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Split bark, or vertical cracks along the lower tree stem of young trees, most commonly occurs on thin-barked trees like this plum tree. Large cracks can become long-term open wounds that are more susceptible to wood-boring insects, fungal diseases and wood decay. CAES News
Split Bark
Split bark, or vertical cracks along the lower tree stem of young trees, most commonly occurs on thin-barked trees such as dogwood, elm, maple, cherry, apple, peach and plum trees.
The UGA Tifton campus released the 'Cowboy' perennial peanut, which produces robust, yellow blooms. CAES News
'Cowboy' Perennial Peanut
The University of Georgia-bred ‘Cowboy’ perennial peanut plant doesn’t produce edible peanuts, but this new cultivar offers homeowners a colorful addition to ornamental beds and a supplemental source of nitrogen for surrounding grasses.
'Gold Doubloon' in bloom. CAES News
'Gold Doubloon'
If you have been fascinated by the idea of finding a gold doubloon, I’ve got one for you, and it is of a stunning gardenia variety. The ‘Gold Doubloon’ — or “double” as the word suggests — gardenia gives you dazzling color with gold and green foliage and large, tantalizingly aromatic flowers.
'Inferno' coleus looks striking against the lime green of this 'Sidekick' ornamental sweet potato foliage.
  CAES News
'Inferno' Coleus
There is an ‘Inferno’ of color this spring coming from a coleus that racked up quite a number of perfect scorecards. ‘Inferno’ hasn’t been out long, but already it has heads turning, especially when you consider that it was total perfection in University of Georgia, University of Tennessee and Michigan State University trials.
There are two basic types of aerification, hollow and solid tine. With hollow tine a soil core is removed, while with solid tine aerification a hole is created and no core is removed. With both types, a void in the soil is created that allows air and water to more deeply penetrate the root zone. The aeration benefits are longer lasting with hollow tine (pictured) due to the removal of the core. CAES News
Room to Grow
Last year many lawns across the state didn’t receive enough rainfall for the grass to grow, photosynthesize and make carbohydrate reserves. Turfgrass that experienced this lack of rainfall will likely be slow to green up this spring. If rainfall totals return to normal this spring, lawns will recover, but they may do so at a slower rate because the production of reserves was compromised last fall. For example, a lawn that would typically be fully green and growing in mid-May might take until late May or June to green up. A two- to four-week delay in green-up of warm-season grasses may be common this spring.
Paloverde trees in bloom at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas. CAES News
Mexican paloverde
The paloverde trees at the Coastal Botanical Gardens are completely covered in blossoms. The flowers have five yellow petals, but one petal has a honey gland and turns an orange-red, giving the blooms a distinctive bicolored look. The flowers are swarming with pollinators of all types.
The 'Wedding Dance' amaryllis is a hybrid amaryllis that produces stalks that exhibit several enormous, pristine white flowers measuring up to 7 inches in width. CAES News
Head of the Horse
Gardeners all over the country can enjoy the amaryllis, whether in the landscape or as one of the most-loved Christmas plants forced indoors. Outdoors they prefer fertile, well-drained soil. Ours get morning sun and late-afternoon shade. In the landscape, we treat them much like narcissi. We will deadhead flowers and leave foliage until it wants to go dormant.
Rosemary makes a terrific center or tall plant in mixed containers. The aromatic foliage does not go unnoticed. The green, fine-textured, needle-like leaves contrast with cool- or warm-season flowers like these violas. CAES News
Mother's Day Flowers
Every year, Americans spend about $2 billion on fresh flowers for Mother’s Day. While fresh flowers are gorgeous, they have a short shelf life. This year, why not skip the bouquet and make Mom a living collection of flowers and plants that may last for years?
Earthworms in a healthy compost bin in middle Georgia. CAES News
Compost Critters
Gardeners are likely to see a whole community of living things in their compost piles — from millipedes and roaches to worms and small mammals. While most of this activity is natural and great for compost, some uninvited guests can indicate a problem with the compost pile.
Perfect composting conditions require the perfect combination of materials — not too much brown matter, not too much green matter, not too cold and not too dry. CAES News
Perfecting the Pile
With higher temperatures across Georgia, May is the ideal time to consider building a compost bin. The second week of May, May 7–13, is International Compost Awareness Week. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across the state can supply advice for homeowners who want to start to make the most of their food and yard waste and improve their soil.