Twinspur- A Winter Flower
Diascia (Twinflower) in full bloom! Photo courtesy of Walton County Master Gardener Andrea Schnapp. Since 2005, multiple varieties of Diascia have added to the U.S. fall market of winter flowering plants. Its delicate flowers are far from being ordinary though. In the...
Plant of the Week: Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum)
October is the premier wildflower month in the Panhandle. Nighttime temperatures drop, days shorten, pollinators emerge, and many native plants explode into flower. Of all the native fall-flowering Panhandle wildflowers, maybe the most striking is...
North Florida Goldenrod
Autumn Blooms The days are getting shorter, the sun setting earlier each day, and the temperatures are beginning to dip. All the signs are there, we’ve reached autumn which means it’s time for many roadside wildflowers to begin their bloom cycle. Surely,...
Pecan Trees in the Home Landscape
Pecans are a flavorful and nutritious nut and an essential component of a southerner's diet. The trees also provide nice shade and intense fall color to landscapes throughout the south. However, not all pecan tree varieties are suited for the Florida panhandle. There...
Dodder
If there was a prize for “plant most resembling silly string,” dodder would win. This unusual, vining plant has the appearance of a decorative afterthought, strewn along the tops of plants at random. Dodder is a parasitic plant, with over a hundred varieties growing...
Fall into Action – Winter Weeds & Turfgrass
Weeds are basically unwanted plants or plants growing out of place. Proper identification and some understanding of how and why weeds are present in a lawn are important when selecting the best management tactics. All turf weeds can be grouped into one of three life...
Pruning Hydrangeas
We grow many types of hydrangeas in North Florida. In order to prune your hydrangeas at the correct time of year, you need to identify which types you have in your garden. Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)Bigleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) comes in...
The 15th Annual Farm Tour is October 15 and 16
Fall is upon us, and that means it is farm tour season! The 15th Annual Farm Tour is on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16, 2022. Farmers and producers in 12 counties in North Central Florida and South-Central Georgia will be open to showcase their...
White, Fluffy, Woolly Stuff on My Plants
Homeowner accounts of white fluffy woolly masses on woody ornamentals, oak trees and Muhly grass have been on the rise. The good news is they are native insects that need a nursery for their young and will cause little harm to the host plant. The bad news...
Select and Plant Trees for Florida’s High Wind Climate
Many future problems can be avoided by paying attention to tree selection, planting and maintenance in Florida’s high wind climate. We may think of tropical storms causing tree damage but our typical summer thunderstorms can produce winds in excess of 50 miles per...