Pruning Hydrangeas
Many people get confused about when to prune hydrangeas. It is essential to know which species or cultivar you have to determine when to prune. Bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) set flower...
Author: Andrew "Drew" Jeffers
Dealing With Spring Drainage
Winter is the perfect time to install a drainage solution to remove standing water in the yard by adding surface drains, French drains, or both. Removing excess standing water helps with disease...
Is It Time To Prune My Trees And Shrubs?
Many early spring flowering trees and shrubs begin to break out of dormancy in late February. However, gardeners often miss the beautiful tree or shrub flower show because they pruned too early....
Early Spring Vegetables
February is the time for planting early vegetable crops. Garden peas (Pisum sativum L), and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) can be planted in the Piedmont region from mid to late February and will...
Irrigating During Winter Months: Trees & Shrubs
During February, tree and shrub irrigation requirements often get overlooked. Many gardeners tend to think these types of plants do not need water during winter or early spring, because of lack of...
What to do with all the leaves?
Each autumn, a precious and free resource for gardeners falls from the sky. Many folks choose to bag this excellent source of nutrients and have them hauled away. Leaves are an invaluable source of...
Proper Tree Planting
October begins the perfect time of the year for planting trees and shrubs because the temperatures begin to drop in the fall. Sometimes though, gardeners run into problems with properly planting...
Dividing Perennials
September is a perfect time to divide and propagate perennials. Many plants, such as daylilies, coneflowers, black-eyed susans, and hostas, can be divided once they have been in the ground for 3...
Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) for Aphids
Aphids can be a problem in the home landscape, vegetable garden, or fruit garden. They can vector many viral diseases and can cause significant damage to desired plants if the aphid population is...
Drying Up Root and Crown Rot Pathogens
There is an old saying, “too much or too little water can kill or harm plants”. This simple statement speaks volumes in understanding plant disease prevention. Most plants can be affected by some...
Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) for Evergreen Bagworms
Evergreen bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, is a detrimental insect pest to landscape plants that often escapes detection until there is significant plant damage. Bagworms feed on many plant...
Integrated Pest Management (I.P.M.) for Cabbage Looper
Cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) is a common vegetable garden pest that feeds on many different species of crops, such as: beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and other brassica crops. Other host...