Trip to Italy – May, 2018 – Announcement
I’m hosting a trip to southern Italy on April 14 – 26, 2018! Whenever I’ve mentioned to seasoned travelers a trip to Italy, they get a dreamy look in their eyes and insist “You MUST go to southern Italy in the spring….it is just so beautiful…. and the food is so...
Fescue Planting – 1-2-3
September – October is the BEST time to plant a fescue lawn. I have tips on planting a new lawn or an existing lawn, whether with seed or sod. I also cover what kind of fescue is best. It is not as important as you think it is, but everyone’s...
Plants for Pollinators
Many landscape plants depend on bees and other insects to move pollen from flower to flower. The insects don’t realize they are pollinating the plants they visit – they’re just looking for nectar in the flowers. You can help the flowering plants in your neighborhood by planting a pollinator-friendly flower...
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...
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 unless it is severely pruned. Crapemyrtles do not HAVE TO...
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Trip to Italy – May, 2018 – Announcement
I’m hosting a trip to southern Italy on April 14 – 26, 2018! Whenever I’ve mentioned to seasoned travelers a trip to Italy, they get a dreamy look in their eyes and insist “You MUST go to southern Italy in the...
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Split Tree – Can It Be Saved
Q: Due to Hurricane Irma, one of our dogwoods split and came down. Will the rest of the remaining tree now get insect or other damage? Should we just take it down? A: You are right to be concerned. It’s...
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Brumby Hall Sept 28, 2017
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Tree – Straightening When Blown Over
Summer or winter storms often blow over otherwise healthy trees. Here is a review of the basics of righting small trees that lean or have partially fallen. I would ONLY attempt this on trees less than 15 feet tall….nothing bigger....
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Japanese Maple – Sprouts at Graft
Q: I have a twenty-two-year-old Japanese maple with a bulge on the lower trunk. The tree is lovely, but it continuously puts out suckers in this bulging area. Is there any way to stop the suckers? A: You are exactly...
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Fescue Planting – 1-2-3
September – October is the BEST time to plant a fescue lawn. I have tips on planting a new lawn or an existing lawn, whether with seed or sod. I also cover what kind of fescue is best. It is...
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New Sapling – Trunk Split
Q: I have a newly planted live oak sapling which was split by a heavy storm last night. What can I do to mend the trunk? A: You are not going to like my answer. It is almost impossible for...
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Gypsy Moths – Not in Georgia
Q: I think I have an infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars in a large tree whose branches hang high over my covered porch. Dropping pellets sound like it is raining all day long on the roof. A: You certainly have...
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Sod – Three Days Delay in Laying
Q: The company that is installing my new lawn ordered 6 pallets of sod to be delivered and installed today. Due to the heavy rain in our area they were unable to do the install today but said they would...
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Is Ammonium Sulfate the Same As 21-0-0?
Q: Is ammonium sulfate and 21-0-0 the same thing? A: Sure is! It’s always good to remember in the back of your mind that fertilizers, whether organic or synthetic, are basically chemicals. Organic fertilizers are complex organic compounds; synthetic fertilizers...
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Armadillo – Where Found in Georgia
When I received a photo of a newly planted bed of mondo grass that had been plowed up overnight, I immediately thought “armadillo!”. But the damage was done in Dunwoody…not a part of the state where folks have complained about...
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Flower Bed – Armadillo Damage
Q: I planted some dwarf mondo grass 2 months ago. After about 3 weeks I found it completely uprooted. I replanted it and 3 weeks later it happened again. It doesn’t appear that any of the roots or leaves are...
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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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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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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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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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Lawn – Timing Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application
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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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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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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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...
Trip to Italy – May, 2018 – Announcement
I’m hosting a trip to southern Italy on April 14 – 26, 2018! Whenever I’ve mentioned to seasoned travelers a trip to Italy, they get a dreamy look in their eyes and insist “You MUST go to southern Italy in the...
Split Tree – Can It Be Saved
Q: Due to Hurricane Irma, one of our dogwoods split and came down. Will the rest of the remaining tree now get insect or other damage? Should we just take it down? A: You are right to be concerned. It’s...
Tree – Straightening When Blown Over
Summer or winter storms often blow over otherwise healthy trees. Here is a review of the basics of righting small trees that lean or have partially fallen. I would ONLY attempt this on trees less than 15 feet tall….nothing bigger....
Japanese Maple – Sprouts at Graft
Q: I have a twenty-two-year-old Japanese maple with a bulge on the lower trunk. The tree is lovely, but it continuously puts out suckers in this bulging area. Is there any way to stop the suckers? A: You are exactly...
Fescue Planting – 1-2-3
September – October is the BEST time to plant a fescue lawn. I have tips on planting a new lawn or an existing lawn, whether with seed or sod. I also cover what kind of fescue is best. It is...
New Sapling – Trunk Split
Q: I have a newly planted live oak sapling which was split by a heavy storm last night. What can I do to mend the trunk? A: You are not going to like my answer. It is almost impossible for...
Gypsy Moths – Not in Georgia
Q: I think I have an infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars in a large tree whose branches hang high over my covered porch. Dropping pellets sound like it is raining all day long on the roof. A: You certainly have...
Sod – Three Days Delay in Laying
Q: The company that is installing my new lawn ordered 6 pallets of sod to be delivered and installed today. Due to the heavy rain in our area they were unable to do the install today but said they would...
Is Ammonium Sulfate the Same As 21-0-0?
Q: Is ammonium sulfate and 21-0-0 the same thing? A: Sure is! It’s always good to remember in the back of your mind that fertilizers, whether organic or synthetic, are basically chemicals. Organic fertilizers are complex organic compounds; synthetic fertilizers...
Armadillo – Where Found in Georgia
When I received a photo of a newly planted bed of mondo grass that had been plowed up overnight, I immediately thought “armadillo!”. But the damage was done in Dunwoody…not a part of the state where folks have complained about...
Flower Bed – Armadillo Damage
Q: I planted some dwarf mondo grass 2 months ago. After about 3 weeks I found it completely uprooted. I replanted it and 3 weeks later it happened again. It doesn’t appear that any of the roots or leaves are...
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,...
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...
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 Spring Pre-emergent Herbicide Application
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...
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...
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...
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...
