Dawn Gibbs

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Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

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Stories By Dawn Gibbs

  • How To Cut Back A Hibiscus After A Frost

    How to Cut Back a Hibiscus After a Frost. Hibiscus is a tropical flowering shrub that produces large, vibrantly colored blooms. The plant does not thrive in cold weather and frost can severely damage or kill portions of the shrub. Cutting the hibiscus plant back after frost will remove the dead plant matter and encourage the shrub to produce more, healthy shoots. Always use clean pruning shears when cutting back damaged plants.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Trim Penta Plants Down

    How to Trim Penta Plants Down. Penta plants are 3- to 4-foot shrubs that are evergreen in some warmer climates of the United States, such as southern Florida. The penta can be damaged by frost in other areas, so it needs to be cut back before winter sets in. Pentas can also be cut back to control their sprawling size, or if they become too leggy or top heavy. Pruned pentas will resprout in spring when the weather warms, and will produce white, pink or red flowers on the new growth.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How Can I Get Rid Of Mushrooms In My Flower Bed?

    How Can I Get Rid of Mushrooms in My Flower Bed?. Mushrooms are a fungal body that feed on decaying organic matter. They are more prevalent during wet weather, and often appear after a rainfall. Their food source can sometimes be several inches below the soil's surface, making it impossible to remove without destroying your flowers. Fortunately, there are some effective steps you can take to remove current mushroom growth and prevent future growth without damaging your flowers.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Grow Gumpo Azaleas

    How to Grow Gumpo Azaleas. The Gumpo azalea is a late-flowering azalea variety that blooms in the early summer. It is a short, evergreen shrub that reaches about 2 feet in height. The plant produces white flowers speckled with pink, or fully pink or white flowers. Growing these azaleas is easy; their only special requirement is an acidic fertilizer to produce the proper pH in the soil.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Train A Jasmine On A Trellis

    How to Train a Jasmine on a Trellis. There are several varieties of jasmine vines, all of which grow quickly by producing long shoots. Gardeners can let the plant grow freely or train it to grow up a wall, stake or trellis. The key to cultivating a jasmine plant that covers an entire trellis is allowing the main vine to grow horizontally so that the side shoots each cover a section of the trellis as they grow vertically.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Neutralize Salt In Lawn

    How to Neutralize Salt in Lawn. Salt in the lawn most commonly comes from salt applied to roads or nearby driveways during the winter to minimize ice on the roads. The salt is corrosive to concrete and can also lead to lawn damage. It alters the pH of the soil, effectively killing the grass, if enough is used. The first step in repairing salt damage to your landscape is neutralizing the salt in the soil, so it will no longer damage grass. Reseed the lawn to fill in the dead areas.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Kill Mare's-Tail Weed

    How to Kill Mare's-tail Weed. Mare's-tail is a common weed also known as horseweed. The plant is an annual that can appear in the spring or fall, reaching heights of 6 feet, with leaves that increase in size the farther down the plant you go. Some varieties of mare's-tail are resistant to glyphosate, one of the most common herbicides. This resistance is especially prevalent in the central United States.

    By Dawn Gibbs November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • How To Remove Semi-Transparent Concrete Stains

    How to Remove Semi-Transparent Concrete Stains. Semi-transparent stain is a chemical concrete colorant. It seeps into the porous surface of the concrete to color it, but still allows the texture of the concrete to show through the stain. If you want to paint or recolor your concrete, you will need to remove the existing stain. A chemical concrete stripper will open the pores of the concrete surface and remove the old semi-transparent stain.

    By Dawn Gibbs September 6th, 2022 Read More