Italy Trip Report – 2013
In May of 2013 I led a group of adventurous and inquisitive gardeners (and their spouses) to the southern coast of Italy and the island of Sicily. We had a wonderful time: lots of great food, beautiful gardens, historic sites and good companionship! Following is my report on the trip,...
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 – 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...
Muscadine and Scuppernong – Pruning
A properly trained vine has a trunk, two arms and fruiting spurs. The first two years of training are devoted to developing the permanent trunk and fruiting arms. In the spring following planting, each plant will produce three or four...
Mistletoe – In Cotoneaster
Q: In my backyard, I was picking up branches, including some pieces of mistletoe under a large oak tree. When I attempted to pick a sprig out of the nearby cotoneaster, I discovered to my surprise that the mistletoe was...
Red Maple – Seedless
Q: This tree at my apartment complex has beautiful pink blooms and yellow autumn leaves. Though I live in Tennessee, I am hoping you might know the tree’s identity. A man with the Tennessee State Forestry Dept. tried to convince...
Mistletoe – Bad for Trees
Q: Would you agree with my hypothesis that the increase in mistletoe in trees is because we haven’t had many ice storms? A: I don’t know if ice storms have had an effect but I sure seem to see lots...
Camperdown Elm – Planting in the South
Q: On a walk through Prospect Park in Brooklyn with my 8-year-old grandson, we found the Camperdown Elm. He is excited about the possibility of my planting one. Suggestions? A: The Camperdown elm, Ulmus glabra ‘Camperdownii’, was discovered by a...
Crabapples – Eating
Q: We’re having a debate about eating crabapples from trees growing along a busy four-lane road. Would these be safe? A: I’m not a doctor but I’d be more concerned with road dust and chemicals that land on leafy wild...
Bermuda – Mixing With Fescue
Q: My lawn care company recommended it would be better if I planted bermuda seed rather than keep the fescue that is in my full sun back yard. Do you think this is a good idea? A: It’s possible to...
Fescue – Pre-Emergent and Reseeding
Q: I was getting ready to reseed my fescue lawn and my lawn care company put out Princep pre-emergent while I was not home. How long do I have to wait before I can reseed? A: Simazine (Princep, etc) is...
Bee Keeping – Jasmine
Q: I’m a first-time bee keeper and at a Georgia Beekeeping Association event one of the speakers said that jasmine was toxic to bees. This is disappointing because I want to grow Tangerine Dream jasmine vine. What do you think?...
Spanish Moss – Growing
Q: Is there a way to grow Spanish moss here? I have seen yards in the area with moss but it seems its growing on a certain kind of tree. A: Spanish moss is not a true moss. It is...
Wood Chips – Free
Q: You mentioned on your radio program that it was easy to obtain free wood chips. Whom would I contact? A: Most arborist companies (www.georgiaarborist.org) will deliver them free. If you ask nicely, they will be on the lookout for...
Crape Myrtle – Watering Leaves
Q: My neighbor keeps telling me I’m crazy. When I water I take extra care to spray the leaves of my crape myrtles and Leylands. I know plants absorb water through their leaves but is it beneficial or am I...
Pomegranate Bushes – Seeds
Q: My pomegranate bushes are bending over with fruit this year and my friend is wondering if he can grow any from seed. A: It’s relatively easy to grow pomegranate from seed.. Harvest the juice-filled seed sacs from a fully...
Ferns – Full Sun
Q: I am looking for ferns that are full sun tolerant and deer resistant. A: Deer don’t much care for ferns in general. I find Southern shield fern, Thelypteris kunthii, easy to grow in full sun if I water when...
Buford Hollies – Leafs
Q: After a severe pruning on our Burford hollies, the oval-shaped leaves with one spine have reverted back to a leaf with spines all around, making them intolerable to work near. Can I force them back to the original leaf?...
Orchids – Outdoor Options
Q: I have about 30 tropical orchids. Are there outdoor garden orchid plants that will grow in Atlanta? A: Although you won’t find any that grow in trees like tropical orchids do, there are ground-dwelling orchids that grow very well...
Chicle – Growing Possiblity
Q: Is it possible to grow chicle here in Georgia? We need an evergreen tree on our property and it would be awesome to have a nice evergreen that also can be consumed. A: You won’t be able to grow...
Swamp Hibiscus
Q: Have you ever heard of a plant called a “dinner plate hibiscus’? A: Dinner plate hibiscus refers to swamp hibiscus, Hibiscus moscheutos. Some gardeners call it swamp mallow or rose mallow. It gets its name from the flower size:...
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...
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...
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...
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...
