Why Owls Use Trees in Florida Backyards
Spotting an owl in a backyard tree can stop you in your tracks. It is natural to wonder why that bird picked your yard and…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 6, 2026
Category
Florida Gardening
545 Articles
Florida Gardening
Your Florida patio gets fewer biting flies and gnats when these 7 plants line the edge
A few biting flies can chase everyone off a Florida patio before dinner even starts. Fragrant plants can…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 6
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Shrubs That Make a Better Privacy Hedge Than Ligustrum and Actually Belong Here
A privacy hedge should hide the view, not create a new yard problem. Some commonly planted ligustrums can…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Yard Habits That Quietly Draw Rats Toward Your House as Nights Cool Down
A Florida yard can look tidy in daylight and still offer rats a late-night meal. As nights cool…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Plants You Should Prune in October – and 5 You’ll Regret Cutting Now
October can make a Florida yard look ready for a cleanup, but not every plant wants a haircut.…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
7 Florida native plants that bring mosquito-eating tree frogs to your patio
A tree frog on the patio can turn a buggy evening into a small wildlife show. Frogs eat…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
Eastern Lubber Nymphs in Florida: Fall Egg-Laying Can Happen in Parts of the State, but Pods Are Hard to Find
Those chunky black grasshoppers with bright stripes that show up in Florida yards each spring have a hidden…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
Indigo Buntings in Florida: Can a Clean Nyjer Feeder Offer Them Food This Winter?
A flash of deep blue at the edge of a Florida yard can stop anyone mid-step. Indigo Buntings…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 5
Florida Gardening
The real reason so many Florida homeowners plant rosemary right beside the front door
Walk past a rosemary shrub and brush its leaves, and a sharp, piney scent follows you to the…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Shrubs That Handle the Heat and Stay Sized Right Under Your Front Windows
A shrub that grows past your front windows can make the house feel closed in and leave you…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
Corkystem Passionflower: The Understated Florida Native Vine That Hosts Butterfly Caterpillars
Some of the most useful plants in a Florida yard are the ones you could walk right past.…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
Your Florida plumeria needs this before its winter rest, or spring blooms come back thin
Plumeria drops its leaves as the weather cools, and those leaves are easy to ignore on the ground.…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
Florida yards that keep monarchs and zebra longwings around all winter usually have these 7 plants
A butterfly garden can look busy in October and empty by January. In Florida, keeping butterflies nearby means…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
7 Florida-Friendly Yard Changes Your HOA Legally Cannot Stop You From Making
Your yard can look good while using less water and fewer chemicals. Florida law protects many landscaping choices…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 4
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Yard Changes That Bring Purple Martins In to Eat Mosquitoes All Spring
Purple martins can turn a Florida yard into a busy spring birdwatching spot. They catch flying insects, including…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
Florida’s Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake: What Gardeners Should Know Before Clearing Beds and Debris
Florida has a small rattlesnake that is easy to miss on the ground. The dusky pygmy rattlesnake is…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
7 Things Florida Gardeners Wish They Knew Before Planting a Mango Tree in the Yard
A mango tree can turn a Florida yard into a place you look forward to visiting every morning.…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants That Feed More Hummingbirds Than Your Firespike and Keep Them Coming All Winter
Firespike draws hummingbirds, but it does not have to do the job alone. A mix of Florida native…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants That Keep Blooming After Your Hibiscus Gives Up for the Winter
A cold snap can leave a hibiscus bare just when your yard could use more color. Florida natives…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
What to Do the First Few Minutes After a Fire Ant Swarm Stings You in Your Florida Garden
You are pulling weeds or moving mulch when your ankles suddenly feel like they are on fire. Fire…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 3
Florida Gardening
Your Wooden Trellis Rots and Warps in Florida Humidity, but This Native Vine Outlasts It and Feeds Hummingbirds
Wooden trellises in Florida yards often look tired after a few wet seasons, with gray boards, soft spots,…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
The Fast-Growing Florida Shade Tree That Cools Your Yard Without Becoming a Cleanup Project
Shade can make a Florida yard feel far more comfortable, but many shade trees come with a heavy…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants That Bring Butterflies Back to Your Yard by Feeding Every Stage From Egg to Wing
A butterfly garden needs more than colorful flowers. Caterpillars need the right leaves to eat, while adult butterflies…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Yard Signs a Black Racer Has Moved In, and Why You Want It Staying
A dark snake streaks across your Florida yard, and your first thought may be to get rid of…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
Why That Iguana Has Chosen Your Florida Yard — And Why It May Keep Returning
Spotting a big green lizard on your fence or in your hibiscus can be a shock. In parts…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
Your Florida HOA Calls These 7 Native Lawn Plants Weeds, but Pollinators Depend on Them
A few small flowers in your Florida lawn might look like weeds to your HOA. To bees and…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 2
Florida Gardening
Why Blue Jays May Keep Visiting Your Florida Yard This Fall: What Food and Cover Could Explain It
A flash of blue and a loud, scratchy call can make a fall morning in a Florida yard…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Ground Covers That Fill Shady Spots Where Your Grass Keeps Dying
Grass often thins out under Florida trees, even when you water it. Too much shade, thirsty roots, and…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants That Replace Pine Straw and Stay Put Through Every Storm
Pine straw looks tidy until a hard Florida rain sends it across the lawn. Living groundcovers can fill…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
Florida Kites in Fall: What You Can Still Spot in October and How to Help Migrating Birds
Fall brings big bird movements across Florida, and kites are some of the most graceful fliers in the…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
Spotting an Eastern Indigo Snake in Your Florida Yard Is Actually Good News
A big, shiny black snake gliding across your Florida lawn can make your heart jump. But if it…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Trees That Bring Red-Shouldered Hawks In to Clear Snakes and Rats From Your Yard
A red-shouldered hawk can spot a rat moving through the grass or a snake crossing an open patch…
By Aria Moore F · Oct 1
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Shrubs That Keep Rats Out of Your Hedges and Roaches Off Your Patio
A thick hedge can look beautiful while giving rats a place to hide. Leaves and mulch piled against…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Foundation Plants That Quietly Pull Roaches Toward Your Walls – and What to Plant Instead
A lush bed beside your house can hide more than bare soil. In Florida, damp leaves and crowded…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Wildflowers That Fill Bare Sandy Beds This Fall and Keep Pollinators Busy Without Watering
A bare, sandy bed can look tired by fall, but it does not need a sprinkler to come…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Yard Plants That Quietly Pull Rats Toward Your House – and the Natives to Plant Instead
A fruit tree can make a Florida yard feel like a little paradise, but fallen fruit can also…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
A Low-Effort Fruit Tree for North and Central Florida Yards: Plant a Japanese Persimmon This Fall
Some fruit trees demand constant spraying, pruning, and worry. A Japanese persimmon asks for much less once it…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants That Bring Lacewings In to Clean Up the Whiteflies on Your Shrubs
Whiteflies can turn a healthy Florida shrub into a sticky mess. Lacewing larvae eat whiteflies, and flowering native…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 30
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Native Plants for Driveway Edges That Stay Neat Without Weekly Trimming
A driveway border can look tidy without becoming another weekly chore. The trick is to choose Florida natives…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
Great blue herons keep visiting Florida yards that have these 7 features
A great blue heron can turn an ordinary Florida yard into a place worth watching. These tall birds…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
Your Florida Orchids Look Worn Out After Summer: A Fall Checkup Guide
Summer in Florida can leave orchids looking rough, with droopy leaves, tired roots, and pots that never seem…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
7 Florida Plants That Keep No-See-Ums Off Your Porch Better Than Bug Spray
No-see-ums can turn a Florida porch into a place nobody wants to sit. Fragrant plants make the space…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
Pruning a Florida firebush in fall? What to know before cutting flowering tips
Firebush is the shrub with fiery orange-red flowers that hummingbirds love to visit. Late September is when many…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
Those Swallowtail Kites Circling Low Over Your Florida Yard Are Hunting Dragonflies and Lizards Right Now
A big black-and-white bird gliding over your yard can stop you mid-step. If it was a Swallow-tailed Kite,…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 29
Florida Gardening
This overlooked Florida perennial keeps blooming spring through fall, and hardly anyone plants it on purpose
Some of Florida’s most useful native plants grow so low that people step right past them. Axilflower is…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28
Florida Gardening
Florida yards that glow with fireflies again usually stopped doing these 7 fall chores
A few fireflies can make a Florida yard feel magical after sunset. But many fall cleanup habits remove…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28
Florida Gardening
Florida yards with fewer mosquitoes usually start with these 7 dragonfly-friendly plants
Mosquitoes can make a Florida yard feel unusable right when you want to be outside. Dragonflies help because…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28
Florida Gardening
Those giant yellow grasshoppers taking over Florida yards usually stop for these reasons
If you have spotted large, slow-moving yellow insects chewing through your garden beds or ornamental plants, you are…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28
Florida Gardening
The Florida yard change that makes painted buntings start using your space in fall
Painted buntings are among the most striking birds that visit Florida yards, but most homeowners never see one…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28
Florida Gardening
The Florida animals most likely to turn up around your home after storm cleanup starts
Storm cleanup can make your yard look busy in more ways than one. As branches move, water drains,…
By Aria Moore F · Sep 28