Talmadge “Tal” Clifton DuVall, a celebrated public leader, businessman and military veteran who served more than 30 years in the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, died on Aug. 21 after a brief illness. He was 84.

To successfully establish a new tall fescue lawn or interseed an existing lawn, consider the following techniques and practices from University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

Fall is perfect for playing football, picking pumpkins and killing fire ants. Tackling the stinging pests now will cut down on the number you encounter next spring and summer, according to entomologists with the University of Georgia.

Everyone loves to have good shade trees in their yard, but once summer is over, most people despise dealing with fallen leaves. There is an option that avoids having to rake leaves altogether: Let your mower do the work.

Late summer is an excellent time to plan landscape renovations. If you establish plans now, then you will be ready to take advantage of fall, the best time to plant. Many Georgia Master Gardener Extension Volunteer Program groups across the state hold fall plant sales now. Before you hit your first sale, there are a few things to consider.

During the summer, we think of flowers like petunias as those fragrant, spilling or tumbling flowers cascading over the rims of baskets and mixed containers. That same show of incredible color coupled with tantalizing fragrance can be achieved during the cool season with pansies like those of the Cool Wave series.

While walking around the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden at the Historic Bamboo Farm in Savannah, Georgia, I was caught up in the beauty of grass that was so picturesque when it was backlit by the sun. It was a muhly grass, but not the pink, cotton-candy-looking kind admired in the fall. This was bamboo muhly native to Arizona. Plants native to Arizona aren’t often considered as adaptable to the hot, humid Southeast, but bamboo muhly is like having a piece of fine art in the garden.

To maintain a healthy compost pile, you need to maintain the proper moisture level. Compost organisms are like people — both need water to survive and function at their best. Inadequate water will inhibit the activities of compost organisms, resulting in a slower compost process. A high temperature is also desirable in a backyard compost pile, as it accelerates decomposition.

On Sept. 22, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) will induct former Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Wayne Shackelford and pioneering poultryman Bill Baisley into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame.