ACES Education Information For the next few months, I am going to change direction somewhat in this newsletter and introduce you to the wide-ranging variety of topics that are available to you through the ACES (Alabama Cooperative Extension System) educational system. In past issues we have addressed some of these topics, i.e. mulching (March 2024),…
So, you have planned your garden or flower beds and you have ordered your seeds. Now we need to decide how do we want to mulch our plants, what do we want to use, and why do we want to mulch. In general, we want to mulch to keep down weeds, maintain a constant amount…
Soil Testing Probably the first thing you want to do is to have your soil tested to ensure you have the correct nutrients. The major issue here in Baldwin County is to make sure the soil pH is correct. This means that you will probably have to add lime to your beds. To soil test,…
As mentioned in our short article in this month’s newsletter there are some issues with growing tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) in our area. If your main goal is to help the monarch butterfly – then do not grow tropical milkweed! There are some caveats to this statement which I will mention below. The first thing…
Truly one of the most fascinating and unique plants in the plant world. It is deadly to some insect species and on the other hand absolutely necessary to other species of insects. Born on the wind with their feathered seeds they can spread for large distances. With its hundreds of different variants being found all…
Identify Me The following list is a list of several identification apps for plants, shrubs, diseases, insects. You can search for a plant based on its leaf, flower, or the entire plant. Pricing varies from totally free to $20/month. This list is not inclusive. You can also go to the web on your favorite browser…
Fall GardensThis will be somewhat different from other articles in that a major part of this month’s article is from an ACES (Alabama Cooperative Extension System) article with comments from me. The ACES article may be found here (Basics of Fall Vegetable Gardening). It is this article that I will base my comments on. Be…
Summer Wild Flower Gardens This article will certainly be longer than usual, and it will occasionally be modified over the summer. So, check back to see new pictures, primarily, and additional information. Any of the plants mentioned herein may be found as seeds and/or potted plants at most of the garden centers mentioned in a…
As mentioned in our newsletter for this month I will address the series of webinars entitled: Urban Green: Back 2 Basics Wednesdays Webinar Series. This series of webinars prepared by the Alabama Extension Home Grounds teams addresses basic gardening and landscaping training for individuals in limited spaces. This series of webinars has been in production…
As mentioned in the May QC Newsletter the Bougainvillea plant is quite easy to grow in our area. Let’s add a few more details on this beautiful plant. Winter care – I would suggest planting bougainvillea in a pot so you can move it inside during our winters. Generally, 40 degrees is the lowest recommended…