Thursday is Thanksgiving, and the family feast is followed by Black Friday. It is the day many retailers hope their ramped-up marketing efforts move them into profitable territory for the calendar year. As has been the tradition for centuries, red and green themed displays (along with some colors not found in nature) will dominate many…Read more
The burst of blooms and the perfumed air signal that summer in panhandle Florida can be very pleasant, despite the heat. Any outside activity results in encounters with a rainbow of colors and tones emanating from trees, shrubs and weeds. Any foray into the country will yield ever changing vistas of whites, reds, pinks, blues…Read more
The year’s fourth month is the time for grasses to emerge and expand their respective territories. Some are native and well behaved, but others are not and will grow aggressively, if conditions meet their needs. Torpedograss (Panicum repens) is a perennial grass with a creeping but forceful growth pattern and sharply pointed rhizomes. Stems are…Read more
“Familiarity breeds contempt” according to Aesop, the 6th century B.C. philosopher and children’s author. That approach may be correct as applied in the story of the Fox and the Lion, where the lion was outwitted by the sly fox. In managing a home landscape, especially in spring, the exact opposite is true. Ignorance now may…Read more
In a few weeks it will be common to see clusters of bright pink puffs erupting on low-growing trees along north Florida’s roadsides. A closer look will reveal the attractive ferny foliage and delicately beautiful pink-and-white flowers which resemble shaving brushes. This attractive plant is the Mimosa tree, Albizia julibrissin. These once popular small trees…Read more
Two for the price of one is a popular marketing tactic. It leaves the buyer with the sensation of getting a real bargain. In landscaping this concept is usually seen by the homeowner as getting blooms and foliage from plants. If searching for a border plant this combination is challenging, except for fishermen. There is…Read more
The term creeping has many negative implications. It conveys sneaky behavior with potentially malevolent intent. The definition of creeping could be updated to the equivalent of internet stalking. It means to pursue or follow someone in a persistent, secretive way. By doing so, the goal is to advance gradually and unnoticed, then infringe on some…Read more
Sometimes surprises can puzzle and perplex, and yet be pleasant. Finding a twenty-dollar bill, for example, in a parking lot would certainly be a positive experience. The occurrence would likely be tinged with pity for the person who lost it, though. Even if they were totally careless with their financial resources, the discovery would make…Read more
Fortunately, there are still plenty of leaves remaining on the trees in panhandle Florida. Hurricane Idalia’s track damaged some of the Big Bend area, but its destructive path will not impede the seasonal color change. The summer of 2023 has been relatively wet and as such the color change of leaves will be unremarkable. The…Read more
Sometimes events do not turn out as planned. The project’s initiative was sound, but unknown factors appeared and turned success into a mess. The sterling historical example of this concept can be summed up in one name, George Armstrong Custer. Panhandle Florida, however, has many lesser-known examples in the ornamental horticulture arena which have caused…Read more
