Air Layering is an asexual plant propagation technique often used for plants larger or more difficult to propagate by regular cuttings. Plant propagation by this technique has several advantages. Like most asexual plant propagation techniques, air layering results in a new plant that is genetically identical to the parent plant. Many plants are difficult to…Read more
Month: May 2023
Is Your Landscape Safe
It may sound like an unnecessary question, but it’s not. When one stops to think about it, a rather long list of things to consider when planning a landscape could be made. In nature, many plants have defense mechanisms to ensure survival. These mechanisms may include ways to physically deter a predator, like thorns or…Read more
Native Species: A Cost Effective Path to a Better Garden
Florida has a great wealth of native plant material ranging from tropical to temperate species, but many gardens tend to be comprised largely of exotic, non-native species. It might pay to learn more about native plant options for the success and ease of maintenance they will impart in the landscape. Native plants have become adapted…Read more
Healthier Lawns, Courtesy of the Spring Breeze
The pollen clouds typical in panhandle Florida’s spring have at last departed. The yellow, sneeze-inducing dust has given way to other aerial occupants of a much larger magnitude. Of course, there are a variety of insects now active during the warming days and nights. Lovebugs in the former and mosquitoes in the latter make their…Read more
A Few Tips for a Happy Garden Before the Height of Summer
There are a wide variety of bulbous plants which will thrive and produce beautiful flowers year after year with proper care. The time to plant many bulbs in the home landscape is getting late in May. Some, like caladiums crinum lilies, can be planted all year round, but run the risk of damage if they…Read more
A Plant That Has Mastered Sharp Safety
In panhandle Florida’s native plant environment, the yucca genus established a survival protocol long before even the earliest human residents arrived. Its sharp pointy spines accentuate its visual image and enforce its tactics. Local yuccas are perennial shrubs which may grow into small trees with irregular shapes. There are approximately 50 species in this genus…Read more
A Good Reason to Empty Standing Water Around the Home
Florida is home to about 80 to 85 mosquito species, many of which live in the panhandle. Of those, 20 plus are exotic mosquitos which have been inadvertently imported, such as the Asian Tiger Mosquito. Contrary to popular perception, not all of these dine on humans. Some target only birds, others only frogs, and still others will…Read more
One Tree You Only Put in the Home Landscape With Care
Sweet gum trees, a panhandle Florida native, are appropriately named both in English and in Latin. The scientific name, Liquidambar styraciflua, literally means liquid amber, which flows in this plant’s tawny resin. This deciduous tree is found in the southeastern U.S., Mexico and the north end of Central America. Members of this tree’s genus are…Read more
The Surly Snappers of the Panhandle
There is always one in every family. No matter how affable the members and congenial the reputation, there is always one who is a chronic challenge to cope with in any situation. It may be the odd uncle who always ruins family events with confrontational behavior, or a sibling whose passive-aggressive conduct calls the motive…Read more