News Filed Under Lawn and Garden
I am always looking for unique plants that brighten the landscape. Scaevola , commonly known as fan flower, is one of those plants. Native to Australia and the Pacific Islands, these plants are popular for their distinctive, fan-shaped flowers, versatile growth habit and robust nature.
I have enjoyed Echinacea coneflowers in my landscape for many years, and I find that these striking perennials bring a burst of vivid color to gardens. While recently visiting the home of Dave Overturf and Ginger Wentz in Long Beach, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful Echinacea coneflowers they have in their landscape.
Hydrangeas are one of my favorite plants to use in areas of my landscape that get part shade and full shade. This year, my hydrangeas have really put on a show with their colorful blooms.
One of the most popular and widely grown species, the bigleaf hydrangea, has always fascinated me with its ability to change color based on the soil pH and aluminum availability.
Mississippi’s ideal growing season means gardens can yield a lot of produce, but this usually comes with the help of pesticides to combat insects and diseases.
It is vital that home gardeners know how much time must elapse between application of the product and when the food is harvested, a time frame known as the pre-harvest interval, or PHI.
RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi State University Extension Service plant pathologist Rebecca Melanson was recently recognized for her work to further the development and implementation of integrated pest management in the cucurbit industry. The Emerging Viruses in Cucurbits Working Group, or EVCWG, received the 2024 Friends of IPM Pulling Together Award. Melanson and Bill Wintermantel, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, co-chair the group that was established in 2022.
One of my favorite gardening experiences is seeing plants spontaneously appear in various spots in my home garden and landscape.
I love these plant volunteers, and I let them flourish in unexpected places around my garden. Their surprise appearances make the garden feel alive and ever-changing.
Young people had the unique opportunity to learn interesting things about the soil, plants that grow in it and animals that feed on top of it at a recent field day.
I am a big fan of incorporating unique native plants into the landscape due to their ecological, aesthetic and practical advantages. Native plants are exceptionally well-suited to the local soil, climate and environmental conditions, making them more resilient and easier to maintain than non-native species.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Private pesticide applicators will have new training requirements beginning July 1. The Mississippi Pesticide Safety Education Program has updated its online and face-to-face certification programs to meet this demand.
The new mandated training and competency requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are for applicators who use restricted use pesticides on farmland and need to renew or obtain certification.
Blueberry leaf rust has been identified on blueberries in Perry County, and everyone in the state with blueberries is cautioned to be on the lookout for this disease.
Alan Henn, plant pathologist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said leaf rust is not a common disease of blueberries in Mississippi, but it has been identified occasionally in several Mississippi counties during the last 10 years.
My friends, Ben and Kelly Boerner, have a charming home and gardens nestled in the picturesque countryside of Carriere, Mississippi. When I visited them, I found myself immersed in the beauty of their meticulously curated landscape, which features eye-catching wildflowers.
Clematis vines are some of my favorite climbers, renowned for their prolific and strikingly colorful blooms that can transform vertical spaces into breathtaking floral displays. I saw some beautiful varieties flourishing in my friend Kay Cline’s gardens when I visited her in Picayune, Mississippi.
rofessionals involved in the turfgrass industry can register now for a September field day that will showcase Mississippi State University turfgrass research and Extension expertise. The 2024 Turfgrass Research Field Day will be Sept. 19 from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. at the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Facility in Starkville.
This tree is quite a unique specimen. Its qualities – name, oil, habitat, and how it reproduces – make sassafras a tree to marvel at.
Daylilies are one of my favorite plants. I have more than 200 daylilies growing in my gardens, and I continue to plant more each year. The only thing I don’t like about daylilies is that each individual flower lasts only for a day --hence the name “daylily.”
Do you enjoy having cut flowers around the house? With the right preparation and some gardening labor, you can harvest your own blossoms just outside the back door.
Mabel Murphree’s Tupelo garden has an impressive variety of plants, but what really caught my attention when I visited were her purple blooms.
Amid the bustle of everyday life in Tupelo, Mississippi lies a hidden gem -- Dale Smith’s backyard woodland garden. I recently had the pleasure of touring this garden where beautiful plants thrive around every corner.
Home canning is an economical way to preserve the bounty of your garden. This Q&A may answer some questions for you, whether you’re new to canning or you’ve been canning for years.