It is August and we are still experiencing drought conditions. As I walk the neighborhood, it is no surprise to find a lot of ugly lawns. Obviously, some of my neighbors have been watering and trying to keep their lawns healthy, while others seem to have given up and accepted the fact that mankind was not really meant to be surrounded by a green carpet of thousands of little high maintenance plants. My biggest surprise has been discovering how the various types have faired. As expected, most fescue looks pretty bad at this time of year, especially those lawns that were planted in the spring. Centipede and Zoysia have held up pretty well when in full sun, and only seem thin and weak as they experience shade and competition from trees. Bermuda can take the drought but seems to have taken a beating from diseases this year. The surprise has…
The Winter Garden Planning and Planting for the Southeast – Book Review
The Winter Garden Planning and Planting for the Southeast By Peter Loewer and Larry Mellichamp Perquisites for growing a beautiful winter garden are planning and choosing the plant species for impact or subtleness. Walk through The Winter Garden with authors Peter Loewer and Larry Mellichamp. See the beauty of opting for planting trees because of their bark texture, color, or structure that will catch your eye in the bleak months of winter. Choose pods, fruits, plumes, and berries to add sparkle to the dreary landscape and pizzazz to holiday centerpieces and wreaths. You will not miss the profusion of summer flowers when you select from a large variety of winter bulbs or winter-blooming herbaceous perennials. No garden would be complete without fragrant plants for “…fragrances can reach across the decades like a physical link, reminding us of an eventful time now long forgotten.” There is no excuse not to have…
A Bit of Dirt – Fall 2007
The full pdf copy of this edition is available here. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By Glenn Parsons This morning I began to work in my garden before 9:00 am with the hope that I would avoid the oppressive heat and humidity. Unfortunately, my plan was unsuccessful. To make matters worse I was attacked by a formation of B-52’s, or should I say some very large Georgia mosquitoes! My garden is progressing slowly but seems to be handling the drought conditions fairly well. However, the outlook for the rest of August and the entire month of September is not good. Have you noticed that even against all adversity the weeds continue to thrive? I am trying a few members of the Agastache species in the hummingbird garden this year. There are about four-color varieties with tubular flowers, which hummingbirds cannot resist. In fact, one common name for these plants is Hummingbird Mint. Agastache…