• About Us
• Nursery
• Commercial Landscape, Golf Courses and Pest Control Operators
• Master Gardener Program
• Florida Yards & Neighborhoods
• Residential Horticulture

The Environmental Horticulture Program consists of a multitude of training and information efforts designed to meet the needs of Palm Beach County’s diverse residential and commercial horticulture audiences.

Southeast Florida has a moderate, semi-tropical climate with 50-60 inches of rainfall annually. The heaviest rainfall is in the spring through fall months with the dry season usually in the winter. This climate is influenced by our location between the Atlantic Ocean's Florida Current, which is often mistakenly called the Gulf Stream, and massive Lake Okeechobee. The current does not technically become the Gulf Stream until it joins the Antilles Current further north.

The expansive water bodies on each side create a moderating warm winter growing environment unique in the continental United States. However, it is not unusual for Arctic cold fronts to periodically bring freezing winter temperatures this far south for just a few hours or up to 2 or 3 days per occurrence. This unique climate also reverses the vegetable growing season found in much of the rest of the United States, with most temperate climate vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, green beans, lettuce, etc.) grown during the fall, winter and spring months.

A large local population of almost 1.3 million people, along with many seasonal visitors, has helped create the need for substantial landscape and golf course industries. These industries generated $450 million (landscape) and $664 million (golf courses) in annual sales in 2000. Palm Beach County residents are also active horticultural participants as demonstrated by the $279 million in plant products they purchased locally in 2000. The county's nursery industry is the third largest in the state, and in the top ten in the country, with $164 million in 2000 sales.

The abundant horticultural possibilities in Palm Beach County also gives rise to many challenges that include environmental risks, landscape maintenance, plant and structural pests, plant diseases and invasive plants. Palm Beach County Extension Environmental Horticulture Program Staff work with the University of Florida, and a variety of community partners, to help residents and businesses meet horticultural related education and informational needs.