The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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8 winter lawn care mistakes to avoid, according to experts Winter dormancy doesn’t mean neglecting your lawn. Many homeowners make critical mistakes, like failing to remove leaves or winterize their sprinklers, which can lead to spring damage, disease, and costly repairs. To help you avoid these pitfalls, LawnStarter consulted with lawn care experts who shared their professional insights on the most common winter mistakes. Knowing which of these eight winter lawn care mistakes to avoid will h...
Of course we have the huge holiday of Thanksgiving on November 27th. The grocery stores, department stores, the big box stores, will have much food and decorations to purchase for Thanksgiving. Fall leaves, corn, and pumpkins will adorn the shelves with much fanfare. Many will decorate their front doors, back doors, mailboxes and yards with Thanksgiving wreaths, ornaments and other stuff. But unfortunately, many seem to overlook that November celebrates another national holiday, Veterans Day,...
Rake it or leave it? Here's why you may just want to leave your leaves where they fall Homeowners generally assume that raking the leaves off their lawn is a necessary fall maintenance task — but is that actually true? Well … it depends. Raking leaves does offer a number of advantages, but HomeServe explains why not raking your leaves may actually be the better option in many cases. Reasons to Rake Your Leaves The most obvious reason to rake your leaves is that it makes your lawn look nic...
Gardening in Alabama in November: A Seasonal Guide to Success As autumn deepens and the air turns crisp, Alabama gardeners find themselves in a transitional phase. November is not a time to retreat indoors-it's a month rich with opportunity. With its humid subtropical climate, Alabama offers a unique gardening rhythm that allows for continued planting, strategic maintenance, and preparation for the colder months ahead. Whether you're tending vegetables, ornamentals, or fruit trees, November is...
With the leaves falling and dotting our yards with yellow, light tan, red and orange, this is a good indication that the season has changed from summer to fall. I can tell that we have had plenty of rain this summer because the leaves seem more brilliant than last year when we were in a drought. Since I have large oak trees which produce large leaves, I have placed them on top of my dining room table. These leaves stand out in contrast against a white table cloth. Then add pumpkins and...
As the heat of summer fades and the crispness of fall settles over Alabama, October marks a pivotal month for gardeners across the state. From the piney woods of St. Clair County to the fertile fields of the Black Belt, this is a season of transition-when warm-weather crops give way to cool-season vegetables, native perennials prepare for dormancy, and landowners turn their attention to soil health, wildlife habitat, and long-term stewardship. Whether you're managing a backyard plot, a...
September 2025 - As summer's grip begins to loosen and the air takes on a gentler edge, Alabama gardeners find themselves at a seasonal crossroads. September isn't just a transitional month-it's a second spring. With soil still warm, rainfall more frequent, and daylight hours gently waning, this is one of the most productive and rewarding times to dig in. Whether you're tending raised beds in the foothills of North Alabama, refreshing ornamental borders in Birmingham, or coaxing greens from...
With fall definitely in the air, it is time for football games, taking short trips to view the fall colorful leaves, and cooling off from the brutal heat from the summer. And whether you are an Auburn fan or an Alabama fan, Saturdays will be game day for the season. It is amazing how much of our scheduling in the South centers around football games. So for much of you, ROLL TIDE and WAR EAGLE. In assessing my garden outcomes, the extreme heat and lack of rain did a number on our flowers, trees,...
Alabama's humid subtropical climate means August is both a harvest month and a prep month for fall crops. With careful planning, gardeners can extend their growing season and keep beds productive. What to Plant in August August is ideal for planting heat-tolerant vegetables and starting cool-season crops: | Crop Type | Examples | | Warm-season veggies | Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, squash, beans | | Fall crops (seeds) | Kale, collards, mustard greens, lettuce, radishes, turnips, carrots |...
Introduction The heart of summer in Alabama is a season of both promise and challenge for vegetable gardeners. July's sun blazes with an intensity that can turn lush green into parched brown in days, yet beneath the heat are opportunities for growth, harvest, and the start of new crops that will feed you well into autumn. Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just beginning to experiment with your patch of Southern soil, July offers unique lessons and rewards for those who embrace the rhythm...
With flags flying, festive bunting hanging, and balloons floating, all of this red, white, and blue screams the Fourth of July. And next year we will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the birth of our nation. So we can start this year and cheer for our country's birthday for a whole year. In honor of this celebration, I have a pot garden in my backyard with red, white and blue flowers. Several of the pots have bright red geraniums, others with blue salvia, and white vinca. Now that all of...
In June, does everyone know that we have 2 State holidays: Monday, June 2-Jefferson Davis' birthday and Thursday, June 19-Juneteenth. I always say that the more holidays there are, the more time for getting out in our gardens. June is a busy month for the gardener. We need to pull out the spent pansies and dianthus, cut back the spring bulb leaves that you have allowed to die back, weed, purchase the new annuals or perennials to fill in the vacant areas and add more soil to the beds. If you did...
May is the month we associate with the holiday, Memorial Day, honoring all who died serving in the Armed Services during U.S. wars, beginning with the Civil War. In 1971, Congress passed into law the Uniform Monday Holiday Act establishing that Memorial Day be commemorated on the last Monday of May of each year. And the red poppy is the flower associated with this holiday. After Flanders Field in Belgium was rutted for years with the tracks of heavy armored tanks and vehicles, red poppies...
Sure, tending to plants and flowers brings pleasant fragrances, vibrant colors, and a little buzz for the birds and bees, but the real groundbreaking magic happens beneath the surface. A garden does more than brighten up an outdoor space—it can transform your health in ways you might not expect. Does gardening count as exercise? Are there any mental health benefits to growing your own plants? Yes to both. From lowering stress to supporting weight management, gardening offers lots of powerful m...
Did you know that the term of one having a "green thumb" has been declared a type of intelligence. A Harvard professor who studied educational psychology in college, Howard Gardner, declared this fact in his "Theory of Multiple Intelligences." He found areas of the brain which 'light up" when certain abilities are activated. We have known people with abilities in the areas of music, mathematics, and languages. He calls this green thumb knowledge "naturalist " intelligence. These are the people w...
As we have always heard, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb and it is also known as the windy month. This is also the month of St. Patrick’s Day, celebrated on Monday March 17th. Who was St. Patrick? He was a much loved fifth century Roman British Christian missionary and Bishop of Ireland who later became the Patron Saint of Ireland. He was supposedly the one who banished all snakes from Ireland, and even today, there are no snakes in Ireland. Later this holiday evolved into a...
In order to reproduce, most flowering plants rely on animals to move their pollen. In turn, pollinators rely on flowers for food, including both nectar and pollen. If you're a gardener, you might want to support this partnership by planting flowers. But if you live in an area without a lot of green space, you might wonder whether it's worth the effort. Writing for The Conversation, Laura Russo, a University of Tennessee assistant professor who studies bees and other pollinators, shares her new...
National Arbor Day will be celebrated on April 25th, 2025, this year. And Alabama's first Arbor Day Proclamation was signed in 1887 by Governor Thomas Seay. However, in 1975 the Alabama Forestry Commission and other state organizations collaborated with the Alabama State Legislature to designate the last full week in February as Alabama's Arbor Week. As such, many cities throughout the state are offering free tree seedling giveaways this month to encourage the planting of trees throughout Sweet...
October, the month of falling leaves and cooler temperatures. Riding through the countryside, leaves are displaying beautiful colors ranging from reds, oranges, yellows, dark plum and gold. Many people take fall trips to different parts of the country to view the fall leaves. Some favorite tours include the states of Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York,Connecticut and Virginia. In the musical, The Sound Of Music, there is the song which mentions "the hills are alive with the sound of...
This summer's heat was simply brutal for any type of gardening. Hopefully we have turned the corner and the temperatures will cool down. Of course cooling would mean no higher than 90 degrees. September brings Labor Day and the commencement of football season. which most people in the south have a passion for. Whether it is Alabama, Auburn, Alabama State, Troy or Huntingdon College, let's cheer our favorite teams on to victory. There is one job that is a constant for gardening, and that is weed...
As they say, the month of August is the dog days of summer because it is so hot and humid. For that matter, this whole summer could be termed the dog days of summer. One thing I have noticed in all this heat and humidity has been the absence of bud worms on my many geraniums. Every summer from about the end of June until fall, I have to dust my geraniums with Dipel and reapply when I water or it rains. No need for Dipel so far this year. There are several garden tasks which need to be completed...
With the Fourth of July approaching, everyone is thinking red, white and blue. If you have a pot garden, you can switch out some of the pots with RED, WHITE AND BLUE at the speed of a blink of an eye. Buy white vinca, red begonias, and blue salvia (or whatever you can find in this color scheme) and plunge them into some existing or new pots to highlight the patriotic season. Every year I bake a sheet cake and ice it with white icing. Then with red strawberries for the stripes, and blueberries...
The old adage, "April showers bring May flowers" will hopefully hold true for May 2023. And with these showers come many weeds. Before getting down to the business of actually planting, preparing the beds is a must. And this includes weeding, adding any soil or organic material, and applying fertilizer. Over the years, many newer gardeners have asked how much water do flowers and shrubs require. Of course, some plants need more water than others. As a rule of thumb, a woody stemmed flower...
They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. I have also heard that March is a great time to fly a kite. And we have all heard about "beware the Ides of March". However, March to gardeners could be termed the turnaround month, between winter and spring. The weather in the River Region is usually mild, with cooler nights and warm days which indicates the perfect time to start seeds, plant cool weather flowers and bulbs. Before we just jump out in our gardens with a random...
February is the iconic month for Valentine's Day. And who does not like receiving happy cards, chocolate candy, and flowers. Even if your New Year's Resolution includes fasting from candy, I declared that Valentine's Day can be an exception. Just do not go overboard. As Ben Franklin admonished, "everything in moderation". But how many people realize we also have a Federal and State holiday, President's Day, which falls on February 19th. President Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers...
