General Garden Info
Pollination – In Your Garden
One of the most delightfully informative garden books I’ve ever read is “Sex in Your Garden” by Angela Overy . Ms. Overy (yup, that’s her real name!) describes how plants use false advertisements, bribes, perfume and sometimes pseudo-copulation to accomplish...
Sinkholes in the Landscape
Sinkholes in the yard are an unfortunate but common problem that may arise five to ten years after a home is constructed. These holes, or underground cavities, form gradually but can appear in your lawn overnight. In Florida, where some...
Gardening – Yields Unexpected Results
My friend Vickey C. once gave me a few plants of Yellow Archangel (Lamiastrum galeobdolon) for my shady back yard. I planted it and didn’t notice it again until months later – when I found it had already engulfed six...
John Travolta – Gardener??
“Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah….Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive….” The disco beat propelled John Travolta (as Tony Manero) across the dance floor. Fingers popping, head snapping, his fluid moves propelled the disco craze of the Seventies. As you watched, Did you realize...
Plants Called Grasses That Are Not Grasses
When I mow my lawn, I say that I am cutting my grass. But many plants are called “grass” without really being a grass. The website www.wikipedia.com has some enlightening details. “In popular language grass means a short, green, ground...
Soil – Percolation Rate
Throughout my childhood, I was awakened each morning by the sound and smell of percolating coffee. After a hearty cup of Maxwell House, my father was off to feed the chickens, milk the cows or tend to the innumerable chores...
Planting zones- Explanation
I was following a slow-moving compact car on a suburban street last week when it suddenly pulled to the right and decelerated to a crawl. On-coming traffic kept me from passing. As I waited, the driver of the car grabbed...
Plants of the Bible and Middle East
Plant enthusiasts come in all stripes. There have been many attempts to create “Biblical gardens” using plants mentioned in the Bible. In Fair Haven, Vermont, the First Congregational Church created a wonderful list of plants and the verse in which...
Irrigation Systems – Maintenance
Summer’s hot, dry weather can force many Atlanta irrigation systems to work overtime. Lacking an underground system, some homeowners break out the hose and sprinkler. Watering seems to be a mindless task – but done wrong, it can do more...
Soil Testing – Using Gypsum
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the importance of soil testing and the role of pH in plant health. I gave instructions on how to collect a soil sample and have it tested. In the days following, several...
Drought – Watering Shrubs
Plants must have water to survive. Water in a plant is like blood in an animal. Water carries dissolved nutrients, sugars and hormones throughout the plant’s system. Some plants can go for long periods receiving only minimal water. Others require...
Cold weather – Protecting Plants
(written in 2000)The predictions of the weather forecasters have proven true this winter season. It has been COLD!! After December, Atlanta gardeners have begun to appreciate the travails their neighbors from the North talk about each winter. We now see...
Soil – Defining
I was explaining to someone recently that flowering cherry trees absolutely require well-drained soil to succeed. “Well, that’s not a problem,” they responded, “I’m planting on a slope, so water drains right past it.” “Sloping soil is usually poorly drained,”...
Poisonous Plants
Through a good part of my childhood, one voice of authority manifested with equal weight alongside the commandments of my parents: that of Mrs. Mabel Prayor. An older neighbor, she was hired to cook meals, settle arguments, iron clothes and...
Ordering Plants from a Catalog
Few couples can remember the subject of their first serious argument. I can. I even remember that it occurred on I-285 near Buford Highway on a Saturday afternoon. I casually mentioned to her that I had ordered several plants from...
Recommended Garden Books
Looking for a gift for that gardener who seems to have everything they need for their garden? Most diggers in the dirt enjoy reading about other gardeners and their trials and tribulations. In addition, serious gardeners sometimes need reference books...
Gypsum – as Soil Amendment
Gardeners are no different from other folks – they want to accomplish more work with less effort. One of the biggest jobs when gardening in north Georgia is turning hard red clay into soil that will produce healthy plants. Occasionally,...
Fertilizer – How to Buy
I recently saw a description of a fertilizer in a newspaper. It said that a 12 ounce bottle of the stuff provided the same level of nutrients as a 25 pound bag of 20-8-6! Intrigued by the narrative, I called...
