News & Updates

Be Heart Smart this February During American Heart Month

American Heart Month is observed every February to raise awareness about heart health and encourage people to adopt heart-healthy lifestyles. Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women, but the good news is that you can do a lot to protect your heart and stay healthy.…

A call to action: UF/IFAS scientists, compost industry, policy makers join to promote compost standards, practices in Florida

A pitchfork mixing food and garden compost. Food waste is one of the main drivers in Florida’s dependence on landfills, which fuel greenhouse emissions and promote climate change. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), landfills contribute annually up to 14 percent of emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas, and are a major contributor to global warming.…

Handwashing is critical to good health

Why is handwashing important? Handwashing is one of the best ways you can help stop the spread of infection and stay healthy. It is one of those personal hygiene activities we need to prioritize. Bacteria and germs can enter your body and make you sick if you don’t properly wash your hands. Bacteria can get…

Color in the Holiday Landscape: Lipstick Tree/Bixa orellana

We promised to share new blogs on many of the beautiful plants that will create an incredible show of color during the winter holidays.  Plants in this series are suitable for zone 10a to 11 b. Please note we recommend you plant any of the featured plants in the series when our rainy season begins…

Bitter Melon: a New Crop in Florida

Introduction: Florida, known for its diverse agricultural landscape, is embracing a new addition to its crop repertoire – bitter melon. This unique and resilient vegetable is making waves in the Sunshine State, offering farmers a fresh opportunity for cultivation. In this blog post, we will explore the journey of bitter melon as a new crop…

The New Year of Garden Care and Beyond | Garden Trends for 2024

    Garden Trends of 2024 include mixing edibles and ornamental, while planting much closer together for a wilder, looser look. © UF/IFAS Garden Trends for 2024 can be summarized into one thought: landscape designs with altruistic objectives. The styles may vary but every garden space shares one common denominator, and that is sustainability. Native Plants Gardening…

What Is That Lawn Ornament? Clover Lawn? Here in Florida?!

  A handful of the “lawn ornaments” that will be featured in this blog series. Top row (left to right): sunshine mimosa, perennial peanut, frogfruit, and fleabane. Bottom row (left to right): pennywort, Lobelia, Florida snow, and blue-eyed grass. Welcome to our Lawn Ornament blog series, where we explore the plethora of micro-plants that can help create a…

2024 Master Naturalist Conservation Science Bioblitzes

Florida Master Naturalist students participating in the 2024 Conservation Science course taught by Extension Agents Ken Gioeli and Andrea Lazzari are bioblitzing. This list is a living document and will be updated throughout January and February 2024. Students will use iNaturalist to observe the plants and animals at environmental preserves around Florida. This iNaturalist app is a powerful geomatics…

Are palm trees really trees? Here’s what you should know

This post entertains an ongoing debate that I often hear: Are palm trees really trees? Could our state tree, the sable palm, not even be a tree? This has been argued in many different ways with the answer lying somewhere in the middle. Skip down to the end if you want to read what I think the…

Florida Arbor Day 2024 – Tips for Tree Planting

Arbor Day was established to celebrate trees and their beneficial ecosystem services they provide for humans and our environment. Florida Arbor Day is on January 19, 2024, as cooler months are the best time to plant trees, although trees can be planted all year round in Florida. If you want to plant a tree, but…
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