ArcaMax

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

The Garden Guy worked hard last week getting the Sopranos planted before the arrival of much needed rain. If you are not familiar with Sopranos, they are a group of six colors of impatiens that have put pure joy back into the shade garden.

In music, sopranos are those with angelic voices. High-pitched voices that can bring about a standing ...Read more

Q: We have a new pond, and the question came up about lining the pond with pea- or quarter-size gravel. My water garden friends say they have done it and taken it out. What is your opinion?

A: There is a great deal of confusion and discussion about gravel in a pond. It helps to know the size and style of pond you want to add the gravel to. ...Read more

In an astonishing occurrence, all of my Superbells Pomegranate Punch calibrachoas came through the winter of the weekly polar vortex. OK, I’ll admit I did take some to the garage. Those in the heavy pots that I left outside have come through with an incredible display of beauty.

Superbells Pomegranate Punch is like the garden’s version of ...Read more

If you loved the glowing plants in the movie "Avatar," you can now have one of your own. The company Light Bio has genetically engineered a petunia to glow a light green that is visible in a dark room. The firefly petunia glows a faint green when exposed to a lot of light during the day. Even though it is always glowing, the green glow is only ...Read more

It is May and The Garden Guy is here to tell you that your garden really needs more snow for the long growing season ahead. I’m talking about one of the best flowers you can add to the design of your mixed containers. That would be Snow Princess sweet alyssum, a Lobularia hybrid.

Snow Princess and I go way back to April 2009. That was the ...Read more

Q: Mother's Day is May 11, and I want to give my mom flowers because she loves them and instilled a love of plants in me. I don't have a green thumb or much money, but I want to show my love by buying some plants and putting them together in some pots I know she likes. Can you give me some tips to make them look better?

A: Isn't it wonderful to...Read more