Southern Gardening

One of the biggest problems I see in many gardens and landscapes is planting trees incorrectly. This can lead to a lot of difficulties down the line, so here are some tips to help you enjoy that tree for years to come. Early spring sees a great selection of container-grown trees in the garden center. This is a good time to plant a tree as there’s enough time for the tree roots to become acclimated before the hot and humid summer weather settles in. First off, be sure to dig the hole at least twice as wide as the container.

March 13, 2016 Remember when you were a kid, and you used to hate to make your bed every day? In the gardening world, you only have to make your bed once every couple of years, and now is a good time to do it. Of course I’m referring to your landscape bed, and here are some “how-to” tips. Some gardeners like to put a layer of landscape fabric down first, just like a bed sheet. This can be useful for weed control. After the bed sheet, comes the bedspread, so for our purposes, we’re talking about the mulch. Mulches keep the soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

The cool season is the perfect time to enjoy the goodness of home grown greens. And you know what? Besides being good for you, they can look pretty darn good in the garden too. Southern Gardening has looked at the colorful ornamental kale in the landscape but I think some gardeners overlook the ornamental value of the traditional culinary varieties. This super food isn’t just flat green leaves anymore. Let’s take a look at some varieties I’m growing in my sub-irrigated EarthBox trial garden. As you can see, there’s quite a variety of color and texture. Here are a couple of my favorites.