Author: Sue Watts

Caterpillars for the Birds

Apr 17, 2023 | In the Garden

Spring is here! All the signs are evident, including walking into caterpillars hanging from trees by slender threads (which happened to me last week). These danglers are often members of the...

Common Violets, a Beautiful Treasure

Mar 20, 2023 | In the Garden

If your garden is anything like mine at this time of year, it is peppered with these beautiful little treasures: common violets (Viola sororia). These blue, purple, and sometimes almost white, small...

WANTED: Elaeagnus – Dead, Not Alive

Feb 20, 2023 | In the Garden

While walking in the South Carolina Botanical Garden, I came across a substantial pile of Elaeagnus recently cut from our woods. My eye was caught by the silvery underside of the leaves flashing in...

New Classes at the South Carolina Botanical Garden

Jan 16, 2023 | In the Garden

As a new year begins, educators at the South Carolina Botanical Garden at Clemson University are excited for a new season of classes and events for all ages. Our entire new calendar is here. We are...

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ….”

Dec 5, 2022 | Uncategorized

As Christmas approaches, this refrain can be heard in grocery stores, on the radio, and even in the ether as our memories are triggered by the season. American chestnut (Castanea dentata) once...

“Carolina Gold” Rice Growing in the Hanover House Garden

Nov 7, 2022 | In the Garden

This heirloom grain, together with the skilled knowledge and forced labor of West Africans and their descendants, made South Carolina very, very rich. From 1720 to the outbreak of the Civil War,...

Natural Enemies: Parasitic Wasp

Oct 6, 2022 | In the Garden

I recently came across this caterpillar in the garden. The bright green body first attracted my attention, and then I saw the white additions to its body. This caterpillar is beautiful but doomed;...

South Carolina Botanical Garden Plant Sale – Fall 2022

Sep 19, 2022 | In the Garden

As summer fades and fall’s cool temperatures and moist days arrive, this is a fantastic time for planting perennials, shrubs, and trees. Under these conditions, plants get time to establish roots...

Leaftier

Sep 5, 2022 | In the Garden

While walking in the Jurassic Garden at the South Carolina Botanical Garden, I noticed the ends of many fern fronds clearly engineered to make globe-like structures. When I took a close-up of this...

You Can Help the Monarch Butterflies

Aug 8, 2022 | In the Garden

In July 2022, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) drew attention to North America’s migrating monarchs by adding them to their ICUN Red List of Threatened Species. In the...

Pollinator Week – Bee Discoveries

Jul 11, 2022 | In the Garden, Uncategorized

During pollinator week (June 20 -24), I spent time hunting for native bees in the South Carolina Botanical Garden. Native bees are powerhouse pollinators and of critical importance to plant life and...

Birds in the Landscape

Jun 6, 2022 | In the Garden, Wildlife

As a gardener, one of my main goals is to develop a landscape that provides a safe habitat for birds (and other wildlife). I have added plants to provide food and shelter and have been gratified by...