Home & Garden
Senior forester Mark Torok (right) of the Florida Forest Service and Joy Klein with the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources Division measures trees in South Florida for national and state records, including this wild tamarind tree in Homestead. It's the largest of its kind in the country.
If someone told you that Florida has more official big trees than any other U.S. state, you might be dubious.
Does Florida have any trees that could compare to the biggest big tree of them all, the General Sherman sequoia in California, which stands 275 feet tall with a girth of 998 inches?
In fact, Florida does have some of the tallest, fattest and broadest trees -- of their species -- in the nation, and many of them are in South Florida.
Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 01:49 PM EDT
It may surprise you to know that your yard is the first line of defense for the Florida’s Keys’ fragile environment.
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
The word “Xeriscape” is derived from a Greek phrase meaning “dry scene.” But Florida Keys gardeners have found that Xeriscaping – particularly the use of plants native to this area – doesn’t mean you have to settle for a stark, desert-like landscape.
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
So you finally have your place on the water. You’ve worked out the details on your home, whether it’s humble or fancy. Now what?
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
When we bought our first Keys home – a condo that was part seasonal rental, part weekend getaway — gardening was out of the question. A few years later, our first Keys house came with a yard full of limestone cap rock and very little topsoil.
Posted: Monday, October 13, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
Orchid growers reveal the secrets of their lush hobby
Behind a small house in Key West lies an incredible display of almost 1,000 orchids lovingly collected and nurtured by Gary Gethen, whose house was a highlight of the March House and Garden Tour sponsored by the Old Island Restoration Foundation. The collection of brilliantly colored blooms, some large and splashy, others very small and delicate, includes some very rare species acquired by Gethen in his travels around the world, including Hawaii and Peru.
Posted - Monday, October 13, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
Many tropical fruits do well in the Keys
The warm ocean currents surrounding the southern tip of Florida create a climate ideal for growing nutritious, delicious tropical fruits. Many of these fruits cannot be grown anywhere else in the continental United States.
Posted - Monday, October 13, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
Don't let monsters take over your yard
The Keys climate encourages some plants to grow beyond expectations.
Posted - Monday, October 13, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
Bringing East and West together through flowers
While American gardeners who create flower arrangements in their homes tend towards large and lush arrangements, the tradition in the Far East is much different. Their style, particularly in Japan, tends toward a spare and much simpler, style. Often the approach is integrated with the flower arranger’s own spiritual life.
Posted - Monday, October 13, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
Hurricane-proof your yard
Keys landscaping experts agree: no matter what the prognosis is for hurricane season, it’s better to be safe than sorry. And that means preparing your yard for the worst.
Posted - Monday, October 13, 2008 11:28 AM EDT
