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 links below to check out what others...
Travel With Walter!
I have two garden trips coming up: Cuba in Oct. 2012 and Southern Italy in May, 2013. Both promise to be visually stunning, but most of all, fun! If you want to travel with a group of interesting people who love seeing new things and visiting the world, click these...
Lawn Fertilizing – Summary
The amount of fertilizer to apply to your lawn should be determined by a soil test (www.georgiasoiltest.com or by calling 1-800-ASKUGA-1. If you have not had your soil tested, or don’t have time to do the test, following are some rule-of-thumb recommendations for using lawn fertilizers found at garden centers....
Lawn Care Calendars and Factsheets
Knowing that a piece of paper in your hand is much more helpful than a computer screen in the house, I have compiled basic cultivation information and care calendars for each of the common lawn grasses. You can get and print the calendar for each lawn grass by clicking the...
Join Walter on Facebook
See that little blue Facebook icon over to the right? If you click on it you will be taken to the Facebook homepage. I’ve found Facebook to be a great way to send you quick garden tips during the week. I try to send one every day or so. If...
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...
Chichle – 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:...
Scuppernog – Propogation
Q: My grandfather passed away and he had a scuppernong, which he called a Scup Nuts Vine. Can you give me instructions on how to propagate it so I can save this sentimental plant? A: Muscadine and scuppernong vines are...
Fescue – Fertilizer
Q: What is a good fertilizer for applying when reseeding fescue? A: In the absence of a soil test (800-ASKUGA1) you can spread 15 pounds of 10-10-10 per 1000 square feet of lawn. This will satisfy the higher than normal...
Coffeeweed Spouts – Plowing
Q: I have planted wildlife food plots and dove fields for many years and there is one weed we can’t seem to get rid of. Coffeeweed sprouts after virgin ground has been broken for the first time in decades. Where...
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 The University of Georgia...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Ultrasonic – Pest Repelling Devices
It seems ingrained in the genes of mankind to invent ways accomplish a useful task while expending very little physical effort. The TV remote control is the epitome of this enterprise in my home but microwave ovens, automatic ice makers...
