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Over the past couple of years, I’ve found myself joining home gardeners everywhere in planting more plants to attract pollinators.

In fact, along with being a stop on the Rosalyn Carter Butterfly Trail, my home landscape is also registered with the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge, which has the goal of registering 1 million pollinator gardens. If you’d like to register your garden, go to http://millionpollinatorgardens.org for more information.

About two dozen upright flowers are in front of sea of red flowers out of focus in the background.
A bluish-purple flower balances on a long stem in front of other plants.

VERONA, Miss. – Before loblolly pines became the premier pine species in the United States, Mississippi native shortleaf pines offered some outstanding traits that are still valuable today.

A stand of tall pine trees with significant amounts of green brush, grass and small trees growing beneath them.

I spent a lot of time working in my yard during April. I planted several pots, pruned my shrubs, and put down a fresh layer of mulch. It would be easy to sit back and admire my hard work, but with the warmer weather coming in, there’s still so much to do! 

A group of tomato plants tied around a wooden stake in black plastic containers sitting on a shelf.
May is the ideal time to set out tomatoes and other summer vegetables in your garden. (Photo by Michaela Parker)

Last week, I really enjoyed sharing the story of the Peggy Martin rose and showing off this marvelous rose growing in my home landscape. I think Southern Gardening Nation liked the Peggy Martin story, as well, based on the positive response from the various social media outlets.

So I'm staying on the same plant theme this week to discuss garden roses that can bring enjoyment to the home gardener.

A single rose in peach tones blooms against a blurry green background.
A single rose bloom is hot pink streaked with white and rises on its stem above green leaves.
Dozens of red blooms cover the surface of a green-leaved shrub.

HAMILTON, Miss. -- Determining the extent of tornado damage to farms in Monroe County will take weeks, but video shot from flying drones will speed up the process.

Mississippi State University Extension Service personnel have been assisting in relief efforts since the morning after an EF-2 tornado on April 13 damaged more than 140 homes in Hamilton, claiming one life and injuring 19 others.

Man wearing a reflective safety vest looks at a white drone he is holding at shoulder height. A toppled pine tree and empty agricultural field are in the background.
A damaged red pickup truck is visible in the middle of a collapsed metal barn.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi is one of just two states east of the Mississippi River not infested with emerald ash borers, and landscapes need everyone’s help to keep it that way.

Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension Service entomologist, said the emerald ash borer -- or EAB -- is an invasive, nonnative pest that has killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the eastern U.S. Fairly expensive, annual treatments can protect high-value landscape trees, but they have to be applied preventatively.

A man wearing a hat holds a pocketknife in his hand as he looks closely at a tree trunk.
An arm holds a leafy green branch against the gray trunk of a tree growing next to a road.

Times are tough for pine tree producers. Sawtimber prices have declined sharply over the past decade, while supplies have steadily increased -- an unfortunate scenario that has left many landowners looking for alternative sources of income.

A man in a reflective vest leans over holding a bale of pine straw in one hand while using the other hand to spread pine straw on the ground.

Horsemanship clinics, camps and competitions are uniting young horse enthusiasts with mature, experienced riders across the state as interest booms in the sometimes athletic and always fun equine activities.

Five people stand around a brown horse in a dirt paddock. One person has her hands on the horse as she listens to its side with a stethoscope. Two women are holding notepads and listening.
A woman bends down near a horse’s side while a second woman stands beside her and watches while they are in a sunny arena setting.

Near a bridge that connects Issaquena and Sharkey counties, Waye Windham leaned toward the side of his boat and dipped a paddle down into flood water to gauge its depth.

The water was too deep for the paddle to reach the ground. Riding with Windham was Lacey Little, who tried a much longer wooden post.

A man in work clothes, baseball cap and wading boots stands in water outside his boat holding a paddle.
Flood waters surround the bottom third of a mobile home with trees in the background.

I'm sticking with the butterfly garden theme again this week as I tell you about another must-have plant that I'm positive will not disappoint. Pentas are some of the best annual, summer-color plants, and they act like a magnet for butterflies and hummingbirds because the flowers are a rich source of nectar.

A tiger swallowtail butterfly rests on a cluster of pink blooms rising above green leaves.
Scores of star-shaped, pink flowers bloom in clusters above green leaves.

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