Published on 02/18/10

2010 edition of the annual Spring Garden Packet

By Stephanie Schupska

Welcome to the 35th annual Spring Garden Packet from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Written by CAES faculty, news editors and graduate and undergraduate students, these articles are provided to help you with timely, valuable gardening information for wherever you live in Georgia.

This year’s edition is split into sections. First, you’ll find articles on general gardening, followed by vegetables, organic gardening, gold medal winners and trees. Happy gardening!

General gardening
1. Spring maintenance in the landscape – Bob Westerfield
2. What's in, what's out for 2010 landscapes – Forrest Stegelin
3. Tips on gardening for Georgia newcomers – Andrea Gonzalez
4. Mulch plants, but not too much – Sharon Dowdy
5. Turn ‘trash’ into plant food and improve garden soil – April Sorrow
6. Propagate your landscape – Westerfield
7. Turf battles reduce pesticide use, pit wasps against crickets – Cheri Abraham
8. UGA offers free gardening publications online – Amanda Swennes

Vegetables
9. Avoiding common vegetable problems takes a little planning – Amanda Tedrow
10. Stop veggie diseases before they start – Brad Haire
11. Save green with bare-root vegetable transplants – George Boyhan

Organic gardening
12. Organic alternatives for soil care and fertilizers – Westerfield
13. Control insects organically – Westerfield
14. Organically control weeds, diseases – Westerfield

Gold medal winners
15. And the Georgia Gold Medal winners are… – Stephanie Schupska
16. Diamond Frost Euphorbia puts on snowy summer show – Gary Wade
17. Herbaceous perennial winner is a butterfly magnet – Wade
18. Evergreen groundcover a cheery garden edition – Wade
19. Hydrangea adds limelight to gardens – Wade
20. Giant tree adds impact to large landscapes – Wade

Trees
21. Risky trees should be removed – Kim Coder
22. Fox-fire makes forests glow – Coder

For more information on gardening in your county, call your UGA Cooperative Extension agent at 1-800-ASK-UGA or visit ugaextension.com.

Stephanie Schupska is the communications coordinator with the University of Georgia Honors College.

Authors:

Stephanie Schupska

Experts/Sources:

Paul A. Thomas

Kim D. Coder

Bob Westerfield

George E. Boyhan

Gary L. Wade

David B. Langston

Paul Pugliese

Butterfly Weed is a native herbaceous perennial that attracts butterflies like magnets with its florescent orange blooms.

Ogon Dawn Redwood has unique golden foliage that glows in the summer sun and is the perfect choice for pond edges, parks and large public spaces.

Fresh woodchips are mostly carbon and will steal nitrogen from the plant's soil in their urgency to begin composting.

With spring on its way, be sure all nuts, bolts and belts are tight and any blades on your mower and other equipment are sharp.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Download Image

A student harvests red clover at UGArden.

CAES News

UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani

The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.

Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

CAES News

Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera

Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.

CAES News

UGA Extension protects family farms and sensitive species 04/04/24 Emily Cabrera

Stanley Culpepper has dedicated the length of his career to supporting farmers in their mission to feed and clothe the world. For the past 25 years, Culpepper has been a weed science specialist for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and a College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty member. Recently his job has become increasingly complex as mounting challenges around the availability of pesticides — primarily herbicides — have taken center stage in agricultural production.

The Research Awards Program is sponsored by the University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF). Awards are given annually to honor outstanding faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and to recognize excellence in UGA research, scholarly creativity, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Award winners are selected by accomplished faculty peers who give their time and energy to help honor well-deserving researchers at UGA.

CAES News

UGA to recognize groundbreaking achievements at 2024 Research Awards 04/02/24

As the spring semester starts winding down, the University of Georgia’s annual Honors Week marks a time to celebrate exceptional performance in the classroom, in the service arena and in research, as faculty and graduate students are recognized for their contributions to scientific discovery. Celebrating its 45th year, UGA’s Research Awards banquet and ceremony, set for April 4, will pay tribute to those who have made groundbreaking strides in their respective fields through research, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

CAES News

UGArden herbal tea program launches sales in campus dining halls 03/21/24 Jordan Powers

The door to UGArden’s herb drying room leads to an olfactory explosion — sharp peppermint, earthy tulsi, sweet calendula and floral chamomile mix into an herbal perfume that would undoubtedly have tea drinkers reaching for their kettles. Now University of Georgia students will be able to get a taste of UGArden’s chamomile tea, along with a selection of the student community farm’s other herbal teas, with their campus meals as the UGArden medicinal herb program expands into UGA dining halls this spring.

A seldom recognized and underappreciated benefit of community clean-up programs is the permanent elimination of larval mosquito habitats. Some of the most common mosquito pests around the world develop in the containers, litter, debris and used tires that are commonly collected during a clean-up event.

CAES News

Community clean-ups are an important part of mosquito management 03/11/24 Elmer Gray

Spring is approaching and now is a great time to schedule a community clean-up event. These events can be organized by citizens, civic groups or local governments and often have a theme or targeted area in a town or community. Clean-up events provide many benefits to a community including raising the awareness of litter prevention, developing pride in our communities and restoring the natural environment.