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Garden & patio show offers gardeners help
The Coast Gardener Newspaper and Web Column - February 16, 2002

Do you have lawn and garden questions that you need answered? Gardeners across South Mississippi will have an opportunity to ask the experts at the first ever Gulf Coast Garden & Patio Show. The show will be held at the Orange Grove/Lyman Community Center in Gulfport next Saturday and Sunday, February 23 and 24. I will kick off the educational seminars on Saturday at 9 a.m. with "Aphids and Mites and Fungus Among Us!" Other seminars will follow all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Not only will you have an opportunity to hear great gardening seminars, but you will also be able to buy the hottest plants on the market, an array of yard art, and a host of everything that is appealing to gardening enthusiasts. Make plans now to attend the Gulf Coast's first Garden & Patio Show!

Now is the time for one quick gardening chore that will revitalize your liriope. Often referred to as monkey grass, liriope is a favorite edging plant specimen used around sidewalks and flowerbeds. It forms a nice groundcover for those troublesome shady spots in your garden, too. The foliage is dark green or variegated in color, and it boasts blue flower spikes during the spring season. These flowers give rise to black fruit that is very prominent in fall and winter.

Liriope is easy to grow because it tolerates a wide range of soil and light conditions. One drawback, however, is its susceptibility to a foliage blight, which often detracts from its appearance. This disease, called anthracnose, is a fungus that causes the leaves to turn brown and die back. If liriope seems to suffer from an overall blighted appearance, anthracnose is the likely culprit.

The first question that often comes to mind is, "Will this disease kill my monkey grass?" Fortunately, it will not kill it, but who wants to look at an unsightly bed of variegated liriope any longer than necessary? Remember when I said this is the time for a quick gardening chore? A great way to revitalize your monkey grass is cut it with a lawn mower. Cut all foliage with a sharp blade to a height of about six inches. Another important step in controlling anthracnose is to rake and discard all diseased foliage. Do not leave it around the plants.

Be sure to complete this task before new growth begins. Usually, this should be done before the middle of March. The new growth will emerge quickly and the liriope will flourish once again.

The blighted appearance will be gone leaving a pleasing display of foliage adorned with blue flowers this spring. Try this technique in your landscape and see how giving your monkey grass a "flattop" will aid in its appearance.

I look forward to seeing you at the Garden & Patio Show next week!

These archived gardening columns were written by Chance McDavid, former Harrison County Extension Agent.