The Neighborhood Gardener – December

Happy holidays, and happy gardening!

• Sign up for our e-newsletter

Manatee County MG Recognized for 30 Years of Service

Larry Bearse was recognized during the 2009 Florida Master Gardener Continued Training Conference held recently in Ocala. Larry was one of the inaugural Florida Master Gardener trainees in 1979. More

Living Christmas Trees

Living Christmas trees create memories that last a lifetime. If you plan ahead, a living tree can be enjoyed indoors during the holidays and outdoors in the landscape throughout the year. Just be sure to choose a tree suited for Florida, including red cedar, Leyland cypress, sand pine, or in South Florida, Norfolk Island pine. More

New Collier County Garden Sprouts Growth for Mind and Body

With the help of the Collier County Master Gardener volunteers, volunteer and gardening enthusiast Steve Kitchen creates an edible "Garden of Hope" at St. Matthew's House, which provides shelter to the homeless, food to the hungry, and much more. More

Plant of the Month: Amaryllis

Amaryllis is a popular holiday gift plant because it can be forced to produce stunning flowers during the holiday season. Once the plant is done flowering, it can be left in its container or planted outdoors in the garden. More

December in Your Garden

To add color to the winter garden, plant masses of petunias, pansies, snapdragons, and dianthus. Winter shifts the focus from outdoors to indoor plants. Temperature, light, and humidity are key to insuring that indoor plants thrive.

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. More

Friend or Foe? Foe: Deer

White-tailed deer are plentiful in Florida. While beautiful and peaceful, deer often find garden and landscape plants tasty, much to homeowners' displeasure. Many methods guarantee to prevent deer damage, but only a few are effective, with physical barriers (fences) being the best. More

The 110th Christmas Bird Count

The longest-running Citizen Science survey in the world, Audubon's annual Christmas Bird Count will take place December 14 through January 5. Tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part, and scientists use this data to better understand how birds and the environment are faring throughout North America—and what needs to be done to protect them. More

Return to top