Archive for July, 2010
How to Identify Walter
I often get the opportunity to identify strange plants that appear in Georgia landscapes. My friend Theresa Schrum snapped a picture of a particular item she needed to identify, so she sent it to our mutual friends Shannon Pable and...
Bulbs from My Bubber
I believe I received my penchant for gardening from my grandmother on my father’s side: Rachel Belle Powell Reeves. She was “Bubber” to me, a name which was the product of a toddler’s tongue’s inability to pronounce “Grandmother”. While outdoors,...
How To Enter Garden Event Information
Garden Event Planner - Just click on the link below and you’ll be taken to the event information entry page. Click here to Enter...
South Africa Garden Tour – Jan. 2010
Remember how cold it gets in Atlanta in January? Brrrrrrr! How would you like to join me on a garden tour to a place where it’s warm? How about South Africa?!! I will be leading a garden tour to South...
How to Get Your Gardening Questions Answered
My website contains just about EVERYTHING I have ever written. Try to find your answer here first, using one or two words in the SITE SEARCH line above. Sign up here for my Georgia Gardener e-mail newsletter For quick garden...
How to Build a Rain Barrel
Walter’s Rain Barrel Instructions Cobb County Rain Barrel Instructions I got my barrel from a roadside vendor in Loganville: 770 466 4284 Large plastic garbage cans make fine rain collectors as well. Many local hardware stores offer assembled rain barrels...
A Man and His Manure
I have had much experience with manure. Too much, in fact. Our small farm, in then-rural Fayette County, housed cows, chickens and the occasional mule. All of these animals produced incredible amounts of manure, both individually and as a group....
Changing Names – Just Call Me Frank
I have a friend whose middle name, given at birth, is Elizabeth. In the usual Southern tradition, she was immediately called “Betsy” by her family. She was “Betsy” throughout kindergarten, elementary school and high school. Hundreds of friends and family...
How to Find Special Plants
Sometimes a particular plant simply knocks your socks off. Maybe you see a picture in a magazine or hear it described on television. But when you go to your local nursery, they tell you that the plant is so new...
You Know You’re a Georgian If….
1. You can properly pronounce Chickamauga, DeKalb, Dahlonega, Senoia, Buena Vista, Valdosta, Okefenokee, and La Fayette. P.S. Atlanta = ADD-LANNA not AT-LANT-A.P.S.S. Fayetteville = FET-VUL (the county seat of FET COUNNY)P.S.S.S. and don’t even THINK that Houston county has anything...
There is Power in the Mud!
My garden friend Ed emailed me with what he thought was a terrible mistake (“an unpardonable sin” in his words) that he’d made in his garden, having mis-heard something I’d said on radio. Fortunately it was only a miscommunication, probably...
Walter Cowart – Campbell County Chamber of Commerce
I’m always proud to find bits and pieces of the life of my grandfather, a progressive leader in Union City, East Point and other points south of Atlanta. I recently came upon this short announcement in Georgia magazine, dated October,...
Pepper
Capsicum annuum, Capsicum chinense, Capsicum frutescens Peppers are available in so many types and varieties that most gardeners stick to a few types that they will use in their recipes. The most familiar peppers are the bells: green-red, yellow, purple-lilac,...
How to Choose an Arborist
After hurricanes, tornadoes and ice storms, tree care professionals do an excellent job clearing downed trees and repairing damage. On the other hand, some “tree experts” are expert only at taking money and chopping a tree into pieces. How does...
How to Build a Tree House
When the kids are out of school you may be tempted to build a treehouse for them to play in during the summer. Before you head off with hammer, nails and planks in hand, plan your design to minimize damage...
How to Make Cheese Muffins
Molly Wilson’s cheese muffin recipe. 2 sticks of very soft (almost melted) butter1 cup of sour cream2 cups of self-rising flour2 cups of sharp cheese Add ingredients in order, hand-stirring after each one, in a big bowl. Spoon into small...
How to Make Colored Flames for Fireplace
A reader recently asked me. “Do you know where I may obtain the formulae for the chemicals in which to soak pine cones that will cause them to produce colored flames when burned?” My answer took me back to my...
How to Make Ambrosia
Kathy Henderson hosted “The Lawn and Garden Show” on WSB for many years. One bit of information she featured each holiday season is still in demand: her ambrosia recipe. Kathy got the recipe from a friend. So that you can...
How to Choose a Landscape Maintenance Company
The slips of paper with scribbled phone numbers are passed from hand to hand surreptitiously at neighborhood gatherings. Phrases like “He’s fast and he’s good.“, “She really knows what she’s doing.” and “I trust them explicitly.” are whispered into attentive...
