What began decades ago as an experiment in horticultural education is still going strong — and celebrating 50 years of public service. Offered through local Extension offices all across the country, the national Extension Master Gardener program brings together local gardeners with a passion for educating others and land-grant universities to help spread the most up-to-date research and information on gardening and horticulture.

With so many options available, it can be challenging to know what plants to add to your home garden that will look beautiful and help the environment. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the State Botanical Garden of Georgia are helping gardeners by selecting four Georgia Pollinator Plants of the Year.

It’s almost that time of year again: January is the month for seed catalogs galore. Seed catalogs are the embodiment of possibility, a chance for gardeners to envision the ever-elusive perfect garden. It is one of my favorite times in the garden year.

Gardening is often described as an art and a science. And while this suggests a degree of nuance to gardening, it is also quite true. Landscape design principles used to create an aesthetic garden space include color, form and balance, among others.

The Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia recently announced the 12 2022 Classic City Awards winners from 400 entries this year. Over the summer, the team monitored, maintained and judged the plants from 22 companies on a variety of factors that make them desirable.

The value of compost to a garden is probably not what most people think. Compost is not a substitute for fertilizer if you’re trying to grow crops that have a high nutrient demand. The real value of adding composted amendments to your garden is to loosen the soil and minimize compaction, improve the drainage and aeration of clay soils, and increase the nutrient-holding capacity of your soil.