound for those willing to work hard I met Mr. Indyli Brown when he was invited to be on our UF/IFAS Extension Commercial Horticulture advisory board. He impressed me right away with his intelligence and passion ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Community Volunteers, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, , Work & Life
Tags: Arboriculture, Careers In Ag, City Of Plantation, Horticulture, Landscaping, Municipal Work, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Tree City

Our Passionate State Butterfly

by Donna Corbelli Castro
June 26, 2025

It's a butterfly world! Sometimes, my garden is literally bursting with butterflies. If you feel this way too, then you may have planted many butterfly host plants. A butterfly host plant is one which they lay their eggs on. You must ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, , Wildlife
Tags: Butterflies, Butterfly Gardening, Maypop, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Passiflora Incense, Passiflora Suberosa, Passion Vines, Pupal Mating, Zebra Longwing

Broward County Tree Trimmer Ordinance Sunset Now Delayed Until 2025

by Donna Corbelli Castro
April 30, 2024

Broward County Tree Trimmer License The Broward County tree trimmer licensing program dates back to October 2000 when the Broward County Board of County Commissioners passed an ordinance regulating the county's tree trimming industry. This ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: ANSI A300, Broward County Licensing, Broward County Tree Trimmer Certification, Broward County Tree Trimmer Ordinance, HB 1383, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Tree Pruning, Tree Trimmer Certification, UF-IFAS

The Time for Mixed Mowable Species has Come

by Donna Corbelli Castro
March 19, 2024

A lawn by any other name... The "lawn" is a cult phenomenon in the United States. Somewhere along the line, we associated a monoculture of a single grass species with the ultimate achievement in landscaping. Unfortunately, this mindset ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Alternative Lawns, Ecology, Featured Hot Topic, FFL, Florida Friendly, Landscape Ecology, Lawns, Mixed Mowable Species, Mixed Turf, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Plant Diversity, Sustainability, Turf

Magnificent Maples

by Donna Corbelli Castro
January 4, 2024

Iconic Tree of the East Coast from Maine to Florida When I was a girl, we lived in a small town in Western New York. Outside my second floor bedroom window was a large tree that I loved. The squirrels and birds were always in it, and ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, , Wildlife
Tags: Acer Rubrum, Arboriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Solutions, Florida Friendly, Maple Trees, Native Trees, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Urban Forest, Urban Landscapes

Marvelous Mangroves!

by Donna Corbelli Castro
November 27, 2023

Iconic signature of tropical coastlines Visitors to Florida like to associate palm trees with the tropics, but for those who know them, mangroves are really the iconic coastal signature of the topics. Worldwide, there are 50 species ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, , Water, Wildlife
Tags: FDEP, Importance Of Mangroves, Mangroves, Native Trees, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Protection For Mangroves, Tree Pruning

There’s a Party Going On in That Soil!

by Donna Corbelli Castro
November 27, 2023

Soil is not dirt. There's a lot of talk these days about the microbiome, beneficial bacteria, soil food web and other names for the often invisible life in the soil. Many people don't realize that the soil beneath them is not some inert substance. ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, , Work & Life
Tags: Agroecology, Climate Change, Food, Germ Theory, Microbiome, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Regenerative Farming, Soil, Soil Food Web, Terrain Theory, Thanksgiving

When a Snake in the Grass is Just a Snake in the Grass

by Donna Corbelli Castro
March 28, 2023

Spring means snakes. If you are quiet and observant, you can see the natural world around us speaking Spring. The birds are chirping more energetically, the butterflies are eagerly seeking nectar and host plants, the wildflowers (weeds to ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Biological Control, Ecology, Florida Snakes, Newsletter, Newsletter2, Snake ID, Snakes, Venomous Snakes

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