Corn Poppies
Corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas) are charming little darlings whom I let mischievously wander around my garden from season to season, deciding upon a new piece of real estate to make their home. Their...
Category: In the Garden
What’s Happening with Hemp? May 22, 2022
Each year the South Carolina Department of Agriculture puts out a call for applications to farm hemp in the state. In 2022 nearly two hundred farmers were issued permits to grow industrial hemp in...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – May 16, 2022
Midlands Region Justin Ballew reports, “Last week was cooler and felt like spring again, but that seems to be gone now. We got a little rain late last week (0.4 inches on our weather station in...
Growing Health
Gardening and health are intrinsically linked. In order to eat healthy, we must first grow healthy foods. Working in the yard or the garden can provide us with physical activity. And, of course, the...
My Neighbor’s Grass is Greener
It’s seemed like ages since it’s actually been acceptable to recommend fertilizer on a homeowner’s lawn, but the month of May is upon us, meaning our warm-season grasses should be...
Annual Vines for the Mailbox or Trellis
The pioneering American landscape architect Frank Lloyd Wright once said: “A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his client to plant vines.” Aside from hiding things,...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – May 9, 2022
Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Spider mites are increasing in number on a variety of crops including strawberries and watermelons. Fruit crops in the area are producing well, with botrytis and...
Blue Carbon
If your summer vacation plans include a trip to the beach, you’ll have the chance to see our coastal blue carbon resources up close and personal. What is blue carbon, you may wonder? It’s the carbon...
Weed of the Month – Blue-eyed grass
Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) is a beautiful native plant in the iris family. This perennial plant looks very similar to thicker bladed turfgrasses and can survive in the lawn without...
Lyreleaf Sage
It’s now late April, and I am enjoying these breath-taking vistas of Lyreleaf sage (Salvia lyrate) in the Arboretum of the South Carolina Botanical Garden (SCBG). This native perennial has put on an...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – May 02, 2022
Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “It seems like everything happened all of a sudden this week. We are flushed with strawberries right now. I am seeing some anthracnose on berries and lots of...
Burweed: A Pain in the Foot
It’s a beautiful spring day, and you’re tempted to walk barefoot across your lawn. It can be a painful experience if you have a nasty cool-season weed called burweed (Soliva sessilis) growing in...