Ornamentals

Overview

Ornamental flowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses are effective ways to add beauty and interest to your yard. With a wide variety of colors and textures, as well as options for nearly any climate or growing condition, ornamentals can be a low-maintenance, fun way to enhance the beauty of your landscape and add value to your property. This page offers Extension information about the flowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses that keep gardeners busy and Georgia beautiful.

Publications

Extension Publications

• Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
• Chainsaw Safety Tips
• Native Plants for Georgia Part IV: Grasses and Sedges
• Success with Mixed Containers Using Perennial and Woody Plants
• Raised Garden Bed Dimensions
• Raised Bed Materials
• Garden Sheds
• Garden Fencing
• Sources of Water for the Garden
• Irrigation
• School Gardens: Planning an Edible Garden
• Siting a Garden
• Soil Preparation and Planting Procedures for Ornamental Plants in the Landscape
• Safety Checklists for New Landscape Employees
• Raised Beds vs. In-Ground Gardens
• School Gardens: Less Expensive Sources of Plant Material, Amendments and Tools
• Stocking the Toolshed: Hand Tools
• Weed Control
• Extending the Crop Season: Unheated Spaces
• Landscape Plants for Georgia

To see an expanded list of these pubs , go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Annual Turfgrass Conference held in Tifton
• Azalea bloom show is over so it's time to prune
• Pollen may not be popular, but it's essential to our food supply
• Reddish-brown boxwood leaves likely caused by winter
• Shrubs with "wet feet" decline as a result
• Wildflower Symposium features expert advice for gardening enthusiasts
• Remove spent flowers to help pansies produce more blooms
• Most ground-nesting bees are useful pollinators
• Versatile, hardy hostas becoming a mainstay in Georgia landscapes
• UGA horticulturalist releases gardening book focused on conifers

Websites

UGA-affiliated

• Department of Horticulture
  Describes the department's academic degree and research programs. Includes calendar of educational events as well as educational resources.
• Georgia Master Gardener
  Gives an overview of the program to train and certify individuals in horticulture and includes extensive links.
• Home & Garden Drought
  Resources to help home owners and gardeners respond to drought.
• Warm Season Grass Breeding: Ornamentals
  Descriptions of various cultivars of ornamental grasses.

External sites

• State Botanical Garden of Georgia
  Site detailing the attractions, programs, research, and events at this "living laboratory" for learning about gardening and nature.
• Walter Reeves
  A wealth of gardening resources and tips from this well-known Extension garden specialist.
• Your Southern Garden
  The South's best source of educational and entertaining gardening information. A co-production of the University of Florida/IFAS and the University of Georgia, with sponsorship from the Scotts Company.

Training

Cooperative Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

• Master Gardener Volunteer Training
  Individuals are trained and certified in horticulture and related areas, then volunteer their expertise and services, under the direction of their Cooperative Extension Agent, to help educate others through horticultural projects that benefit the community.