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...
Shrub – Transplanting 1-2-3
Most shrubs and trees should be transplanted when the demand for water is least, in late fall or winter. Since many roots will inevitably be lost, they need many weeks to regenerate themselves before the hot, dry blasts of summer arrive. If you are contemplating moving a plant that would...
Shrub – Pruning Calendar
The Home & Garden section of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution published a very nice pruning calendar several years ago. When viewed on a sheet of newsprint, it was gorgeous. When reduced to fit onto a sheet of typing paper it was impossible to read. I imagine you didn’t keep...
South Africa Adventure – 2014
As many of you know, I led a group of gardeners and spouses to South Africa in 2010. The memories of that vibrant, beautiful, surprising country still linger in my brain! We had such a good time I’ve decided to lead another group trip there in January, 2014. Want to...
New Gardening Books
I regularly receive interesting-looking gardening books from publishers. I don’t have time to read them all or give an intelligent review but I know they would appeal to many gardeners. These are some of the books I’ve gotten recently. You can click the link under the book cover images to...
Mulching – Correct Procedure
Q: I’m confused about “proper mulching”. I see references everywhere that I’m supposed to mulch but no information on how to do it correctly. I’ve been told by a fellow gardener that I’m mulching too close to my plants. Could...
Root Ball – Remove Burlap
Q: A landscaper just installed for me a seven foot Kousa dogwood and did not remove the burlap from the root ball. All he did was to peel it back on top. Am I correct that it should be removed?...
Mirliton Squash
Q: I listened to your radio discussion of the mirliton squash a few weeks ago and wondered what was the resolution of how to plant it. Do you plant the whole thing? Will it grow here? A: The beauty of...
Colorado Blue Spruce – Planting
Q: I am drawn to the beauty of spruce trees and was contemplating buying one to plant in my yard. However, I lost interest because of their slow growth rate until I discovered the cultivar ‘Hoops’ blue spruce. It is...
Lantana – Winter Pruning
Q: I bought a lantana plant last spring and it has grown into an unruly bush! Should I trim it back to the ground for the winter? A: Lantana was virtually unknown in Georgia horticulture until fifteen years ago. Then...
Tree Leaves – Mulching
Q: I would be very appreciative if you could answer a simple question. Is it beneficial or detrimental to the lawn if one mulches the tree leaves and lets the shreddings lay on the grass? My wife admonishes me every...
Lawn Care – Surfactants
Q: What is your opinion about using surfactants (wetting agents) as part of a residential lawn care program? I recently used a surfactant lawn care product (bought on the Internet) on my yard. I hoped for better water penetration into...
Pesticide – Degradation in Water
Q: Several weeks ago you wrote about the half-life of insecticides after application. I assume that the same breakdown occurs in herbicides. Does the degeneration occur after mixing, or only after application? I have been mixing Roundup(tm) in five gallon...
Iris – Winter Care
Q: I planted bearded iris roots in early November and now they have shoots about six inches tall. Will these survive the winter? Should I trim or replant? A: This is a common question each winter. Fall-planted bulbs (daffodil, tulip,...
Muscadines – Pollination
Q: Four years ago I planted a ‘Cowart’ muscadine vine. To this day I have gotten no grapes. Leaves and new growth appear in spring. Little grapes show up, but they never get large and in mid-summer the grapes go...
Curcuma
Q: I love the flowers of a plant labeled “curcuma” I bought at a home improvement store. What should I do with it this fall and winter? A: You have a Siam tulip: Curcuma alismatifolia. It is not hardy outdoors...
Hanging Baskets – Evergreen
Q: I’m looking for a plant that will stay green all year long and flourish in a hanging pot on my porch. In years past we’ve just bought annuals. Is there a perennial that will work under these conditions? A:...
Sunflower – Harvesting Seed
Q: Please tell me how to harvest sun flowers. I would like to have seeds for next year and let the birds have the rest. A: The back of a completely ripe sunflower head is brown and dry, with no...
Holly Berries – Not Poisonous
Q: Are the berries of dwarf burford holly poisonous? A: Auroleus Phillipus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim (known as Paracelsus by his friends) was born in Switzerland in 1493. His work as a physician and pharmacist earned him the name “The...
Weed Control – For Cemeteries
Q: Is there a product that will control grass and weeds on a cemetery plot? A: There are several soil sterilants available. The biggest caution I can give you is that these chemicals will affect ALL plants in the plot...
Caladium – Flowers
Q: I have red and green leaved caladium plants and to my surprise they bloomed this year! The flower is like, but larger than, a peace lily flower. It had an upright thing in the middle. I did not know...
Tree – Hurt by Insecticide
Q: I need advice on nursing some sick trees back to health. I believe I severely hurt three very young trees when I treated them for Japanese beetles. I used a very strong concentration of Sevin on two cherry trees...
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. Websites Preen has terrific weed...
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...
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...
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...
