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Two alligators lounge tail to tail on a canal bank.

Being Florida-Friendly™

by David Austin
April 30, 2021

Water, water, everywhere We are in Florida after all. Who would believe we could run out of water? It seems the sunshine state is practically surrounded by water and inland, the freshwater springs and lakes seem abundant. They are, but the ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Coasts & Marine, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardeners
Lots of red tomatoes

Blossom End Rot on Tomatoes

by David Austin
April 17, 2020

What's with the name? A common issue, when growing your own tomatoes in Florida, is blossom end rot (BER). With Blossom end rot, tomatoes begin to rot while still on the plant, opposite of where the stem is connected to the fruit, and where ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Classes, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener, Tomato, Tomatoes, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetables
Two alligators lounge tail to tail on a canal bank.

Keeping Your Yard Florida-Friendly

by David Austin
April 15, 2020

Keeping it Green If you are a gardener and you have lived anywhere else, you realize pretty quickly that Florida is different. The weather, the bugs and a whole lot of other gardening issues add to the difficulty. The key to these differences ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Landscaping, Master Gardeners
University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Science logo over the Florida Master Gardener Logo

What’s that black mold on my plant?

by David Austin
March 25, 2020

That unsightly black stuff When a black film we call sooty mold visits your plants and covers the leaves you can be sure of at least one thing. You have an insect problem. Most of you have seen this thin soot like layer on your Citrus, Gardenia, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Insects, Master Gardener, Master Gardeners, Plant Problems
Lots of red tomatoes

Trouble with Tomatoes

by David Austin
August 2, 2019

Not how we do it up North? When it comes to gardening, Florida is just different. Northern gardener bite their lips and try not to scream when they first try their craft in Florida. It’s not that great produce can’t be grown here. Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardeners, Pollination, Tomato, Tomatoes, Vegetable
Close up of lab grown Orange Lantana Flower

Silent Invader: Lantana

by David Austin
June 6, 2019

Silent Invaders When we think of things as being invasive we often imagine something like water Hyacinths covering every inch of a waterway or acres of Brazilian Peppers blocking out the sun where nothing else will grow. Invasive species are ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching,
Tags: Butterflies, Invasive Species, Lantana, Pollinator Plants, Toxic Plants, Weeds
Beautiful Florida-Friendly salmon colored New guinea Impatiens contrast with blueish hued junipers in the foreground.

Are You Florida-Friendly?

by David Austin
March 29, 2019

  Learning to Landscape If you are a gardener and you have lived anywhere else, you realize pretty quickly that Florida is different. The weather, the bugs and a whole lot of other gardening issues add to the difficulty. The key to these ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Conservation, Florida-Friendly, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Landscaping
Close-up of red and green caladium foliage.

Highlands County Master Gardener class starting January 26th

by David Austin
January 16, 2019

Sharpen your gardening skills! Highlands County Master Gardener Class is getting ready to start. Every year, the last Saturday in January, the class begins. The classes are every Wednesday after opening day until the last Wednesday in March. ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Citrus, Classes, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Master Gardener, Master Gardeners, Plant Problems, Turfgrass

Frogs: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

by J. Johnson
September 25, 2017

How do you react when you see a frog? Are you frightened and run away, fascinated and want to catch one, hungry and want to eat the legs, or disgusted and turn your head? Most frogs are quite important to the environment and to humans. However, ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Cane Toad, Cuban Frog, Frog Facts, Invasive, Invasive Frogs, Invasive Species, Toad, Tree Frog

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