This week we take a look at a very interesting group of Florida native plants known collectively as stoppers. All stoppers are members of the Myrtaceae, an enormous family that also includes the genus Eucalyptus. Some grow as shrubs and some as trees. Each of the five described below not only has ornamental value, but also has proven to be…
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As you know, we are surrounded by weird things. In your case, at this very moment the closest weird thing is probably your neighbor’s teenage son, who thinks he is the next Justin Bieber, but more closely resembles an offkey cyclops. In the plant world, one of the weirder things is the Baobab tree, but, unlike your neighbor’s kid, the Baobab has…
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Since 1958, grower Juan Valdez and his mule, Conchita, have been employed to put us in mind of some of the best coffee in the world. These fictional characters have left an indelible impression on generations of consumers. And right now you might be thinking how nice it would be to stroll through lush fields of coffee in Colombia. …
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Many of us reside in southern Florida because of the wonderful winter climate that permits us not only to enjoy the great outdoors without bundling up, but to cultivate thousands of tropical plants. However, as the old saying goes, there is no good unalloyed, and not every plant is benign. If you own a dog…
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Thanks to cable television and the Internet, we now have unprecedented exposure to data on the climate. Surely we’re living in the Golden Age of forecasting! Unfortunately, the professionals aren’t always in agreement on long-term projections. This winter, for the period December through February, one source predicted below-average temperatures, while another foresaw above-normal conditions. In light of that yawning gap in prognostication,…
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