Bald cypress Taxodium distichum is a native tree that is commonly planted in landscapes because it is adaptable to many sites and grows quickly. It is an interesting tree because it has soft flat leaves that fall off in the winter like other deciduous shade trees; however, it belongs to the Cypress family which consists …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/23/mysterious-growths-on-bald-cypress/
Trees are a landscape asset for many homeowners. When a new tree is installed in our landscapes, we can’t wait for it to mature to provide shade or landscape interest. The heartbreak for many homeowners comes when this important part of their landscape, begins to decline five to ten years after establishment. We often consider a …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/23/an-easily-preventable-tree-planting-problem/
“A penny saved is a penny earned” is the famously frugal advice from Poor Richard’s Almanac. The author Benjamin Franklin, elder statesman and founding father of the United States, offered this simple pearl of wisdom to 18th century American colonist to remind them to cautiously manage their assets. This concept has met the test of …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/16/fall-is-an-excellent-time-to-plant-daylilies/
I had to do a hard thing last week. My battle-worn okra, eggplant and pepper plants that had produced so reliably since June and endured all the summertime challenges (heat, insects, disease, and a hurricane to name a few) were finally pulled out of my raised bed garden and discarded. A combination of lowered yields, …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/10/readying-your-raised-beds-for-northwest-floridas-best-gardening-season/
On the top of my list of lawn related annoyances is stepping into a patch of burweed, Soliva sessilis, which is in the sunflower family and is also known as spurweed. The leaves are opposite along the stem and sometimes resemble parsley. The main ways in which burweed can irk the casual gardener are sticking to …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/10/prepare-now-to-avoid-lawn-burweed-infestation-later/
The network of backcountry roads winding through north Florida offer pleasant views of rolling pastures, fields of cotton, old tobacco barns, and, occasionally, a scenic overlook of our local “hills”. Many of these roads follow the original trails blazed by early settlers, or even Native Americans. Traveling along these small roads during the late summer …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/09/summer-wildflowers-of-north-florida-roadsides/
Each fall, nature puts on a brilliant show of color throughout the United States. As the temperatures drop, autumn encourages the “leaf peepers” to hit the road in search of the red-, yellow- and orange-colored leaves of the northern deciduous trees. Here in the Florida Panhandle, fall color means wildflowers. As one drives the roads …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/02/golden-fall-in-the-panhandle/
With the passing of September the end is in sight, well at least the end of summer, and hopefully summer-like weather. The hot humid days of August gave way to the hot humid days of September,now October, and the Florida Panhandle is finally experiencing cooler temperatures. At least temporarily. Days have shortened noticeably and the plants have noticed. Foliage …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/02/its-fall-now-what-do-i-do-with-my-lawn/
Over the last month or so, home gardeners and commercial growers alike have noticed what look to be large dust particles floating through the air. It’s probably not uncommon to have inhaled a few or even a few hundred of these mysterious particles. Most likely, these “particles” aren’t dust at all but whiteflies instead. Whiteflies are small (less than a tenth …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/10/02/whiteflies-invade-the-panhandle/
Avid horticulturists often get frustrated when attractive, floriferous, versatile, durable, and easy-to-grow plants get sidelined because they have been declared an invasive species. Ruellia simplex (commonly known as Mexican petunia) was declared a category 1 invasive in 2001 by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council, described as “a plant that is altering native plant communities …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/09/18/an-alternative-to-invasive-ruellia/
