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Red poinsettias with white poinsettias in the background. CAES News
Holiday Gift Plants
As vibrant holiday plants begin to adorn the shelves of hardware stores, grocery stores and garden centers, consumers are attracted to the pinks, reds and whites atop deep green foliage, which add festive pops of color in winter homes. The appearance of plants like poinsettias and Christmas cacti usher in the holiday season and we love to fill our halls and entryways with their holiday cheer. But what about after the holidays?
In the spring, crape myrtles add color with flowers. In the fall, they add color with brightly colored leaves. CAES News
Crape Myrtle Care
Southern gardeners love crape myrtles, but many don’t know how to care for them to realize the full, gorgeous blooms they expect in the summer.
leafcutter bee on mountain mint (1) CAES News
Pollinator Prep
Pollinator conservation does not stop when the weather turns cool. There are a few items you can add to your pollinator to-do list for the fall and early winter to help pollinators next spring.
John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org CAES News
Tree Sex
Female flowers and female trees produce fruit and seeds. Male flowers and trees produce pollen. Making the correct choice of tree gender can be important. Anyone who has ever smelled putrid ginkgo fruit, washed mulberries off their car or sneezed at tree pollen should understand.
The fruit husks contain the highest concentration of juglone on the tree. (Photo by Franklin Bonner, USFS, ret., Bugwood.org) CAES News
Killer Tree
When you look into your garden or backyard, be careful not to ignore your black walnut (Juglans nigra) tree. Lurking inside its leaves, fruits and roots is a pesticide made to control competition.
On average, Bradford pear trees live around 10 to 15 years, 20 with luck, and will literally begin to self-destruct with any storm winds that blow through. CAES News
Short-Lived Trees
Some trees naturally live longer than others but, ironically, many of the most popular landscape trees tend to be relatively short-lived. Although their flowers are quite attractive, Bradford or Callery pears are generally considered short-lived trees, and they are also highly invasive.
By focusing on one fruit or vegetable per year, UGA Extension agents and teachers can make sure students absorb how to successfully grow that crop. Sign up to participate at bit.ly/livinlavidaokra. CAES News
Farm to School Month
October is Farm to School Month and this year’s theme is Livin’ La Vida Okra. Farm to School Month, coordinated by Georgia Organics in partnership with UGA Extension, highlights a different fruit or vegetable each year.
Healthier Together hosted a community-wide planting day at Richland Community Garden in Richland, Georgia, southeast of Columbus. CAES News
Healthier Together
Obesity affects millions of Americans and increases the risk of stroke, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other causes of premature death. The percentage of U.S. adults with obesity has risen steadily from 13.4% in the early 1960s to the current average of more than 42%.
Often planted to create borders or buffers, Leyland cypress trees can grow four feet taller in just a year. Planting too close together or too close to structures can present a huge problem as the tree matures. CAES News
Leland Cypress
Leyland cypress are one of the most commonly planted landscape trees, but poor site selection and disease pressure may soon send them the way of red tips and Bradford pears.
Entomosporium leaf spot on Photinia (Red Tip). Small reddish leaf spots appear initially. As spots age, center is grayish with a dark purple border. Leaf spots may coalesce causing severe leaf blight. Severely infected leaves drop prematurely. Over time severely infected plants die. Infection is favored by poor air circulation and prolonged periods of leaf wetness. CAES News
Leaf spot disease
Excessive rain signals another a bad year for leaf spot diseases on landscape trees and shrubs. The leaf spotting that affects pear trees, including both edible pears and ornamental Bradford types, is caused by a fungal disease known as Entomosporium leaf spot. This disease also affects related shrubs such as Indian hawthorn and red tip photinia.