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...
Category: In the Garden
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...
Maidenhair Fern
Ferns are one of the most versatile plants to add texture and softness to a shade garden. Northern (Adiantum pedatum) and Southern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) maidenhair ferns are native to the...
Question of the Week – Henbit
What is this cool-season weed that is turning fallow fields purple right now? This is henbit (Lamium amplexicaule). This annual cool-season weed germinates in the fall and grows throughout the...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – March 4, 2024
Check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast. Coastal Region Zack Snipes We are getting some warmer weather, but it has been accompanied by wet, humid, and damp conditions. Fields...
This Month in Your Garden – March 1, 2024
Coastal Region- Glen Payne Irrigation systems can now be turned on to perform annual audits before spring officially arrives. Controllers found in the OFF position should be turned ON as ground...