The Neighborhood Gardener – October

Happy Gardening!

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Bat Houses

Bats are an important part of Florida's ecology. A single bat can eat thousands of insects each night. Unfortunately, bat populations are declining due to loss of habitat. You help address that loss with a bat house, providing these unique flying animals with a cozy place to roost and reproduce.  More

Florida-Friendly Really Does Save Water

New research has demonstrated that the claims that Florida-Friendly landscapes really do use less water than traditionally landscaped yards really do well, hold water. The analysis indicated that FFL homes used at least 50 percent less irrigation than homes with more traditional landscaping. You can read more about this research on the UF/IFAS IrriGator blog. More

Plant of the Month: Ghost Plant

Ghost plant is a cold-hardy succulent with pale gray or whitish leaves on sprawling stems. This low-maintenance plant will stand out in your landscape as an unusual groundcover, cascading down a container, or even as a houseplant. As with most succulents, when planting your ghost plant in a container, make sure the pot has drainage holes and use a well-drained potting media. Ghost plant is one of the easiest succulents to propagate, making it a great pass-along plant for friends and relatives. More

October in Your Garden

Even though temperatures are still warm, begin planting for the cooler months ahead. Alyssum, dianthus, and petunia are good plants for the fall garden. Many vegetables that will produce through the winter can be planted now like beets, carrots, and onions.

For more month-by-month gardening tips, check out the Florida Gardening Calendar. Three different editions of the calendar provide specific tips for each of Florida's gardening regions—North, Central, and South.

Friend or Foe? Friend: Bats

Bats get a bad reputation—after all, they dart about silently through the night and hang out in small, dark places. But these amazing little creatures—the only mammals capable of true flight—are an incredibly important part of Florida's ecology. All resident bats in Florida eat insects, although a few species that eat fruit, nectar, or pollen show up in South Florida occasionally. Many bat species eat human or agricultural pests. More