Browse Lawn and Garden Stories - Page 29

964 results found for Lawn and Garden
Earthworms in a healthy compost bin in middle Georgia. CAES News
Compost Critters
Gardeners are likely to see a whole community of living things in their compost piles — from millipedes and roaches to worms and small mammals. While most of this activity is natural and great for compost, some uninvited guests can indicate a problem with the compost pile.
Perfect composting conditions require the perfect combination of materials — not too much brown matter, not too much green matter, not too cold and not too dry. CAES News
Perfecting the Pile
With higher temperatures across Georgia, May is the ideal time to consider building a compost bin. The second week of May, May 7–13, is International Compost Awareness Week. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state can supply advice for homeowners who want to start to make the most of their food and yard waste and improve their soil.
Fuzzy deutzia flowers are star shaped, lightly fragrant and bring an assortment of pollinators. CAES News
Fuzzy Deutzia
My friend Gerald Klingaman, retired horticulturist with the University of Arkansas, uses the term "deutzia renaissance" for the new love surrounding this fuzzy heirloom that has been around for ages. If you haven’t discovered the old-fashioned fuzzy deutzia, then make it a high priority.
Lady's slipper orchids are found in five genera. Paphiopedilum lady's slipper orchids are among the easiest to grow for the novice gardener. CAES News
Lady's Slipper Orchids
The beauty of lady's slipper orchids, coupled with what seems to be an unending array of colors, shapes and textures, make them an addicting group of plants for a potential collector.
'South Pacific Sipper' is a tropical hibiscus that produces enormous blooms all summer. Hummingbirds, swallowtail butterflies and sulphurs love to visit the tropical blooms. CAES News
Huge Blooms
‘South Pacific Sipper’ might best be described as a fancy hibiscus, and indeed it is. It is also one born to grow and produces flowers so large they defy logic. They are somewhat ruffled and though called “double,” they open up in a most exotic fashion. Though it sounds crazy, it is one of those plants that will have you taking photos of it every day because you think today’s blooms are even prettier than the blooms from the day before.
Thinning pine stands benefits the timber stand and the owner. Reducing stand density reduces competition for nutrients, space and light and improves the vigor, growth rate and overall quality of the remaining trees. CAES News
Thinning Pines
Proper management of a pine stand requires thinning in order to prevent disease and insect infestation and to maximize profit. Thinning is the process of cutting or removing certain trees from a stand to regulate the number, quality and distribution of the remaining trees.
CAES News
Freeze-Damaged Landscapes
Georgians have gotten through another late winter freeze. Now it’s time to figure out which plants were damaged in the home landscape.
Emperor's candlestick partners well with the spicy jatropha or Jatropha integerrima. Another terrific combination could include Cuphea 'Vermillionaire.' Grow it close to the back of your border as it does grow large, up to 8 feet tall, with compound leaves that stretch out 3 feet in each direction. CAES News
Emperor's Candlestick
Emperor’s candlestick is considered a shrub in the tropics, yet growing wild, they appear dwarfed in comparison to how they look in landscapes. Although the plant is seen in gardens as a beautiful flower, it is a valuable medicinal plant in developing countries.
Large sweeps of 'Drift Coral' roses align the entryway at the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens in Savannah, Georgia. CAES News
Drift Roses
If you love Knock Out roses, you will relish growing Drift roses. They come from Conard-Pyle/Star Roses and Plants, the same folks who brought us the Knock Out roses. The Drift roses come in a variety of colors, ‘Red Drift,’ ‘Pink Drift’ (double pink), ‘Apricot Drift,’ ‘Coral Drift,’ ‘Peach Drift,’ ‘White Drift’ and ‘Popcorn Drift.'
Henbit - weed often found in turfgrass lawns CAES News
Winter Gardening
Remember, the best time to plant new trees and shrubs is in the fall or early winter. As far as pruning goes, the ideal time to prune fruit trees, landscape trees and shrubs is in late winter prior to bud break. It’s still too early to fertilize trees, shrubs and dormant lawns, like bermudagrass. Pre-emergent herbicides should be applied to lawns before annual weeds start to germinate.