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...
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...
Plants for Low Light
It’s nice to have plants in every room of your house….but not every room has the light levels necessary for houseplants to be happy. Here are some that survive in even the gloomiest rooms when you put them near a...
Stinkweed – Identification
Q: This plant came up in a crack in our brick patio. We just let it grow to see what it was. The leaves have a very pungent odor. We have no idea, so can you identify it for us?...
Pre-emergent (Halts, pendimethalin) – Staining Driveway
Sometimes it just takes a little hands-on research to solve a problem. A member of Hometalk.com asked this question: How can we remove the rust stain from a fertilizer from our concrete driveway and sidewalk? I replied: If the product...
Sweetgrass – Growing
Q: I’ve been trying unsuccessfully to grow sweetgrass, Hierochloe odorata. I have tried to follow the plant seller’s instructions but have not had any luck. A: There are two kinds of sweetgrass. One, Hierochloe odorata, is native to the Midwest,...
Midges – Clouds of Them
Q: When I run near the Chattahoochee I often pass through clouds of tiny insects. What are they? A: They’re probably midges. Ohio State University experts describe these swarms of CHIRONOMID MIDGE FLIES (Family Chironomidae) “The cloud-like clusters of these...
Backyard Pond – Algae (Stocking Rate)
Q: I have a 500 gallon fish pond with 25 goldfish. It has green algae in it. How can I control the algae? A: I think you have too many fish for the pond….and the presence of green algae confirms...
Sago Palm – Nutrient Deficiency
Q: My 6-year-old potted sago palm has been very hardy, but the new leaves and some of the old ones are turning yellow. Is the plant dying? I have never fertilized the plant and take it into the garage in...
Rose – Cane Borer
Q: I am having trouble with my Knockout Roses. I have had these plants for quite a few years. Last year I lost two plants and was not able to see any reason why. They just began to turn yellow...
Night Blooming Cereus – Propagate
Q: We wonder if you could help us with our cactus.We have had it for 20 years and it is getting too tall for our house. (seven feet) We take it out in the summer and take it in during...
Animal, Reptile, Bird and Insect – Books for Identification
I love getting emailed photos of plants and creatures that need identifying. Although I may not be able to ID them at first glance, I can usually find something interesting in one of my reference books. One of my favorite...
Emerald Zoysia – Shade Tolerance
Q: I had Emerald zoysia installed in the spring, with great attention to soil prep beforehand. I’ve noticed that it seems weaker in shady spots than my neighbor’s Emerald zoysia. Any guesses why? A: I think there are two possibilities....
Camellia (and other shrubs) – Propagating Step by Step
This is my step-by-step process of propagating camellia cuttings. The same method works for roses, gardenia, azalea and other woody broadleafed...
Flowers for Drying
Harvest when the flowers are not fully open and in good condition. Don’t wait too long, because flowers too far along will not dry satisfactorily. Select flowers or seed pods that are as close to perfect looking as possible because...
Aerator – Hand-powered
Q: I’ve seen hand aerators that you can step on to aerate your lawn. I’d like some exercise and avoid the expense of renting an aerator. How long would it take to cover a half acre? A: Let me break out...
Hummingbirds – Plants For
Trumpet Vine Catalpa Coralberry Weigela Nicotiana Petunia Salvia Hollyhock Columbine Delphinium Foxglove Gladiolus Daylily Hibiscus Liatris Tiger Lily Penstemon Phlox Sweet William Snap Dragon...
Japanese Knotweed (Mexican Bamboo) – Identification
Q: There was no sign of this plant in Jan or Feb. Now it has been identified as Japanese Knotweed. It is on virtually every invasive species list in North America. It will soon be history in my yard! A:...
Camellia – Oedema (Edema)
Q: My camellias were planted in June and get afternoon sun for 2-3 hours. I have watered them on a regular basis during the summer as with the other plants that were planted. I’ve not fertilized them. What is going...
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...
