Easy Tips and Tricks To Safely Control Pests and Disease

beneficial praying mantid

As the temperature heats up, the veggies and flowers we so diligently planted in the spring are really starting to jump…and so are the bunnies, beetles, and borers who want to munch on the fruits of our labor!  Here are a few easy ways to control the critters, prevent disease, and feed your garden in a manner that is safe for kids, pets, and the environment.

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Caring for Your New Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis orchids are exquisite, exotic and surprisingly easy to care for…the perfect orchid for beginners!

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Caring For Your New African Violet

As one of the most popular flowering houseplants, the African Violet is also very easy to care for. 

 

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Pruning Roses for Dummies

If you feel intimidated by the thought of tackling the job of pruning your roses, don’t be.  In the words of the celebrated southern gardener and author Felder Rushing, “you can prune roses with a chainsaw or a herd of deer.”  So grab some sharp by-pass pruners (I love my Felcos) and put on your rose gloves (unless you want to look like you fended off a pack of hungry stray cats) and we’ll get started.

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Great Plants for the Uncommon Southern Garden

Undoubtedly, there are innumerable interesting and attractive plants species out there.  However, some do not fair well in our steamy climate and others may be difficult to find at your local garden center.  Therefore, I have created the following list of great plants that do well in the Piedmont, are generally available, and are a bit more interesting than the predictable crape myrtles, gardenias, azaleas and monkey grass that normally garnish the average southern garden.

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Going Native! Great native plants for the Carolina garden

Generally, the term native plant refers to any plant that was present in North America before the time of European settlement.  For the purposes of this article, however, we will focus on North Carolina natives, particularly ones that do well here in the Piedmont. 

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Featured Plant: Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha)

A "Featured Plant" is a plant of great interest in multiple seasons, a plant with unusual foliage or floral characteristics, or a plant that is under-utilized or unknown to many novice gardeners.  In other words, it's a plant worth knowing!  Read on to learn about the lovely Paperbush...

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Heavenly Hellebores!

 

 

There are certain plants that every Southern gardener should have...that being said, please say hello to the amazing Hellebore!  Sometimes called a Christmas Rose or Lenten  Rose (because many of them

bloom around those times), this winter-to-early spring-flowering evergreen perennial blooms in shades of white, cream, green, pink, red and some even with speckles or blotches.  Interestingly enough, these delightful plants remain unknown to many gardeners despite their toughness, beauty, and wonderful

habit of blooming during times when most other plants in the garden remain dormant.

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The Winter Interest Garden

 

As gardeners in the South, our mild winters preclude our absence from the outdoors…so why should our gardens not be beautiful in the winter as well as the warmer months?  There are a surprising number of trees and shrubs that can add winter interest to the garden with their architectural elements, colorful berries, fragrant flowers, exfoliating bark, or evergreen foliage.  A few simple additions can transform your garden into a winter showplace…

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Fabulous Fall Flowers

Go outside, look at your garden in late summer to early fall and describe what you see.  Would you use the phrase “spectacularly colorless,” or perhaps “depressingly barren,” or maybe “brown and somewhat crispy?”  If so, fret not dear gardener, the answer is fabulous fall-blooming perennials that will add color, texture, and height to your autumnal garden.  When everything else seems to be winding down for the season, these beauties (which are far more titillating than your average aster or mum) are just getting warmed up!

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Drought Tolerant Gardening

Sedum 'Angelina'

I think anyone who has lived in the Charlotte area in the past few years can appreciate the meaning of the word drought.  We all remember the brown crunchy lawns, struggling gardens, and water restrictions.  Now that the drought is “over,” however, we should continue to practice water conservation…especially in our landscapes.

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Plant a Garden…Grow Butterflies

 “Not quite birds, as they were not quite flowers, mysterious and fascinating as are all indeterminate creatures.”   -Elizabeth Goudge

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