Tag: tsilvasy

Vanilla orchid flowers

Growing Vanilla in the Home Garden

by Tia Saracino
September 3, 2026

Vanilla is one of the world's most valuable spices, second only to saffron, and many gardeners are surprised to learn that it comes from an orchid. In fact, vanilla is the only genus of orchid that produces an edible fruit. While more than ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Home Landscapes, Orchid, South Florida, Specialty Crop, Spices, Tsilvasy, Vanilla, Vanilla Extract
Citrus tree with fruit

Growing Citrus in the Florida Home Landscape

by Tia Saracino
May 25, 2026

Growing citrus in your home landscape is challenging. The citrus disease greening affects much of the citrus in Florida and requires extra attention to insect management and fertilization. Getting Started with CitrusIf you are ready to plant ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Citrus Fruits And Vegetables, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Forest, Garden, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Orange, Tsilvasy, Video

Plant Status Change – Tropical Milkweed is Now Listed as a Category II Invasive

by Tia Saracino
November 5, 2025

  Tropical Milkweed is now Invasive! Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) was once a go to larval host plant for monarch butterflies. As of June 2025 the plant status has changed. It is now listed as invasive in the entire state ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Asclepias, Butterfly, Invasive Species, Native Plants, Tropical Milkweed, Tsilvasy

Chinese Crown Orchid – An Invasive Species you Need to Know

by Tia Saracino
September 30, 2025

Introduction Chinese crown orchid, Eulophia graminea, is a relatively new invasive species spreading through the state of Florida. It was first found in mulch in Miami, FL in 2007 and is now listed as a Category II invasive species by the ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Crown Orchid, Invasive Species, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy

Great Southeast Pollinator Census – Hillsborough County

by Tia Saracino
June 27, 2025

Great Florida Pollinator Census - Hillsborough County Join us for the Great Florida Pollinator Census, a citizen science project where citizens record and upload data on the number and types of pollinators they see for two days on Aug. ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease
Tags: Citizen Science, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Great Florida Pollinator Census, Greatsoutheastpollinatorcensus, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Insect, Pollinator Census, Tsilvasy, UFIFASExtension

Hawaiian Gold Bamboo

by Tia Saracino
May 19, 2025

Hawaiian Gold Bamboo is a clumping bamboo popular as an ornamental species cultivated in Florida and worldwide because of its beautiful golden canes with green stripes. Is is considered one of the Florida-Friendly bamboo species because it ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Bamboo, Clumping Bamboo, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Landscape, Tsilvasy

Drought Tolerant Native Plants for Central Florida

by Tia Saracino
May 5, 2025

In the late spring when it starts to get hot and dry in Central Florida you may notice some plants wilting and others thriving. This is a good time to consider remove plants that are not well suited for your landscape and replace with drought ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Drought, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Hurricane, Native Plants, Salt, Tsilvasy

Growing Seminole Pumpkin in Florida

by Tia Saracino
April 27, 2025

Seminole pumpkins, a cultivar of Cucurbita moschata, are one of the most reliable pumpkins for Florida gardens. They were traditionally grown by the Creek and Miccosukee peoples in Florida. Seminole pumpkin is a good choice for hot, humid, ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Heirloom, Heirloom Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Pumpkin, Seed Saving, Seminole Pumpkin, Tsilvasy, Vegetable

Florida Native Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

by Tia Saracino
November 7, 2024

There are three species of hummingbirds in Florida, by far the most common species is the Ruby throated hummingbird. They are attracted to red, orange, and pink tubular flowers. To attract hummingbirds to your yard, plant a variety of plant ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Birds, Butterflies, Central Florida, Florida Friendly, Home Landscapes, Hummingbirds, Native Plants, Perennial, Tsilvasy, Vine, Wildlife

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