The Hothouse Blog

Learn from the observations and musings of local contributing writers on a variety of current environmental, conservation and gardening subjects.

Hothouse Blog article by Emily Esplandiu

“Reefense”: The Future of Coral Restoration

Active coral restoration efforts are expanding as the state of coral reefs continues to decline in South Florida. In the past two decades, coral restoration practitioners have implemented both engineered and ecological approaches to combat these losses, such…
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University of Miami Rosenstiel School's coral conservation program-feature

Citizen Science: Community Members Help to “Rescue a Reef”

Ever dream of being a marine biologist? Well, the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School’s “Rescue a Reef” program is a citizen science project that offers everyday individuals the opportunity to be marine scientists for an afternoon, working…
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Diego Lirman Hothouse Blog article Underwater Gardengin Chapter 3

Complex underwater structures called stony corals: Chapter 3

The field of active coral reef restoration has grown exponentially in the last 15 years and Florida has been the epicenter for the development of the last wave of reef restoration activities. In fact, many of the methods…
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Lily Thorn (Catesbaea spinosa) feature image

A Scientist in the Garden

Gardens have always inspired scientists to understand how nature works. The British naturalist Charles Darwin conducted many detailed observations and experiments on how natural selection works in his garden in the Down House in England. In one of…
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Munstead wood rose: copyright by Victor Lazzari

Incorporating Roses For Cutting In The South Florida Garden

The world of garden roses is a wonderfully diverse horticultural playground. In the most general sense, all roses are woody-stemmed perennial shrubs – but thanks to centuries of breeding, they now range in size from miniatures less than…
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Diego Lirman Hothouse Blog article Underwater Gardening Chapter 2

Complex underwater structures called stony corals: Chapter 2

I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and had a great holiday season! Now that you know that we are "gardening" corals to be used for reef restoration, it is time to take a small step…
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