January 20 is Arbor Day in Florida, and this Friday, Extension offices throughout the state will be hosting tree planting workshops and tree giveaways. Florida gets a jump on national arbor day, which isn’t until April, because this is the time of year when young trees are easiest to transplant in our warmer climate. As…
Food crops can demand substantial amounts of water, fertilizer, and care. Using Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) practices can reduce the inputs and still allow you to harvest food abundantly. There are many different terms for edible landscaping: foodscaping, food forest, permaculture, square-foot gardening, and urban agriculture. But the Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) principles represent best management practices that can be applied to…
This year, my partner’s and my goal is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. She’s been vegetarian more than half her life, so she has a lot of practice with this. I, on the other hand, still need some help figuring out what I want besides the standard apples and bananas. There are just…
Vultures as nature’s scavengers. Turkey vultures are commonly seen throughout the Florida Treasure Coast communities of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties. They are fairly easy to distinguish from black vultures. Turkey vultures have red heads; whereas, black vultures have black heads. There are other distinguishing characteristics, but this is generally how I identify…
Vultures as nature’s scavengers. Turkey vultures are commonly seen throughout the Florida Treasure Coast communities of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties. They are fairly easy to distinguish from black vultures. Turkey vultures have red heads; whereas, black vultures have black heads. There are other distinguishing characteristics, but this is generally how I identify…
Mosquitoes probably top the list of “most annoying wildlife” for people who enjoy the outdoors, but these creatures may soon become our allies in conserving biodiversity. At the UF IFAS DeLuca Preserve scientists from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and the Florida Medical Entomology Lab are simultaneously conducting detailed surveys of using…
Have you ever witnessed a pesticide application and wondered, should they be doing that? According to the law (FIFRA) pesticide misuse is, “the use of a pesticide in a way that violates laws regulating their use or endangers humans or the environment”. This blog will further describe pesticide misuse, what kind of violations can be…
There are important landscape lessons to learn from recent, early and widespread freezes. First, know the average climate for the region you live in here in Florida. The work has already been done for you with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Here is a link for the map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. Find your zone on the map.…
You may have heard the term integrated pest management or the phrase ‘IPM’ tossed around in conversation by your pest control company, your landscape maintenance service, or even me – your local extension agent! So, you may be wondering what exactly is IPM? The simple answer is ‘IPM is a way to control pests without…
As you get ready for 2023, why not add planting a new tree to your list? Adopt-a-Tree makes it easy. If you are not familiar with Adopt-a-Tree, here is a quick synopsis. Adopt-a-Tree events seek to give Orange County Residents an opportunity to expand their landscape by giving away, or adopting, trees. Trees in the…
Photo: c/o Subscription Service
With three days of hard freeze already this winter and another weekend of freezing temps ahead, our gardens need us to brush up on frost protection.
When does frost occur?
Frost, which is a layer of ice crystals, is formed when water vapor on a plant condenses and freezes without first becoming…
Variegated Pittosporum Planted Next to JuniperWhile many landscape plants have one or more common names that people recognize, the pittosporum is most often called just “pittosporum”. Many other names such as the Japanese mock-orange, Japanese pittosporum, and tobira have been used, but I don’t think that I would respond if I heard one of these…
