Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping

Caution sign with green lake in background

Blue-Green Algae Are Blooming

by Mike D'Imperio
June 8, 2026

Here in Florida, we are no strangers to algae. It occurs naturally in both saltwater and freshwater ecosystems. Our warm climate, ample sunlight, and slow-moving, shallow waters provide excellent habitats for many algal species. If you have ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Work & Life
Tags: Algae, Algal Bloom, Blue-green Algae, Cyanobacteria, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Harmful Algae, Pgm_Water, Sarasota, Sarasota County, Water Quality

Suncoast Florida Drought Update: What It Means for Your Landscape, Water Supply, and Fire Risk

by Forest Hecker, Valeria Yon and Mike D'ImperioForest Hecker, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Community Educator for Sarasota County's UF/IFAS Extension and Sustainability Department.
June 4, 2026

How Bad Is the Current Drought? Since the end of our rainy season in early fall, rainfall totals across west-central Florida have dropped dramatically. Local meteorologists report this has been one of the driest fall–winter periods in over ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Drought, Fire, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_HortRes, Pgm_Water
Two orchid bees in the foreground with a firebush in the background

Precious Pollinators: Green Orchid Bee

by Forest Hecker
May 28, 2026

Euglossa dilemma: Florida's Brilliant New Orchid Bee If you've spotted a dazzling, iridescent green bee darting through your garden, you may have encountered one of Florida's most fascinating recent arrivals — the Green Orchid Bee (Euglossa ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_Chemicals, Pgm_HortRes, Wildlife
A bin of UFBest peaches. Yellow and red plump fruit.

Suncoast Grown and Gathered: May Stone Fruit! Peaches and Plums in Abundance?

by Forest Hecker
May 27, 2026

At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits and crops suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Work & Life
Tags: FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_HortRes
Red ripening Mayhaw apples on a twig that is being held up to camera.

Suncoast Grown and Gathered: May Apple Haws! Fruitful native and ecological powerhouse!

by Forest Hecker
May 5, 2026

At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits and crops suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: Agriculture, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Landscape, Landscaping, Nature, Pgm_HortRes, Wildlife

Welcome Our New Commercial Horticulture Program Specialist

by Jackie Lebouitz
April 10, 2026

At UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, we work closely with residents, volunteers, and professionals on a wide range of topics in horticulture, with a focus on promoting plant health through best management practices (BMPs) in the landscape ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Business, Commercial, Featured, Garden, Greenhouse, Growers, Horticulture, Nursery, Pgm_Chemicals, Plants, Professional
wasps

When the Garden Wakes Up, So Do the Insects: A Spring Story About Pests, Predators, and Paying Attention

by Ashley Ellis
April 5, 2026

On a warm spring morning in Southwest Florida, the garden doesn’t just grow—it hums. If you pause long enough, you’ll notice it. A leaf that wasn’t chewed yesterday now carries a series of holes caused by cabbageworm. Ants move steadily ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Pgm_HortRes
A harvested and cut Painter's Cherilata fruit (pink sphere with pink/white flesh) on a backdrop of Pond Apple leaves.

Suncoast Grown & Gathered: Painter’s Cherilata — February’s Berry Cheesecake Fruit!

by Forest Hecker
February 24, 2026

At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits and crops suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Pgm_HortRes
A tile mosaic of birds, trees and flowers.

Love Butterfly Gardening? Here’s How to Take It to the Next Level

by Ashley Ellis
February 22, 2026

If you’ve planted milkweed (Asclepias spp.) for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), passionvine (Passiflora incarnata or other native Passiflora spp.) for Gulf fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae), or added nectar flowers to bring in swallowtails ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Pgm_HortRes, Sarasota County Extension
American Groundnut. On the left the light purple/pink flowers and hefty brown tubers. On the right the trellis and garden we grew it in. On the far right are the seeds/beans we collected. Green as they ripen.

Suncoast Grown & Gathered: Native Groundnuts! A Wintertime Staple?

by Forest Hecker
February 20, 2026

At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits and crops suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Tags: Edible Gardening QOTW, EdibleGardeningSeries, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Nature, Pgm_Gardens, Pgm_HortRes, Wildlife

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