Video Segments
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Beehive TourThe Bartlett Bee Whisperer, David Glover, gives us a tour of a beehive and gives some beekeeping tips. Like all beekeepers he uses smoke. Smoke alerts the bees but it overpowers their method of communication, pheromones. It also prompts some bees to start sucking up as much honey as they can to save some from the fire. This makes these bees unable to sting. Using a hive tool David opens up the beehive. This hive was recently removed from a house and he wants to check to make sure it is doing well. He shows some comb that has fresh nectar in it, so the bees are active. He also shows drones that are in the hive and explains what purpose they serve. One of his reasons for checking on the hive is to make sure there is a laying queen present that can perpetuate the hive. David finds her and sees her laying eggs.
Related Resources: Beekeeping Tips for Beginners Agricultural Alternatives: Beekeeping Honey Bees and Beekeeping |
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Wildflowers
Andy Williams from Lichterman Nature Center talks about three of his favorite native wildflowers: baptisia, purple cone flower, and New England aster.
Baptisia, commonly called false wild blue indigo, blooms in the early spring. It has blue-green foliage and blooms with a blue flower. It is a legume and has large seed pods. The pods start green and turn black over the summer. Baptisia is a sturdy plant when grown in full sun but if you cut is back by a third after it blooms it makes a nice blue green shrub that stands up without staking for the entire season. The pruning also helps remove the seed pods which cause reseeding. Purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) is a beautiful flower with purple flowers with a yellow center that turns black. The seed heads are also food for birds. Purple coneflower normally blooms in the spring but can be delayed by pruning so you have some control over bloom time. In full sun it will stand upright unless there is a wind. With selective pruning, you can create a sturdier plant. Echinacea will reseed profusely in your garden. If you want to collect and save the seeds you will need to scarify them over the winter. New England aster blooms in the fall. The plant produces masses of purple-blue flowers with yellow centers which provide a good fall nectar source for bees and butterflies. Wild New England aster can grow up to six feet tall. Named cultivars have been bred to be shorter, have more blooms, and have more intense flower colors. Pruning the plant in the spring or early summer will encourage a bushier growth with less height. These plants do produce seed but reproduce from rood division. They will spread so they need to be contained which can be done easily. Related Resources: Baptisia (False or Wild Indigo) Echinacea Wildflowers in the Home Landscape |
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Gardening in 5-Gallon BucketsIf you don’t have the space or time for an in-ground garden, planting vegetables in five-gallon buckets is a great option. UT Extension County Director Walter Battle shows how to plant a tomato in a five-gallon bucket. Make sure your bucket is safe to use. Don’t use a bucket that has been used for chemicals or oil-based substances. Walter recommends using a new bucket. Walter drills holes in the bottom of the bucket and places a piece of landscape fabric in the bottom to keep the soil from running out. He adds some rock to the bottom for drainage and then soil. He also adds some manure for nutrients and plants a tomato plant. Tomatoes like to be planted deep, so he adds more soil around the plant. He also talks about how to water the plant and take care of it. Walter talks briefly about growing other vegetables like peppers and squash in buckets.
June 1, 2018 Related Resources: DIY Basic Bucket Garden Container Gardening Growing Vegetable in Containers |
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Easy to Grow HerbsAn herb is any useful plant, but most often they are used to flavor food. Reni Erskine, president of the Memphis Herb Society talks about four easy-to-grow herbs and how she grows them.
First is flat-leafed or Italian parsley. It is easier to grow than the curly-leafed varieties. If you let the parsley bolt it will reseed. Very few insects eat parsley, but parsley is a favorite food for the caterpillar of the swallowtail butterfly. Dill is another of Reni’s favorites. Dill is a good herb to use with fish or in a vinaigrette or sauce. Dill grows best when planted in the fall. It tends to bolt in the heat of summer, but it will reseed itself as well. Chives give a light onion taste to food and are easy to grow. She also shows garlic chives which grow prolifically and like to take over. Both chives have flowers that are both beautiful and a great addition to salads. Basil is a favorite herb for many people. There are many different kinds with different flavors. It does well in the windowsill in the kitchen. Basil also works well as a companion plant for tomatoes. Most herbs like moist well-drained soil. Growing many kinds of herbs in among vegetables reduces insect pressure on the vegetables. June 1, 2019 Related Resources: Growing Herbs Indoor Herb Gardening |
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Planting Sweet PotatoesSweet potatoes are a great addition to the southern garden. UT Extension County Director Walter Battle shows how to plant them. First, he makes a ridge of soil about ten inches tall and twelve inches wide. Then he makes a hole and plants the sweet potato plants. He talks about what to use to fertilize and when to do it. He also talks about the insect pests that affect sweet potatoes and how best to deal with them. Walter tells when and how to harvest and cure the sweet potatoes.
May 25, 2019 Related Resources: Growing Sweet Potatoes at Home Sweet Potato |
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Gardening ErgonomicsGardening is great exercise and involves a lot of lifting, twisting and bending, which if not done correctly can cause back problems. UT Extension Agent Andrea Jacobo shows correct ways to lift and bend while gardening. She also shows how to work on your knees. Stretching after gardening can help loosen up and relax muscles that you used, and Andrea shows some easy stretches.
May 25, 2019 Related Resources: Gardening Ergonomics Gardening Exercise and Body Mechanics |
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Turf Grass VarietiesUT Extension Agent Book T. Leigh talks about six varieties of Bermuda and Zoysia grasses at the Shelby County Extension Turf Demonstration Plot. Bermuda varieties he shows include Discovery, Celebration and Latitude. Zoysia varieties he shows include Royal, Palisades and GEO. Booker talks about the advantages of each, how high to mow them, how fast they green up in the spring, and disease resistance.
Click here for details on each variety shown. Related Resources: Selecting a Lawn Grass Turf Files: Bermuda Grass Turf Grass Selection |
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Problem Plants In the Landscape and Their ReplacementsThere 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 Resources: Dogwood Choosing landscape evergreens Hydrangeas Loropetalum |
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