Goodbye Moles & Voles!
What can we do about moles and voles in the home lawn and landscape? First, we need to know how to tell the difference between the two, in other words “know thy enemy!” For more information on how...
Category: In the Garden
Byzantine Gladiolus-A Treasured Heirloom Bulb
Byzantine gladiolus or sword liliy (Gladiolus communis subspecies byzantinus) is an old fashioned favorite that has been growing in Southern gardens for hundreds of years. A true perennial, this...
Weed of the Month – Yellow Nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)
The bright green leaves of yellow nutsedge have started to actively grow in landscapes this month. Sedges are classified separately from broadleaf and grassy weeds. Sedges have triangular shaped...
Praying Mantids
Do you have a favorite insect? One of mine is a praying mantid. All mantids are excellent hunters and get their name from their prayer-like hunting pose. They sit and wait for their meal to get...
Deutzia
Slender deutzia (Deuzia gracilis) is a fantastic, but underused deciduous shrub for the sunny to partly sunny landscape. There are several cultivars of Deutzia available, and most produce a...
Square Foot Gardening
When planting a traditional garden with conventional rows, approximately 100 square feet per crop per individual are necessary to provide fresh food for a season. An additional 100 square feet per...
Interesting Summer Annuals
Tired of planting the same old marigolds, petunias, and begonias? Try some different annuals in your garden this year. Many provide pollen and nectar for pollinating insects and attract...
Banana Shrub
Banana shrubs (Magnolia figo; formerly Michelia figo) are drought tolerant, evergreen shrubs with beautiful, creamy yellow flowers, which are edged in purple and look like miniature Southern...
Weed of the Month – Red Sorrel
Red sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a perennial weed that is easily identified by its red flowers and spade-shaped leaves. It is a member of the buckwheat family and native to Europe. The plant...
Earth Stars
Earth stars (Cryptanthus species) are different from most bromeliads. They are terrestrial which means they are grown in rich, organic soil. Cryptanthus means “hidden flower” in Greek because the...
Forget-Me-Nots
A few years ago a friend, who was a native Alaskan, gave us a seed packet of alpine forget-me-nots (Myosotis alpestris) that she purchased on a visit back to her home state. We really didn’t think...
Plantings for Pond Shorelines
Are eroding shorelines interrupting your picturesque pond view? Shoreline erosion can be a significant pond maintenance issue because it contributes to infill of ponds, water quality issues, and can...