Come With Me to Holland for the 2015 Tulip Festival!
This is going to be amazing! I have worked with my long-time tour company operators, Earthbound Expeditions, to charter a river cruise boat in late April, 2015 during the height of the tulip festival in Amsterdam! We will, of course, visit the Keukenhof Gardens, the world famous 79 acre flower park....
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, then choose your method of weed control. Remember: healthy, vigorous...
“English Ivy Kills Trees” Sign – Who Places Them?
OK – my curiosity is killing me! Who puts up these signs at random spots around Atlanta? I’ve asked a number of arborists: No knowledge. I’ve posted it on Facebook; 21,000 people saw the post: lots of comments, but no answer. If you know, please email me! Debbi D. comments...
Come With Me to Cuba – Oct 2014
I get real pleasure from travelling with folks who like to see the world. Going to Callaway Gardens was a real trip when I was a kid! Now I get to see the corners of the globe with gardeners (and spouses!) on trips I plan and host each year. In...
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...
Crapemyrtle – Bark Scale
Q: What do you know about crapemyrtle bark scale? A: All I know was passed to me by Steve Pettis in the Rockdale Extension office. Here are some references: Crapemyrtle Bark Scale – Arkansas Crapemyrtle Bark Scale Spreading in...
Jelly Fungus – On Twig
Q:I am guessing this is some kind of fungus and it isn’t good for my tree. A: It looks like one of the jelly fungi, probably Exidia recisa. The twig is dead and the fungus is decomposing it. No harm...
Nostoc Bacteria – In Damp Gravel
Q: I have this stuff that looks like dark green seaweed growing on my gravel driveway. I looked online and found posts on garden forums from other people who have it and no one can seem to get rid of...
Hellebore (Lenten Rose) – Aphids
Q: I was piddling around with my hellebores yesterday (Jan 25, 2015) and found a big infestation of aphids under the leaves of my ‘Ivory Prince’. I didn’t know aphids attacked hellebores! A: You are very observant! Hellebores have their...
Hickory, Pecan, Acorn – Huge Nut Crop
Q: Our home is surrounded by many hardwood trees. This year we are experiencing a proliferation of hickory nuts. It is basically a solid mass of nuts underneath. Do you know of any explanation for this? A: Nuts such as...
African Violet – Mites
Q: I have noticed white particles on my African violet leaves. The particles do not seem to be affecting the health of the plant, but I was hoping you could shed some light on what it might be. A: The...
Squirrel – Albino
Q: A co-worker you discussed albino squirrels on the radio. I have one that frequents my yard here in Norcross. A: Albino squirrels are unusual but not exactly rare. It’s a genetic trait that is passed from parent squirrels to...
Sweetgum – Bark Missing
Q: I recently purchased a house and in the back yard are two sweetgum trees that have no bark near the base of the tree. Are these trees on their way out or do you think they will recover? A:...
Specticle G – For Weed Control
My bermuda lawn was inundated with ugly goose grass weed for 5 years. I tried all kinds of post and pre-emergence products with no luck at all. Last March 15th I used Specticle G by the Bayer company and applied...
Spring Bulbs – Fertilize in Late Winter
My rule of thumb for fertilizing any plant is to do it when it is actively growing. Spring-flowering bulbs, like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths fool us though. They seem to be “actively growing” in spring when flowers appear. But the...
Pride Of Barbados – Surviving The Cold
Q: While visiting San Antonio this summer we saw beautiful Pride of Barbados bushes with lovely flame orange flowers. My husband had to have one and we planted it in a very large pot. When the temperature dropped into the...
Crapemyrtle – To Prune, Or Not To Prune
Q: I planted ten Acoma crapemyrtle sprouts four years ago. I’m not sure how they should be pruned or if they should be pruned at all. A: ‘Acoma’ crapemyrtle is a small-statured, white-blooming crapemyrtle. It grows to approximately ten feet...
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 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...
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...
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 – Bark Scale
Q: What do you know about crapemyrtle bark scale? A: All I know was passed to me by Steve Pettis in the Rockdale Extension office. Here are some references: Crapemyrtle Bark Scale – Arkansas Crapemyrtle Bark Scale Spreading in...
Jelly Fungus – On Twig
Q:I am guessing this is some kind of fungus and it isn’t good for my tree. A: It looks like one of the jelly fungi, probably Exidia recisa. The twig is dead and the fungus is decomposing it. No harm...
Nostoc Bacteria – In Damp Gravel
Q: I have this stuff that looks like dark green seaweed growing on my gravel driveway. I looked online and found posts on garden forums from other people who have it and no one can seem to get rid of...
Hellebore (Lenten Rose) – Aphids
Q: I was piddling around with my hellebores yesterday (Jan 25, 2015) and found a big infestation of aphids under the leaves of my ‘Ivory Prince’. I didn’t know aphids attacked hellebores! A: You are very observant! Hellebores have their...
Hickory, Pecan, Acorn – Huge Nut Crop
Q: Our home is surrounded by many hardwood trees. This year we are experiencing a proliferation of hickory nuts. It is basically a solid mass of nuts underneath. Do you know of any explanation for this? A: Nuts such as...
African Violet – Mites
Q: I have noticed white particles on my African violet leaves. The particles do not seem to be affecting the health of the plant, but I was hoping you could shed some light on what it might be. A: The...
Squirrel – Albino
Q: A co-worker you discussed albino squirrels on the radio. I have one that frequents my yard here in Norcross. A: Albino squirrels are unusual but not exactly rare. It’s a genetic trait that is passed from parent squirrels to...
Sweetgum – Bark Missing
Q: I recently purchased a house and in the back yard are two sweetgum trees that have no bark near the base of the tree. Are these trees on their way out or do you think they will recover? A:...
Specticle G – For Weed Control
My bermuda lawn was inundated with ugly goose grass weed for 5 years. I tried all kinds of post and pre-emergence products with no luck at all. Last March 15th I used Specticle G by the Bayer company and applied...
Spring Bulbs – Fertilize in Late Winter
My rule of thumb for fertilizing any plant is to do it when it is actively growing. Spring-flowering bulbs, like daffodils, tulips and hyacinths fool us though. They seem to be “actively growing” in spring when flowers appear. But the...
Pride Of Barbados – Surviving The Cold
Q: While visiting San Antonio this summer we saw beautiful Pride of Barbados bushes with lovely flame orange flowers. My husband had to have one and we planted it in a very large pot. When the temperature dropped into the...
Crapemyrtle – To Prune, Or Not To Prune
Q: I planted ten Acoma crapemyrtle sprouts four years ago. I’m not sure how they should be pruned or if they should be pruned at all. A: ‘Acoma’ crapemyrtle is a small-statured, white-blooming crapemyrtle. It grows to approximately ten feet...
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 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...
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...
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...
