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Category: Wildlife

Drought Tolerant Native Plants for Central Florida

by Tia Silvasy
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, Hurricane, Native Plants, Salt, Tsilvasy

Florida Native Plants to Attract Hummingbirds

by Tia Silvasy
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, Hummingbirds, Native Plants, Perennial, Tsilvasy, Vine, Wildlife

Panama Berry Tree: Muntingia calabura

by Tia Silvasy
June 11, 2024

The panama berry tree (Muntingia calabura) goes by many names such as strawberry tree, jam fruit tree, and cotton candy berry. The Panama berry is a tropical fruit tree with a strawberry looking flower and sweet edible fruits that taste like ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Edible Landscape, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Mutingia, Panama Berry Tree, Shrub, Strawberry Tree, Tree, Tropical, Tsilvasy

Tropical Milkweed and OE

by Tia Silvasy
June 1, 2024

Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is commonly found in garden centers and is easy to grow. However, recent research has suggested that gardeners should avoid tropical milkweed and plant native species instead. Unlike native milkweeds ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Butterflies, Butterfly Garden, Florida, Florida Native Plants, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Plants, OE, Pollinators, Tsilvasy

Dwarf Everbearing Mulberry Tree for your Edible Landscape

by Tia Silvasy
May 22, 2024

There are just some fruits that aren't locally available at grocery stores because of their short shelf life. The mulberry is one of them. The 'Dwarf Everbearing' mulberry is an excellent choice as a Florida-Friendly fruit tree for your edible ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Agroecology, Edible, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Food, Fruit, Garden, Landscaping, Mulberry, Organic, Sustainable, Tsilvasy

Free Gardening talks at Tampa GreenFest

by Tia Silvasy
January 30, 2024

Come visit our UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County table at Tampa GreenFest and learn from Master Gardeners in our free gardening talks. GreenFest will be held on March 9 & 10, 2024 from 9am – 4pm, rain or shine! GreenFest will be ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Classes, Events, Free, Garden Festival, Gardening, Greenfest, Hillsborough, Plant Sale, Tampa, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy

Success story: Native Plant Garden at Lettuce Lake Park Provides for Wildlife

by Tia Silvasy
July 5, 2023

We did it! Thank you to the Florida Master Gardener Program Volunteers, Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Hillsborough County Park staff who came out on June 28th to plant 60 native plants of 20 different species. Our ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Butterfly, Central Florida, Conservation, Florida, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Hillsborough County, Landscaping, Master Gardener, Native Plant, Tampa Bay, Tsilvasy, Ufifas Extension, Wildflowers

Gardening with Florida Native Plants

by Tia Silvasy
April 13, 2023

Watch our Gardening with Native Plants webinar with Tia Silvasy, UF/IFAS Extension and Anita Camacho, Little Red Wagon Native Nursery What is a native plant?Let's start with a few definitions. A native plant is one that has been documented ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida-friendly Landscaping, Garden, Landscape, Landscaping, Milkweed, Monarch, Native, Native Plants, Plants, Tsilvasy

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