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Gardens Blog

Orchid Care 101: Expert Tips from Selby Gardens

People often think they don’t have the skills to grow orchids. But that’s not true, as Mike McLaughlin, Selby Gardens’ senior vice president for horticulture, explained during a March 23 segment on ABC7's Suncoast View. Mike was a featured guest during the program's...

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‘Tis the Season for Euphorbia – December

Deck the Halls with… Euphorbia?? You may have unwittingly adorned your home with them already, since the familiar festive holiday plant, the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), belongs to this genus.   Euphorbias (commonly known as Spurge) are easy to grow...

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Milkweed Madness – May

Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is beautiful and monarchs love it! But is it good for them?Tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)Photo by Wade CollierTropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), which is native to Central American and Mexico, has become...

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Spring is in the Air! – March

Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D. Plant Records KeeperDendrobium nobile var. cooksonianum in MSBG’s greenhouse collection.When most people think of spring flowers, they tend to think daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, cherry blossoms, or azaleas, but here at Marie Selby...

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Botanical Spotlight: Red Silk Cotton Trees – March

Written by Shawn McCourt, Ph.D., Plant Records Keeper Some of the largest, and showiest, exotic trees planted in parks and gardens here in southwest Florida include several members of the mallow family, the Malvaceae.  Among these are the deciduous spring-blooming red...

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Help us with our local EcoFlora project!

Bioblitz Group in the field.The goal of the Sarasota-Manatee EcoFlora project is to enlist the help of citizens in documenting the diversity and distribution of plants in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, utilizing the iNaturalist app and website. You don’t have to be a...

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February 2021 EcoQuest: Love Vine and Gall Wasps

Scott P. Egan, Rice UniversityLove vine on wasp gall on live oak!Love vine (Cassytha filiformis)In developing this month’s EcoQuest, Lookin’ for Love Vine, we came across the research of scientists from Rice University on the interaction between Cassytha filiformis...

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