As you get ready for 2023, why not add planting a new tree to your list? Adopt-a-Tree makes it easy. If you are not familiar with Adopt-a-Tree, here is a quick synopsis. Adopt-a-Tree events seek to give Orange County Residents an opportunity to expand their landscape by giving away, or adopting, trees. Trees in the…
Photo: c/o Subscription Service
With three days of hard freeze already this winter and another weekend of freezing temps ahead, our gardens need us to brush up on frost protection.
When does frost occur?
Frost, which is a layer of ice crystals, is formed when water vapor on a plant condenses and freezes without first becoming…
Variegated Pittosporum Planted Next to JuniperWhile many landscape plants have one or more common names that people recognize, the pittosporum is most often called just “pittosporum”. Many other names such as the Japanese mock-orange, Japanese pittosporum, and tobira have been used, but I don’t think that I would respond if I heard one of these…
New Year’s resolutions are a trending topic at the start of 2023. It is a great time to step back to evaluate and reflect on where you are at and where you aspire to be. So what is on your list this year? Maybe it’s to start a farm, start growing a new crop, increase…
First, don’t panic. Second, do NOTHING right now. Yes there is a lot of brown, wilted, soggy leaves, and stems. It’s natural for us to react by getting out there and start to cut out the brown and even removing what you “think’ is dead. Take deep breath and keep Taylor Swift’s song, “Shake it…
Most gardeners everywhere enjoy the rewarding experience of being “grounded”, so to speak, by planting and maintaining beautiful garden spaces. And what better way to become grounded in our local environment than by including Florida’s native plants in our landscapes? The benefits of native plants are tremendous! Beauty Our area continues to experience tremendous…
The UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County is located in the rural western St. Lucie County. We have two freshwater ponds and predominantly pineflat woods forested areas. We are fortunate to have black-bellied whistling ducks that visit our ponds from time to time. The video below is a quick clip of the whistling ducks I saw…
Tea has many benefits. Because there are so many types of tea, it is the second most popular drink after water. You can drink it cold or hot, and the health benefits will be the same. There is herbal tea, green tea, black tea, and many others. Let’s talk about the health benefits of tea.…
No matter your age our lifestyles have become very sedentary. Yet getting enough physical activity is a critical factor in our health status. Adequate physical activity helps your body function properly, improves sleep habits, and can reduce the risk for many chronic diseases that limit your lifestyle and life expectancy. What limits us from moving…
Recap of January First Friday with Florida First Detector
Bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, Photo: Natasha Wright, Braman Termite & Pest Elimination
In January, we talked all about stink bugs and other hemipteran insects. We focused on invasive insects in the subfamily Heteroptera. The subfamily Heteroptera includes not just stink bugs, but also lots of…