Close-up on a cluster of pink flowers.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: Horticultural Sciences (May–June 2026)

by Gillian McGuire
July 6, 2026

Demonstration Gardens in UF/IFAS Extension By Lisa S. Strange, Wendy Wilber, and Brenna Sturgis This publication provides a comprehensive directory of Extension demonstration gardens across Florida, highlighting their educational focus, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
Tags: Asian Vegetables Emerging In Florida, Ask IFAS, Demonstration Gardens, Edamame, EDIS, Horticultural Sciences Department, Snapbean, Trees

Therapeutic Horticulture Program Finds a New Home

by Eva Sailly
June 17, 2026

Relocation from Wilmont to the Teaching Farm This summer, the UF/IFAS Therapeutic Horticulture Program is joining the UF/IFAS Horticultural Sciences Teaching Farm, relocating from Wilmot Gardens. The move will connect the program more closely ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Academics, Blog Community, Events, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Teaching, Volunteer/Training
Tags: Community Programming, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Teaching Farm, Leah Diehl, Students, Teaching, Therapeutic Horticulture
Extension faculty observes branches on a blueberry bush.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: Horticultural Sciences (Mar.–Apr. 2026)

by Gillian McGuire
May 2, 2026

Jaboticaba: A Unique Fruit Tree for Florida Home Gardeners By Ajay Das and Jianjun Chen Jaboticaba (Plinia cauliflora) is a slow-growing, ornamental fruit tree suited to Florida’s climate (Zones 9a–11). It thrives in acidic, consistently ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
Tags: Ask IFAS, Blackberry, Blueberry, EDIS, Fruit, Home Garden Crops, Horticultural Sciences Department, Landscape Trees
Close-up of a researcher using fine tweezers to handle a small green plant sample on a glass slide under bright laboratory lighting.

Inside UF’s PMCB Program Shaping Interdisciplinary Scientists

by Eva Sailly
April 30, 2026

UF's Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (PMCB) Graduate Program grew from the understanding that addressing complex challenges in plant science requires collaboration.   Built Against the Grain Dr. Indra Vasil joined UF in 1967, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Horticultural Sciences Department, Hunter Strickland, Indra K. Vasil, Julia Ball, Ph.D., Plant Molecular And Cellular Biology, PMCB, Student, Teaching, Zhonglin Mou
Lauren Goldsby, UF/IFAS Extension Agent, leads a hands-on blueberry workshop for community members in Bay County.

Alumni Spotlight: Lauren Goldsby’s Path to Extension

by Eva Sailly
April 13, 2026

Lauren Goldsby’s path to becoming a UF/IFAS Extension Agent in Bay County, Florida's panhandle, wasn’t linear. During her undergraduate years at UF, she worked in the Forage Breeding and Genomics Lab and the Blueberry Breeding Lab, gaining ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Alumni, Alumni Feature, Bay County, Blueberry, Extension, Gerardo Nunez, Goldsby, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Plant Science, Student, Teaching, UF IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS CALS
Potted plants being fertilized. Photo taken 09-30-25

Therapeutic Horticulture Program Awarded Burpee Grant

by Eva Sailly
March 31, 2026

On the south side of UF’s campus, between UF Health Shands Hospital and IFAS’s research greenhouses, is a small team making a deep impact. The greenhouse at Wilmot Botanical Gardens is home to UF’s Therapeutic Horticulture Program, where ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Community Volunteers, Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Community Engagement, Experiential Learning, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Horticulture Therapy, Leah Diehl, Mental Health, Student Health, Therapeutic Horticulture, Well-Being, Wilmot Gardens
Triptych of velvet bean related research. [From Left to right] biological scientist pipettes liquids in tray; a group of velvet bean pods at the research plot in Citra; close up of soy beans cooked at home (similar to velvet beans as researchers are attempting to elevate L-DOPA levels).

Velvet Bean’s Potential for Parkinson’s Treatment

by Eva Sailly
March 20, 2026

Mucuna pruriens, or velvet bean, naturally produces L-DOPA, the precursor to dopamine and the primary compound used to manage symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. When neurons lose the ability to produce dopamine, patients ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Crops, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Crop Breeding, Dr. Guodong Liu, Dr. Jeongim Kim, Dr. Kelly Balmant, Dr. Md Jahidul Islam Shohag, Food Is Medicine, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Julia Ball, L-DOPA, Max Munro, Parkinson’s Disease, Plant Breeding, Plant Genetics, Plant Metabolism, Plant-based Medicine, PMCB, UF Health, Velvet Bean
Close-up image of the dried, saffron which is the thread-like stigma (the female reproductive part) of the Crocus sativus flower in a glass container.

A New Approach to Propagating the “World’s Most Valuable” Spice

by Eva Sailly
March 13, 2026

Often referred to as the most expensive spice in the world, saffron has been prized for thousands of years for its vibrant color, distinctive flavor, and aromatic compounds. Extracted from the red stigmas of the saffron crocus, Crocus sativus, ... READ MORE

Category: Academics, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Bioreactor, Controlled-environment Production Systems, Cryopreservation, Environmental Horticulture, Food Is Medicine, Horticultural Sciences, Horticultural Sciences Department, Micropropagation, Plant Science, Saffron, Vendrame Lab, Wagner Vendrame

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