Maintenance Matters

If you attended the "Maintenance Matters!" class at Evening at Emory, I promised you could download the whole thing and study it at your leisure. Here it is! Click here to download "Maintenance

Wood Chips – Using

Wood chips are an inexpensive mulch and ground cover. Tree companies are often glad to dump their chip truck in a homeowner's yard – the company doesn't have to pay a disposal fee and the homeow

Plant Names – Deciphering

I've been thinking recently about the mystification that plant "common names" can present to gardeners. Common names are just the familiar names we attach to plants: maypop, skunk cabbage, obedi

Secrets for Beginner Gardeners

Warm weather the last couple of weekends really brought out the gardening masses! I visited three different garden centers one weekend and found all of them packed. I was in line behind a young couple one Saturda

Powdery Mildew – Control

Powdery mildew is a common disease of summer. It begins when we have cool nighttime temperatures coupled with warm, humid days. Symptoms continue even when days are warmer. Powdery mildew is a "parasitic

Compost – Why We Do it

"My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that lets you see your place in the big picture. And that is what

Garden Phrases – Misunderstood

I was reading late at night recently when I came upon a phrase that chilled my soul: "Dress with dried blood to accelerate." Did it concern the latest Hollywood terror flick? Was it directions for dri

Rain Barrels – Buying

How to Make a Rain Barrel LOCAL SOURCES OF RAIN BARRELS Noah's Rain Barrel Steve Golden 404-210-7061 Email: [email protected] Brookhaven Rain Barrels Pat Magee (404) 364-0440 Rain Barrels in Geor

Rain Barrels – Using

With summer temperatures in the nineties, creative gardeners think seriously about where to get more water. I've received several questions about rainwater collection this summer. Jeff B. wrote "I wan

Garden Magazines – Recommended

These magazines are tops for good articles and photographs. A year's subscription keeps a favorite gardener thinking about you regularly. Georgia Gardening (888)265-3600 Fine Gardening (800) 477-8727 Organi

Garden Books – Recommended

I owe many things to my Aunt Elizabeth…. but the thing for which I am most indebted is her annual gift of reading material. When I was a young teen, she gave me a subscription to Boy's Life magazine,

Drought – Planting During

Sometimes I hate following my own advice. I hate it especially when it concerns properly digging a bed for planting. Georgia summers can be dry and miserable. Unbroken bright sunshine, temperatures in the ninetie

Drought – Watering Flowers

Plants must have water to survive. Water in a plant is like blood in an animal. Water carries dissolved nutrients, sugars and hormones throughout the plant's system. Some plants can go for long periods rece

Lawn – Watering Correctly

Plants must have water to survive. Water in a plant is like blood in an animal. Water carries dissolved nutrients, sugars and hormones throughout the plant's system. Some plants can go for long periods rece

Soil Temperature – Monitoring

My son and I had just arrived the first day at our ski hotel and were preparing for dinner. "Daddy – I don't feel so good." he murmured. I put my lips to his forehead to check his temperat

Soil – Amending

Homeowners often want to amend their existing soil to make it better. Planting grass seed or laying sod on hard, unfertile soil is generally a waste of money. The soil must be made better. For lawns, it makes mos

Frost – Predicting Last

What do the records show about the last frost in the spring? Using 32 degrees as the reference point, the most likely date for a last frost is March 27. The earliest date for a last spring frost was February 16 a

Frost – Predicting First

Predicting the date of the first frost is tricky. And while it may not cause gnashing of landscapers' teeth like an unexpected late spring frost, the first fall frost is important to some. Weather scientist

Clay Pots – Cleaning

If you have several clay pots that contained annual flowers on your patio last summer, now is a good time to clean them before spring. The easiest method is to stack them in a big bucket and soak them. Mix 1 pin

Fertilizer – How to Buy

I recently saw a description of a fertilizer in a newspaper. It said that a 12 ounce bottle of the stuff provided the same level of nutrients as a 25 pound bag of 20-8-6! Intrigued by the narrative, I called the