It's herb planting time in Florida now that we are moving into cooler temps (yes we really are). Herbs can be added to your gardens or I like to put them in containers close to the kitchen door so I can just reach out and snip what I need. Coincidentally, you can plant in time for Herb Day on October 13. HerbDay.org is a group formed to share all the uses of herbs for cooking, beauty and health. Visit their site to see all the events taking place on Herb Day. For more information about herbs we can grow here visit the University of Florida IFAS Extension. Among others, Seminole Springs Rose and Herb Farm sells herbs to grow in our climate. FNGLA also provides a list of herb growers/sellers. Happy Florida Gardening.

I finally hit the big time! Can you imagine opening a well respected magazine and finding your name in print? All I can say is Wow! Thanks to Susan Myers of iloveplants.com and GardenBargainsOnline.com, Florida Gardening Magazine's October/November issue lists several Florida garden blogs and this one is included. Huge thanks to Susan for mentioning me and many of our fellow Florida bloggers.

By the way, Florida Gardening magazine is one of the premier sources of information on gardening in Florida. When I relocated here over ten years ago, I had a very difficult time finding a recurring resource for gardening. When I found this one I became a regular subscriber and have never looked back. Happy Florida Gardening.

Mexican petunia, Air potato, and Australian pine. They are all non-native invasive plants in our area, and I have at least two in my yard. According to the Non-native Invasive Plants guide produced by Hillsborough County Parks, Southwest Florida Water Management, Tampa Bay Estuary Program, and Pinellas County Environmental Fund a non-native plant is one from somewhere other than Florida. To be considered invasive it is known to spread aggressively into natural areas. While all non-native plants are not invasive, they become invasive "when they outgrow and replace native plants in natural plant communities".

I added the mexican petunia to my yard about 3 years ago. I saw them at the big box store and thought they were attractive with their purple and pink blooms. The good thing is they are very hardy, grow in shade or sun, and drought is not an issue. The problem is they self-seed and are hard to control from spreading everywhere.

The air potato was already here when we purchased the property and luckily there is not much of it. I cut it down as soon as I see it. We don't have the Australian pine but I wondered why it was classified as invasive until I read its growth habits. This tree grows 5 to 10 feet per year and creates stands that displace native plants and wildlife. There is also a suckering form of this tree that reproduces from widely spreading roots.

Of the 125 plants identified as pest plants, the 20 noted in the booklet are considered particularly troublesome. I got my copy of the guide from the Pinellas County Extension Service. Just to make your life a little easier, here's a link to the pdf version. All you have to do is download it to your computer!

I would also recommend contacting your local Native Plant Society chapter for more information about planting natives. They will guide you on what to plant and where to purchase the right plants for your yard. These groups also hold native plant sales throughout the year usually noted on their specific website. (If you live in Pinellas, our chapter is holding their plant sale on October 6 at Brooker Creek Preserve.)For more information about the chapter in your area, visit the Florida Native Plant Society website. Lesson learned for me - most of the plants I purchased at the big box have died while all the natives are flourishing. Except for those dang mexican petunias! Happy Florida Gardening and stay aware of the non-native invasives around you.

In 2004 I posted a couple of blogs asking for identification of a plant I thought might be in the primrose family. Karl at Tropical Plants Online had suggested evening primrose but I thought the bloom didn't look exactly right.

Sharon sent me an email about a week ago and told me she's pretty sure it is primrose willow. I researched her suggestion and sure enough that's exactly what it is. Ludwigia peruviana is a woody shrub and a member of the evening primrose family. It bears the beautiful yellow flowers and is definitely the same - the star in the middle and the folds in each petal. Primrose willow enjoys a damp environment, so does well along the drainage ditches of roads. That's why it's grown so well in our yard just at the edge of the pond.

Thank you Sharon for taking the time to identify this beautiful plant. Happy Florida Gardening.

You've heard of a couch potato? Well, I've become a computer potato and are my muscles telling me about it! All summer I've been promising myself I would go out and do some weeding, finish the memorial garden we are building for our dearly missed pets, use the remaining pavers from the swimming pool addition to build a walkway to the backyard, etc. etc. You catch my drift.

I work from home so it's very easy to get caught up in a call or a fire drill project and forego taking a break during the day. My day sometimes extended to 6 or 7 PM and there would go the best intentioned plans to get out in the garden. Of course you're thinking what about weekends? The usual - laundry, visiting my elderly parents, one quick glance at emails... What finally got me moving, no pun intended, was joining the local Wellness Center. I forced myself to find the time to get off my chair and drive the short mile 2-3 times per week to start losing my computer thighs. Then I finally moved outside this long holiday weekend to trim trees and shrubs, pull weeds and just generally start putting the gardens back in shape.

Moving is the key to burning fat and calories or so I am finding. From now on I want to find the time to move and enjoy my garden. Do you find the time? Do you go to an office everyday so don't have the luxury of fitting a garden visit into your schedule? I used to work in an office setting, and when I travel for my job I visit lots of office buildings. So far wherever I've gone or whatever city I've lived near there was always a park or some type of gardenscape close by. If you can't go out to your own garden during the day, take advantage of what's around you. Take a walk and enjoy the surrounding beauty. Long story short - gardening burns calories, walking burns calories, I'd even bet bending down to smell a gorgeous flower burns calories or at least it can't hurt. Your muscles will appreciate it not to mention your thighs. Happy Florida Gardening.