Italy Trip Report – 2013
In May of 2013 I led a group of adventurous and inquisitive gardeners (and their spouses) to the southern coast of Italy and the island of Sicily. We had a wonderful time: lots of great food, beautiful gardens, historic sites and good companionship! Following is my report on the trip,...
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...
Shrub – Pruning Calendar
The Home & Garden section of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution published a very nice pruning calendar several years ago. When viewed on a sheet of newsprint, it was gorgeous. When reduced to fit onto a sheet of typing paper it was impossible to read. I imagine you didn’t keep...
South Africa Adventure – 2014
As many of you know, I led a group of gardeners and spouses to South Africa in 2010. The memories of that vibrant, beautiful, surprising country still linger in my brain! We had such a good time I’ve decided to lead another group trip there in January, 2014. Want to...
New Gardening Books
I regularly receive interesting-looking gardening books from publishers. I don’t have time to read them all or give an intelligent review but I know they would appeal to many gardeners. These are some of the books I’ve gotten recently. You can click the link under the book cover images to...
Wolf’s Milk Slime Mold – Identification
Q: I discovered these things in my garden and am wondering if you can tell me what they are? I believe the grayish color ones are older, and the pinkish/salmon colored ones are fresh. A: It’s wolf milk slime mold....
Shelf Fungus (Conk) – On Black Locust
Q: I recently had two large black locust trees cut down. They had shelf fungi (conks) growing on them. A friend of the ax man wanted the conks. Do you have any idea what uses one would have for these?...
Hummingbird Feeder – Cloudy Liquid
Q: My homemade nectar for hummingbirds turns cloudy after a few days. What causes this? A: My guess is that your feeder is dirty when you fill it and the sugar water is rapidly fermenting. I wash mine in the...
Sweetshrub – Transplanting Method
Q: Three years ago I transplanted a calycanthus shrub. I have noticed that the mother plant has sent out new plants in several directions. Can I transplant these new shrubs ? A: Sweetshrub, Calycanthus floridus, is famous for its spreading...
Poison Ivy – Natural Enemies?
Q: Poison ivy sure has a lot of friends that help it hide in my back yard. Does it have any enemies? Tom Baxter, Atlanta A: I’ve never seen a poison ivy leaf that seemed to have been eaten by...
Flies – Safe Removal Methods
Q: I have been invaded by fruit flies because I brought home some delicious peaches. Is there a way to safely control them? A: My college-student son had a big fruit fly problem last week. He tried the “rotten fruit...
Squash – Sunlight Concerns
Q: I have very healthy squash plants. An older farmer said the best way to get healthy squash plants to continue to produce is to cut off some of the biggest leaves to allow the sun to get to the...
Wild Plants – Difference Between Onions and Garlic
Q: How do I tell the difference between wild onions and wild garlic? A: Like edible onions and garlic, wild onion, Allium canadense, and wild garlic, Allium vineale, are members of the onion family that . While both have thin,...
Hydrangeas – How To Prune Them
Q: I heard your radio discussion about pruning hydrangeas. Do I cut just the green new growth stem or can I cut the old wood too? A: You can cut into the old wood if you need to. Make your...
Compost – Achieving A Good Mix
Q: While researching composting, I’ve read that microbial activity is greatest when the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio is 30:1. How can I achieve that using only grass clippings and leaves? Are tea and coffee grounds and eggshells considered to be nitrogen or...
Manure – Using Rabbit Pellets
Q: I have a pet rabbit, so I have plenty of rabbit manure I could use in my gardens. I would like to know if I can use it directly or if I need to compost it first. A: Rabbit...
Lemon Trees – Pollination and Fruit Bearing
Q: I have a Meyer lemon tree in a pot outdoors for the summer. When we bought it had one lemon. But it has produced flowers twice and when the lemon reaches pea size they fall off. A: I think...
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. Websites Preen has terrific weed...
Diagnosing 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...
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....
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...
Lawn – Timing Pre-emergent Herbicide
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
