Shrub – Transplanting

Back during the summer, my wife and I threw a big party to celebrate the end of remodeling our kitchen and sunroom. In honor of the occasion, I invited two people who knew my house “way back when”. Dottie Myers,

Shrub Propagation – Soil Layering

Summer is a great time to propagate favorite shrubs by rooting stems underground. This is one of the simplest ways to multiply a shrub and it is fast and efficient. Start by looking for long shoots which can be b

Shrubs – No Flowers

I visited the proud parents of a new baby last week and was allowed to hold the young beauty in my arms. Just fed, she gradually slipped into sleep as the adults talked and marveled at her perfect fingers. I plac

Shrubs – Protection in Winter

My thoughts on the various alternatives when attempting to protect shrubs from winter cold: BLACK PLASTIC Though it seems counterintuitive, black plastic is a better covering for plants than clear plastic. The ob

Viburnum – Distinguishing Snowball-type

As if gardeners didn't have enough confusion sorting out plants which are not roses, but have rose in their name (rose of Sharon, rose moss, Confederate rose, etc), we also must distinguish between “snowbal

Viburnum – Pollination

Although hollies are better-known for their berries, viburnum shrubs can also have striking fruit each fall. Two of the best fruiting viburnums are tea viburnum, Viburnum setigerum and Linden viburnum, Viburnum d

Banana – Overwintering

Given a mild winter and a sheltered location banana trees occasionally survive Atlanta winters untended. More often, the stem and roots turn to mush by spring. Gardeners who like the tropical look bananas afford

Buying Plants – Research Before Purchasing

My old friend Von Woods sent me a question a few weeks ago that made me do a little research. “Do you have a list of dogwoods that are disease resistant?” he wrote, “I’ve heard that a new fungus is killing a lot

Cold Damage

This article on cold damage was originally written in March, 2002 but the details it provides are accurate for any winter. Last night, the WEATHER.COM Web site was predicting 19 degrees at 6:00 a.m. Saturday morn

Disease Control – Fungicides

A friend of mine recently told me about his drugstore bill. “It takes more than $100.00 per month to control my high blood pressure and cholesterol!” he complained. “I guess those hamburgers we enjoyed in college

Galls

S.N. recently described for me a strange sight: “For the past two springs, we have found small red or reddish-brown mounds attached to our Chinese witchhazel shrub leaves. Could this be associated with lady bugs

Garden Catalogs – Rating

Catalogs offering garden plants for sale have been around for hundreds of years. My guess is that ever since the first one came off the press, gardeners have wondered which ones could be trusted and which ones we

Gardening – Using a PDA

NOTE: this was written for the AJC in 2003, way before smartphones and their apps. It's interesting to see how far we've come in just a few years! My wife’s garden club came to visit our house last we

Invasive Plants

When I was a kid, I loved melting plastic toy soldiers. I’d climb into the loft of our garage and position myself by an open window. Setting a match flame to the head of a defenseless infantryman, I would thrill

Invasive Plants – Cautions About Mimosa

Several plants that were once considered ornamental have escaped and caused great problems in Georgia landscapes. Kudzu, Japanese honeysuckle, bamboo, privet and English ivy are all so aggressive that they crowd

Landscape – Choosing Healthy Plants

I’ve mentioned before all the advantages of planting in fall: cooler temperatures, better establishment, bargains at the garden center. Even so, it makes no sense to waste your money on a sick or inappropriate pl

Landscape – Drainage Problems

There are a number of indicators which may help you identify current or potential drainage and water problems around your yard or home. The Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association (MALTA) used some tips I co

Landscape – Effects of Wet Weather

In my line of work, few things give me more opportunity than bad weather. I spent most of last fall blaming the preceding drought for plant problems. Earlier this spring I diagnosed a number of plant troubles bas

Landscape – Fall Planting

A couple of weeks ago I described how to plant a balled & burlapped tree correctly. Some of the points I made in passing deserve more explanation because they are so basic to your success in planting anythin

Landscape – Photographing

Severe thunderstorms and lightning in the summer can do major damage to your landscape trees and shrubs. Your homeowner’s insurance may cover losses due to storms. The Internal Revenue Service may even allow a ta