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Herb Container

By Chloe Evans

If you love the idea of adding beautiful landscape features to your yard but don’t know where to start, container gardening is an easy way to make a statement and limit costs! To make it even easier, we asked the host of Southern Gardening, Dr. Eddie Smith, to curate a variety of container gardening combos for you to choose from. 

When following the thriller, spiller, and filler combination rules, container gardening can be achieved by anyone. For clarity, a thriller grabs attention with color and/or height. A spiller adds length to the...


A girl and boy stand in a kitchen and hold up the popsicles they are eating.

Summer Cooking Fun: Homemade Strawberry Popsicles

July 11, 2023

With more time at home, summertime is a great time to teach kids new recipes to help them step up their cooking game. Take advantage of this summer season and have some fun in the kitchen with your kids.

Northern mockingbird.

Bird of the Month: Northern Mockingbird

July 7, 2023

Every Mississippian is familiar with the northern mockingbird. In 1944, it became the official bird of Mississippi.

July Landscape Checklist

July 3, 2023

And just like that, our mild, rainy summer has turned hot and steamy. 

A woman stand in a kitchen with prepared food.

The Food Factor: Summer Squash and Onion Packet

June 30, 2023

Try this tasty way to cook those zucchinis from your summer vegetable garden.

Grass with brown spots.

Tips to Recognize Lawn Problems

June 28, 2023

A lot of time and energy is put into caring for your lawn: mowing, fertilizing, watering, and everything in between.

Bats fly against the sky as the sun sets.

Do Bats Help Control Mosquitoes?

June 23, 2023

While scientists know bats eat mosquitoes, the insect makes up only part of their diet. So the question is: Do bats significantly lower mosquito numbers?

A woman in a kitchen holds a glass of strawberry pineapple lemonade.

The Food Factor: Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade

June 20, 2023

Try this fun twist on the classic lemonade this summer.

Post Oak tree

Tips to Identify Oak Trees

June 19, 2023

What do turkey, water, willow, swamp chestnut, and white all have in common? If you guessed they’re all native oak trees in Mississippi, you’d be a winner!

A man and woman stand behind a kitchen counter filled with fruits and vegetables.

5 Tips for Men’s Health

June 13, 2023

June is National Men’s Health Month! Men’s Health Month is about encouraging men to care for their bodies by exercising, eating right, and taking steps to prevent disease. 

Firefly lighting up.

The Science of Fireflies

June 9, 2023

During summer nights, something magical happens. Tiny insects light up the night sky, making summertime just a bit more special than it already is.

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About Extension for Real Life

Extension for Real Life is a product of the MSU Extension Service’s Office of Agricultural Communications.

That’s a long way of saying we are professional communicators who get to talk about food, families, 4-H, flowers, and farming for a living.

Blog content is created by a core team of communicators, including Susan Collins-Smith, Ellen Graves, Natasha Haynes, Qula Madkin, Michaela Parker, and Jonathan Parrish. But we get by with a lot of help from our friends in Ag Comm and Extension!

You can reach us at 662-325-2262 or extreallife@msstate.edu