Posts Tagged ‘Winter’
Potting Soil – Reusing
Q: I have a big pot from which I’ve pulled all of the petunias and other summer annuals. I want to plant it with pansies but I don’t know what to do with the old soil. Do I have to...
Selaginella – Identification
Q: I have this low growing plant in the shade beside a hosta. It appeared on its own. I love it, but don’t know what it is. The leaves are finely divided–almost like the branch of a conifer. Can you...
Birch Tree – Planting
Q: I am new to the Atlanta area and will be starting a garden from scratch. The lot where we are building has no trees and I need some assistance as to the best species and varieties to plant. Is...
Purple Beautyberry – Identification
Q: Can you please tell me the name of this plant? It’s growing off Lindberg Drive, near Peachtree Creek. It has these beautiful purple berries even now. I think it’s a good one for color in the fall. A: You...
Pond – Leave Pump on in Winter
Q: I have two small fish ponds that are connected. One is three feet deep and the other is about a foot deep. I have a pump that circulates the water between them. In cold weather, should I run the...
Lantana – When to Prune in Winter
Q: I planted some lantana last spring. It was advertised as a perennial but it looks pretty dead now. Should I cut it back or would that be a waste of time? A: Winter lantana care simultaneously exemplifies the mystical...
Soil – Proper Preparation
Q: I recently purchased a house and all of the soil around it seems to be hard, red clay. I want to have flowers this spring but I know I’ll have to make the soil better somehow. What do you...
Daphne – Identification
Q: I am trying to identify a new plant. I am fairly sure that it is a rhododendron, but why is it blooming now? Is it a special variety that blooms in winter? I am looking for plants that add...
Hawthorn – ‘Winter King’
Q: I saw these trees at a bank on Jimmy Carter Blvd. and thought they looked fantastic. Could you identify them for me please? A: They look like ‘Winter King’ hawthorn to me. The red berries on this small-sized tree...
Clover – Using as Groundcover
Q: I am curious about using plants other than grasses for an open area in my backyard. I have heard you describe on your radio show the idea of using dwarf mondo grass but the relatively high cost makes me...
Oleander – Frozen
Q: Last summer we planted these two oleander plants and looked forward to them coming back bigger and better this season. You can see what happened this winter in Cumming. What to do now? How do we care for these...
Hollyhock – Identify Seedlings
Q: These two identical plants sprouted in my flower bed after a flood. Even though they look familiar I cannot seem to identify them. Can you? A: They look like hollyhock to me. Hollyhock plants drop numerous seed after they...
Chickweed – In New Lawn
Q: This past fall, I did all of my due diligence in prepping my yard for the fall fescue growing season. I aerated, seeded, and fertilized. In fact, when I rented the aerator, it had just rained, so I was...
Hairy Vine on Tree
Q: I have always assumed that only poison ivy has a hairy vine clinging to a tree trunk. A friend tells me this is not true. What’s the story? A: Your friend is definitely correct – both poison ivy and...
Goosegrass – Identification
Q: Is this poa annua, nutsedge, or something else, and how do I get rid of it? I have kept it out of my beds by pulling it out but it is taking over all the other areas of the...
St Augustine – Cold Tolerance
Q: The other morning you were talking on the radio about your lawn and it sounded like you have St. Augustine grass. We would love to plant St. Augustine but I hear it’s a gamble in Atlanta due to the...
Carpetgrass – In Centipede Lawn
Q: Last summer I planted a grass mixture in our newly graded lawn. It had carpetgrass to fill in quickly and centipedegrass to establish more slowly. Now I have mostly carpetgrass, quite a few blobs of centipedegrass, and a moderate...
Walking Iris – ID
Q: I’ve had this houseplant for a few years now and it flowers like crazy every winter into spring. Can you help me ID it? A: Walking iris, Neomarica gracilis is a tropical iris. It can’t stand cold soil. If...
