Video Segments
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Daffodils
Daffodils come back to beautify the garden year after year. University of Memphis Director of landscape Joellen Dimond explains that daffodils are simple to plant and grow and require little if any maintenance. The American Daffodil Society and Royal Horticultural Society have 13 categories into which they classify daffodils. Joellen talks about each category.
Links to Daffodil Society Webpages: American Daffodil Society (US) The Royal Horticultural Society (UK) The Daffodil Society (UK) Related Videos: Planting Daffodils and Tulips Related Resources: Spring Flowering Bulbs: Daffodils Spring-Flowering Bulbs |
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Pre-Emergent Herbicides
Pre-emergent (or pre-emerge) herbicides are a very useful tool to reduce weeds. Retired UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison talks about how to use pre-emergents. Most pre-emergents work by preventing a germinating seed from growing roots. It does not kill weeds that are already growing.
Application timing is important. You need to apply the pre-emerge long before you see any weeds. Mike talks about the best times to apply pre-emergent in the spring and fall. You need to make sure the pre-emerge is labeled for how you want to use it. There are grass pre-emergent and broadleaf pre-emergent herbicides. Also, you need to make sure the product you are using will not affect desirable plants in the area. The label will contain all this information. There are liquid and granular pre-emerge herbicides. Mike prefers liquid because it is less expensive. The granular has an advantage in that it is less particular about when it needs to be watered in. All pre-emergents need to watered-in so they can be in the soil when the weeds germinate. How soon it needs to be watered in can be found on the label. Mike referred to the publication "Lawn Weed Management" get that publication here Related Resources: Applying Pre-Emergent Herbicides to Lawns Managing Weeds in Warm Season Lawns |
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Groundcovers
There are many options for ground covers in the garden and UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese talks about some of her favorite options. Groundcovers are often used to cover areas where grass won’t grow but there are also design reasons to use groundcovers. Carol warns against fast-growing groundcovers. They will quickly outgrow their spot and spread into your lawn and other areas. Carol prefers clumping groundcovers that stay put and spread slowly. Carol talks about some of her favorites like sweet flag, vinca, ajuga, and phlox. She also talks about the two kinds of monkeygrass: Liriope muscari and Liriope spicata, and the different kinds of mondo grass including some slow spreading types. Carol talks a lot about sedums. There are many kinds and not all make good groundcovers. She names some sedums that will do well in hot southern summers. She also talks about creeping raspberry.
Related Resources: Ground Cover Plants Ground Covers for Georgia Landscapes |
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Fall and Winter Weed Control
Many people don’t think about weeds in the winter, but Alabama A&M University Extension Specialist Rudy Pacumbaba says during the wintertime there are a lot of weeds that sprout. Using a preemergent herbicide is the best and easiest way to control weeds before they sprout, especially in the lawn. Winter time is the best time to add soil amendments. Also, you should remove any dead plants or weeds. This will help reduce the diseases, insects, and weeds for next year. You can also solarize beds by spreading plastic over them. Late winter is the best time to prune most perennial shrubs. Fall is a great time to compost. You can add healthy garden waste and leaves that are falling from the trees. Fall is also a good time to mulch to protect plants from the cold of winter. Also, the end of the growing season is a good time to evaluate your garden successes or failures and figure out how to adjust for next year.
Related Resources: Weed Control in Home Lawns Winter Maintenance for Lawns and Landscapes Fall Maintenance Practices for Landscapes |
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Winter Garden VegetablesMost people don’t grow food in their garden over the winter, but there are many options that do well in containers and in a traditional ground level garden. UT Extension Horticulture Specialist Carol Reese talks about some options that both look good and taste good. Her favorite winter vegetable is chard which is easy to grow and adds a pop of color to an otherwise drab winter garden. Chard will also survive the summer heat and flourish again in the cooler weather of the next fall. Carol also likes some of the kale like redbor, which will continue to grow in extremely cold weather for winter-long harvest. Carol also talks about purple mustard, tatsoi, dinosaur kale, and evergreen herbs like parsley, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. All of these can be grown in the garden or arranged into a winter container garden to provide leafy greens and a lush look in the dead of winter.
Related Resources: Swiss Chard Kale Leafy Crops for the Tennessee Vegetable Garden |
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Winter Landscape Maintenance
When the weather gets cold and plants go dormant there are still things that need to be done in your landscape. Alabama A&M University Extension Specialist Rudy Pacumbaba talks about how to cut and fertilize your lawn as it goes dormant for the winter. He also talks about caring for shrubs and ornamental grasses. Rudy also addresses ways to reduce insect pests on your plants during the next growing season by using horticultural oils. He also goes over basic pruning.
Related Resources: Winter Maintenance for Lawns and Landscapes Fall Maintenance Practices for Landscapes |
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Introduction to Farm Goats
Raising goats can add a whole new dimension to your family garden. Jeff Terry, Farm Operations Manager at Bobby Lanier Farm Park in Germantown, Tennessee, talks about the basics of raising goats. Jeff talks about some of the features of goats including their eyes, teeth, and stomachs. He also talks about the breeds he has: Lamancha and Nigerian Dwarf. He describes what they eat and the shelter he uses. Jeff talks about goat milk and meat.
Related Resources: Penn State Extension: Goats Breeds of Livestock - Goat Breeds |
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Homegrown Greenery for Flower Arranging
Many houseplants and plants in the landscape can be used to add greenery to flower arrangements, or even be used to create greenery arrangements. Master Gardener Mary Heim shows some of her go-to greenery from her house and yard she uses in her arranging. She also makes a greenery arrangement with those plants. She talks about and demonstrates alocasia, aspidistra, caladium, fatsia, leopard plant, equisetum, mother-in-law’s tongue, Solomon’s seal, ornamental grasses, papyrus, philodendron, and ferns.
Related Videos: Arranging Grocery Store Flowers Basic Ikebana Flower Arranging |
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Pressing Flowers
Pressing flowers is a great way to preserve beautiful blooms and create works of art. Master Gardener Mary Heim shows how to do it. She says thinner flowers work best. She shows how to arrange the items in a flower press and then apply pressure. After several weeks the flowers will be flat and dry and can be removed and mounted for display. She shows several pressed arrangements she has done with flowers from her yard.
Related Resources: How to Press Flowers Drying Flowers and Foliage for Arrangements |
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How to Make a Lasagna Garden
Preparing a garden the traditional way – with herbicides, a shovel, and a rototiller – is hard work. Starting your beds with a lasagna garden is much easier and doesn’t require any power tools. Master Gardener Ginny Fletcher demonstrates how to build a lasagna garden. Essentially, a lasagna garden is a large compost pile built on top the ground. Ginny recommends starting by laying down several layers of cardboard or thick newspaper and watering to keep them in place. The cardboard or newspaper will smother all the existing grass and weeds without herbicide. Then she layers organic material on top as follows:
You can sprinkle bone meal, wood ash, or other amendments on the pile to contribute other nutrients. The best time to do a lasagna garden is in the fall when the layers will have time to compost over the winter so in the spring you can plant directly into the lasagna. If you build the lasagna garden in the spring, cover the layers with garden soil so your plants will have something to grow in while the rest breaks down. Related Resources: Sheet mulching — aka lasagna composting — builds soil, saves time Multiple benefits of a lasagna-style heritage garden |
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Planting Daffodils, Dianthus, and Pansies
It is time to remove the summer annuals and plant winter flowers. This winter in the Family Plot flower bed, University of Memphis Director of Landscape Joellen Dimond is going to plant early daffodils and purple pansies with dianthus as accents. Two years ago, she planted some dusty miller which is still doing well and will be left in the bed. Joellen talks about how to prepare the bed - including fertilizing and mulching - and plant the new flowers. In the process she also shows how to trim back the dusty miller.
Past Plantings in this flower bed: Planting Summer Flowers 2016 Planting Fall Flowers 2016 Planting Petunias, Vinca, and Salvia (2017) Planting Dusty Miller and Pansies (2017) Planting Summer Flowers (2018) Planting Violas (2018) Planting Sunpatiens, Joseph's Coat, and Colocasia (2019) Related Resources: Success with Pansies in the Winter Landscape: A Guide for Landscape Professionals Darling Dianthus Spring Flowering Bulbs: Daffodils Dusty Miller, Senecio cineraria |
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