Good overview of grasses. I need something for our wet, shady back and side yard. Centipede? Zoysia? St. Augustine? The latter does not like snow or chinch bugs, otherwise it sounds like the best candidate.
Category Archives: Yard
Speedygreen 2000
While the bermuda grass has come in better than ever (w/ something of a late start thanks to a winter weed problem), I’ve been battling outcroppings of crabgrass all summer by spraying with crabgrass killer. This results in yellow spots when the weather is dry. Crabgrass preventer in early spring is the only way to go.
Yesterday I put down 16 lbs of Vigaro Ultra Turf 29-3-4. It had a setting guide that included by Scott’s Speedygreen 2000. I set the little rotating control to 6.75. The bag was supposed to cover 5,000 sq feet. At 6.75, I seemed to have just enough.
Our front yard is a triangle with a whole (pine island) in the middle. I had Danny measure the 3 sides one time using a 100 foot power cord as his ruler. He did the math. I don’t remember what he came up with. Let’s call it 5,000 sq feet.
Shrub Pruning Calendar
Walter Reeves created this shrub calendar. Shrubs that flower should either be pruned in winter (Butterfly bush) or just after flowering (Azaleas / Climbing Rose) depending on the source of flowers being new growth or last year’s growth.
Good thing Kathy knows what we have out there.
First Hummingbird of the Season
Kathy was wondering where the Hummingbird’s were earlier in the week. The first one showed up today sipping from Kathy’s new feeder. Last year I took some photos in August, so maybe July is the time they show up.
Shade Garden
A database of shade tolerant plants. Copy/paste plant names into Google to find out more about each one. Atlanta is Zone 7b.
Why You Don’t Want Bullfrogs
Carol claims Bullfrogs do not eat fish. If you’ve seen the Discover Channel special on Bullfrogs you find out they eat just about anything and everything. Like a snake, they can stretch to eat things as big as themselves!
I’ve included a link to the full article at the end of this excerpt. The 3 mile thing makes me worried our bullfrog may come back.
Why you don’t want a bullfrog in your pond
1. Bullfrogs eat desired wildlife like birds, small
mammals, dragonflies, butterflies, native
frogs, fish and turtles.
2. Bullfrogs reproduce prolifically. One egg mass
will typically contain thousands of eggs.
Bullfrogs spread to neighboring wetlands
and gardens. The thousands of eggs hatch
into thousands of tadpoles, and the tadpoles
transform into thousands of juvenile bullfrogs,
which may disperse as soon as the rainy
season starts. Some of these frogs travel
over 3 miles in search of a new home.
3. Bullfrogs, unlike native leopard frogs, have a
loud call that may disturb you or your
neighbors at night.
Full article w/ photos: Pond Pests.pdf
Purple Knockout Lyreleaf Sage
Walter Reeve’s “cool plant of the week,” Purple Knockout is a native (U.S.?) plant recommended over Ajuga.
White By The Gate
Recommended on Walter Reeve’s show: White By The Gate (Japonica) Cameillia.
gahummer.org
No, it is not Humvees in Georgia, but Hummingbirds in Georgia.
At the bottom of the home page are some amazing photos of a hummingbird nest and baby humming birds. There are also photos of rare “white” hummingbirds (which have black eyes and are not to be confused with albinos.)
Chainsaw Blues
I spotted three trees this spring that would need to come down, so I researched chainsaw options and found a big fan base for the Husqvarna brand (a.k.a. Husky.) I decided an 18″ saw was as big as I wanted to go. I bought the Husqvarna 350 on March 29th from Lowe’s. It proceeded to rain for 40 days and 40 nights (and then some.) I finally mixed up some gas and tried firing up the chainsaw in early July. Wouldn’t start. I decided perhaps the gas was too old, so this weekend I bought new gas, mixed it up and tried again. 100 pulls later I was frustrated and found on the internet that others had bought this model from Lowe’s and had starting problems. So I took the saw back to exchange it.
I ran into a 60 day exchange policy that I did not know about. “Sorry sir, it is policy, and there is nothing I can do,” the exchange lady said, explaining they could only arrange to have it sent out for repair. “But it has never even started. I just tried using it for the first time.” She held firm to “policy.” This is also known as “we don’t care what your story is mister.”
I was already mad and the policy just upset me more. “I’m not buying anything from Lowe’s again.” I declared. (As if she cared.) I was already composing the letter’s to the CEOs of Husqvarna and Lowe’s in my head on the way home, pointing out the effect my internet letters can have on a company like Kodak. I also had already decided Kathy and I would move into a condo where we didn’t have to worry about trees, gutters, or drainage ditches.
When I got home, I took the chainsaw apart to see if there was anything wrong with the switch. The entire time I was trying to start the saw, I felt like the spark plug was getting no power. The on/off switch and choke looked fine. I took off the spark plug boot and looked up inside. There was the problem. The contact spring in the boot was too far up in the boot, and was not making contact with the plug. I put the boot back on, twisting to make sure the spring made contact. Started right up!
It was late in the day, but had to use my newly working Husky. I had felled a sweet gum the weekend before using a bow saw. It had been a tricky fall, so I wanted to cut as high up as possible. Cutting with a bow saw gives you a lot more control and is a lot safer on a high ladder. The tree was lying in two pieces on the ground, and the Husky cut it up into logs like a hot knife through butter.
I felt much better about my purchase, but I’m still unhappy with Lowe’s. I’ll send a letter to the Husqvarna engineers to tell them about the spark plug boot problem. Maybe I’ll get a free coupon for oil.