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...
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...
Venomous (Poisonous) Caterpillars – Photos
Several kinds of venomous caterpillars are commonly seen in late summer – early fall. They are usually inconspicuous, so when one is encountered it’s “OUCH – what stung me???!!“. Below are photos of those you might find in the Southeast. Because they are so uncommon and because they feed on...
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Ferns – Deer-Resistant
Q: We have a very large staghorn fern in Jacksonville that we’ll be taking to an area where there are deer. Do deer eat this fern? A: I can’t be 100% positive about staghorn ferns but most ferns are deer...
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Tomato – Early Blight on Fruit
Q: I have some beautiful tomato plants this year but something is causing my tomatoes to rot from the stem end. They fall to the ground after the top of the tomato has rotted from the stem. This generally occurs...
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Systemic Insecticide – Effect on Pollinators in Crapemyrtle
Q: Will honeybees be affected if I apply a systemic insecticide to my crapemyrtle to control aphids? A: Crapemyrtle flowers don’t contain nectar, so the effect on bees is minimal. However, other pollinators visit crapemyrtle flowers to feed on pollen....
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Puffball – Wolf Fart
Q: I’m not sure what these white “eggs” are in my yard. They are out in the open, not clutched together. I don’t know if they are an animal egg or some type of fungus. Can you help me identify...
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Slime Mold – Black Bubbly Substance
Q: Last week a black, bubbly substance started seeping through my pine straw. It looks very much like caviar coming through, then once it bubbles to the top, the sun bakes it to a tar-like substance and congeals it. Any...
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Ginkgo – Culture as a Bush
Q: I live in Brooklyn, New York. After hurricane Sandy all the trees around my house were killed due to the flooding from the sea water. I had them cut down to the stumps. Last summer my ginkgo tree stump...
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Maple Tree – Tar Spot Disease
Q: I have a maple tree in my front yard that is developing black spot on the leaves. I am not sure what is going on and if I should do anything about it. A: It’s a disease called tar...
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Plants With the Name “Walter”
Q: I’m looking for a plant with the name “Walter” to plant in my garden to honor my great-grandfather. Any suggestions? A: I have an evergreen Walter viburnum, Viburnum obovatum, and a Walter dogwood, Cornus walteri, in my landscape. The...
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Silver Maple Tree – Can We Cut Roots To Ground Level
Q: We have a silver maple tree with roots two inches above ground. Would it hurt the tree to cut them to ground level using a draw knife and then cover with soil and grass? A: Slicing into the roots...
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Will Waterfall Japanese Maple Do Well In Zone 7b?
Q: Will Waterfall Japanese maple do well in Zone 7b? A: It should grow perfectly fine, although 7b is the warmer edge of this tree’s range. I would plant it in a spot that gets sunshine until early afternoon and...
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Japanese Maple – How Big Should Planter Be
Q: I bought a Japanese maple and I’d like to put it in a planter since I might sell my home in a few years. How big should it be? A: I think a planter comparable to the size of...
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Topped My Cryptomeria – Will It Get Its Shape Back
Q: My tree company misunderstood my instructions and topped my cryptomeria. Now it looks silly. Will it eventually get its shape back? A: Can you somehow reach the top of the tree? If there is a clean cut above a...
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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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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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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 – 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...
Ferns – Deer-Resistant
Q: We have a very large staghorn fern in Jacksonville that we’ll be taking to an area where there are deer. Do deer eat this fern? A: I can’t be 100% positive about staghorn ferns but most ferns are deer...
Tomato – Early Blight on Fruit
Q: I have some beautiful tomato plants this year but something is causing my tomatoes to rot from the stem end. They fall to the ground after the top of the tomato has rotted from the stem. This generally occurs...
Systemic Insecticide – Effect on Pollinators in Crapemyrtle
Q: Will honeybees be affected if I apply a systemic insecticide to my crapemyrtle to control aphids? A: Crapemyrtle flowers don’t contain nectar, so the effect on bees is minimal. However, other pollinators visit crapemyrtle flowers to feed on pollen....
Puffball – Wolf Fart
Q: I’m not sure what these white “eggs” are in my yard. They are out in the open, not clutched together. I don’t know if they are an animal egg or some type of fungus. Can you help me identify...
Slime Mold – Black Bubbly Substance
Q: Last week a black, bubbly substance started seeping through my pine straw. It looks very much like caviar coming through, then once it bubbles to the top, the sun bakes it to a tar-like substance and congeals it. Any...
Ginkgo – Culture as a Bush
Q: I live in Brooklyn, New York. After hurricane Sandy all the trees around my house were killed due to the flooding from the sea water. I had them cut down to the stumps. Last summer my ginkgo tree stump...
Maple Tree – Tar Spot Disease
Q: I have a maple tree in my front yard that is developing black spot on the leaves. I am not sure what is going on and if I should do anything about it. A: It’s a disease called tar...
Plants With the Name “Walter”
Q: I’m looking for a plant with the name “Walter” to plant in my garden to honor my great-grandfather. Any suggestions? A: I have an evergreen Walter viburnum, Viburnum obovatum, and a Walter dogwood, Cornus walteri, in my landscape. The...
Silver Maple Tree – Can We Cut Roots To Ground Level
Q: We have a silver maple tree with roots two inches above ground. Would it hurt the tree to cut them to ground level using a draw knife and then cover with soil and grass? A: Slicing into the roots...
Will Waterfall Japanese Maple Do Well In Zone 7b?
Q: Will Waterfall Japanese maple do well in Zone 7b? A: It should grow perfectly fine, although 7b is the warmer edge of this tree’s range. I would plant it in a spot that gets sunshine until early afternoon and...
Japanese Maple – How Big Should Planter Be
Q: I bought a Japanese maple and I’d like to put it in a planter since I might sell my home in a few years. How big should it be? A: I think a planter comparable to the size of...
Topped My Cryptomeria – Will It Get Its Shape Back
Q: My tree company misunderstood my instructions and topped my cryptomeria. Now it looks silly. Will it eventually get its shape back? A: Can you somehow reach the top of the tree? If there is a clean cut above a...
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...
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...
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 – 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...
