New Zealand Trip – 2020
Come next February, I’ll be enjoying the warm summertime in New Zealand…and you can enjoy it with me! I hosted a garden tour of New Zealand in 2011. Ever since, I’ve wanted to go back. So now we’re going again…and you can too! Put Feb 2 – 16. 2020 on...
Hydrangea – Identification and Pruning
Q: I have hydrangeas on some new property. I would like to prune them but am unsure which hydrangeas I have, and therefore when to prune them. How do I tell them apart? A: In my garden, the color and shape of the faded bloom helps me identify hydrangeas. Common...
Organic Herbicides (Weed Killer)
Many homeowners want “organic” choices when it comes to selecting weed killers. Fortunately, there are several choices for both selective and non-selective weed control. Vinegar has been touted as a herbicide but the kitchen version is too weak to do much damage. Industrial acetic acid will kill weeds but I...
UGA Vegetable Gardening Publications
With food prices high, folks have been thinking about growing some of their own food. Food gardening is not hard and it doesn’t have to take much room in your landscape. You can even do it in containers! These gardening publications are available on the Internet or ask for a...
Yellowjackets – Control
Yellowjackets are extremely aggressive and will attack if their nest is threatened. When stung, an intruder is marked with a special scent that encourages other yellow jackets to attack. As with fire ants, some people can have severe reactions to yellow jacket stings. These insects are actually beneficial because they...
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Growing Ginseng in Georgia
Q: Will ginseng will grow in Georgia very well? A: Ginseng grows very well in north Georgia. That’s where shady, moist, rich, well-drained sites under hardwood trees can be found. Wild-simulated ginseng production is the most profitable and ecologically sustainable...
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Selling a Japanese Maple to a Landscape Company
Q: I have an eight-foot-tall, 20+ year old Japanese maple in my front flowerbed. I am wondering if transplanting it is an option? Do you know anyone who would like to have it enough to come dig it up and...
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Emerald Ash Borer in Georgia
Q: Does Georgia have the emerald ash borer? A: Yes, we do. This destructive insect has only been found in 26 of our 159 counties but it has the capability to kill every ash tree in the state. Georgia does...
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Soil Test First to Keep Hydrangeas Pink
Q: We bought pink hydrangeas and we want them to stay pink. I have been advised to keep the soil alkaline. Is fast acting lime okay? A: I have a group of hydrangeas in the front of my house. I...
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New Zealand Trip – 2020
Come next February, I’ll be enjoying the warm summertime in New Zealand…and you can enjoy it with me! I hosted a garden tour of New Zealand in 2011. Ever since, I’ve wanted to go back. So now we’re going again…and...
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Broadleaf Weeds of Summer
The sun comes up, the sun goes down. These we can reliably predict. You know what I can predict? The appearance of these common weeds of mid-summer! Check out my pictures and control tips. mimosa weed (chamberbitter) control mulberry weed...
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Japanese Maple – Squirrel Damage
Q: I planted a Japanese maple in late winter. It was doing great until recently when two squirrels wreaked havoc. My husband witnessed the hooligans and ran out to shoo them away, but this is what was left . A:...
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Yellow Flag Iris – Identified
Q: I found this plant growing on the shoreline of the lake in my neighborhood . Can you identify the plant? Can the plant be propagated via the seed pods. A: This is yellow flag iris, Iris pseudacoris. You can...
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European Hornet – In House Wall
Q: I have these insects at my home. I see individuals going behind my house’s fascia. Do I have a huge problem? A: It’s a European hornet, Vespa crabro. Unlike the bald-faced hornets that make gray, football-shaped nests in trees...
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Morning Glory Rust – yellow powder on back of leaves
Q: This yellow stuff is on the backside of my morningglory leaves. When you rub it it seems to be like a yellow pollen. A: It is morningglory rust. Rust disease attacks many ornamental plants. One way to manage it...
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Tiger Lily Bulbils Identified
Q: What is this flower and what are the black, bead-type things on the stalk? A: It is a tiger lily. The black things are called bulbils and can be planted exactly as you would seed. Lilies, of course, have...
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Lady Beetle (Lady Bug) – Identification with Pictures
It pays to know who is who in your garden. The squash beetle, which eats squash leaves, looks very much like a beneficial lady beetle. See below. Excellent guide to lady beetle identification...
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Diagnosing (Identifying) Holes in the Yard
Sometimes many heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem. Wade Hutcheson, my Extension colleague in Spalding county, gets plenty of calls from the citizens of his area asking his help in identifying various holes in...
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Weeds – Identification with Pictures
Weed control in the landscape is a tough business. You have to know a lot about the weed in question just to get started! As in most situations, a picture is worth a thousand words. Go through the sites below,...
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Bermuda – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: Weed Identification Pictures General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control...
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Brown Patch – Diagnosing
You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch’ or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a fungicide....
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Timing Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application on Lawn
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain, or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
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Bermuda Grass – Disease – Brown Patch
Brown patch is most prevalent on bermudagrass which has been heavily fertilized when night temperatures are above 68 degrees and day temperature are above 80 degrees. Dead patches of grass may start small but can grow and join together to...
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Lawn – Growing in Shade
OK. I admit it. I have given up. I came to the conclusion that grass just would not grow in the corner of my lawn near the ornamental cherry trees. The shade there is so dense that my grass, no...
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St. Augustine Grass Seed – Where to Buy
Q: Please tell me where I can buy St. Augustine grass seeds. Our lawn has some now and we like it a lot, but we’re having trouble finding seeds. A: You can’t buy St. Augustinegrass seed. The plant is very...
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Lawn – Leveling
A new home in my neighborhood had bermudagrass sod planted in March. By May, one area was a perfect checkerboard of straight lines, composed of weedy plants, surrounding the individual squares of sod. Evidently the sod installers were in such...
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Crapemyrtle – Pruning
One of the most confounding arguments I face is whether and how to prune crapemyrtles. They are mercilessly “murdered” by unaware landscapers and homeowners each winter… yet they still bloom in summer. Some people even believe a crapemyrtle won’t bloom...
Growing Ginseng in Georgia
Q: Will ginseng will grow in Georgia very well? A: Ginseng grows very well in north Georgia. That’s where shady, moist, rich, well-drained sites under hardwood trees can be found. Wild-simulated ginseng production is the most profitable and ecologically sustainable...
Selling a Japanese Maple to a Landscape Company
Q: I have an eight-foot-tall, 20+ year old Japanese maple in my front flowerbed. I am wondering if transplanting it is an option? Do you know anyone who would like to have it enough to come dig it up and...
Emerald Ash Borer in Georgia
Q: Does Georgia have the emerald ash borer? A: Yes, we do. This destructive insect has only been found in 26 of our 159 counties but it has the capability to kill every ash tree in the state. Georgia does...
Soil Test First to Keep Hydrangeas Pink
Q: We bought pink hydrangeas and we want them to stay pink. I have been advised to keep the soil alkaline. Is fast acting lime okay? A: I have a group of hydrangeas in the front of my house. I...
New Zealand Trip – 2020
Come next February, I’ll be enjoying the warm summertime in New Zealand…and you can enjoy it with me! I hosted a garden tour of New Zealand in 2011. Ever since, I’ve wanted to go back. So now we’re going again…and...
Broadleaf Weeds of Summer
The sun comes up, the sun goes down. These we can reliably predict. You know what I can predict? The appearance of these common weeds of mid-summer! Check out my pictures and control tips. mimosa weed (chamberbitter) control mulberry weed...
Japanese Maple – Squirrel Damage
Q: I planted a Japanese maple in late winter. It was doing great until recently when two squirrels wreaked havoc. My husband witnessed the hooligans and ran out to shoo them away, but this is what was left . A:...
Yellow Flag Iris – Identified
Q: I found this plant growing on the shoreline of the lake in my neighborhood . Can you identify the plant? Can the plant be propagated via the seed pods. A: This is yellow flag iris, Iris pseudacoris. You can...
European Hornet – In House Wall
Q: I have these insects at my home. I see individuals going behind my house’s fascia. Do I have a huge problem? A: It’s a European hornet, Vespa crabro. Unlike the bald-faced hornets that make gray, football-shaped nests in trees...
Morning Glory Rust – yellow powder on back of leaves
Q: This yellow stuff is on the backside of my morningglory leaves. When you rub it it seems to be like a yellow pollen. A: It is morningglory rust. Rust disease attacks many ornamental plants. One way to manage it...
Tiger Lily Bulbils Identified
Q: What is this flower and what are the black, bead-type things on the stalk? A: It is a tiger lily. The black things are called bulbils and can be planted exactly as you would seed. Lilies, of course, have...
Lady Beetle (Lady Bug) – Identification with Pictures
It pays to know who is who in your garden. The squash beetle, which eats squash leaves, looks very much like a beneficial lady beetle. See below. Excellent guide to lady beetle identification...
Diagnosing (Identifying) Holes in the Yard
Sometimes many heads are better than one when it comes to solving a problem. Wade Hutcheson, my Extension colleague in Spalding county, gets plenty of calls from the citizens of his area asking his help in identifying various holes in...
Weeds – Identification with Pictures
Weed control in the landscape is a tough business. You have to know a lot about the weed in question just to get started! As in most situations, a picture is worth a thousand words. Go through the sites below,...
Bermuda – Weed Control
BASIC INFORMATION: Weed Identification Pictures General Turf and Weed Info Lawn Care Calendars THREE METHODS There are three primary methods of controlling weeds. Any one method, when used alone, will not usually control all of your weeds. To consistently control...
Brown Patch – Diagnosing
You have brown patches of dead grass in your lawn. Is it the common lawn disease ‘brown patch’ or is it something else? The answer is important: if it is brown patch you probably need to spray with a fungicide....
Timing Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application on Lawn
One of the sourest phrases that can be directed at a child or adult is “I told you so!” Whether you touch a hot match, leave tools out in the rain, or lift cinder blocks all afternoon, someone is usually...
Bermuda Grass – Disease – Brown Patch
Brown patch is most prevalent on bermudagrass which has been heavily fertilized when night temperatures are above 68 degrees and day temperature are above 80 degrees. Dead patches of grass may start small but can grow and join together to...
Lawn – Growing in Shade
OK. I admit it. I have given up. I came to the conclusion that grass just would not grow in the corner of my lawn near the ornamental cherry trees. The shade there is so dense that my grass, no...
St. Augustine Grass Seed – Where to Buy
Q: Please tell me where I can buy St. Augustine grass seeds. Our lawn has some now and we like it a lot, but we’re having trouble finding seeds. A: You can’t buy St. Augustinegrass seed. The plant is very...
Lawn – Leveling
A new home in my neighborhood had bermudagrass sod planted in March. By May, one area was a perfect checkerboard of straight lines, composed of weedy plants, surrounding the individual squares of sod. Evidently the sod installers were in such...
Crapemyrtle – Pruning
One of the most confounding arguments I face is whether and how to prune crapemyrtles. They are mercilessly “murdered” by unaware landscapers and homeowners each winter… yet they still bloom in summer. Some people even believe a crapemyrtle won’t bloom...
