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Published on 08/30/07

South Georgia bananas, mushrooms top 'Gardening'

By Faith Peppers
University of Georgia

Learn all about texture in landscape designs, the mysteries of mushrooms and the chances of growing bananas in Georgia on "Gardening in Georgia" Sept. 13 and 15.

"Gardening in Georgia" airs on Georgia Public Broadcasting stations across Georgia each Thursday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Go along with show host Walter Reeves as he visits The Cloister's landscape designer Bryce Frazier. She takes Reeves through the Sea Island resort's expansive gardens, shows how to landscape around a large water feature and explains how she chooses plants for texture.

Uncover the secrets to mushrooms as Reeves, a retired UGA Cooperative Extension agent and Georgia gardening expert, talks to Mary Woehrel at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens about the fascinating fungi.

Could Georgia one day boast a banana crop? Growing them in south Georgia is a real possibility. UGA Extension economist Greg Fonsah has a small plantation in Savannah. He and Reeves explore the varieties he's evaluating for cold-hardiness. Could "Rhino Horn" and "Cuban Red" become household names for bananas?

"Gardening in Georgia" is coproduced by GPB and the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Each show is geared to Georgia soils, climate and growing conditions.

The 2007 season is made possible through an underwriting gift from McCorkle Nurseries and support from the Metro Atlanta Landscape and Turf Association. For more on "Gardening in Georgia," visit www.gardeningingeorgia.com.

Faith Peppers is the director of public affairs with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Walter F. Reeves
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