ArcaMax

There will be a cloud hanging over the Supertunia Mini Vista Petunia group next year, but I promise you will jump for joy.

It will be even more cloudy if you plant the new Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Cloud petunia in hanging baskets. But those of us provided with the opportunity to trial them this year are finding they are perfect for window ...Read more

Q: I have several red twig dogwoods that look beautiful each spring. By midsummer, they continue to grow new sprouts and otherwise appear healthy, but many of the leaves get spotty, turn yellow and fall off. Is this a fungus? Can it be cured?

A: It probably is a fungus, because shrub dogwoods are affected by many fungal diseases. Most of the ...Read more

The campfire has certainly gone through some beautiful transformation in the past three years. First there was Campfire Marshmallow in 2024 and next year it will be even hotter with Campfire Red Ember. Yes, I am talking about plants and particularly the genus Bidens.

Despite what seems to be a gazillion species of Bidens, you probably don’t ...Read more

Q: We attended a garden walk that included one landscape with a water garden pond. We are interested in putting one in our yard but don't know the best location. What should we consider when placing the pond so we can most enjoy the fish and water?

A: You want to be able to see the fish and hear the waterfall so, as in many things in life, ...Read more

Southern Blaze Bright Pink phlox is coming next year and with it brings a "Touch of Texas." It will do its part to make sure your neighbors don’t "out phlox" you when it comes to garden flowers. It is indeed a phlox that you will immediately feel is special, even refreshing with a touch of nostalgia.

There is nothing more nostalgia than being...Read more

Q: I am trying to grow two gardenia plants in pots in the house. The buds and leaves are turning black. Can you help?

A: Gardenias have a wonderful fragrance and are worth having if you have the right conditions. They really need to stay warm, and at the same time, they need damp but not waterlogged soil. If you just bought them, did you place ...Read more

Q: My sumac (staghorn) is now sprouting many "little sumacs" everywhere. I have been trying to pull them up (seldom being able to get the root), but they are popping up faster than I can pull them. I guess the term is called colonizing! Can anything be sprayed on the babies that will kill only them? I'm afraid that chemicals would travel to the ...Read more

It is a prolific bloomer, in the sun or shade and it artistically cascades or tumbles over the rim of hanging baskets and containers. It is the new Surefire Cascade Red begonia, which is making its debut in 2026.

I love it when July arrives, giving me the opportunity to share with you new flowers that we see both in industry and our own ...Read more

ATLANTA — NBC Universal has been supportive of metro Atlanta as a home to shoot TV series for Peacock and NBC.

Unfortunately, metro Atlanta has not been the network’s lucky charm lately when it comes to successful programming.

Four have been canceled this year alone.

On Friday, trade publications reported that NBC’s “Grosse Pointe ...Read more

The Garden Guy had the opportunity to trial the Virtuoso dahlias last year and I started off muttering, "This shouldn’t take long." The thought of a hot Georgia summer and dahlias sounded like a horticultural train wreck. But when the first Virtuoso Pinkerific bloom opened, I thought "OMG, I am a dahlia grower!"

Sometime in July I was head ...Read more

Q: I am in the process of having a home built. The builder will be supplying grass, a street tree and some shrubs across the front of the house. I can pick the shrubs from a list. I am not a gardener and don't have any interest in working in the landscape. There is a group of homeowners in the subdivision that have hired a lawn care company to ...Read more

Five years ago, I started growing and writing about Rainbow Rhythm daylilies from my landscape perspective in Muscogee County, Georgia. That first year I reached out to Jenny Simpson, who along with husband Jerry, owns Creekside Nursery in Dallas, North Carolina. At the time I told everyone to follow them on Facebook, and that recommendation is ...Read more

Q: Last year, the cactus plants in our neighbor's yard developed a disease where white stuff that looked like snow was coming out of the spine pores, and the main branches were turning yellow. Now, one of our main focal point cactus plants is beginning to look like it has the same disease. What do we do?

A: Cacti get many of the same insects ...Read more

Hallelujah, it's hydrangea season! Actually, hydrangea season comes early in the Deep South and even more so if you are growing Let’s Dance Sky View hydrangea. This will be my third year, and the first week of May always brings a bubbling of blooms.

To me this explosion of blooms with the onset of spring makes it the most precocious variety ...Read more

Q: My lawn is being overtaken by wild strawberry, which is spreading. The only thing that I have been told to do is to wait until it rains and pull the plants out by hand. Do you have any other organic suggestions to get rid of these plants? I am open to herbicides if that is what it takes.

Q: We have quack grass in our lawn, and it seems to be...Read more

Wondering if this begonia can provide you color for the entire garden season? Well, you are Surefire shootin' straight. The commercial landscape industry is showing the Southeast that this is one tough flower for home or business and the award-winning Surefire series is leading the way.

There are four colors in the series: Surefire Red, Rose, ...Read more

Q: We have several tall perennials that flop over when they go into bloom. When we try to straighten up the iris, peony and delphinium plants, they crack and break. How can we keep them growing straight up without having a whole bunch of poles sticking up in the yard?

A: Check with your local garden center for a horizontal fence, sometimes ...Read more

Never has a point been made so clear: Yes, a cascading plant is perfect for a hanging basket. The plant of which I am speaking is the Fairytrail Bride Cascade Hydrangea. The social media world that revolves around gardening has been like wildfire as everybody has been posting photos of baskets with Fairytrail Bride Cascade Hydrangeas.

In a way...Read more

Sycamore and Pin Oak Tree Problems

Q: We have a sycamore tree that is having a problem leafing out this spring. What can we do to help keep it healthy?

A: Sycamores are found nationwide, and in some areas there has been a prolonged cool, wet spring. Once it finally warms up, they will be able to grow some healthy leaves.

Sycamores sometimes ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Dan Bifano is in a hurry, but it's in his nature to be gracious, so he keeps his countenance serene even though gnarly traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway has made his visitors very late.

"I was afraid I would be late too," he confides, glancing at his watch, "because I had to make a quick stop at Lady Gaga's."

The comment is ...Read more