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...
Pruning Fruits and Fruit Trees
I really like the concept of synthesis – - bringing several things together to make a product that’s more useful than its parts. Stephen Pettis, Extension Service agent in Gwinnett County, has done a good job. He synthesized the fruit...
Fruits – Freeze Protection
When cold temepratures are predicted after a week of warm winter weather, peach and blueberry owners begin to worry about how to protect their fruit flowers and buds. Principles of Freeze Protection for Fruit Crops gives lots of advice…but it...
Figs – Identifying
Identifying flowers is easy compared to identifying figs. There are hundreds of varieties grown around the world. Some are only capable of being grown in a certain part of the world. Ray Givan is a Georgia fig expert who has...
Cherry
Prunus avium (Sweet Cherry); Prunus cerasus (Pie Cherry) Sweet Cherry is very difficult to grow in the Southeast. High summer humidity and temperature fluctuations in winter prevent fruiting in most years. • Much more information can be found in The...
Quince
Cydonia oblongaSeveral types of Quinces are grown in the South. Before there were super-sour candies, schoolchildren dared each other to eat a slice of quince fruit. The Common Quince discussed here (Cydonia oblonga) forms a small tree. • More detailed...
Persimmon
Diospyros spp.Persimmons can be grown throughout the Southeast. Opossums and humans enjoy the fruit each October. Fruit of the native Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) is about the size of a plum. Oriental Persimmons (Diospyros kaki) are larger and have less astringency...
Pomegranate
Punica granatum Pomegranates grow as dense, bushy shrubs 6 to 12 feet tall with thorny, slender branches. Where winters are mild they may be trained into small, multi-trunked trees. • More detailed information can be found in The Georgia Fruit...
Muscadine Grape
Vitis rotundifolia Muscadines are truly a fruit that puts the South in your mouth. They were discovered here by the early settlers and have been a favorite fruit of Southerners since. • More detailed information can be found in The...
Fruit – Pollination Requirements
In order for a plant to produce fruit, the flowers must be pollinated. In general, insects and wind will take care of the mechanics of this for you. However, you must have flowers that provide the pollen in order for...
Muskmelon
Cucumis melo var. reticulates Muskmelons are vine crops, closely related to cucumbers, squashes, and pumpkins. These hot-weather plants with sweet, juicy fruit are commonly called cantaloupes, especially the small, smooth, and round ones shipped from the South and available in...
Pear
Pyrus cv. Pears would be as plentiful as Apples were it not for the bacterial disease called fire blight. Most European and Oriental Pears are extremely susceptible to the disease and commercial production is limited to areas remote from any...
Fruit – Homeowner Spray Guide
Georgia is a great state for fruit production. Unfortunately, it is also a great state for the insects and diseases which limit fruit production. Growing fruit organically is possible…but it demands a huge amount of time and effort. Most novices...
Miracle Berry
Berries that make a lemon taste sweet?? When retired Fernbank Science Center naturalist David Funderburk sent me a note about his trip to Fort Lauderdale, I had to save it for reference: ————— Walter - Occasionally I encounter a “new”...
Citrus – Cold-hardy
I am frequently asked if there is any citrus plant that can be grown outdoors year-round in Atlanta. Unfortunately, there is none. Freezing temperatures doom them in winter. Further south, gardeners tell tales of certain citrus that “has grown in...
Hibiscus – Identification
I’ve received several questions over the last few weeks regarding hibiscus. Tropical hibiscus owners are bringing their plants indoors for the winter and have many concerns about keeping them healthy. Confederate rose growers want to know how to root cuttings...
Fire Blight
Apples, crabapples and pears are susceptible in spring to a bacterial disease known as fire blight (fireblight). The most noticeable symptom is the sudden death of the new leaves at the end of a branch. The dead sprouts may be...
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. botrytis Broccoli is a member of the mustard family, and grows along the seacoasts of Europe from Denmark to France, and in other locations from Greece to Great Britain. • More detailed information can be found in...
Onions and Leeks – Home Garden
Growing Onions and Leeks in the Home Garden by Orin Martin taken from the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems newsletter zzyx.ucsc.edu/casfs/community/20.2.pdf Over time the genus Allium, which includes onions, leeks, and garlic, has been variously listed under 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...
