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...
Deodar Cedar – Dying
Q: I have two Deodar Cedars which are located 30 feet apart behind a large pond. One of the trees is thriving but the other has turned yellow and its needles are dropping. A man I hired said that the...
Mahonia- Propagation from Seed
Q: How would you go about growing mahonias from seeds of volunteer plants? A: I’d just push the seeds an inch into the soil after they fall from the plant in early summer (you may have to bag them to...
St. Augustine Grass – New Recommendations?
Q: I remember you used to recommend St. Augustine grass not be grown north of Macon. Now it seems you recommend it for people much further north. Is a new variety out? Why have you changed you recommendations? A: I...
Lake Management – Iron Stains
Q: Two years ago there was construction going on nearby, and red clay was dumped into the lake I live on. Now, my neighbors, who use the lake water for irrigation have stains on their patios and houses and dead...
Bloodgood Red Maple – Leaf Scorch
Q: I have a Bloodgood Red Maple, which has been mostly healthy and which I have cared for well. However, in late summer its leaves become crisp and brown. In spring, new leaves grow and the tree seems healthy again....
Chickens – How to Catch
Q: There is a roving flock of chickens that likes to search for food in my yard, ruining my grass from scratching and disturbing the mulch in the plant beds. Is there anything I can do to stop them from...
Chicken Litter – Use as Pasture Fertilizer
Q: I have about 30 acres in fescue pasture. On the first of December, I will have a good bit of chicken litter available. Would it help or hurt to put it down at this time of year? A: You...
Silver Maple – Identifying
Q: I have a maple in my front yard, but am not sure what kind. I remember that you mentioned how weak the Silver Maple is, and I want to be prepared if that’s what I have. How do I...
Fertilizer – Improve Fall Leaf Color
Q: I recently bought a house with many trees in the back yard. Instead of the beautiful leaf colors I was expecting in the fall, the leaves turned dull yellow or brown, then fell off. What kind of fertilizer do...
How to Start a Landscape Career
Q: I work full time but I have aspirations of becoming the best lawn service/landscape company in my area. Can you recommend a starting point, from an educational standpoint, and where I can obtain the certifications needed to reach this...
Sagittaria (Dutch Potato) – Finding Information
Q: I have Sagittaria growing like wildfire in my backyard. I need to find general information about it, to stop it, but I’ve only found information from the internet. Are there any resources or websites you would recommend? A: I...
Crowder and Purple Hull Peas – Difference
Q: Are Crowder peas and purple hull peas one and the same? A: In my opinion, no. Crowder peas are usually “crowded” in the hull, but purple hull peas are just that: “purple...
Mountain Ash – Rowan Tree
Q: I have been researching planting a rowan tree in honor of my son. I know this tree is typically associated with much colder winters than we have but I wondered if it could be pampered to grow here? A:...
Green Ash – Planting
Q: I am looking for a shade tree that will grow quickly but not have evasive roots. Recently, I found a book that says green ash grows quickly, can tolerate dry, compact soil and has a strong structure; it sounds...
Currants – Growing
Q: As a child, we had a currant bush on out farm. I have never seen one before or since. Is this a viable plant for this area? If so, where would you get one? A: Are you sure you...
Smokebush – Pruning into Shrub
Q: I planted a Smokebush seedling last spring. It was about 18″ tall. It now has a shoot approximately 10 feet tall. That’s the only part that seems to be growing-straight up. Do I need to prune it? If so,...
White Eggplant – Turning Yellow
Q: This summer we planted two new white eggplant varieties. Towards late summer one of them started to bear yellow eggplants. The color is so beautiful and bright. Do you know what may have caused it to become so bright?...
Glory Vine – Defoliation
Q: Last summer, I noticed that one of the 4 vines on an arbor (one planted on each corner) in my garden is dead. Then a second vine, from a completely different garden and location, died. Because one of the...
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...
