Winter of 2024/25 officially starts on Sunday, December 20, 2024. One can only guess if it will be harsh or mild by panhandle Florida standards. Along with the short days, the foliage’s color and leaf drop reflect the obvious. Still, there are native species which are displaying an emerald tint, at least for the time…Read more
It is a weird and perverse universal cosmic law which applies to every homeowner with a yard. This particular statute compounds all that is positive and correct and turns it into a negative. This is why if a slice of buttered toast is dropped, the chances of it landing with the butter side down seem…Read more
Clipping, clearing, pruning and shaping are all part of the cool season improvement effort. There are also a variety of projects which require penetrating beneath the soil’s surface into the mostly unseen realm of roots and rhizomes. The common tree or shrub root holds few surprises. A woody root appears as the subsurface equivalent of…Read more
Given the right environmental conditions all trees present some level of risk. The level a particular tree presents should be determined, and a decision should be made as to whether that level of potential risk is acceptable or not. When the solution is too costly, or if it is too destructive to implement and still…Read more
As the holiday season comes into the home stretch and with a frosty morning last weekend, the two common local native vines are displaying holiday colors. Some, but not all, have changed from green to red. Both creeper and poison ivy can be a bright cherry red during the waning days of autumn and early…Read more
Coastal Florida has always had, at least since recorded history began, intense weather systems with the potential to inflict damage. Usually, these weather events are tropical in nature and occur during Atlantic Hurricane Season. There were several direct hits over a recent thirteen-month period, with Hurricanes Idalia, Debby and Helene causing substantial damage between August…Read more
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 recent cool weather is proof autumn is really here. Choices for garden crops are limited to those which will handle the anticipated lower thermometer readings. Since carrots are a cool season crop in panhandle Florida, they can be planted now or as late as the early spring. Carrots are a root crop, and they…Read more
To the relief of most panhandle Florida residents, the rains have finally returned, even if it is November and many plants are going dormant. But with the return of much needed rain comes the question of how to handle storm water runoff? The typical down bursts in Florida combined with our porous soils to create…Read more
It is an oft heard complaint, “I’m having a difficult time getting grass to grow under the trees in my yard. The soil seems to be good, but without grass any heavy rain just washes it away”. And it is always followed by the question, “Is there any type of grass I can plant there…Read more
