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...
Houttuynia – Chameleon Plant
Q: I bought a plant labeled ‘Chameleon’ houttuynia, labeled as a colorful perennial. I have another plant simply identified as ‘Chameleon’ which is pretty in the spring and summer but becomes raggedy in the winter. The plant I have had...
Crape Myrtle – Transplanting
Q: My wife has several small crape myrtles growing from seed in her garden. They came from a large white crape myrtle nearby. If I transplant them will they grow into a normal bush/tree or should we just cut them...
Zoysiagrass – Removing bermudagrass
Q: Removing one turfgrass from another is a tough assignment. Digging is one option but it is hard work. If you use a chemical, how will a herbicide tell one from the other? Here is one way: Q: I seeded...
Pressure Washing – Harm to Plants
Q: I’m getting ready to pressure wash the outside of my home. I’m concerned that the plants near my house will be harmed by the chemicals I use to do the initial cleaning. I’m afraid that the bleach mixture will...
Redbud – Seed Pods
Q: I have a three year-old ‘Oklahoma’ redbud. This summer there appears to be something growing off a limb that looks like a small green bean. It is an inch in length and is black. What is it? A: It’s...
Zoysiagrass – Control
Q: I have a problem with zoysiagrass creeping into my asphalt driveway and ruining it. How do I get rid of the zoysiagrass? A: One option is to spray the zoysiagrass along the driveway with glyphosate (Roundup, etc) each month....
Maple – Making Syrup from Sap
Q: I have about ten large red maple trees. I have read that red maples can be “sugared” to make syrup. Is this true? Are ten trees enough to experiment with? A: In Vermont’s maple country, making syrup is time-consuming...
Aphids – On Trees in Fall
Q: We have a tree in our front yard and it is covered with little gnats. There is a pile an inch or more deep at the base of the tree and they cover most of the limbs and trunk....
Spider Lily – Where to Get
Q: I have been looking to buy spider lily bulbs for about a year now. Can you tell me where I might find them and at what time of year do you plant them? A: Red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata)...
Geranium – Hardy Type
Q: On your radio show you mentioned hardy geraniums to use as a ground cover. I didn’t catch all of the conversation. Could you fill me in? A: In my opinion, hardy geraniums are vastly underused in Georgia gardens. Unlike...
Crape Myrtle – Don’t Prune in Fall
Q: I have seven crape myrtles. I want to cut them back in October so I won’t have to clean up their shedding leaves. Plus, I think their leafless stems are ugly in the winter. How low can they be...
Osage Orange – Identification
Q: We picked this strange fruit from the Confederate cemetery in Jonesboro and wondered if you could identify it for us and also tell us if it is edible. A: When I worked for the Extension service in Clayton county,...
Spotted Spurge – Control
Q: I haven’t had any success in ridding my yard of this weed. I routinely spread a broadleaf pre-emergent in mid-September and a crabgrass pre-emergent in March, however, that hasn’t been very effective in curtailing the weed’s yearly appearance. Please...
Dahlia – Dividing Roots
Q: I have two dahlias that have grown well but I need to move them. They are pretty big. I don’t know how to cut them for division. Do I plant the divisions immediately? A: Keep in mind that most...
Planting for Long Lasting Blooms
Q: We have several large annual beds that we are tired of replanting twice yearly. Any ideas for perennials that we can substitute for year-round interest? One bed surrounds the mailbox; another is in front of privet hedges bordering our...
Boston Fern – Winter Care
Q: I have seven ferns hanging from my porch. Please tell me how I can save them for next year. A: Assuming you have Boston ferns on your porch, as many people do, you’ll have to bring them indoors for...
Insecticide – Half-life
Q: We have three half-barrels we have used for years to plant annuals. We want to plant turnip greens in them this fall. We have used Orthene in them to control fire ants. Is the soil contaminated? May we plant...
Chipmunk – Albino
Q: I found this critter in my backyard today. Don’t know what it is, but was able to get him in a cage trap using peanut butter. A: My wildlife friend Hal Coleman at North Fulton Exterminating says it’s a...
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...
