How-to and Informational
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Build a Holiday Evergreen Display
Jason Reeves from the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center in Jackson, demonstrates how to make beautiful holiday greenery displays using large pots and cuttings from evergreen shrubs and trees. Large plastic pots work best because they will not crack in the winter like clay pots may do. The existing soil and roots in the pots work well to hold the greenery in place. Jason adds many kinds of evergreen cuttings including junipers and cypresses. He cuts the branches at an angle and pokes them into the soil. Once he has an evergreen base he uses holly, magnolia, and branches from red twig dogwood and twisted willow to add pops of color and different textures to the arrangement. The greenery will last up to a month depending on the temperature and humidity of the air. Watering the arrangement will help it last longer. The branches stuck in the soil will draw the water from the soil and help the arrangement last.
Related Video: Making a Fall Pumpkin Display Attracting Winter Birds Related Resources: Holiday Decorating With Fresh Greenery Pruning Evergreens |
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Preparing Garden Tools for Winter
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows what he does to take care of his garden tools before he puts them away for the winter. Taking care of tools will make them last a long time. Mike shows a hoe that was purchased by his father in the 1960s and was used for years on the family farm. It still has the original handle and Mike shows what he does to preserve the metal and wood. He uses oil on the metal and linseed on the wood. Leaving dirt on tools will encourage rust which is the enemy of all metal tools. Mike also talks about what he does to get his small engines ready for winter.
Related Videos: Tools Every Gardener Needs Disinfecting and Cleaning Garden Tools Related Resources: Caring for Your Tools Tool Care Maintaining Lawn and Garden Tools |
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Winterizing the Vegetable Garden
Master Gardener Tom Mashour talks about what he does to get his vegetable garden ready for winter and planting in the spring. He likes to have his garden weed free in the spring. He talks about the pros and cons of three ways to get rid of weeds: herbicide, tilling, and hand weeding. Also, there are lots of leaves in the fall. Tom takes his leaves and grass clippings and dumps them on his garden to decompose over the winter. He also talks about planting green manure.
Tom talks about planning next year’s garden. He rotates his vegetables and explains how and why he does that. He starts his seeds indoors six weeks before it is time to plant. Tom referred to the following UT Extension publication about when to plant vegetables: Growing Vegetables in Home Gardens Related Videos: Tilling and Amending a New Garden Easy Winter Weed Control Related Resources: Preparing the Garden for Winter Getting Your Vegetable Garden Ready for Spring |
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Ornamentals and Trees in the Winter
TSU Extension Agent Joellen Dimond talks about how to help your shrubs and trees survive the winter and be ready to thrive next year. She starts with leaves, there are tons of them in the fall. Trees that live in the forest mulch themselves with leaves. In a home landscape setting the leaves need to be taken off the grass, but you can use these leaves to mulch your trees and shrubs or to compost. Using leaves as mulch encourages worms which improve the soil. Joellen also talks about lasagna gardening. By layering leaves and garden waste on top of a piece of cardboard and letting it compost over the winter you can have a fertile bed next spring.
Young thin-skinned trees can suffer from sunscald from daily heating and cooling cycles. Joellen encourages wrapping at-risk trees with tree wrap or even fabric strips to protect the bark from the freeze thaw cycles. Mulch is good to help regulate the soil temperature, but you should not pile mulch up next to trees and shrubs. The thick mulch allows voles and mice to eat at the base of the tree. If you need to protect tender perennials on cold nights, cover the plant with an old bed sheet and a piece of plastic. Make sure the plastic touches the ground on all sides. If you have deer or rabbits, putting a fence around young trees can protect against damage. November and December are the best times to plant bulbs for early spring color. Fall is a good time to divide perennials. You should not prune in the fall and winter; early spring is the best time. Related Videos: How to Make a Lasagna Garden Effects of Sunscald Kinds of Mulch Composting Ornamental Related Resources: Preparing The Garden For Winter Checklist Preparing the Garden for Winter |
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A Season-Long Look at Five Mulches: What Worked, What Didn’t
A head-to-head garden mulch comparison puts cardboard, pine bark, cypress, black plastic, and bare soil to the test across 175 days, tracking changes in soil temperature, moisture, and weed pressure. The results show differences in performance, including which mulches reduce weeds and a few surprises that shift expectations about which materials actually hold up over time. The results show the best mulch for the garden. Clear standouts emerge and reveal which mulches stay stable, which fall behind, and which ones deliver benefits for vegetable gardens. Read the full article here.
Related Videos: Why to Use (and Love) Mulch! Planting Through Sheet Mulch Planting with Organic Mulches: A Step-by-Step Guide Planting Cut Flowers in Different Mulch Types Pulling Mulch Around Vegetable Seedlings Which Mulch Is Best? 6 Week Report Which Mulch is Best? 16 Week Report Related Resources: Types and Uses of Mulch in the Landscape Mulching Your Trees and Landscapes Mulch - A Survey of Available Options Gardening with Mulches |
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Growing Herbs Indoors During Winter
As temperatures begin to drop, bringing herbs indoors before the first frost can keep the harvest of fresh herbs going all winter. Many herbs adapt well to indoor conditions if they receive adequate light, moderate moisture, and proper air circulation. Some species tolerate lower light levels better than others, making them suitable for windowsills or spaces supplemented with grow lights.
Related Videos: Easy to Grow Herbs Preserving Herbs Harvesting, Drying, and Preserving Herbs Freezing Herbs Protecting Perennial Herbs from Cold Weather Related Resources: Growing Herbs Indoor Herb Gardening |
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How to Plant Flower Bulbs
UT Extension Agent Lee Sammons, III shows how to use various tools to plant tulip and daffodil bulbs. For most tools loosening the soil before planting is essential. Bulbs are planted right side up about five inches below ground. Lee starts by planting a group of tulip bulbs in a hole he previously dug. He also shows how to use an auger on an electric drill. This method allows a hole to be dug without pre-loosening the soil. This may be useful for a no till area or around existing plants. Finally, Lee shows how to use a traditional bulb planter.
Related Videos: Planting Fall Flowers Plant Propagation When is the best time to Plant Tulip Bulbs Related Resources: Flowering Bulbs for Tennessee Gardens Spring Flowering Bulbs Fall Planted Bulbs and Corms |
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Caring for Chrysanthemums (Mums): A Guide to Choosing and Maintaining Mums
Chrysanthemums, commonly known as mums, are popular flowering plants that brightens up gardens and landscapes, especially in the fall. There are two main types of chrysanthemums: perennial and annual. Perennial mums are the kind you find in the stores in the fall. They are best suited for outdoor use and can thrive year-round under the right conditions. Annual mums, often found in florist shops, are primarily used for decorative purposes and do not survive outside. Read the full article here.
Related Videos: Fall Pumpkin Display Caring for Bromeliads: A Beginner’s Guide Related Resources: Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums are a fall favorite | Mums in the home garden |
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Intro to Birdwatching
Birds are a colorful and sometimes secretive garden visitor. Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, TN talks about how to get into birdwatching and shows some of the basic tools you need. She talks about binoculars and birding guides. She also talks about some of the premiere birdwatching apps that let you record what you see and share it with other birdwatchers.
Related Videos: Setting Up a Bird Feeder Attracting Winter Birds Birdhouses Related Resources: Keys to Successful Bird Identification Attracting Birds to Mississippi Garden |
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Preparing and Planting a Fall Annual Garden Bed with Ornamental Kale, Dusty Miller, and Pansies
Transitioning a garden bed from summer to fall requires some soil preparation and of course planting the new plants. The first step is to remove the summer annuals, carefully removing any plants that can be saved for next year. Before planting apply a slow-release fertilizer evenly across the bed. The first plants to go in are the largest, glamour red ornamental kale. Next, Dusty Miller is planted around the kale. Its silver-gray foliage offers a striking visual contrast and complements both the kale and the pansies that follow. Finally, pansies are planted to fill the spaces between the larger plants. Read the full article here.
Related Videos: Squirrels Eating Pansies My pansies had blooms when I planted them. Now they don’t. Why? Fall and Winter Flowers Related Resources: Growing Pansies Extend the Season with Resilient Pansies Dusty Miller How to Grow Swiss Chard in Your Garden |
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Bats
People are often scared of bats, but bats are beneficial. Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about bats and dispels some myths. She also talks about how they eat tons of bugs, pollinate plants, and spread seeds. In the United States, most bats are small, but can eat thousands of bugs in a night. This reduces harmful insects and reduces the amount of insecticides farmers and gardeners need to use.
Related Videos: Beneficial Garden Bugs Invasive Plants Related Resources: Bats Bats |
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Cool-Season Fall Lawn Care for Fescue Lawns
Cool-season grasses such as tall fescue benefit from maintenance during the fall. After a hot summer, many fescue lawns are thin or discolored from the heat of summer. The cooler temperatures of fall provide the right conditions for recovery and regrowth. Fescue grows best when air temperature is between 60 and 75 degree. As the temperatures cool and fescue begins to grow again fertilization, seeding, and soil management will help it look good in the fall and great in the spring.
Related Videos: Pre-Emergent Herbicides Lawn Aeration Fall Lawn Care for Warm-Season Grasses Understanding Fertilizer Calculations for the Lawn and Garden Keys for Growing Cool-Season Grasses in the Southern U.S. Related Resources: The Cool-Season Turfgrasses: Basic Structures, Growth and Development Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Establishment and Renovation Selecting, Establishing & Maintaining the Fescues |
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Urban Wildlife
There seems to be more wildlife in urban areas that there are in rural areas. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison says this may be because the animals feel safer close to humans and farther from their natural predators. Mike reviews some numbers on deer. The deer population in the United States is increasing and every year there are over a million car-deer collisions costing billions of dollars. He gives some tips for avoiding accidents with deer. He also talks about how to use electric fencing to keep them out. He also talks about smaller wildlife: racoons, snakes, and rodents. The best way to take care of them is exclusion using fences or hardware cloth. You should cover all openings to your house: chimneys, crawl space openings and spaces under the eves in your attic. Mike talks about what to use and how to use it to not trap an animal inside. There are many large hawks in the area. These normally feed on mice but will also occasionally carry away small pets.
Related Videos: Nuisance Wildlife: Deer Nuisance Wildlife: Armadillos Setting an Armadillo Trap Nuisance Wildlife: Geese Fences to Keep the Critters Out of the Garden Related Resources: Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife Control and management of deer Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage - Mammals |
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Fall Insect Pests to Watch For
As temperatures cool, several insect pests become more noticeable or begin preparing for the winter months. Awareness and prevention are key to limiting their spread and damage. Three pests of particular concern during fall are the spongy moth, the spotted lanternfly, and the imported fire ant.
Related Videos: Holly Scale and Sooty Mold Treating Crape Myrtle Bark Scale Fire Ant Control Related Resources: Spongy Moth Management for Homeowners Spotted Lanternfly in Home Gardens Imported Fire Ants |
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Owls
Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about owls in the garden. In the Mid-South the most common owls are the bard owl, great horned owl, and screech owl. Most of the time you don’t see owls, but you may hear them or see evidence of them. One evidence you may see is an owl pellet. Mary shows Chris how to find out about what the owl is eating by dissecting an owl pellet and looking at the bones. Owls are beneficial to the gardener. They eat many mice, voles and other rodents every night. Smaller owls also eat larger insects. Mary talks about adaptations owls have to make them good night hunters. Mary then shows a barn owl that lives at Lichterman Nature Center.
Related Videos: Raptors Bats Opossums Related Resources: Barred Owl (Strix varia) The Great Horned Owl Barn owls help clean up rodents naturally |
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Fall Lawn Care for Warm-Season Grasses
As the growing season transitions into fall, managing warm-season grasses such as Bermuda and zoysia is important to ensure the grass stays healthy through dormancy in winter and has a strong start in spring. Several practices help prepare these grasses for cooler weather. (Continue reading the Full Article.)
Related Videos: Watering the Lawn Spreader and Sprayer Calibration Pre-Emergent Herbicides Three Common Herbicides How do you get rid of armyworms? Related Resources: Fertilization and Management of Home Lawns Fall Lawn Care |
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Fall Fruit Tree Care
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about fall fruit tree care. Once fruit is harvested there are several things you should do. The base of the tree should be weed free. Mike recommends bare ground. He uses a selective herbicide that will not harm the trees. Also, make sure that all mummy fruit is removed from the tree and the ground under the tree. The mummies are one place where disease and insects can overwinter. Fall is a good time to do a soil test and lime as appropriate. If your trees were blighted there is not much to do this year, but follow a spray schedule next year. Fruit trees can be planted in the fall of the year if you can find them. Fall is a good time to select and order trees for next year.
Related Videos: Planting Fruit Trees Fall and Winter Fruit Tree Care Related Resources: Home Tree Fruit Plan Fruit Tree Management Timetable Disease and Insect Control in Home Fruit Plantings |
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Common Fall Plant Diseases and How to Manage Them
As cooler weather approaches, several plant diseases become more active. Understanding their symptoms and management practices can help limit their spread and protect valuable plants.
Related Videos: Boxwood Hostas Gardening Cultural Practices Related Resources: Boxwood Blight Sudden Oak Death and Ramorum Blight Thousand Cankers Disease Hosta Virus X |
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Fall Rose Care
Rose bushes can be beautiful in the fall. Rose expert Bill Dickerson shows how to prune and maintain rose bushes for spectacular fall blooms. He starts with a floribunda rose bush and shows how to lightly prune it to encourage more blooms and open up the center to allow air circulation. He fertilizes it and talks about how to fertilize roses late in the growing season. He also prunes and fertilizes a hybrid tea rose.
Related Videos: Deadheading Roses Basic Rose Care Related Resources: Growing Roses Pruning Roses Roses: fertilizing |
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Six Shrubs and Plants for a Versatile Landscape
A well-designed garden often combines plants of different textures, forms, and seasonal interest. Several shrubs and ornamental grasses can provide structure, year-round appeal, and adaptability to a range of growing conditions. The following six plants are reliable choices that can be incorporated into many landscapes. Read the full article.
Related Videos: Common Hydrangeas Ornamental Grasses Landscape Planning Designing a New Landscape Related Resources: Hydrangeas Ornamental Grasses in the Landscape Developing a Home Landscape Plan |
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Fall Garden Problems
UT Assistant Professor of Residential and Consumer Horticulture Natalie Bumgarner talks about common lesser known problems in the fall garden. Basil Downy Mildew is a relatively new disease that can devastate herbs in the home garden. Basil downy mildew can be easily mistaken for a nutritional issue in the early stages of infection. Flip over a sick looking leaf and look for the fungus. Unfortunately basil downy mildew spreads easily and is hard to treat. Remove infected leaves as soon as you see the problem. Keeping the plants harvested and not letting the plant get dense foliage will help air circulation and reduce the chance of infection. Sweet basil cultivars are more susceptible to infection than red basil cultivars. Armyworms can feed on the fruit of tomatoes. They burrow or eat their way into the fruit and can actually complete their lifecycle within the tomato. BT products can control armyworms. Squash bugs are difficult to control when they are adults. They can be controlled when they are eggs or juveniles. Eggs look like bronze footballs and can be picked off or squished on the plant. As the plants die back in the fall, the squash bugs will start to feed on the fruit which damages it and shortens its storage life.
Related Videos: Organic Control of Squash Bugs What caused these patches on my lawn? Is it army worms or herbicide or fertilizer? Related Resources: Expect and Prepare for Downy Mildew in Basil Yellow Striped Armyworm Management Squash bugs in home gardens |
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Refreshing Planters for Fall
As summer heat gives way to cooler weather, many container plants reach the end of their seasonal cycle. Updating planters for fall not only keeps outdoor spaces attractive but also provides fresh growth and seasonal color. Continue reading the Full Article Here.
Related Videos: Fall Pumpkin Display Planting Pansies for Fall and Winter Why Fall Blooms are so Important for Pollinators Transforming Your Flower Bed for Winter: Planting Swiss Chard Related Resources: Container Gardening Container gardening: Thrillers, fillers and spillers Fall Flowering Plants |
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Houseplant Potting Soils
There are many kinds of potting soil available at the store. The range of choices can be daunting. UT/TSU Extension Agent Celeste Scott talks about the most common components of potting soil and what each one does. She then shows several soil mixes and explains what each is good for.
Potting soil is a soil-less media, not soil from the ground. This allows the components to be mixed together to optimize water and nutrient retention and anchoring root support for each kind of plant. The primary components of potting soil are peat moss for water holding, perlite and vermiculite for porosity, sand for weight and porosity, and shredded bark for structure and drainage. You can go to the store and buy premixed bags of soil, or you can make your own. Related Videos: What is in bagged soil? What is the best soil for starting seeds? Related Resources: Find Homemade Potting Soil recipes here. Find ideas for Organic Potting Mixes here. |
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Setting an Armadillo Trap
Trapping is one way to catch troublesome armadillos. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison shows how to modify a live animal trap to catch armadillos by adding wings. Armadillos are not the smartest animal and instead of baiting a trap you just need to funnel the animal into the trap. Mike shows how to attach wings using wire or zip ties. He also shows how to use a fence as one wing of the trap.
Related Videos: Live Animal Traps Nuisance Wildlife: Armadillos Related Resources: Nuisance Wildlife Control: A Training Manual: Tools and Techniques Armadillos |
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Monarch Butterflies
Mary Schmidt from Lichterman Nature Center talks about monarch butterflies. Monarchs are unusual in the butterfly world for several reasons, they are one of a few migrating butterflies, and the males and females can be distinguished visually.
Monarchs spend the summer in the United States where there are three to four generations per summer. Then a “super-generation” lives about 6 months and migrates to central Mexico for the winter. Monarchs follow the growth of milkweed north the next spring up to about the Canadian border – which is the northern limit of milkweed. Female monarch butterflies can lay 200-300 eggs which are laid one per milkweed leaf. The egg hatches a few days later. The caterpillar then eats and grows to about 2000 times its hatching size over the next two weeks. At this point they create a chrysalis that is green with gold accents. They emerge from the chrysalis after 9-14 days as an adult butterfly. Planting milkweed attracts monarch butterflies to your yard. The caterpillars eat the leaves and the adults drink the nectar from flowers. There are many kinds of milkweed available. They tend to grow in full sun and can reach up to five feet in height. Relate Videos: Monarch Butterfly Tagging Planting a Butterfly Garden Related Resources: Growing milkweeds for monarch butterflies Gardening for Monarchs Attracting Butterflies to the Garden |
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Starting Cool Season Vegetables From Seed
Master Gardener Tom Mashour talks about starting cool season vegetables indoors. The cool season is often not long enough to allow cool season vegetables to fully mature before frost. Starting the vegetables early in containers allows them to get a head start. Tom uses two kinds of soil mixes: germinating mix, which is very fine; and “Pro Mix,” which is what you see with nursery plants. He only uses the germinating mix for the finest of seeds. A tool called a dibble is very useful for planting seeds. You can use it to poke the hole into which you will plant the seeds. Small pots work well for planting monocot seeds (like onions) that have a more contained root system. Larger pots are useful for dicot seeds and seeds which will have a larger root system. Tom shows how to plant onions and broccoli. He also talks about the grow light he uses for the plants while they are inside.
Related Videos: Planting Cool Season Vegetables Planting Cool Season Vegetable Seeds Starting Seeds Indoors Related Resources: Starting Seeds at Home Starting Plants Indoors From Seeds Vegetable Planting Guide |
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Figs
Bill Colvard has been growing figs for years. Figs are actually the blossom of the plant. The interior of the fig, the part that you eat is the flower and it is encapsulated by the body. Figs are from a Mediterranean climate which is hot and dry. In more humid climates figs can rot before they are ready. In humid climates like the southeast United States look for figs that have a small eye. The larger the eye the more problems you will have with fermentation and ants. There are several ways to propagate figs. The most successful way is layering which is bending a branch down to the ground and holding it there until it forms roots of its own. The bark should be wounded on the underside of the part of the branch that is in contact with the ground. The main pests of figs are ants and birds.
Related Videos: How do you know when to pick figs? When to Plant Figs Related Resources: Figs Figs in the Home Planting Fig Production Guide |
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Correct Lawn Fertilizer Application
Putting out the right amount of fertilizer, in the right way, is essential for a green, healthy lawn. UT Extension Agent Booker T. Leigh shows how to do it. He starts out talking about the importance of soil testing and soil pH. He demonstrates how to apply fertilizer so there is even coverage with no gaps. Booker also shows fertilizer burn, where a lot of fertilizer was dropped in a small area causing a brown spot. Each bag of fertilizer will have three numbers that tell the percentage of the product that is nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Booker also gives fertilizing tips.
Related Videos: Fertilizer Basics Garden Fertilizer Math Kinds of Fertilizer Related Resources: Fertilization and Management of Home Lawns Fertilizing Lawns |
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Canning Green Beans
UT Extension Agent, Cathy Faust, shows how to cold pack can green beans so you can enjoy your garden all year. She starts by preparing her equipment including the pressure canner. Then she puts the beans in a hot jar and pours hot water over them. She leaves about one inch of headspace in the jar and adds a teaspoon of canning salt. Then she places the lid on the jar and screws the lid on fingertip tight. She puts the jars in the pressure canner and processes them. When the canner has cooled, and the pressure has returned to zero, she removes the canner lid and the jars. Cathy shows what a bad, spoiled jar of beans looks like.
Get Cathy's Green Bean Canning Notes Here. You can download the UT Extension Canning Publication that Cathy References here (PB724). Related Videos: Pressure Canning Tomatoes Preserving Herbs Canning Peaches Related Resources: Canning Vegetables Canning Foods Canning Fruits and Tomatoes |
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Common Hydrangeas
Master Gardener and hydrangea expert Linda Lanier shows five of the most common kinds of hydrangeas and gives some basic growing and pruning information on each.
Oakleaf hydrangea is recognizable because the leaf is shaped like an oak leaf. Oak leaf hydrangeas are pruned in late summer but don’t need pruned every year. They grow in deep shade and don’t need much water. They bloom white. Hydrangea macrophylla is probably the most common hydrangea grown in the south. They usually bloom blue and have rounded leaves. Most flower on old wood so they should only be pruned after the end of July. They need shade or the blooms will be burned by the sun. They also need water. Linda talks about how to change the color of the blooms of macrophyllas. Hydrangea paniculata is a full sun hydrangea. It blooms later than others with white blooms. It blooms on new growth, so it can be pruned in the spring. They also can tolerate very cold weather. Hydrangea arborescens blooms on new growth so it can be pruned in the spring, even fairly late in the spring. They have large white flower heads. They do tend to sag in the rain. They are often supported by stakes. Hydrangea anomala is a climbing hydrangea. It only blooms for a few weeks during the summer but it has beautiful leaves and fall color. It vines like ivy so be careful where you plant it. They do not require pruning unless you want to limit size. Related Videos: How do I get my hydrangea to bloom? We have a Lemon Daddy hydrangea that is very leggy. Can I prune it, and if so, when and how? Related Resources: Hydrangea Hydrangeas |
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Spraying Calculations for Tall Plants
Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about how to figure out how much to spray on tall plants. Garden chemicals have an application rate in terms of amount per acre, 1000 square feet or similar. When you spray tall plants, you need to keep the same rate based on the square footage covered by the plant or tree. Mike talks about how to determine how much product you need to mix with how much water in your sprayer to get the correct application rate.
Mike referred to this publication: Herbicide Sprayer Calibration Guidelines Related Videos: Spraying Fungicide Spraying Peach Trees Spraying Dormant Oil Related Resources: Calibrating Hand-Held and Backpack Sprayers for Applying Pesticides Proper Calibration and Operation of Backpack and Hand Can Sprayers |
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Designing a New Landscape
Designing a new landscape for your yard seems like a daunting task. Director of Landscape at the University of Memphis Joellen Dimond shows how to do it. She shows the tools she uses to design, and talks about some of the things you need to plan for. Then she shows design principles like triangles and odd numbers. Finally, she shows how she draws a landscape plan and talks about how to use it.
Related Videos: Landscape Planning Landscape Plants to Avoid and What to Use Instead Related Resources: Principles of Landscape Design Basic Principles of Landscape Design |
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Landscape Planning
Before you pick up the shovel to change your landscape you should have a plan. University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond talks about what you need to consider in your plans. First you need to know what you want to accomplish with the change of landscape. Then you need to assess the site. Consider the location of the sun, the locations of structures, drainage, utilities and other things. Also, consider how you want to use your land.
Related Videos: Planting Shrubs in Wet Heavy Soils Landscaping Principles Avoiding Common Landscape Mistakes Related Resources: Developing a Home Landscape Plan LEVERAGING YOUR LANDSCAPE: A Guide to Evaluating and Planning for Functional, Enjoyable Outdoor Spaces |
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Landscape Plants to Avoid and What to Use Instead
There are many popular plants that should be avoided. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese talks about what some of those plants are and good plants you can replace them with.
There are several popular spring blooming trees that are problematic: Bradford pear trees break easily and reseed, Native dogwoods also can be difficult to grow and are easy to kill, and ornamental cherries get cankers and bores and tend to die quickly. Some good replacements are dogwood hybrids. Native dogwoods have been crossed with the kousa (Japanese) dogwood. Constellation and stellar series dogwoods are a good choice. Another replacement choice would be fringe trees. Some deciduous magnolias especially Wada’s Memory have the general shape of the dogwood but are tough trees. Shrubs that can cause problems are the Japanese holly and Boxwood. They will suffer from root issues. Dwarf Yew Pine is a great replacement plant that is tough and has a small dense shape. There are several new hydrangea types that bloom several times during the growing season. Purple Leaf Plums are popular but will get bores and die. They also readily sucker from the roots and can become invasive. Carol recommends Burgundy Loropetalum as a replacement. Some new varieties stay purple all year and can be pruned into a tree form. Finally, Leyland Cypress trees are susceptible to the Seiridium canker. They can be replaced with green giant arborvitae and junipers. Related Videos: Boxwood Common Hydrangeas Related Resources: Dogwood Choosing landscape evergreens Hydrangeas Loropetalum |
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Summer Flowering Woody Perennials
Many popular shrubs bloom in the spring, but there are shrubs that give a long show of blooms in the summer. UT/TSU Extension Agent Celeste Scott talks about several different kinds of summer blooming shrubs: abelia, buddleja (butterfly bush), Hydrangea paniculata, vitex, rose of Sharon, and crape myrtle. For each type of plant she talks about some popular and well performing varieties. She also gives information on some compact varieties for each.
Related Videos: Common Hydrangeas Annuals and Perennials for the Garden How to Prune Shrubs Related Resources: Woody Ornamentals Woody Ornamentals For Cut Flower Growers |
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Canning Peaches
Canned peaches can be enjoyed year around. Canning is the process of sealing food in a container without bacteria or other germs or microbes so that it will stay good to eat for a long period of time. Juanita Jones from Jones Orchard shows how to can peaches. One of the first things to do is to make sure the jars are clean and sterilized. Peaches can be put in the jars as quarters or halfs. Wash and peel the peaches and place in the jar. When the jar is full, pour a simple syrup (sugar and water) into the jar so it covers the peaches. Parts of the peaches not covered by the syrup will discolor but still be good to eat. After removing as many of the air bubbles as you can, wipe off the rim of the jar. This will allow the rubber of the lid to seal. Put the ring on the jar and put it in the water bath canner. After the water comes to a boil process for 25 minutes. The jars can be immediately removed from the water bath and should seal within a few minutes of being removed from the canner. If a jar is unsealed when you go to eat it or the contents of the jar are discolored throw the jar away. It is likely contaminated.
Related Videos: What should I spray to prevent brown rot on my peaches? Thinning Peaches Peach Trees: How-to and Information Related Resources: Perfect Canned Peaches Preserving Peaches USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning |