This Month in Your Garden- April 2024
Coastal Region- Christopher Burtt Begin to apply fertilizer where needed based on soil test results. If a soil test has not been done, be sure to have one done to better guide the fertilizer needs...
Category: In the Garden
Spring Flower Arrangements
One of the many joys of living in South Carolina is our climate. If a landscaped yard is properly designed, you can have flowers blooming year-round. With the arrival of spring, I enjoy gathering...
Question of the Week – Shothole borer
What caused the damage found on a dead branch of this peach tree? This damage was caused by a shothole borer. Shothole borers typically find a way into the wood through damage initially caused by...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – March 25, 2024
Our recent Question of the Week post about the latrine from the War of 1812 received a lot of attention over the last week. Here is an article from the Charlotte Observer that provides a little more...
The Aliens Are Coming
Every 13 years, a big event happens: the mass emergence of the longest-living insect in the United States – the periodical cicada. They last appeared in South Carolina in 2011. Unlike the annual...
Too Hot to Handle – My Review of Spicy Bird Seed
If you have bird feeders in your yard, you have probably waged war against squirrels. I know whenever I put up bird feeders in my backyard, the squirrels that frequented my yard certainly put on...
Question of the Week – War of 1812 Artifact
What is this? It was found while subsoiling a field on John’s Island in Charleston recently. Sidi Limehouse was bottom plowing a field at the end of Johns Island a few weeks ago when he hit...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – March 18, 2024
We have lots of meetings coming up over the next few months, so be sure to keep a close eye on the Upcoming Events tab so you don’t miss anything. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower...
Sweet Alyssum
The fragrant blooms of sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) give this flower its name. This cool-season annual is known for its profusion of white flowers. There are also lavender, pink, and purple...
Sharing Nature with Children: Native Bees
Many children in my programs at the South Carolina Botanical Garden know an enormous amount about non-native honeybees. However, they are astonished to discover the vast diversity of native bees and...
Question of the Week – Thrips
What is the tiny critter on the petal of this strawberry bloom? This picture shows a tobacco thrips (reduced wing form) crawling out of a strawberry flower at Clemson’s Coastal REC in Charleston....
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – 3/11/24
We have lots of meetings coming up over the next few months, so be sure to keep a close eye on the Upcoming Events tab so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week, we have the Upstate Apple...