Ashley Frasca

A: I recall back in 2021, Brood X, the largest brood of 17-year cicadas, made headlines in the Ohio River Valley area. Periodical cicadas appear every 13 or 17 years, and guess what? This is our year for Brood XIX - a 13-year group! The reason this year is notable though is because our neighbors to the north are also due. Brood XIII, a 17-year cicada group, will plague them at almost the same time we’ll be experiencing Brood XIX. Emergence is expected to begin around early to mid-May.

Beware of ambrosia beetle damage right now

A: The photo here was submitted by the person asking this question, and I love sharing good news! First of all, Ferry~Morse sells good seeds with clear planting instructions on each seed packet. Sometimes the packet even provides additional information like approximate days to bloom, or whether or not the plant is good for attracting pollinators.

A: This, to me, is the best time of year for tree and plant identification. By asking the same questions of more experienced gardeners, I finally became familiar with most spring-blooming trees in N. Georgia. Years ago, back when I was phone screener and assistant producer for Walter Reeves during his long-tenured Lawn and Garden Show, he tasked me with photographing plants as I saw them bloom in spring, then bringing those photos back to him to identify. I started a collection of my photos, and it now lives on my show's Facebook page as "Highway Horticulture". Find a shortcut here.

A: For a true percolation test, often done during construction or installation of a septic system, a hole approximately 1 foot in width and depth is dug. Once filled with water, if it drains at a rate of about 2" per hour, the area has good/sufficient drainage.

A: Native azaleas seem harder to come by commercially here in the South. Compact and repeat bloomers, such as the Encore Azalea, are more common at nurseries.

A: I can identify a few things here. The black along the bark could be sooty mold from sap-sucking insects. That is what they excrete along bark or on leaves. The damage and stress on those trees seems pretty far along. The heavy presence of lichens are a sign that the tree is in decline. If you cut the trunks down, all the way to the ground, you could leave two or three suckers coming up from the ground, let the strongest one stay in a year or so, and you'll have a new crape myrtle.

A: Based on the pictures submitted (not the one seen here), it's likely Bermuda. The soil looks compacted, so run an aerator over it this summer to poke holes in the ground. Always aerate only when the grass is actively growing. Put some seed down after that. Keep it watered this summer, and you'll have some grass grow!

A: Even if roses were pruned in late winter, new spring growth will create small limbs that cross one another. When pruning anything, at anytime, it is always okay to prune dead limbs, those which are broken, dying or diseased, and crossing limbs/branches.

A: If our home is good enough for us, it’s good enough for honey bees! Coming in and out of a small opening at the top of an exterior wall gives a swarm the height of protection, and dry and sheltered safety from the elements. Having a swarm extracted can be expensive and may involve removing an entire wall.