The Praying Mantis
The gloriosa lilies have been in full glory, so to speak, in our garden at the Extension office the last few weeks. While photographing them, I noticed a tiny visitor hidden in plain sight among the flower’s frilly petals and stamen. A bright green juvenile praying...
Weed Control Methods in Landscapes and Gardens
by Ben Hoffner, UF IFAS Jefferson Extension As we continue to tend to our summer landscapes and gardens, it is important to have a proper weed control plan in place. Unwanted plants that grow in your garden or landscape can cause for poor germination rates and poor...
Brightening Up A Shady Spot
Shade is a wonderful feature in the landscape as we move into our summer months. It can also offer an opportunity to include a different palette of beautiful plants the bring color and brighteness to some filtered shade or full shade locations. Here are a few plants...
Plants That Carry Stories
Most gardeners I know love to share plants. Propagating and dividing them can be just as much fun as growing them. Some of my favorite plants in the garden came from loved ones offering a cutting or telling me to dig up whatever I liked. Lately, I’ve been thinking...
Watch Out for these Common Lawn Diseases
The Florida Panhandle’s warm, humid, and sunny climate makes it ideal for lawns to stay lush and green for most of the year—but it’s also perfect for turfgrass diseases to develop. The summer weather has already been ramping up with temperatures reaching a little...
Doveweed Control in Centipedegrass Lawns & Landscaped Beds
The Panhandle’s dreaded summer heat has finally arrived in force and has brought with it one of the most difficult to control lawn/landscape weeds, our annual enemy Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora). Doveweed is characterized as one of the world’s worst weeds due to its...
Explore Blackberry Production at the 2025 Blackberry Field Day
Blackberries are a deciduous crop that thrive in temperate climates. While several native blackberry species grow wild in Florida, their small fruit size, late maturation, and low yields make them unsuitable for commercial production. Historically, cultivated...
The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
The Eastern Lubber Grasshopper From spring to early summer every year, a certain grasshopper can be seen in the Florida panhandle: the eastern lubber, also known as the Georgia thumper. Sometimes emerging in huge numbers, this can be distressing to residents who...
Let Extension Diagnose Your Landscape Issues
Extension Agents get used to hearing that the local Extension Office is the community’s best kept secret. As much as we try to let folks know we’re here, many are still unaware of the services we provide. Even amongst the residents that are familiar with us, some of...
Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE! Program Summary: Pests of Florida Lawns and Landscape Plants
Gardening just wouldn't be any fun without the pests. In this episode of Gardening in the Panhandle LIVE!, the hosts answered some very important questions about different types of pests in Florida lawns and landscapes. Before we talk about some of the specific...