‘South Pacific Sipper’ might best be described as a fancy hibiscus, and indeed it is. It is also one born to grow and produces flowers so large they defy logic. They are somewhat ruffled and though called “double,” they open up in a most exotic fashion. Though it sounds crazy, it is one of those plants that will have you taking photos of it every day because you think today’s blooms are even prettier than the blooms from the day before.

More than 50 students of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) completed an undergraduate research project and competed in the seventh annual CAES Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 12. Faculty members, in disciplines ranging from food science to plant breeding, served as their mentors.

Picture someone working in agriculture or the natural resource sciences. Chances are the picture in your head may be a little outdated. Today, more than 60 percent of the students of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) are female and about 20 percent identify as racial minorities.

Proper management of a pine stand requires thinning in order to prevent disease and insect infestation and to maximize profit. Thinning is the process of cutting or removing certain trees from a stand to regulate the number, quality and distribution of the remaining trees.

According to the latest IRS data, nearly eight out of every 10 Americans will receive a tax refund. If you get a return, be sure to use your return wisely so that your money continues to work for you. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension experts suggest using these smart strategies to help you maximize your refund.

Growers who are anxious to buy large quantities of the newest pecan cultivar, ‘Avalon,’ will likely be disappointed as supplies are low, according to University of Georgia pecan breeder Patrick Conner. The new UGA-bred cultivar will be released this spring.

A University of Georgia student’s survey of the cotton industry found that the crop, once “king” in Georgia, can compete with synthetic fibers and will continue to be economically and environmentally feasible into the future.

There have been weeks of tantalizing fragrance in the past few months that few children or families have experienced. This champion of aroma I am referring to is the banana shrub. The banana shrub is an heirloom from the 1700s. It produces blossoms for months of sweet, fresh bananas with a scent so intense, you’ll wish you could bottle it up so it could compete with the French perfumes, or put it in a shake and drink it. It is one of the more amazing scents in the plant world.

Georgians have gotten through another late winter freeze. Now it’s time to figure out which plants were damaged in the home landscape.