Twig Pruners and Girdlers
Not all fall color is a good thing. This statement is especially true when it comes to twig pruners and twig girdlers. These two species of longhorned beetles can certainly disappoint your grand expectations of a beautiful array of fall color. Both species cause the...
Growing Date Palm in North Florida
Interest in cultivating date palms in North Florida is on the rise. Highly regarded by gardening enthusiasts, the date palm is grown as an ornamental and for its delicious fruits with the added bonus of medicinal properties. Growing date palm in North Florida poses...
Growing Fruits with Limited Space
There are fruit types that grow well in North Florida and that do not require a lot of space. For high yields they do need a spot that gets direct sun for at least half the day. An area only 10 by 10 feet can support a gratifying amount of fruit production. Some of...
Colorful Trees
Florida's natural areas—a great source of pride and enjoyment to its citizens—provide recreation, protect biodiversity and fresh water supplies, buffer the harmful effects of storms, and significantly contribute to the economic well-being of the state. Unfortunately,...
Scraps to Soil: Worm Your Way into Composting
Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly method for recycling organic waste, improving soil fertility, and boosting plant health. Photo by UF/IFAS. In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, vermicomposting has quietly emerged as a simple, eco-friendly method to...
Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! Herbs and Cool Season Edibles Wrap Up
In case you missed it, you can watch our last session of Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! that aired on October 12th by visiting our YouTube Playlist with all the past episodes of our gardening webinars. We had a great conversation about herbs and cool season edible...
Amarylis – The Botanical Fashion Statement
Gardening is a year-round activity here in the deep South. As the rest of the states bundle up for the upcoming winter, North Florida's gardens are bustling with activity. There is still plenty to do this November in North Florida. Amongst the many tasks include...
Native Fruit Trees – The Common Persimmon
The Common Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana, is a southern native small to medium fruit tree that is becoming more popular for homegrown fruit. The bark is grey or black and forms chunks or blocks that give it a checkerboard look. Fall color can be a spectacular red in...
A beautiful plant with a confusing parentage
Plant names in today’s industry are not as simple as the established binomial (genus and specific) and a common name. Many of the plants that you get for your landscape are varieties, cultivars, and hybrids. To make matters more complicated, there are trade names that...
Thriving Landscapes in Low Water Conditions
It has been dry as a bone lately, and your landscape is beginning to reflect that fact. Before you call it the dreaded “D” word you should understand that these dry periods are part of our yearly weather cycle. This year, we are drier than usual which means we...