Officially, summer begins on June 20, 2025. The thermometer and humidity have already reflected this reality and the plants are responding with unrestrained growth and production. Ample moisture encourages lush growth from both ornamental horticulture specimens and fruit and vegetable production. As such, there is plenty to do in the gardens and landscapes in panhandle…Read more
Tag: Seasons
Taking Good Care of Your Trees Before It’s Too Late
News sometimes feels like it is rarely good news. Politics, the economy, the national debt and the list goes on. To add potential injury to all the cheerless information, the storm prognosticators are forecasting an above average number and intensity of hurricanes for 2025… the bad news never ends! Anyone who has lived in panhandle…Read more
Signs of Summer and What Comes After
In case it has escaped anyone’s attention, May 2025 is turning out to be a hot and humid month. This trend is not a surprise for anyone who has lived in panhandle Florida for at least a year, but there are many new residents to the region who are having their first experience with north…Read more
A Time for Tomatoes and More in the Sunshine State
Two popular vegetables will soon be producing in panhandle Florida vegetable gardens. One will come to the end of its season in a few weeks, and the other one is just beginning. Tomatoes and peppers have a long history in the region’s home gardens and a much longer history of being cultivated in the New…Read more
Frogs and Toads of the Sunshine State
As April 2025 quickly progresses towards May, the thermometer readings feel like June going into July. The little creatures which live in this region are reacting to the sultry environment. One of the many creatures which is encountered in or near freshwater are frogs in one of their developmental phases. Florida has 27 native frog…Read more
The Yearly Return of the Garden Pests
“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced.” So said William Bradford, five-time governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts’ early days. He certainly had the credentials and track record to make this observation valid. Bradford was one of the pilgrim leaders who guided his followers out of the Netherlands and to a…Read more
When Dealing With Weeds, Timing Is Key
Ancient wisdom and popular culture have many quotes about timing. “Better late than never” and “No time like the present” are just two of the many sayings. As is true with almost all generalities, they are applicable to only some situations. Gardening and landscape maintenance is not one of the topics where the specifics can…Read more
Searching for a New Home
The world of social media is always abuzz with a variety of topics. This time of year, there are many postings on the nearly endless list of blooming flowers which are brightening the landscapes all over panhandle Florida. The polychromatic displays are located high and low, in both residential and rural areas, and seemingly without…Read more
Like the House, Nature Always Wins
“The house always wins” is a reality every patron of casinos and bookie sites must ultimately face. All the stylish advertising aside, the numbers will eventually fall in favor of the gambling establishments. It is a hard fact to adjust to, especially for younger bettors. Without going into the minutia of statistics and probability analysis,…Read more
Spring’s Big Three Garden Pests
Gardening during panhandle Florida’s spring has many positive features. As a general rule, the weather is pleasant with moderate temperatures and, aside from a few mosquitos, the insect population which eats cultivated vegetation is almost nil. Still, there are pest species which have the potential to consume a gardener’s hard work. The terrible three of…Read more