The WEST GEORGIA GREEN ASSOCIATION is dedicated to
promoting the professional and ethical business practices of our members; developing public awareness of the value of the professional landscape industries and the environment; and education and networking.
click above for more weather
2019 Winners Just Announced
**Classic
City Awards 2019**
from UGA Trial Gardens
check 'em out
here
2018 winners here
**Best
of the Best 2019**
from UGA Trial Gardens
check these out here
2018 winners here
Check
these out!
Getting the Best of Pests webinars
from UGA and The Center for Urban Agriculture.
Schedule and archives
here
from NOAA (01/05/2018)
Assessing
the U.S. Climate in 2017: 2017 was the third warmest year on record for
the United States
(GA had it's warmest year in history!)
CANR
issued an alert for
Crapemyrtle Bark Scale
... a relatively new insect on crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia) across the
Southeast. The insect, which is from Asia, was first noticed in a north
Dallas, Texas, suburb in 2004. By 2014, the insect had been reported in
nine states.
(including TX, MS, TN)
more info here
Boxwood
Blight FOUND IN GA
(Cylindrocladium buxicola = Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum)
Read
UGACES Disease Alert here
29 June 2014
Before you install boxwoods, check out the results
of NCStateCES research (2012) on which varieties are least (B. microphylla
var. japonica ‘Green Beauty’) and most (B. sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’)
susceptible.
More
info here
NEW
UGA PUBLICATION
Management of Insect Pests in and Around the Home
FREE
PDF HERE
Tree Talks from GUFC
no longer being published, but the archives are available
Summer 2018 issue here
Spring 2018 issue here
Winter 2018 issue here
Spring 2017 issue here
Winter 2017 Issue here
Fall, 2016 Issue here
Summer, 2016 issue here
Spring, 2016 issue here
Winter, 2016 issue here
Fall, 2015 issue here
Summer, 2015 issue here
COVID-19
NEWS
April
2 2020
Statewide Shelter in Place Order
FAQ's and order
here
Landscape businesses and all other essential businesses may operate under this order but must implement strict measures to mitigate exposure and spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. They include screening workers for a fever over 100.4 degrees a cough or shortness of breath - all symptoms of coronavirus - implement teleworking and staggered shifts for all possible workers and ensure that key protective gear is available.
Please
note that city and county orders can be more strict than state order,
but can not be less strict. Currently, the city of Decatur is the only
city that is more restrictive.
--from UAC
Find
a pro!
WGGA members are listed here
Proud
sponsor of WGGA
******
Updated-September 2019
USDA/NRCS
ONLINE
SOIL SURVEY
free, detailed soil info
down to lot!
******
Latest
Research Findings from
Diagnosing
Nutrient Deficiencies
in Ornamental Plants
By Dr. Geoffrey C. Denny, Assistant Extension Professor, and Dr. Karl
K. Crouse, Associate Extension
Professor, Plant and Soil Sciences Department.(MSU)
Relative
Effectiveness of Various Chemicals for Disease Control in Woody Ornamentals
by Extension Plant Pathologists Kelly Ivors (NCSU), Jean Williams-Woodward
(UGA), and Alan Windham (UTenn)
A guide to native
wildflowers, ferns, shrubs, trees and vines for gardens in the State
of Georgia
By Douglasvillian
(?)
Betty Benson
more info here
Africanized
Honey Bee
Now in Georgia!
(photo Utah CES)
UGA CES info here
Run, don't swat.
Be safe, but remember honeybees pollinate about 30% of our food!
Don't harm the good ones!
Bulldog
Bytes
Disposing of Pesticides
right here
Great
info from Mary Carol Sheffield, CES, on garden and lawn diseases
right
here
Trees
Eat Pollution Better Than Expected
research from the National Center for Atmospheric Research
published in the Oct. 21, 2010 issue of Science Express
summary
here
Got
45 minutes?
checkout UGA Urban Ag webinars
The complete archive is available here
Fire Ant Control
Recorded
webinar (March, 2015) from extension.org (national) here.
Thorough discussion of behavior and biology and use of baits and contact
kill insecticides. Runs about 60 minutes.
Georgia
Gold Medal Plants
plant a winner!
Plant
Classic City Award Winners
and dazzle your clients!
2012 - 2016 Winners here
Classic
City Awards
from UGA Trial Gardens
The Classic City awards are based on garden performance over the entire
season in the Gardens at UGA, where spring is glorious, and summers
are hot, often dry, and rather miserable.
from
The UGA Trial Garden's Blog
see what's selected
as the best of the best
Georgia
Forestry Commission recently held three
workshops in Gainesville, Marietta and Mansfield to help communities
develop a personalized Community Forest Storm Mitigation Plan that focuses
specifically on trees and ways to avoid or mitigate the damage they
cause during a storm or other catastrophic event. Community Forest Storm
Mitigation plans serve as a guide for assessing current storm readiness,
for creating a summary of your community's current forest management
program and as a storm mitigation checklist. Presentations from the
workshops are available and Georgia Forestry Commission staff are available
to assist your community.
A Community Forest Storm Mitigation PlanningWorkbook and Template are
available here
PowerPoint presentations are available
here.
eLearn
Urban Forestry
The Office of the Southern Regional Extension
Forester, the USDA FS Region 8--Urban and Community Forestry Program
along with the Southern Group of State Foresters have partnered to design,
develop and implement a state-of-the-art online, distance-learning program
geared specifically toward beginning urban foresters and those allied
professionals working in and around urban and urbanizing landscapes
To
access the modules for International Society of Arboriculture and Society
of American Foresters credit, please visit
cfegroup.org.
To access the modules for free, please visit
elearn.sref.info.
To access the modules for volunteer credit or
a certificate of completion, visit campus.extension.org
and look for the eLearn Urban Forestry--Citizen
Forester course.
For more specific information, please contact Sarah Ashton, Educational
Program Coordinator, Southern Regional Extension Forestry at
sashton@sref.info.
The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has adopted an emergency Rule 300-2-4-0.5 Partial Claims, effective March 16, 2020.
The rule mandates all Georgia employers to file partial claims online on behalf of their employees for any week during which an employee (full-time/part-time) works less than full-time due to a partial or total company shutdown caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Any employer found to be in violation of this rule will be required to reimburse GDOL for the full amount of unemployment insurance benefits paid to the employee.
Download the How Employers File Partial Claims Desk-Aid found on the GDOL Alert Page and follow the step-by-step instructions here.
Georgia Receives SBA Statewide Disaster Declaration, Applications for Small Business Emergency Loans Now Open
Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Georgia has received an official statewide disaster declaration from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This declaration will provide assistance in the form of SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans to impacted small businesses in all 159 counties in Georgia.
Loans are available for small business and non-profit organizations. While terms will be established on a case-by-case basis, many will have a thirty-year repayment term with first payments not due for up to twelve months. Businesses should expect to provide a tax transcript, financial statements, and a profit and loss statement. Interest rates will range from 2.75% to 3.75%.
Click here for more information and to apply.
Be
sane. Be smart. Be Safe.
Summary CARES ACT here
Info for Small Businesses here
Info about Emergency Paid Sick Leave here
--from
Lucy McBath, US Representative GA 6th Congressional District
Need handouts or posters on COVID-19 to keep yourself, your family, and your crew safe?
The CDC has a full set in English and Spanish, free to download.
GET AUTHORITATIVE INFO HERE
Emory Online Screening Tool
Emory doctors have helped to create a new online tool — C19check.com — that allows people to screen themselves for symptoms of the coronavirus and to receive recommendations on what to do next.
The website is a way to self-triage and is designed to help prevent a surge of patients at hospitals and health-care facilities, according to Emory infectious disease expert Dr. Carlos del Rio. He also said this can help people get answers quickly rather than waiting on hold for hours on a helpline.
-from AJC
Daily stats from Georgia Dept. of Public Health here
Please contact any Board member or send us an e-mail with your suggestions for the association or this website!
WGGA
MEETING
next meeting in the Fall
Stay
sane. Stay smart. Stay safe.
POSTPONED
18 March
Arborist Certification Review
April
28 and 29, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (both days)
Cobb Civic Center, 548 South Marietta Pkwy SE, Marietta,
GA 30060
will be re-scheduled
GDOT
ANNOUNCES CALL FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS
The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) announces a call
for new applications for the 2020 Roadside Enhancement and Beautification
Council (REBC) Grant program. The mission of the REBC Grant program
is to provide funding for enhancement and beautification projects along
Georgia's roadsides. The funds are for plant material and its installation
for projects along state routes in Georgia. This is a reimbursement
grant and the grantee must have a local government partner. Read the
full details http://www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Funding/Documents/REBC/2020REBCGrantOverview.pdf.
Deadline is April 29.
POSTPONED
18 March
TREES, YOUR CITY'S CHARACTER & A SENSE OF PLACE
May 6, 10 am to 2 pm
College Park Auditorium, 3631 Main Street, College Park
will be re-scheduled
more
info here
or contact Mary Lynne Beckley
marylynne@gatreecouncil.org
470-210-5900
2020
Day of Service
January 20, 2020
Douglas County High School
Video
recap of the 2020 Day of Service
now available here
thanks
to Chan Weeks,
Executive Director, Keep Douglasville Beautiful
These
fine WGGA companies/organizations
have contributed to the
2020 Day of Service at Douglas County High School!
McPlants
* Douglasville Ace Hardware * Alternative Environments
City of Douglasville * Keep Douglasville Beautiful
UGA DC Extension * UGA DC Master Gardeners EV's
THANK YOU!
UGA
Publications of Interest
(courtesy Willie O. Chance, UGA-UrbanAg)
Weed Control in Liriope & Mondo
Controlling Poison Ivy in the Landscape
Winter
Protection of Ornamental Plants
(what not to do late Summer/early Fall)
Uso de Herbicidas de Preemergencia para Digitaria y Otras Malezas Anuales de Verano
Control de Poa annua en Céspedes Comerciales no Residenciales de Georgia
Soil
Preparation and Planting Procedures for Ornamental Plants in the Landscape
available
here
UGA publications offer a wide variety of professionally targeted, as well as homeowner interest, publications. Some are free, some have a small cost. All are written by UGA Cooperative Extension and CAES or FCS research faculty and all are full of the latest scientific info on many topics of interest to green pros. More info is right here.
West Georgia
Beekeepers meet
4th Monday of each month
6:30pm
Douglas Co. Extension Office
6279 Fairburn Rd
SHADE
GUFC magazine
*Hot
Off the Press*
no
longer being published, but the archives are available
2018 issue here
2017 Issue here
2015 issue available here
Urban
Forests
Improve the Quality of Life
NEW
UGA REPORT
Economic Contribution of Turfgrass Production,
Ornamental Horticulture, Landscape Services, and
Related Industry in the Georgia Economy, 2010
read
it here
Proud WGGA Sponsor
Community
Supported Agriculture
LOCAL FARMS
FRESH PRODUCE
CHOCOLATE
JAMS&JELLIES
MORE&MORE&MORE
fine
one near you here!
WGGA is a
proud member of the Douglas
County Chamber of Commerce
THANK YOU!
Video
recap of the multi-year
Military Honor Garden project
now available here
thanks
to Chan Weeks,
Executive Director, Keep Douglasville Beautiful
These
fine WGGA companies/organizations
have contributed to the
Military Honor Garden project in 2017!
Douglasville
Ace Hardware*Southern States
Alternative Environments*Reslawn
McPlants*Barnett Irrigation
W & W Lawn Care*Accent Nursery
Keep Douglasville Beautiful*UGA DC Extension
UGA DC Master Gardener Extension Volunteers
Well Done Lawns and Landscaping
Black Rock Property Service , Inc.
NG Turf
Thank
you everyone who participated in 2016!
MILITARY HONOR GARDEN
HUNTER PARK, DOUGLASVILLE
Friday. December 9, 2016
Keep Douglasville Beautiful is proud to introduce the Douglasville Military Honor Garden. Created as a place to celebrate the honor and courage that members of the Douglasville community have made in the service of our country, the Military Honor Garden will welcome visitors to a place of beauty and who wish to pay tribute to the brave military men, women, and families who sacrifice for our freedoms.
The garden has been conceived as a beautiful public space, built with the support of citizens, service organizations, and businesses in our community for the benefit of the community. Memorial trees, garden spaces, markers, and benches will be placed throughout the garden to create a vibrant, social space to enjoy and inspire.More info here
Thank
you to the following WGGA Members for your help on
the 2011 Freedom Island project!
McPlants,
Douglasville Ace Hardware, Alternative Environments, Wynn's Intensive
Lawn Care, Black Rock Landscaping, Keen Edge Lawn Care, Douglas County
Extension Office, Accent Nursery & Landscaping, Chip's Lawn Care,
Hydro Irrigation, John Deere Landscapes, NGTurf, Triple Creek Flower Farm,
Well Done Lawn & Landscaping, Mood Swings
WGGA on YouTube!
Freedom Island Renovation
courtesy DouglasvilleCITITV
Get the landscape plan right here
Your
donation of professional time, equipment, and material is greatly appreciated.
Thank
you for your support!
Craig
McManus-Chan Weeks-Kevin Livingston
Wanna be famous?
Write
an article for the WGGA website!
Preferably something educational - how you solved a problem
that might be seen by another member, or something unusual you tried and
what happened (failures are as educational as successes!)
- or hints for homeowners (how to prune, different turfgrasses,
what's a weed) - or something interesting - or something intriguing
- or funny - or -
You
and your company will be given full credit and we'll show your logo and
phone number very large.
Right here on the first page!
Please
e-mail them
here.
Photos are good.
(Please identify any people and give a date and city location.)
Please note all will be reviewed before publication and may be edited.