UF/IFAS Extension
Charlotte County
Charlotte County Extension Service is a partnership between the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Charlotte County government, to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public.
Contact
charlotte@ifas.ufl.edu
941.764.4340
1120 Centennial Boulevard
Port Charlotte, FL 33953
Blockbuster in the landscape – the firecracker plant
The firecracker plant is a weeping shrub with a very unique look. The lanky, multi-stemmed, three- to four-foot-long branches are often covered in bright red tubular flowers from spring through early winter
06/22/2022
Prickly pears – pain and delight
Did you know that we have a native prickly pear cactus here in Florida? This low-growing species has attractive yellow flowers and forms a spreading clump. Prickly pears or Opuntia, such as our native prickly pear, are classic cacti found native to the New World
06/16/2022
What's Going on in Florida
Wild about Caladiums
July 13th Punta Gorda Library
Session 1 10:30am-11:30am
Session 2 2:00pm-3:00pm
July 20th Mid-County Public Library
2:00pm-3:00pm
Join us for this free classroom workshop, and learn how to incorporate this showy plant into your landscape. Each attendee will receive free caladium tubers
06/14/2022
4-H Leg: 50 Years of Giving Youth a Voice in Government
There’s a famous quote, often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, that we must “be the change we wish to see in the world.” Few of us take the opportunity to meet that challenge
06/20/2022
Dwarf oleanders are easy to keep in-bounds
The oleander is a very common landscape plant in Charlotte County. This evergreen plant does provide substantial blooming power and is a useful subject for hedges and as specimen plants
06/14/2022
The only allamanda you will ever need
A native vine that you may have never considered is a relative of other similar and more familiar landscape plants – the allamandas. Specifically, the wild allamanda (Urechites lutea aka Pentalinon luteum) is a vine-like shrub, very adaptable to our soils, and can easily be managed to the size you want it
06/12/2022
A daisy in the bush is worth two in the hand
I like to highlight public places to see plants, and besides our own Master Gardener Volunteer Demonstration Garden on Harborview Road, and the Nature Park in Punta Gorda, the History Park is another place to enjoy a well-cultivated landscape. During a recent visit to the History Park I found a wonderful mass-planting of bush daisies
06/11/2022
I smell a sweet almond in your future!
While many of our landscape plants are visually appealing with colorful foliage and flowers, there is another dimension to explore – aroma. One of the best plants to help with this is the sweet almond bush
06/10/2022
