2010 August | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener

Furry Houseplant (ID complete)

We have an “Angel Plant” from Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses. We emailed the information from the tag on the pot to Engelmann’s online email address (no response in several days). The leaves have a hairy/furry covering; the stems are reddish, and...

Deadheading

Since a plant’s goal is simply to reproduce itself, once it has produced mature flowers, it will often stop producing any more. You can eliminate the signals telling the plant to stop flowering by regularly removing faded flowers. Petunias, cosmos,...

daisy-like flower on tall mystery plant (ID complete)

This 6 to 7 foot tall daisy-like flowered plant comes back every year – from April til frost – and has large flat pointed leaves. Although it has grown in the same spot for several years, I recently experienced intense...

Sumac – Leaf Galls

Q: Please help me identify this tree/shrub/plant that we have allowed to grow on our property. This year it has produced a fruit or seed pod. A: Naturalist Shannon Pable says you have a sumac shrub with leaf galls. It’s...

Cypress Vine – Not Blooming

Q: In the past I have collected cypress vine seeds and re- planted each year to have beautiful vines and flowers. This year I wanted to planter boxes and plant so they would grow up a spot where I had...

Buffalobur Nightshade – Identification

Q: I have a plant growing beside my patio that looks like a watermelon plant but has briars. It is a plant not a vine, has small yellow blooms and has small briars on the stem. Has not borne fruit...

May Beetle – Wrong Identification (and Correct ID as Sugarcane Beetle)

I’m right about a lot of things but I’m sometimes equally thrilled to be wrong about something. In the September 2, 2010 Georgia Gardener newsletter, I incorrectly identified a beetle. Fortunately, I have entomologist friends who are smarter than me!...

Walnut Caterpillar – On Walnut Tree

Q: My husband and I found these worms/caterpillars eating the leaves of a black walnut tree at the edge of our pasture. Later we found the same type of critters devouring the leaves of a black cherry tree. Could these...

Leaf-footed Bugs – On Tomato

Q: Our tomato plants and garden are infested with stink bugs and leaf-footed bugs. Is there an organic pesticide, safe for the environment and pets, that we can use to eliminate these insects? They are ruining our garden. A: Both...

Tomato – Two Toned

Q: I noticed last week that one of my few tomatoes growing on my tomato plant in a pot was two-toned. I’ve never seen one of these before. A: Very odd! My guess is that incomplete pollination caused it. Tomatoes...

Rat Snake Eggs – Identification

Q: I am told you might be able to help me identify what I have found at the bottom of my mulch pile. A: Jim Rodgers at Nearly Native Nursery says they are most likely rat snake or king snake...

Ailanthus Webworm Moth – Identification

Q: This bug was on my storm door the other day. The pattern looked kind of like an elongated ladybug. A: It’s an ailanthus webworm moth. The caterpillar feeds on the leaves of a “trash tree” named Tree-of-Heaven, Ailanthus altissima....

purple fall flower in Atlanta (ID complete)

This must self seed. The house where I saw it has a large plot that has worked its way into another yard too. The plant is about six inches tall now, in August, but when it bloomed last fall it...

Unknown Grass In My Yard (ID complete)

Walter, this grass is taking over my fescue lawn; it grows rapidly, faster than the “normal” fescue. My wife is ready to Roundup the whole yard....

Decatur Garden Tour

Step “behind the fence” to explore 16 extraordinary private and community gardens in charming Decatur, GA, featuring fall color, native specimens, serene water features, edible gardens and stylish outdoor living areas. Don’t miss the stunning “garden rooms” of renowned author/designer...