Enhance your yard, patio and indoor areas with plants, including native species and edibles. Lots of free information is available for South Florida residents, such as  tips on selecting the perfect plants for a particular area.  For personalized information, landscaping experts from extension offices in Miami-Dade, Broward & greater Palm Beach answer questions via phone and email.

Free landscaping lectures are offered at Secret Woods park in Dania. 

Lots of other useful information is online for free.

Master gardeners from extension offices in Dade, Broward and greater Palm Beach

• Palm Beach County: 561-233-1750, email questions and photos to mgardenfwd@pbcgov.org
• Broward County: 954-756-8533, email questions and photos to browardmg@ifas.ufl.edu
• Miami-Dade County: 305-248-3311, ext. 228; email questions and photos to vcharpentier@ufl.edu

Free Landscaping Lectures

Free landscaping lectures 7 p.m. September 22, September 29, October 6, October 13, October 20 at  Secret Woods, 2701 W. State Road 84, Dania Beach, 954-357-8886, website

Other resources include:

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences

• Florida-friendly™ Plant  database interactive website for recommendations on perfect plants using such factors as region, sunlight and soil, includes trees, palms, shrubs, flowers, vines & other plants
• Florida Friendly program
• Vegetable gardening
• Edibles
• Perfect Plants for Pollinators
• “Lettuce in Small Hydroponic Systems”
• Strawberries: South Florida is a little hot for strawberries. “The variety most likely to take the heat well is Sensation ‘Florida127’. It will maintain fruit size better in the heat and will not become too dark in color — overripe appearance,” says Vance M. Whitaker associate professor of Horticultural Sciences at UF/IFAS at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. He recommends planting toward the later days of October, & strawberries start to yield in December.

Features:

Native, exotic & edible plant fairs  in South Florida

Indoor plants: Tips for radishes, lettuce & other edibles

Other landscaping information

More home tips

• Broward Sheriff’s Office offers free shredding & prescription disposal
• Florida landscaping: Free resources to enhance your yard
• Indoor plants: Tips for radishes, lettuce & other edibles from Davie extension office
• Florida waives taxes on energy efficient appliances & other items
• $100 toilet rebate available for eligible Broward residents
• FPL tips on how to reduce energy use
• Rebates for upgrading irrigation in eligible Broward residential yards
• Rent, utilities & other financial resources for Florida residents
• Hurricane season: How to prepare (without spending too much)
• How (and where) to recycle your Christmas tree in Miami