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...
Crapemyrtle – Failure to Bloom
Few things are as frustrating as having a plant that is known for its beautiful flowers fail to bloom. Worse yet is when your neighbors’ plants are in full flower while identical ones in your landscape sullenly produce only foliage....
Plants – Watering in Summer
Q: I have heard two trains of thought regarding summer watering. 1. Watering in the morning causes problems because moisture on plant leaves could burn them when they are in full sunshine. 2. Watering plants in the evening creates fungus...
Butterfly Bush – spider mite control
Q: I have a mature butterfly bush. This year it is looking really bad. The leaves are curling up, like they are not getting enough water, but all my other butterfly bushes are doing fine. Any ideas? A: My first...
Weeping Willow – Planting in spring
Q: I planted a weeping willow back in the spring. At this point it has some yellow leaves, more than I think is normal. What causes this? A: Your willows are informing you that, like all trees, they would have...
Dogwood – Spot Anthracnose
Q: My dogwood tree has dozens of tiny purple spots on each leaf. The leaves are twisted and disfigured. Other dogwoods in the neighborhood look fine. How will this affect the tree? A: Ah, sweet mysteries of nature! Why a...
Mahonia – growing
Q: Recently I saw some holly plants with several long bunches of blue berries. A gardener told me they were mahonia holly. I am wondering if I can successfully transplant a few small ones into my red-clay landscape. Are these...
Oak – ‘Sudden Oak Death’
Q: I read in the newspaper a few weeks ago about a “Godzilla” fungus that is attacking oak trees. My husband and I were taking a walk recently and we noticed that our neighbor has some type of black lesion...
Peach – Plum Curculio
Q: The peaches on my peach tree are oozing a clear sap. This is becoming a yearly problem and I am picking lots of them off the tree. I do spray for disease and insects, but what I am using...
Mums – pruning for blooms
Q: Last fall I planted several mums that bloomed very well. Now in May they are loaded in buds. Do I shear the pods off or do I let them bloom now? If I let them bloom and then cut...
‘Foster’ Holly – Spittlebug control
Q: My ‘Foster’ holly is covered with black bugs. They are about a half-inch long, with orange stripes running across the body. I hope they don’t kill the holly! A: Your holly is hosting adult spittlebugs. ‘Foster’ and ‘Nellie Stevens’...
Peegee Hydrangea – Pruning
Q: I purchased a peegee shrub and need to know how and when to prune it. It had many blooms and now has a bad case of flopping downward. What to do? A: With a complicated name like Hydrangea paniculata...
Creeping Fig
Q: I’m trying to identify a plant and determine if it would grow in Atlanta. I visited Charleston recently. One feature I saw a lot of was a vine that covered steps and walls. It was trimmed fairly tightly to...
Trees – planting
Q: Is there new thinking about how to properly plant a balled and burlapped tree? I’ve noticed lately that landscapers plant with one-third of the root ball above ground level. A: There is no new thinking about planting, there’s only...
Vinca – Rhizoctonia fungus
Q: The vinca patch in my yard has a fungus that makes the stems turn black. The leaves are first yellow and then turn brown. It appears in patches with no specific pattern. Is there anything I can do to...
Stinkhorn mushroom – Identification and Control
Q: A mulched area under one of my trees has a large number of stinkhorns in it. It is beside my children’s bedroom windows and it certainly has the correct name of “stink”! Is there any way to kill them...
Cypress vine – invasiveness
Q: Can you tell me anything about cypress vine? I have some seed but want to know how invasive it is before planting. A: Cypress vine, Ipomoea quamoclit is one of the “nicer” invasive vines in that you can readily...
Night-blooming cereus – Information
Q: My neighbor has a plant she calls a night-blooming cereus. We stayed up until 1:00 a.m. one night watching the flower open, almost like waiting for a new baby to be born. It has the most heavenly scent. Can...
Bird of Paradise – Growing
Q: We purchased a bird of paradise plant early last year and planted it in a large container. The plant looks VERY healthy, however it didn’t bloom last year and doesn’t look like it will this year. What could be...
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...
