News Stories - Page 15

Red poinsettias with white poinsettias in the background. CAES News
Keep your holiday gift plants beautiful all year
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?
Tomatoes, in varying stages of ripeness, growing on a tomato plant. CAES News
When is a vegetable really a fruit?
From an early age, we’re told by our parents to make sure we eat our vegetables. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that people eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day. However, there’s long been confusion around what is a vegetable versus a fruit. So, when is a vegetable actually a fruit — or a root or a shoot?
The Grand Finale Award winner for the 2021 Classic City Awards is the ‘Sumati Orange’ Marigold from AmeriSeed. Judges said "Not only in fall, but all through the early spring and summer sun, these marigolds have flower power. Plants grown from seed are healthy, quickly germinating, and ready for planting in two to three weeks. Stems are tall and perfect for cut-flower production." CAES News
UGA Trial Gardens names 2021 Classic City Award winners
The Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia have announced the 2021 Classic City Award winners from the hundreds of varieties tested over the long, hot summer. The Trial Gardens are known as the “go-to research trial garden to test plants for the combination of heat and humidity,” said John Ruter, director of the Trial Gardens and 2021 UGA Inventor of the Year.
UGArden Club members had the opportunity to harvest the vineyard’s Old World grapes. CAES News
UGArden Club gets hands-on experience at Shooting Creek Vines
Last month, UGArden Club members camped out at Shooting Creek Vines in western North Carolina, harvesting and processing wine grapes over the course of a weekend.
“Anytime we leave the farm, we come back inspired by places we have visited and that gives us ideas on how we can do things differently or better than we were doing,” said Mandy O’Shea, UGA horticulture alum and co-owner of 3 Porch Farm in Comer, Georgia. CAES News
Georgia flower farm puts sustainability, employees first
Principles before profit has been 3 Porch Farm’s business model from the beginning. When the farm was just a dream, Steve and Mandy O’Shea — owners and operators of 3 Porch Farm — knew that they wanted to use their business to do as much good as possible. And now, with more than 10 years of farming under their belts, the couple’s commitment to sustainability is evident in everything they do on the farm.
In the spring, crape myrtles add color with flowers. In the fall, they add color with brightly colored leaves. CAES News
Avoid 'crape murder,' prep your crape myrtles for success
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.