| top 10 lawn problems
Tougher, more resilient grasses and better ways to fend off crabgrass and other weeds and pests should make it easier than ever to get a lush, healthy lawn. So why do so many people still have lawn problems--and how do you get rid of them?
We asked our on-staff experts and turf scientists across the country to identify some of the most common lawn weeds, pests, and diseases nationwide, as well as the most common mistakes homeowners make in dealing with them.
Even if your lawn already makes the neighbors green with envy, you're likely to face a few of those common lawn problems. Knowing how to handle them can mean the difference between working on your lawn and simply enjoying it.
The best way to keep your lawn looking great year after year is to fertilize, water, and mow it properly.
Wild Pigs Tearing Up Lawns In Poinciana
POINCIANA, Fla. -- Yards have been destroyed by the snouts of wild hogs and a local resident wants help. His lawn isn't his main worry. The hogs are invading a Poinciana neighborhood looking for food. One father said not only is it costing him thousands of dollars, he thinks his family is in danger. The man dealing with the damage wanted to shoot the pigs, but you can't fire a weapon in a residential neighborhood, so he was forced to call in the experts. A front lawn in Poinciana looks like a war zone with ripped up roots and craters several inches deep. It looks like it was destroyed by bombs. But it's not bombs. It's wild hogs that are messing up the neighborhood. "I counted 11 black pigs and they are pretty big," said Carlos Soltero. .
Elizabeth Reilley, gardening expert, dies
NEW YORK, April 7 (UPI) — Elizabeth Kals Reilley, who donated her large collection of horticultural books and art to the New York Botanical Garden, has died at age 99. Her death was announced by the organization, The New York Times reported. Born in an upper-class family in Vienna, Reilley was first exposed to gardens on walks with her governess. She later studied painting in Paris and archaeology in Vienna. She was invited to leave Austria in 1939 after helping her Jewish first husband and Jewish friends get out of the country. In New York, Reilley worked as a librarian and photographer. In 1969, she began work on a library at the Planting Fields Arboretum near her home in Muttontown, and served as its librarian from its opening in 1975 to her retirement at age 93 in 2001.
Grancy graybeard stars in landscapes
It's hard to believe that a native, spring-blooming tree can be so passionately loved from the Gulf Coast all the way to Pennsylvania and New York, but that is how people feel about the grancy graybeard. It is known as old man's beard or white fringe tree in some areas. They are in glorious bloom now in the lower South and as spring arrives farther north, they will bring joy throughout the rest of the states. Botanically speaking, grancy graybeard is Chionanthus virginicus. The name Chionanthus comes from the Greek words meaning "snow flower." It is considered a large shrub or small tree, reaching about 20 feet tall. It often develops a multi-trunk that makes it among the more picturesque trees in the spring landscape. Its stature allows it to be a stand-alone specimen or an accent, but to combine it in a bed with other spring bloomers is like creating a fine piece of artwork.
Gardening it's child's play
Blue Peter resident gardener Chris Collins - presenter of BBC Two's The Plantsman and Garden Rivals on UKTV - reckons there's nothing that can engage children more than getting their hands dirty. He said: "Easter is a time when you look out at the garden and you notice the mess - you want to get out there and tidy it up, especially with the weather we've been having. "You should allocate a bit of the garden to the kids in two stages, and you can do that over the long Easter weekend so the whole family is involved. "Go on a drive or take the train to go and have a look at other gardens, or a coastal area, or a woodland area, and fuel the kids' imaginations to see how they can recreate it in the garden." Collins is backing a Royal Horticultural Society campaign to "Get Schools Growing", reintroducing children to the art of growing and encouraging them back into the garden.
|
