News Filed Under Lawn and Garden

I’m always on the lookout for new plants to enhance my landscape, and one of the challenges I face is finding something that blooms during winter and early spring.

Last year while visiting the Flower Bed Nursery in Lumberton, Mississippi, I came across a plant with the most gorgeous white flowers that bloom during this window. It is called Temple Bells, and I couldn’t resist bringing a few home for my garden.

If you’re like me and try to have plants blooming in the yard throughout the year, you may value camellias like I do. This time of the year, my camellias brighten my landscape with their beautiful blooms.

Other than Christmas trees, nothing announces the Christmas season more visually than poinsettias. If you use red ones every year in your decorations, this might be the year to branch out into something new.

The Eastern redcedar, scientifically known as Juniperus virginiana, is a versatile and resilient evergreen tree native to North America. 

Our Southern fall and winter landscapes come alive with the beautiful flowers of sasanqua camellias as their vibrant blooms add charm from October through December.

Blue-blooming plants bring a serene beauty to my garden, and two of my favorites -- Blue My Mind and Blue Plumbago -- each offer unique qualities.

Cool-season hanging baskets are one of my favorite ways to bring vibrant color and texture to my outdoor space when temperatures start to drop.

With their beautiful colors and massive amounts of blooms, chrysanthemums have always been one of my go-to choices for fall decorations.

While many people use them as temporary, potted decorations, they’re also incredibly rewarding to grow in the landscape. Chrysanthemums, also known as mums, are relatively easy to care for. With the right attention, they can thrive in a variety of settings.

I love pairing mums with other fall decor like pumpkins, gourds and hay bales to create a cohesive look that celebrates the harvest season.

The ginkgo tree, scientifically known as Ginkgo biloba, is an incredible species that stands out because of its unique characteristics and beauty.

I recently visited Buds and Blooms Nursery in Wesson, Mississippi, where they were growing some gorgeous leafy greens in raised beds.

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Agricultural producers and consultants are encouraged to register for the annual Mississippi State University Row Crop Short Course.

Hosted by the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the 2024 Row Crop Short Course will be held Dec. 9-11 at the Mill Conference Center in Starkville.

I recently visited Rosie’s Garden in Brandon, a community space where volunteers cultivate a deeper appreciation for how food is grown while also helping to provide fresh produce to those in need.

The garden features 36 raised beds arranged in the shape of a cross, offering a diverse array of vegetable crops, herbs and flowers designed to attract pollinators.

Plants have always sparked my curiosity, and I am not alone in this. The Rankin County Master Gardeners have beautifully captured that sense of wonder with their Garden of Curiosity at the Brandon Public Library in Brandon, Mississippi.

Children’s learning gardens are a wonderful way to educate young people about plants. They are designed as places for young children to use their imaginations to relate to their surroundings, explore, touch and play as they develop an affection for the natural world. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the Pearl Public Library Children’s Learning Garden in Pearl, Mississippi.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting educational gardens across the state, and my recent trip to the Hill Garden in Brandon, Mississippi, was no exception.

Established by the Rankin County Master Gardeners in 1995, this garden is a treasured landmark and one of the oldest Master Gardener projects in Mississippi.

In the fall, I love driving down the road to see beautiful trees changing color as they prepare to drop their leaves for the winter. My favorite trees, however, are magnificent, fiery red maple trees. Their color stands so boldly against the yellow and brown background of the other fall colors.

This time of year, my Firespike is putting on a show in my garden. This herbaceous perennial is known for its large, dramatic spikes of bright red, tubular flowers. Each spike features densely packed clusters of 3-inch-long blooms that emerge in a striking, fiery red color, which can deepen to a rich crimson at the tips.

As summer comes to an end, the time for fall lawn care approaches. Warm-season grass growth is beginning to slow down while temperatures become slightly cooler. 

On a recent visit to the Mississippi State University South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville, I was captivated by the beauty of the Angelonia plants in their display gardens.

The Angelonia Angelface series truly impressed me with their snapdragon-like flowers and versatility in various garden and landscape settings.

I have fond memories of walking daily as a kid past my grandmother’s chain-link fence, admiring the bright red flowers on the Turk’s Cap growing along it. Every time I see those flowers today, childhood memories rush through my mind.

Now as an adult gardener, I’ve come to appreciate Turk’s Cap even more for its beauty and resilience.