News Stories - Page 665

Hummingbirds overwinter in Central and South America. Our ruby-throated hummingbirds return to most parts of Georgia in March (in Atlanta, around March 20). So that's the time to dust off the feeders.

Weedy vines in the landscape can cause mayhem for even the most proficient gardeners. Among the worst are greenbrier, honeysuckle, Virginia creeper and poison ivy.

Every spring, homeowners start paying more attention to their lawns. And when it comes to preventing turf diseases, University of Georgia experts say it's better not to go overboard in caring for your grass.

If the prospect of free mulch interests you, look no farther than your own backyard. Herbicide-free grass clippings, leaves and pine needles are an excellent source of mulch.

Improperly applied gardening chemicals may run off landscapes and pollute water. In some cases, gardening runoff has killed fish.

One Sunday afternoon, a "Discovery Channel" program about dangerous insects had a segment on imported fire ants. My daughter, still scratching from the fire ant stings she'd gotten a few days earlier, was very interested.

Since 1994, the Georgia Plant Selections Committee has been helping Georgia gardeners improve their landscapes with beautiful, proven plants.

The two basic types of equipment used to apply granular fertilizers or pesticides to lawns are drop and rotary spreaders. Rotary spreaders are typically preferred to cover larger areas.

From hard-core gardeners to novices, most people know you have to fertilize your plants to get the results you want. But reading a fertilizer bag can be intimidating if you don't understand what you're reading.

It takes a lot of water to keep large beds of flowers looking their best. To save water, think about planting annuals in a few containers instead of in the ground. Done well and properly placed, containerized color can make just as big a splash as large, in-ground beds and require much less water.