Mock Orange After Freeze: Wait and Prune Dead Wood

Bark Splitting Causes Delayed Dieback Severe cold can split bark on mock orange and other shrubs (indica azalea, pittosporum, fatsia). Damage often appears weeks later as dead branches when fungi invade the cracks during

Reviving an Old Peace Lily: Repot and Bright Light

Root-Bound Plants Need Fresh Soil and Space After eight years, your peace lily is likely severely root-bound. Knock it out of the pot and examine the roots. If they circle the container, move up one pot size. Repotting

Perennials Are Safe Over Septic Drain Fields

Root Depth Is the Key Factor Perennials have shallow, fibrous root systems that wont invade septic pipes. Trees and large shrubs with deep, woody roots pose the real risk. Plant any perennials you like over the drain fie

Dawn Redwood Is Deciduous: Normal Winter Leaf Drop

Dont Panic—Its Not an Evergreen Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a deciduous conifer. Like bald cypress, it drops all its needles in winter and regrows them in spring. The tree is healthy if branches are pl

Reviving a Gift Hydrangea with Poor Roots

Florist Hydrangeas Often Have Weak Root Systems Greenhouse-grown gift plants are coddled with perfect humidity, temperature, and watering. In a typical home, they struggle. Check the roots: if they dont fill the pot, the

Bee-Friendly Bloom Calendar for Hive Management

UGA Honey Bee Lab Plant Lists Knowing what blooms when is critical for beekeepers. The University of Georgia Honey Bee Lab provides two excellent nectar-flow plant lists, compiled at bit.ly/beeflower. Use them to anticip

Planting Bell and Hot Peppers Together: Cross-Pollination Myths

Cross-Pollination Doesnt Affect Current Fruit Peppers are self-pollinating. Even if a hot pepper pollinates a bell pepper, the fruits flavor and heat are determined by the mother plants genetics. Only the seeds would car

Donating Unwanted Landscape Plants to Master Gardeners

Find a New Home for Healthy Plants Your local Master Gardener Extension Volunteer program may have landscaping projects that can use azaleas, hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and hostas. Call 1-800-ASKUGA1 to connect with your

Reviving Stunted Cherry Laurels with Vertical Mulching

Root Establishment Is the Likely Issue When shrubs stay the same size for years, poor root establishment is the usual cause—undersized planting holes, compacted clay, or both. Vertical Mulching Technique Drill 20 holes

Container Herb & Vegetable Gardening on a Patio

Excellent Regional Resource North Carolina State Extensions container vegetable gardening guide and planting calendar are perfectly applicable to the Southeast. Access it at bit.ly/containerveg for pot sizes, soil mixes,

Transplanting Canna: Wait Until April Shoot Emergence

Canna Hardiness Is Marginal in Atlanta Canna often survives mild winters but can be killed by severe cold. After a harsh winter, wait until leaf tips emerge in April to see which plants survived. Then dig and relocate th

Identifying Blueberry Varieties by Fruiting Time

No Definitive Visual ID, But Ripening Sequence Helps You cant positively identify a blueberry variety by appearance alone. However, fruiting order provides strong clues: Earliest: Climax Mid-season: Brightwell, Powderbl

Assessing Winter Damage: Wait Until Mid-April to Prune

The 2014 Polar Vortex Test Multiple sub-10°F events revealed true plant hardiness. Some surprises: fatsia and pittosporum weathered the cold well, while gardenia, loropetalum, and daphne showed varying damage. What to E

Carpenter Bee Traps Work Without Bait

How the Trap Works No bait needed. Bees enter the pre-drilled holes in the wooden block, follow the angled tunnel, and fall into the plastic bottle below. They cannot fly back up. Simple, effective, and chemical-free. Fu

Spirea Pruning Depends on Bloom Time

Spring vs. Summer Bloomers Spring-blooming (e.g., Bridal Wreath): Prune after flowering (late April). Summer-blooming (Japanese, bumalda types): Prune early spring—they flower on new growth. Identify your spirea type b

Freezing Seeds Doesn't Improve Germination

Stratification vs. Freezing Freezing seeds for a week provides no benefit. Some species require stratification—moist storage at 40°F for 8 weeks—but a home freezer is too cold and dry. What Actually Helps Hard-Coated Se

Improving Drainage for Tomatoes in Wet Conditions

Amend Soil with Gritty Sand If excessive rainfall caused poor tomato production last year, till a 1-inch layer of coarse sand (granite dust, paver sand) 8 inches deep. This increases percolation, reduces waterlogging, an

Stepables for Shade: Better for Paths Than Lawn Replacement

Realistic Expectations for Heavy Shade Stepables™ is a collection of low-growing, spreading perennials. While some tolerate dense shade, they work best as path edging or between stepping stones—not as a full lawn substit

Fluorescent Light Duration for Seedlings: 18 Hours On, 6 Off

Optimal Photoperiod for Strong Growth Run double-tube fluorescent lights 18 hours on, 6 hours off daily. This mimics long spring days and promotes compact, sturdy seedlings. Dont Forget Soil Temperature Keep the growing

Cottonwood Stump Won't Rot Quickly, But It's Dead

Hard Wood Doesnt Mean Live Tree Even though the stump feels hard as rock, the tree is dead if no green sprouts appear. Cottonwood is notoriously slow to decompose. The stump will gradually break down over the next year o