Outdoor Flowers And Foliage | Walter Reeves: The Georgia Gardener

DIGGING AND STORING TENDER BULBS

The caladium is a plant that has not yet achieved its full landscape potential. For the past three years, I have noticed more and more summer flower beds that use caladium leaves, rather than bright flowers, to provide color. The...

Flowers – Cold-Hardiness

Frost resistance of annual flowers. * Very hardy flowers can withstand freezing temperatures and hard frosts for short periods without injury. They may be planted as soon as the ground can be prepared, usually 4 to 6 weeks before the...

Planting Pansies

Few plants create color in a winter landscape better than pansies. Given a mid-October planting, pansies laugh at temperatures in the ‘teens. They are even known to bloom after a winter snowstorm. Growers produce 50 million pansies each year for...

Patriotic Plants

In very early July I posted a comment on Hometalk that in honor of the holidays gardeners could consider planting ‘Fireworks’ goldenrod, ‘Sparkler’ cleome, ‘Bottle Rocket’ ligularia and ‘Roman Candle’ tomato. Other experts quickly chimed in, adding ‘Fireworks’ pennisetum, ‘Route...

Arum – Propagation

I just can’t figure out why a certain plant I have in my garden is not used more frequently. It is commonly called by its scientific name Arum italicum ‘Pictum’, but the Home and Garden Encyclopedia says another common name...

Planting Caladiums

Caladiums are old-fashioned bulbs that have become more popular in recent years. Plant breeders have developed varieties that can withstand much more sunshine than previous strains. Leaf colors from deep red to pink to mostly white allow for landscape color...

Daylily – Dividing

Few garden tasks are as enjoyable as dividing overgrown flowering plants. Where once there was a single clump, you might have the potential for a half-dozen. Daylilies are among the easiest to divide. Simply slide the point of you shovel...

Ornamental Kale/Ornamental Cabbage

Ornamental kale and cabbage are some of the most popular (behind the pansy) winter annual plants. They lend a completely different texture to a winter landscape bed. The scientific name is Brassica oleracea The following plant description was written by...

Jewels of Opar – Identification

Q: Can you identify this plant? A: Garden coach Daryl Pulis says Jewels of Opar: Talinum paniculatum. Generally considered a nasty weed unfortunately sold as an ornamental. Jewels of...

Wildflowers

Many readers have noticed the beautiful wildflowers in the median strips of Ga. 400 and Ga. 316. They are so striking now that dreams of repeating the process enter the thoughts of the gardener/motor traveler. Will Corley, Extension Specialist at...

Using Chrysanthemums

Gardeners have two sources of chrysanthemum flowers: from plants that have grown large in their landscape during the summer and from potted specimens that can be planted now. An eight inch potted mum will have hundreds of buds on it,...

Tulip

A mass of red tulips behind a bed of blooming pansies can be a real traffic-stopper in March. Apartment and office complexes use hybrid tulips to showcase their landscapes as spring begins. The tall tulips have been hybridized for centuries...

Tropical Hibiscus – Bringing Indoors

Though several members of the hibiscus family are perfectly content outdoors in an Atlanta winter, the tropical hibiscus is not. If yours has grown vigorously outdoors, you’ll have to prune it back somewhat to a smaller, more manageable size….then bring...

The Earth-Kind® Rose Program

Roses are one of the most desired of garden flowers. Yet today’s hurried lifestyles often prevent gardeners from tending their roses as they should. The Earth-Kind® Rose Program has been very successful in identifying and promoting low-care roses. The program...