May Gardening Tips 2022

In spite of a few chilly mornings last month, it was a delightful time to be in the garden! In my opinion, this beautiful spring is the reward we all get to enjoy for enduring the winter. For gardeners, there is a therapeutic benefit from digging in the dirt and then watching your efforts come to fruition, and spring is one of the best times to enjoy those efforts.

Now that the days are longer and warmer, it’s time to finalize any plans you’ve made for changes to your landscape. At this point, in our yard, we’ve completed construction of new beds, transplanting, and thinning plants, and installing most of our annuals. I’m still looking for a few specific items that I haven’t been able to locate at the nurseries yet, but I always enjoy spending time looking around and typically see something new to try. If you’re planting annuals, be aware of the amount of sun they will receive in the location you’ve chosen. If you are planting in sunny locations, try periwinkle, marigolds, zinnias, petunias, begonias, salvia and portulaca. Good perennials for sunny locations are verbena and lantana. Not only will they come back next year, but they also have the added benefit of being deer resistant. If you’re adding annuals to shady areas, you may want to try, impatiens, coleus, sweet alyssum, lobelia, and annual dianthus. Blooming this month are magnolias, buddleias, gardenias, abelia, some azaleas, especially Encore and the smaller gumpo variety, irises, alyssum, bleeding hearts, daisies, verbena, day lilies, ranunculus, sweet William, thrift, and vincas. Crepe myrtles will also begin to bloom in May.

If you are planning to include crepe myrtles in your landscape, it’s best to purchase them when they’re blooming in order to select the color you’re wanting. However, you should be aware that crepe myrtle bark scale made its way to Mississippi several years ago and can create a real maintenance issue. If you currently have infected crepe myrtles, it is time to treat them by applying a soil drench of an imidacloprid product. These products are sold under several names and are readily available at hardware and big box stores in our area. The best window for treatment and control is late April through May, but it can also be applied as late as July.

A common area of interest for many of us in May, is the trimming and fertilization of azaleas.  Azaleas should be fertilized after they’ve finished blooming using a fertilizer specifically formulated for them. This is also the time to prune azaleas, camelias, and gardenias. You want to make sure to trim these after their flowers drop but before they set new buds in June. To maintain a natural shape to azaleas, I always look for long leggy stems and trim them back inside the plant. They really should not be trimmed into hedges or a specific shape.

If you enjoy vegetable gardening, and haven’t already planted, there is still time for cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, squash, peas, beans, eggplant, corn, okra, watermelons, and cantaloupes. I’d like to remind you again, that MSU has an excellent publication filled with gardening information. It’s titled “Garden Tabloid” and is available online at msucares.com or at The Lafayette County Extension office. It is free and filled with information for both the novice and experienced gardener. We have been using grow boxes for several years now, and enjoy the easy preparation, minimal maintenance and bountiful produce! If you have limited space or mobility issues, these or raised beds may be a good option for you. I also want to remind you of a trick I enjoy when planting pots of flowers for summer color around our home. Containers are a great place to grow herbs, and most of them grow well in pots along with ornamental flowers. I especially like to include parsley in my plantings. They attract black swallowtail butterflies who will lay their eggs on the parsley. You’ll know when they’ve hatched because you will see lots of yellow, black and white striped caterpillars eating the parsley! The parsley plant will grow back nicely, and don’t be surprised if you see this process repeat. Last summer I had caterpillars hatch three times!

Happy Gardening!

Karen Travillo

Lafayette County Master Gardener

April Gardening Tips 2022

And just like that…things are greening up! I’m always in awe of the transformation that Spring brings to the landscape, and this year is no exception! In just a matter of days, our trees have begun leafing out, and although the last bought of sub-freezing temperatures nipped the buds on some of our flowering trees, the rest are putting on quite a show. I also have one variety of irises about to bloom, peonies that are covered with buds, and Fashion azaleas beginning to bloom. My long-suffering pansies, that were planted last fall, are also loving the warmth and are blooming profusely and providing early color in my beds.

Although a late spring freeze or frost is always a possibility in north Mississippi, April remains an ideal time to plant new shrubs, trees and bedding plants. Before adding new plantings, I always rake away last year’s mulch, before arranging and planting any new materials. New plants should not require fertilization when installing, but I do recommend drenching with root stimulator to help establish new shrubs. Simply follow the directions for the product you choose. This is also a good time to divide annuals like liriope, ajuga, Shasta daisies, and other annuals, and time to set out summer/fall blooming bulbs such as cannas, gladiolas, dahlias and callas. After I’ve put in new plants, I always generously sprinkle a weed inhibitor over the entire bed before mulching. It will not kill weeds that are already present, but it will inhibit the growth of new weeds. I also apply weed inhibitor to all my existing beds. If you are planting azaleas this year, it’s recommended to wait until they bloom to be sure of the color you’re choosing. Once they have finished blooming, it’s time to prune any spindly growth, and fertilize them. Choose a fertilizer specifically formulated for azaleas, and follow package directions. Azaleas will typically set new blooms in early summer, so trimming after that will be cutting away next year’s blooms. Many of you have asked me about trimming lantana. In the fall I lightly trim all of my lantana plants to a rounded mound and cut back long runners. I wait until April to finish trimming them for two reasons. First of all, they’re stems are hollow and cutting them back severely makes them more susceptible to freeze damage. The other reason is to protect the new growth until the deer have plenty of browse available in the woods and stop raiding my flower beds. I will begin trimming the back around the end of this month.

Lawns are also beginning to green up, and this is a good time to address fertilization. To know exactly the nutrients that your lawn needs, I highly recommend a soil test. These are available at the Lafayette County Extension office, are easy to use, and the analysis from MSU comes back quickly. The cost for the test is less than $10.00 and are available at the Lafayette County Extension Office located @ 70FD Buddy East Parkway. We have our lawncare company fertilizing and controlling weeds in our yard now, but when were doing it ourselves, I found that using one brand and sticking to the recommendations and schedule on the back of the bags worked best for us.

For those of you with home vegetable gardens, I highly recommend the Garden Tabloid. This is a publication put out by Mississippi State, and whether you’re a novice gardener or you’ve been growing vegetables for years, it is very helpful. It is chocked full of information specific to vegetable gardens in Mississippi, and includes information from how to layout a garden, what to plant and when, and also covers pests and diseases you may encounter and much more. It is also available from the extension office or online from MSU. April is the time to plant tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, beans, eggplant, okra, peas, and melons. They should be fertilized according to recommendations for each type of plant. My husband and I prefer gardening in grow boxes. The containers are easy to plant and easy to maintain. Most of them have a well for water beneath them, so plants have easy access to water and nutrients. There are also many different types of raised bed options now and are readily available in stores or online. We also plant herbs at this time of year. I like to plant herbs such as rosemary, basil and parsley in pots with annuals for a showy display that I can also harvest for use in the kitchen. Butterflies also love parsley and will lay their eggs on it. The newly hatched caterpillars will then eat it, but don’t worry, it will come back! I had three rounds of butterflies hatching from a single parsley plant last summer, and it has already begun greening up and growing again. If you use a lot of parsley in your culinary pursuits, you’ll want to make sure to plant enough for yourself and the butterflies! 

For bird lovers, if you haven’t already gotten out your hummingbird feeders, it’s time. Early arrivals are already making their migration from Central and South America, and after such a long journey, they are hungry! Songbirds that are prevalent in our area typically love to find oiled sunflower seeds, thistle, and millet in feeders. 

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette County 

*Remember, if you’re having issues with your lawn, garden or landscape, Master Gardeners are available to help. This a free service. To schedule a home consult, call the Lafayette County Extension Office @ 662.234.4451

March Gardening Tips 2022

At this time of year, it seems that much of my landscape is beige! As an art major, who loves color, this is beginning to weigh on me. Luckily the weather forecast shows that we are on the cusp of warmer weather, and dare I say, it looks like spring is heading our way! As I drive around Oxford, I’m already seeing blooms on saucer magnolias, flowering quince, plum trees and forsythia. (With the crazy swings in temperatures, my poor forsythias have been blooming off and on since December!) It also won’t be long until we see blooms on redbuds, cherry trees, and pear trees. 

  There are many Bradford Pear or as they are also known Callery Pear trees that have been planted throughout the southeast, and Lafayette County is no exception. With their uniform shape, beautiful white blooms and red fall foliage, they became a very popular ornamental tree. Unfortunately, after a number of years of being sterile, the trees began to cross pollinate in the 2000s and bear fruit. As a result, birds have spread seeds from their fruit throughout the surrounding areas, and these trees have now become an invasive species competing with native trees for resources. As you drive through the area, this month, you will see them blooming in many wooded areas in the county. Although they are beautiful, if you are looking to plant trees this spring, please choose an alternative species.    

March is a good time to implement new plans for your landscape. Spring temperatures and rains make conditions conducive for setting out new shrubs and trees, and it’s also an ideal time for moving shrubs. The success of moving shrubs hinges on getting a good root ball when you dig it and providing adequate care while it is reestablishing. I’ve found it beneficial to apply root stimulator when planting new shrubs or moving shrubs. Just carefully follow the directions on the product that you use. This is also a good time to divide plants that multiply such as cannas, grasses, and coreopsis. It’s also time to cut back mondo grass and liriope to 4-6 inches tall and remove the clippings. English ivy should also receive a hard pruning at this time. March is also time to prune altheas (Rose of Sharon) and crape myrtles. I want to stress that pruning crape myrtles is NOT necessary, and cutting them all the way back to their thick trunks is referred to as “crape murder”! The purpose of pruning them is to maintain their natural shape and prevent cross branching, so they really only require minimal pruning, and “yes” they will still bloom just as beautifully. To correctly prune them, cut off branches that are growing inward and branches that are rubbing against other branches. 

A quick note for bird lovers:  If you have nandinas in your yard that have berries on them, please remove the berries and discard. It won’t be long before the cedar waxwings will be migrating through our area, and they are gorge feeders. Typically, you’ll see them feeding off the berries of hollies and junipers, but they will also eat the berries off nandina shrubs which are deadly for these beautiful birds.  

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette County

*Master Gardeners are always available to help you with landscaping or gardening needs. Just call the Lafayette County Extension Office to set up an appointment. 662.234.4451

*Master Gardeners will also be holding a series of Spring Gardening Lectures at The Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library. This month’s lecture will be on March 3 at 12:00PM and features guest speaker: Ashley Jordan Hill from The Twisted Twig speaking about floral design. These lectures are free to the public

February Gardening Tips 2022

At this time last month, I had Encore azaleas and forsythia blooming, and irises full of buds! The good news is January’s weather has been much more typical, AND I saved my iris buds and was delighted to see them bloom inside! Hopefully as we progress through February the weather will continue in a more typical fashion, and we’ll see temperatures begin to moderate toward the end of the month. 

My husband and I enjoy getting out at this time of year to tackle a large-scale cleanup of our property. Some of the chores we’ll be undertaking include trimming tree limbs and picking up any fallen branches, and trimming all of our ornamental grasses. We have a very steep slope on one side of our house, and it has been an ongoing problem. Our long-term goal is to cover it with trees and miscanthus grass to stabilize the soil, make it more attractive and cut down on the maintenance it requires. To this end, we will be splitting and transplanting more miscanthus grass and planting more trees. The slope also has several areas that have eroded. We had a beautiful dry creek put in two years ago, and will add two smaller ones this year. Not only do they correct the drainage problem, but they also beautify the area.  

February is an excellent time to plant trees, and in honor of this, we celebrate Arbor Day. Lafayette County will continue their traditional tree give away on February 15th. It will take place at the MSU extension office parking lot (arena if raining) 70 Buddy East Parkway from 8 AM until trees are gone.  This year they will be giving away bald cypress, persimmon, crepe myrtle, white oak, pecan, swamp chestnut oak, Nuttall oak, red and sugar maple and a variety of fruit trees. During February, we will also see the first signs of spring appear with the blooming of Saucer Magnolias, Camellia, Spirea, Quince, Loropetalum, Winter Jasmine and Forsythia. Flowers such as Hellebores, Crocus, Snowdrop, Hyacinths and early Daffodils also begin to emerge as the earth starts to warm. 

If you enjoy winter annuals, it’s a good time to plant Pansies, Nasturtiums, English Daisies, Calendulas, and Sweet William. After February 15th, it’s a good time to plant new roses or move old ones. You also want to top-dress the roses with organic fertilizer under a thick layer of mulch. This month is also a good time to prune evergreen shrubs, but not flowering shrubs, unless you’re only removing dead or damaged wood. The exception to this is hydrangeas. If they are a variety that blooms on new wood, you want to prune them during the last week of February. 

For those of you who have a cold frame or greenhouse, and enjoy vegetable gardening, this is a good time to start cold weather vegetables including broccoli, cauliflower, onion sets, English peas, kale, carrots, collards, beets, Chinese cabbage and radishes. It’s also time to plant asparagus in prepared beds. Asparagus crowns are typically only available one time a year, in early spring, so if your interested, you need to plan ahead. Beds for asparagus need to be in full sun, weed-free, and should have plenty of room for the plants to grow. Although they do not spread much in the first two years, once established, they will fill in quickly. Beds need to be about 4-5’ wide.  It’s recommended to dig a trench 12” deep, and space plants 18” apart. Before planting, add a shovel of compost and a cup of organic fertilizer for each plant. When putting in the plants, shape a small mound at the bottom of each hole, drape the plant roots down around it and cover the plant. The crown should be about 6” below the soil. 

For bird lovers, I’m already seeing Eastern bluebirds, and they can begin nesting as early as February. If you have nesting boxes, it’s time to remove old nesting material and clean the boxes with a solution of 9 parts water and 1 part bleach. You can also use a putty knife to scrape and remove dried waste. Once again, if you have nandinas, please remove all berries. They are deadly to gorge feeders such as Cedar Waxwings.

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette County

*Lafayette County Master Gardeners are always available for home consults to help with any gardening problems you may encounter. This is a free service and you can access it by calling the MSU extension office 662.234.4451

*Master Gardeners will be having a new Spring class forming in February (look for flyer), and we would love to have you join us!

*Mark your calendars for the Master Gardener Spring Lecture Series to be held at the Lafayette County and Oxford Public Library. Dates and subjects - March 3 (Spring Florals), April 7 (Organic Gardening), and May 12 (Beekeeping).  

January Gardening Tips 2022

Happy New Year! 2021 was certainly one for the books, and although I don’t typically like to wish time away, I’m happy to see this one come to a close! As I’m writing this, my forsythias are beginning to bloom, I still have blooms on my Encore azaleas, and my reblooming irises are covered with buds that are just about to blossom! I’m going to cut them tomorrow and see if I can get them to bloom in a vase because, of course, we’re on the cusp of several days with lows in the twenties! Although the weather has been a bit crazy this year, and it looks like we’re entering a new phase of the pandemic, I choose to remain optimistic that 2022 will be a better year. I hope we all find this new year filled with peace, hope, kindness and good health.

For those of you who are trying to keep your Christmas poinsettias alive and well, they need bright indirect light, and are sensitive to extreme temperatures. Daytime temperatures between 65-80 degrees, and night time temperatures around 60 degrees will provide perfect conditions to keep them growing. Do not keep them next to a window on a cold night or in a place that gets a lot of drafts. When watering, allow them to drain properly and dry out slightly between waterings. However, don’t allow them to become too dry, or they will begin to drop leaves.

At this time of year, I like to start planning upcoming projects for our lawn and garden. Cold winter days provide the perfect time to browse through seed and plant catalogs, sketch out landscaping designs, and make decisions about planting materials that will be needed in the spring. There were a number of plants that were in short supply last year, so you may want to order early to ensure you are able to locate specific plants or seeds. When making these decisions, I urge you to do your research on the plants you’re considering, and pay close attention to size and growth patterns. The number one reason that people have to have plants removed from their landscape is because they have overgrown the location. If you have plants that need to be moved, for the best result, I recommend that you plan ahead and select and prepare a new location in order to move and replant them very early in the spring.

January is also a good time to clean and sharpen your garden tools and mower blades and check the condition of your garden sprayers. When you have days that are not windy and are above freezing, it is a good time to spray broad-leaved evergreens with dormant oil to control scale, and this is also the time to prune Nandina. Please remember to also remove berries from your Nandina plants. The berries are poisonous for gorge feeding birds such as Cedar Waxwings. In January, you can still set out trees and shrubs as well as Sweet Peas, Poppies, and Larkspur. If you haven’t done so already, remember to protect tender vegetation with a fresh layer of mulch.

Bird lovers, please don’t forget to keep your feeders stocked, and keep a fresh supply of water accessible for our feathered friends!

*Just a reminder: As a service to the community, Master Gardeners are available to help with any of your gardening problems. Just contact the Lafayette County Extension Office to set up a home consultation. This service is free.

Stay Warm and Happy Gardening!

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette Co.

December 2021 Gardening Tips

It’s hard to believe, but December is here already! If you’re like me, you’re already inundated with lists of things to accomplish, and their accompanying deadlines! With that in mind, I’m going to keep our gardening tips this month simple and mostly centered around activities for the holidays.

With leaves gone, it’s a good time to cut Mistletoe out of trees, and as an added bonus, it can be used in your holiday décor! Other greenery that can be used to ready your home for the holidays include boxwood, nandina, cedar, holly and magnolia leaves. Many of us have to look no further than our own yards to find lots of available plant materials that can be used to create stunning holiday arrangements. The key to having these greens last throughout the holidays is to make a fresh cut on the stems as you arrange them and keep them moist by inserting the stems in a wet foam such as Oasis. I actually have an arrangement that I constructed out of cedar and magnolia leaves for the Chamber of Commerce Holiday Open House on November 7th, and it’s still green and beautiful. I simply removed the Christmas decorations and added nandina leaves and fall ribbon to turn it into an arrangement for Thanksgiving and have refreshed the foam with water each week. A word of caution when using greenery to decorate your house, remember that some greenery and especially berries are poisonous to humans and pets. Keep Boxwood, Holly and Mistletoe up and out of reach.

If you decorate a live tree, use the following recipe to make a solution to keep it in tiptop condition: Mix in a 2liter bottle: 8 oz non-diet soda, 2 oz vinegar, and 1 oz mouthwash then fill the remainder of the bottle with water. Keep the base of the tree in this solution throughout the holidays. After Christmas remember to recycle your tree. The city of Oxford will pick them up curbside on regularly scheduled refuse days through mid-January.

After the holidays, don’t forget to plant bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths that have been refrigerated for at least six weeks.

Happy Holidays and Happy Gardening!

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette County

November 2021 Gardening Tips

Happy Fall Y’all! While checking the 10-day forecast, I didn’t see highs anywhere near 90 degrees, so I feel confident heralding fall’s arrival! I truly enjoy getting out in my yard, when the weather is cooler, and presently I’m working on the pre winter cleanup of our landscape.

I always start this process by removing all of my summer annuals. I waited an extra two weeks this year because I had Monarch butterflies that suddenly appeared, and wanted to make sure they were able to get the nourishment they needed to start their migration back to Mexico. When removing my zinnias, I was careful to pull the dried seed heads and shake the seeds back into the bed. I had quite a few volunteer flowers this year, and I’m hoping for more next year. I also gave a final light trim to my shrubs, and put iron chelate on some of my azaleas to correct chlorosis. Remember, we do not prune spring-flowering shrubs at this time. Azaleas, hydrangeas, spirea, forsythia, quince and mock orange have already formed their buds for spring. I’ve also moved and planted a few daylilies. This is an excellent time to plant summer-blooming perennials such as daylilies, daisies and irises. After removing the trimmings from my beds, I rake them smooth and plant winter annuals. I’ll be adding more dianthus in the front and pansies in the back where it is fenced. The deer in our area LOVE pansies, and I’ve even had them eat them out of my front planters! Lesson learned! Once I’ve finished planting winter annuals, I again apply weed preventative to help eliminate early spring weeds. When that step is complete, we add fresh pine straw to help protect plants from the inevitable freezing weather.

For those of you feeding our feathered friends, don’t forget to remove your hummingbird feeders. I’ve just taken mine down after waiting two weeks from the last sighting I had. I continue to keep my other feeders and birdbath filled, and enjoy seeing the increase in activity around it.

Tomato update: Some of you have been asking about my husband’s fall tomatoes, and I’m happy to say that we are still eating fresh cherry tomatoes, and even have some ripening on the vine. The larger variety did not fair as well. Unfortunately, there were still some pretty nasty pests around that got more than their fair share of the harvest, but we did have enough to have a wonderful caprese salad!

Have a wonderful Thanks giving!

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette Co.

October 2021 Gardening Tips 

What a beautiful end to summer and return to cooler weather! Personally, I love fall, and always get excited to see the leaves begin to show their autumn foliage. If you look closely, maples all around town are just beginning to turn beautiful shades of red and orange, and gingko trees are beginning to show off their golden hues. Fall is a great time to be in the garden, and I’ve talked to several people lately that already have plans to put in new plantings. While fall is an excellent time to plant new shrubs and trees, I would encourage you to wait until November unless you are willing to keep your new plantings watered. Typically, October is the driest month in Mississippi.

Before we get into suggestions for things to do this month, I thought I would take time to answer a reoccurring question I’ve encountered about flowers I’ve planted in my beds. There are of course many choices of flowers to choose from, but I’m only going to include the ones that I’ve had repeated success with. These are all plants that take full sun and have required a minimum amount of care while providing an abundance of blooms. Because of our deer population, I always have standard deer resistant perennials that I incorporate into the landscape in our front yard that is not fenced. They include: irises, purple verbena, new gold lantana, society garlic, and dianthus. The lantana, verbena and society garlic have bloomed prolifically all summer, and will continue until frost. As an added bonus, they continuously attract pollinators.  In the fenced area of our yard, I have irises and daylilies which are perennials and except for one type of my daylilies have a limited blooming period. I also plant a variety of annuals. One of my favorites are zinnias (zinnia augustifolia) which is a shorter bushy type. I put out several flats of these each spring in a variety of pinks, yellows and oranges as soon as the danger of frost has passed. They are prolific bloomers that will continuously bloom from spring to fall. I also had some reseeding of these from last year’s plants. I will remove them at the end of this month to plant pansies. Along with the zinnias, I’ve also planted Angelonia, purslane, purple verbena, and giant blue salvia. This particular type of salvia is very showy, and the bees stay on it constantly. I also added tangerine bulbines this year. They have yellow and orange flowers clustered at the end of long, slender stems and thin succulent type foliage. I used to grow this plant in Houston, Texas where it was evergreen, but I’ll have to wait and see if it survives our winters. All of these plants have attracted a profusion of bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Remember when choosing flowers to consider sunlight and water requirements, and don’t be afraid to make a few mistakes along the way. I always say, if you’re not making mistakes in your garden, you’re not out there enough! 

October is also the time to plant pansies, violas and ornamental kale and cabbage for fall and winter color. If you have a deer problem, I would only recommend planting these in a fenced area. It’s also time to plant spring bulbs with the exception of hyacinths and tulips. Their bulbs should be refrigerated for 6 weeks and then planted in late December or early January. This is also a time when people typically change out the plants in their containers to reflect the change of season. While mums are beautiful and a standard fall favorite, they won’t survive the winter in pots. You can consider other fall plants that will last the winter in containers. One of my favorite combinations is to use ornamental kale or cabbage with pansies. You can also add English ivy if you’d like foliage to spill over the edges of the container. If you want to force blooms such as paperwhites, jonquils or hyacinths, for an indoor container, put a layer of gravel in a glass container, put the bulb in place and add enough water to cover the roots. Keep it in a dark place until the roots become established and the bulb sprouts to three inches. Gradually bring it into the light and refill the container with water to the original level. 

Hopefully some of you are composting and remember those fall leaves make excellent compost. If possible, run over your leaves with a lawnmower before adding them to your compost. 

For those of you with hummingbird feeders, please continue to fill them through early fall or until you no longer see any birds at the feeder for at least two weeks. The hummers will need the nutrition before they start their southern migration, but be sure to take them down before the first frost to discourage them from staying too long.

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette County

September 2021 Gardening Tips

I hope everyone is “hanging in there” through the high heat and humidity that has reigned over our fair city for much of this month. I was very thankful the rain we received mid-August because we really needed it, and it helped cool things down a bit after the awful heat.  I’ve learned to NEVER complain about rain, because as sure as I do, we enter into a month-long drought. However, I don’t think complaining about the resulting humidity falls into that same category! Hopefully September will bring a moderation to the heat, and if not, at least we’ll all be distracted by football season starting back up!

September is a good time to think about composting, especially if you have a lot of leaves that collect in your yard during the fall months. There are many different types of compost bins, and you can either build them yourself or obtain them from retail or online sources. Composting produces nutrient rich soil, that in some cases, eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers, and also enhances moisture retention.  Composting is also beneficial for our environment. Organic waste put into landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. In contrast, composting the same organic waste, benefits our environment by capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in a process known as carbon sequestration. If your interested in composting, MSU has an excellent publication online titled “Composting for the Mississippi Gardener” or you can contact Lafayette County Extension office for more information. 

For your lawn this month, it’s time to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to prevent winter weeds. If you have a need to overseed your lawn, it’s also time to sow rye grass seed. This should be done only if necessary because the rye grass will compete with the warm weather turf for light and nutrients. It can however help with erosion on bare soil. 

If you’ve planted fall mums, do not fertilize after buds start showing color. Just keep them adequately watered, and they will provide beautiful fall color until frost. Other ornamental shrubs and flowers should not be fertilized after August 15 to prevent new growth that will not have a chance to harden off (develop protective woody coating) before cold temperatures arrive. 

If you have a home vegetable garden, it’s time to plant cool season vegetables such as beets, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, lettuce, mustard and collard greens. My husband is trying fall tomatoes. He got beautiful plants that were already about 12” tall and planted them about 3-4 weeks ago. I’ll let you know how it goes. If you have cherry tomatoes that you think are finished producing for the season, I would encourage you to keep them watered. Ours always start producing again when the weather cools off and typically last until the first freeze. 

Remember if you are experiencing any issues with your lawn or garden, Master Gardeners provide home consults as a service to the community. Just call the Lafayette County Extension office @ 662.234.4451 to schedule a visit. Also, for any of you interested in becoming a master gardener, we have a fall course beginning on October 1. The course is online and self-paced. Registration is from August 15-September15 (with no late registration). See accompanying flier for more information or call the extension office for details. 

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette Co.

July 2021 Gardening Tips

From ice and snow to flooding rains, it looks like this year is shaping up to be one of weather extremes! In spite of all mother nature has thrown our way, I’m happy to say it looks like lawns and gardens in Oxford, Mississippi are thriving!

At this time of year, the majority of work in your lawn and garden is maintenance. I find great enjoyment in seeing all the blooms in our yard, and thankfully that somehow takes the edge off of weeding! Even though I always apply weed preventative, I still have a few noxious little weeds that keep popping up. I’m out early every morning pulling out any that I see while also deadheading my flowers. Deadheading not only keeps the plants looking good, it also encourages reblooming for most annuals. This is also helpful for roses. Pruning them encourages new blooms.

Another component of maintenance that you should be mindful of in July is watering. All ornamentals should be watered to a depth of 1 inch every week, if it doesn’t rain. Pay particular attention to any new ornamentals or trees that you may have planted this spring. They will need more frequent watering than established plants. If you depend on an irrigation system, set a longer running time for your ornamental beds than the rest of your lawn.

Your turf will also need extra water if it doesn’t rain, and it is also helpful to cut your lawn at a slightly higher level during hot weather to reduce stress. Remember to keep your mower blades sharpened. A sharpened blade will cut each blade cleanly and doesn’t tear them. When blades are torn, it creates openings for pests and disease. Feeding also helps maintain a healthy lawn. Fertilizer should be applied in early summer when grass is entering its peak growing season, with a second feeding in late summer. Turf should also be treated with a post-emergent herbicide to control weeds. I know a lot of lawn services in our area also offer a fertilization and weed control service. If you prefer doing it yourself, I recommend choosing a brand of commercial fertilizer and following the recommended schedule on the back of the package. Another tip for maintaining a healthy lawn, is do not mow your grass when it’s wet. Turf diseases are more prevalent when grass is frequently wet, and wet grass clippings will spread any disease that is present all around your lawn. Weed seeds that are present will also be spread around as well.

For those of you with vegetable gardens, I hope you’re enjoying the bounty of your efforts! Pick your vegetables regularly to ensure they continue to bear fruit, and keep them watered consistently. Also be on the watch for pests and take care of them quickly. My wish for summer tomatoes has certainly come true. My husband is bringing them in by the handfuls every day!

Bird lovers, please remember to leave clean water out for our feathered friends at this time of year. I find that I enjoy watching them at my birdbath as much as my feeders.

Happy Gardening,

Karen Travillo

Master Gardener Lafayette Co.