The Neighborhood Gardener – February

Happy Gardening!

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Citrus Greening

It seems news agencies everywhere are discussing citrus greening and the effect it's having on Florida's citrus industry. While many people know that it's ravaging citrus trees, there is some confusion as to what citrus greening actually is. Citrus greening, or huanglongbing (HLB), is caused by a bacterium that causes trees to deteriorate and eventually die. Learn more about this disease and what researchers are doing to fight it in our Citrus Greening FAQ.

Plan Your Garden

Spring is just around the corner and that means it's time to start thinking about changes you might want to make to your landscape.  Whether you're interested in a complete redesign or simply making a few improvements, there are some important factors to consider before you start planting. Check out "10 Important Things to Consider when Planning your Landscape Design." These tips will help you develop a plan and put you on the road to creating a beautiful home landscape.

Plant of the Month: Heart-leaf Philodendron

If you're looking for a fool-proof house plant, you couldn't do much better than a heart-leaf philodendron. These easy-growing foliage plants thrive with indirect light and very little maintenance. They're often grown in hanging baskets which allow the thin stems and heart-shaped leaves to beautifully spill out of their container. While philodendrons are easy to maintain, too much water or too little light can cause yellowing leaves, and too much fertilizer can cause the leaf tips of your plant to brown and curl. More

February in Your Garden

February is a good time to plant bulbs like crinum and agapanthus. It's also the perfect time for pruning roses to encourage new growth. Remove any dead, dying, or crossing branches, and shorten the mature canes by one-third to one-half.

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? Foe: Rose Rosette Virus

Rose rosette virus (RRV) has infected Knock Out® roses in three counties in Florida. Spread by a microscopic mite, RRV causes bizarre symptoms, including severe thorn proliferation, rapid elongation of branches, and unusual reddening of leaves. Plants infected with RRV usually die within one to two years. However, confirming the disease is difficult, as it is often confused with other ailments, such as herbicide damage. More