Posts Tagged ‘ornamental’
Ornamental Kale/Ornamental Cabbage
Ornamental kale and cabbage are some of the most popular (behind the pansy) winter annual plants. They lend a completely different texture to a winter landscape bed. The scientific name is Brassica oleracea The following plant description was written by...
Pampas Grass
Pampas grass is striking in fall with its showy white seed heads. If not cut back each spring, though, it will look more like an overgrown haystack. Here are some tips: Q: When should I cut back my pampas grass...
Maiden Grass
Miscanthus sinensis Among the showiest and most beautiful of ornamental grasses, a clump of maiden grass grows to 7 feet by late summer. The top of a clump is wider than the bottom. The top may be 8 feet wide,...
Lespedeza – Growing
Q: I bought fifty lespedeza plants and some tree seedlings as part of a “Wildlife Package” from the Georgia Forestry Service (1-800-GATREES). When I looked up lespedeza on the Internet I found that it can overrun your property and choke...
Millet – Ornamental
Q: I’ve recently purchased two ‘Purple Majesty’ millet plants. I was wondering if this plant comes back true to seed and when to collect the seed. They both have several seed heads on them and the kernels are fat and...
Tickle Tongue Tree
Q: My uncle showed me a tree growing on his farm that he called a tickle tongue. He said when he was a kid they would chew the bark if they had a tooth ache. I just licked the inside...
Ornamental Sweet Potato – Edible or Not
Q: Are the tubers from the ornamental sweet potato vine edible? A: Sure – and you’ll get 200 percent of your daily roughage requirements in the bargain! Ornamental sweet potatoes are the same species as the edible kind but they...
Ornamental Pepper – Edible
Q: We have ornamental peppers in a planter. I know they aren’t hardy outdoors in winter but can we eat them before they freeze? A: If you have not sprayed them with pesticides they are eminently edible! Be sure to...
Ginger Root – Growing
Q: After reading a suggestion in your column last winter, I planted a piece of ginger root from the grocery store. It grew outside in a pot all summer. Recently I dug up a few roots and found that they...
Zoysiagrass – Control
Q: I have a problem with zoysiagrass creeping into my asphalt driveway and ruining it. How do I get rid of the zoysiagrass? A: One option is to spray the zoysiagrass along the driveway with glyphosate (Roundup, etc) each month....
Buffalograss
Q: Have you ever heard of buffalograss? Can you recommend a source? A: According to Theresa Schrum of Terra Native Plant Landscapes, there are many grasses native to North America. However, almost all of these are clump-forming grasses similar to...
Nutsedge – Control in Landscape
Q: I think you dodged the really hard questions in your series on fighting lawn weeds. Anybody can put on the pre-emergents to get those pesky, but controllable weeds. I have a more difficult problem: nutgrass. Tell the truth……is there...
Flowers – For Drying
Q: How do I go about drying summer flowers like hydrangea, zinnia and yarrow? A: I found excellent information from both Auburn University and the University of Florida. The publications cover drying and preserving flowers and plants, along with lists...
Cotton – Planting
Q: Would you please give me some information on how to plant cotton seeds? I went to the library so see if they had a book on this subject but they did not. A: Before you plant the cotton seed...
Kochia
Q: My family used to grow kochia in Tennessee to landscape fences and make rows, all sorts of stuff. I want to use it here in Georgia as well. I have not seen it in local nurseries. Do you have...
Trees – Fertilizing
Q: A couple of months ago I e-mailed and asked how I should fertilize my two-year old trees. You replied that I should wait until March to do this. Now that it is March can you tell me what to...
Trifoliate Orange
Q: Walking in the woods a few days ago I found a small rangy tree with which I’m not familiar. It has a small yellow fruit about the size of a golf ball. When cut open it looks like citrus...
Aucuba – Wilting
Q: We live on a shady lot and have a lot of aucuba plants around our small lawn. Some of the aucuba have leaves that are turning black and wilting. Does this mean they are dying? A: If it makes...
Pepper – Purple
Q: I recently purchased an attractive plant from a hardware store. The clerk knew nothing more than that it was a pepper. It has dark green leaves, purple flowers and purple fruit. I’ve tried to research it on the Internet...
