Florida Gardening

Florida yards can look worn out by the time fall arrives. Heat, sandy soil, heavy rain, and pests…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 19

Fireflies make a Florida yard feel alive after sunset, but many neighborhoods have fewer flashes than they used…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 19

Mulch can make a Florida yard look neat, but the wrong kind can also make life easier for…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 19

A pair of sandhill cranes walking across the lawn can stop a whole morning in its tracks. In…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

A flock of white ibis can turn a quiet Florida lawn into a busy breakfast spot in minutes.…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

The first Florida rainy season can turn a pretty new backyard into a puddle map. Water collects near…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

Roaches love warm, damp hiding spots around Florida homes. Tree frogs hunt at night, which is exactly when…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

Florida garden beds can look perfect one week and chewed up or sticky with aphids the next. A…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

Florida weather is rough on garden structures. Heat, rain, salty air, sandy soil, and storm season can make…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 18

A flat lawn can look tidy, but in Florida it often asks for too much water, mowing, fertilizer,…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

Roseate spoonbills do not visit a yard just because it has flowers. They look for shallow water, muddy…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

Zebra longwing butterflies look like flying stained glass, but they will not stay in a yard that cannot…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

Replacing a front-yard annual bed every season costs time, money, and a lot of water. Leavenworth’s tickseed, a…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

A yard does not need to be a wild swamp to feel alive with wading birds. In Florida,…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

Fall in Florida can bring cooler evenings, busier wildlife, and a few surprise visitors near the garden bed.…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 17

Tiny holes in a Florida lawn can make a neat yard look messy overnight. Some come from helpful…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

Golden silk spiders can look a little scary, but they are helpful neighbors in a Florida yard. Their…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

Butterflies need more than pretty flowers. Their caterpillars need the right host plants, and many of those plants…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

Laurel oaks grow fast, but many Florida homeowners learn the hard way that fast shade can come with…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

Plumeria looks tropical and cheerful in warm weather, but cooler nights can slow its blooms fast. Florida gardeners…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

By September, many Florida lawns look tired, patchy, and brown around the edges. St. Augustine grass can struggle…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 16

Armadillos can turn a neat Florida lawn into a patchwork of small holes almost overnight. They are not…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Florida gardeners get a second chance when cooler weather arrives. While northern gardens slow down, many Florida yards…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Bare dirt in a Florida yard can feel like a losing battle, especially when sand, heat, weeds, and…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Fireflies need more than darkness to show up in a Florida yard. Their young live low to the…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Firebush is one of those Florida plants that earns its spot fast. It handles heat, feeds hummingbirds and…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Florida yards can do two things at once: look sharp from the street and bring in hummingbirds and…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 15

Stepping outside to find dozens of dragonflies zipping around your yard can feel like something unusual is happening,…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

You planted the flowers, watered faithfully, and now your garden is bursting with color, yet butterflies are nowhere…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

Fall is a great time to refresh a Florida porch because the worst heat is easing, but plants…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

A thirsty-looking fruit tree in Florida is not always begging for more water. Many times, the real problem…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

Gardenias can look tired after weeks of Florida heat, sandy soil, and hard afternoon sun. Native shrubs often…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

Cicada killer wasps look scary, but they are usually calm yard helpers. The females hunt cicadas, which can…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 14

Beautyberry is loved for its bright purple berries, but it can sprawl wider than some small garden beds…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

Fall brings cooler nights to Florida, and manatees start paying close attention to safe, comfortable places near shore.…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

September evenings in Florida can feel alive when chimney swifts and swallows start slicing through the sky. The…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

A roseate spoonbill in the yard can stop you in your tracks. That bright pink bird is often…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

Palm trees can make a Florida yard look clean, tropical, and ready for company. But right before hurricane…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

Florida wiregrass is a tough, fine-leaved native bunchgrass that once covered the open floors of longleaf-pine savannas, sandhills,…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 13

Fall in Florida still feels warm enough for pool days, and snakes are still active around yards. Most…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

Fall is a smart time to clean up Florida beds before cooler weather sparks new growth. Some shrubs…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

Fall is a smart time to freshen up Florida flower beds because the heat eases, rain patterns shift,…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

The pepper-planting window in Florida is not the same for everyone, and knowing where you stand by region…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

Florida gardens can look tired by late summer, especially after months of heat, sandy soil, heavy rain, and…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

Shady corners can make a Florida yard feel unfinished, especially when the sunny beds are full of color.…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 12

Fall is one of the best times to keep useful herbs close to the kitchen door in Florida.…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 11

Woodpeckers are more than noisy backyard visitors. In Florida yards, they hunt beetle larvae, ants, grubs, and other…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 11

A good privacy plant should do more than hide a fence or soften a view. In Florida, the…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 11

Fall can bring more yellowjacket activity into Florida yards, especially when nests are large and food is easy…

By Aria Moore F · Sep 11