Lawn and Garden

Mississippi’s bountiful sunshine, rain, and quality soils make the Magnolia State a wonderful place to grow all kinds of flowers, trees, fruits, and vegetables. Don’t have a green thumb? Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Need to get a soil test? The MSU Extension Service has experts on all kinds of garden-related topics and issues, from plant disease and weed specialists to county agents who know what thrives in their local areas. Get tips on gardening through the seasons, how to avoid “crape murder,” and more!

Publications

Publication Number: P1858

Insect Control of Commercial Turf

Publication Number: P2530

Mosquitoes, West Nile, and Other Encephalitis Viruses: What You Can Do To Protect Yourself

Publication Number: F1178

Soybean Cyst Nematode Sample Submission Form

Publication Number: P2938

Crape Myrtle Bark Scale Identification and Control

Publication Number: P3314

Notes for Agents and Volunteers Leading Sweet Mississippi - Floral Design Workshops

A wetlands area is full of gray trunks of trees with filtered light shining through green leaves.

Native tupelo tree has great attributes

February 11, 2019 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

This week, we continue our look at the 2019 Mississippi Medallion plants with a fantastic Mississippi tree, the tupelo. Tupelo is known botanically as Nyssa sylvatica and is commonly called black tupelo or black gum.

A tan-colored cardboard egg carton partially filled with potting soil on top of a floral tablecloth.

Start Seeds Indoors Using Egg Cartons

February 11, 2019 - Filed Under: Lawn and Garden, Flower Gardens, Vegetable Gardens

Gardening can feel like a very expensive activity sometimes, but starting seeds for spring planting doesn’t have to be. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

A man in a blue shirt adds a packet of flower food to a clear glass quart jar. White flowers lay beside the jar on a cloth-covered table.

Does Flower Preservative Really Work?

February 8, 2019 - Filed Under: Cut Flowers and Houseplants, Flower Gardens

Have you ever bought a bouquet of flowers that includes a little packet of powder to add to the vase? Many people just toss it in the trash with the wrapping and stem ends, not knowing just how important that little packet is! (Photo by Zac Ashmore/Cindy Callahan)

Green leaves cover branches that end in pink crape myrtle blossoms.

How to Prune a Crape Myrtle

February 5, 2019 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens, Landscape Architecture, Trees

Southern landscapes are filled with crape myrtles of all sizes and colors because they are easy to grow and provide beauty for several months. However, they do need a little TLC this time of year. (Photo by Gary Bachman)

Large clusters of red flowers rise above bronze-colored leaves in a pot placed on a wooden deck with a wooden fence behind.

Whopper Begonias deserve a place in Miss. landscapes

February 4, 2019 - Filed Under: Flower Gardens

We survived the latest polar vortex, and I join other Mississippi gardeners in being thankful that we didn’t get the really extreme cold our friends up North experienced. But still, it was cold enough for me and my garden.

A white-haired male wearing a denim shirt and jeans stands beside a tree and smiles.

An Engineer’s Perspective

Lawn and Garden, Trees, Natural Resources, Forestry, Forest Economics, Timber Prices, Forest Management, Agroforestry, Timber Harvest
Volume 4 Number 3

During his tenure as an engineer at Boeing, Ottis Bullock helped build machines that went into the air and to the moon, but he always had an interest in the trees that grew from the ground where he came of age.

Festival of Flowers

Lawn and Garden
Volume 4 Number 1

The 39th annual Fall Flower & Garden Fest was held in late October 2017 at the Truck Crops Experiment Station in Crystal Springs. Approximately 5,000 visitors came to the largest home gardening and horticulture show in the Southeast.

A child uses colorful LEGO bricks at a 4-H Robotics competition.

What's New in Extension

STEM – Science Technology Engineering and Math, Dairy, Pesticide Applicator Certification, City and County Government, Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers, Soil Testing, Natural Resources
Volume 3 Number 3

4-H Debuts New Curriculum · Extension Develops Workforce · La-Z-Boy Donates Fabric · Stars Focus On Sustainability · Extension Directs Herbicide Training · Youth Discover Dairy Science · Soil Lab Welcomes New Manager

Ruth’s Roots Rehabilitation

Community, Family Dynamics, Flower Gardens, Youth Gardening
Volume 3 Number 3

Before she became the Hancock County Youth Court judge, Elise Deano was a school teacher. She jokes that she became a lawyer because she taught school, but Deano wants to make sure young people get an opportunity to turn their lives around.