Insects Feed Baby Birds
As a backyard bird enthusiast, I find watching the bluebird’s life cycle unfold in my yard to be fascinating. Each year, I anxiously await bluebird nesting season and feel a sense of accomplishment...
Author: Terasa Lott
When It Comes To Plants, Looks Can Be Deceiving
Each year, I look forward to watching the bleak winter landscape begin to come to life as if transitioning from black and white to Technicolor. Yellow is one of the first colors to appear with the...
Holiday Cactus
The holidays are often associated with particular plants such as Poinsettias, Cyclamen, and paperwhites, but my favorite group of plants is the holiday cacti. About 15 years ago, I purchased what I...
Testing Drinking Water
Water testing and treatment are expensive and inconvenient, but are necessary to ensure residents have access to a safe and reliable source of water. The cost associated with testing and treatment...
If You Build It, They Will Come: Attracting Butterflies To Your Yard
Butterflies have this unexplainable allure that seems to appeal to people of all ages. The key to enticing these winged beauties to your yard, is utilizing adult nectar sources and larval...
Watch Out For Squash Vine Borers
While growing your own vegetables can be quite rewarding, it can also be frustrating, especially when a lush squash plant seems to up and die in a matter of a few days. If you’ve ever attempted to...
Rain Garden Plants: Callicarpa americana
Rain gardens are small-scale stormwater best management practices that protect water quality while also adding beauty to the landscape and providing wildlife habitat. Callicarpa americana, from the...
Rain Garden Plants: Iris versicolor and Iris virginica
A rain garden is a shallow (6 – 12 inch deep) vegetated depression designed to capture stormwater runoff and allow the water to soak into the soil. These gardens can function as natural filters...
Conserving Water in Your Landscape
Water is a precious natural resource that should be conserved in all endeavors concerning landscape management. In urban areas as much as 60% of all water usage goes to maintaining landscapes. Much...
Rain Garden Plants: Achillea millefolium – Yarrow
A rain garden is a shallow vegetated depression designed to capture stormwater runoff and allow the water to soak into the soil and drain into underground water reserves. These gardens function as...
Carolina Yards: An Overview of Sustainable Landscaping Practices
The activities we engage in within our own backyard can impact our natural resources. Through sustainable landscaping practices, you can create an aesthetically pleasing landscape in a way that...