Summertime is bug time in the Florid Panhandle. The weather has provided enough rain for the bugs which depend on a supply of foliage and the temperatures have been ideal for a population explosion. Stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, grasshoppers, all sizes and colors of caterpillars and many more have been enjoying the lush and …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/14/the-predatory-praying-mantis/
When designing landscapes, it is popular to create lines and masses of plants for high visual impacts. Plants are carefully selected to be similar in size and shape at the time of installation. They are all grouped together, so they must be getting the same care, but why do they look different years later? There are …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/12/why-dont-my-plants-match/
Fruits and vegetables have undergone various forms of domestication for thousands of years. Throughout this time, selective breeding of wild forages has allowed humans to develop crops with many desirable traits, such as increased size, higher sugar content, more nutrition, and brighter colors. If you ate a carrot 5,000 years ago, you would be in …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/12/ponder-the-antiquity-of-fruits-and-vegetables/
Tropical Storm Cindy’s early arrival soaked northwest Florida this month, followed by even more heavy rain. Homes in low areas and along the rivers flooded and suffered extensive damage. That being said, we are just entering our summer “rainy season,” so it may be wise to spend extra time thinking about adjusting your landscape to …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/05/rain-gardens/
Basil is a favorite plant in the summer herb garden and an absolute must for those who enjoy fresh leaves for a sandwich or delicious homemade pesto. While we grow basils as a food enhancer, an added benefit is that those basil selections that form flowers are very attractive to pollinators. If you would rather not …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/05/african-blue-basil-a-pollinator-favorite/
Let’s be honest with each other and have a moment of transparency, one gardener to another. Even though we are plant people, most of us get a lot less enthusiastic once the mercury explodes over 90 degrees each June. All the things that were fun in the spring (watering our favorite fickle plants, deadheading spent …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/07/05/four-must-have-native-perennials-for-summer/
Algal leaf spot, also known as green scurf, is commonly found on thick-leaved, evergreen trees and shrubs such as magnolias and camellias. It is in the genus Cephaleuros and happens to be one of the only plant parasitic algae found in the United States. Although commonly found on magnolias and camellias, algal leaf spot has a …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/06/29/algal-leaf-spot-common-on-magnolias-and-camellias/
IPM for Shrubs in Southeastern US Nursery Production Volume II is the third book released by the Southern Nursery Integrated Pest Management Working Group (SNIPM) and includes chapters on hydrangea, loropetalum, holly, rhododendron (including azalea), Indian hawthorn, and weed management. Each chapter covers history, culture and management of the major species and cultivars in production, as …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/06/29/new-resource-on-integrated-pest-management-for-shrubs/
Although we’ve received much-needed rainfall of late, it’s still a struggle to manage moisture levels in our Panhandle landscapes this summer. During wet summer seasons, one recurring issue is that watering plants too much can have as much of an ill effect as not watering enough. Shallow rooted plants, as well as newly set plants …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/06/29/tips-on-how-to-manage-water-in-your-landscape/
Come to this free workshop to learn about the latest results of University of Florida and national research on roses. Receive hands-on training on symptoms and management of rose rosette disease, rose mosaic disease, crown gall, and rose pests. FL Pesticide CEUs, FNGLA CEUs and GA Pesticide CEUs have been applied for! This …
Permanent link to this article: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2017/06/22/workshop-on-new-and-re-emerging-rose-diseases-and-pests-july-11-1-5-pm/
