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...
Category: In the Garden
This Month In Your Garden – May
Coastal – Christopher Burtt Begin fertilizing lawns based on soil test results. With mower blades sharpened, mow the lawn at the appropriate height for the turf species. Look for thin areas in the...
Small But Mighty Golden Alexanders
Several years ago, upon taking a deeper dive into native plants, I kept hearing about a plant named Zizia. Everyone raved about its prowess as a pollinator workhorse in the garden. I decided I must...
Leaf Drop in Evergreens
You may have noticed your evergreen shrubs and trees shedding yellow and brown leaves this spring. It seems unusual, but it could be a normal leaf and needle drop. While some may believe that...
Why Does Soil Health Matter? Starting with Soil Organisms
By now, everyone involved with gardening or growing plants has heard the term “soil health” thrown around. What is soil health, and why is it important? Soil Health refers to multiple soil...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – April 18, 2022
Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “It has been a very windy spring. The winds are drying out our soils and beating up plants. I have looked at some tomatoes, and the ones that aren’t tied are...
Weed of the Month – Dichondra
Dichondra (Dichondra repens) is a semi-evergreen, mat-forming perennial. It is a member of the morning glory family and is native to New Zealand. Dichondra grows well in moist soils, tolerates...
April Fruits and Flowers
April is such a great time of year to garden in South Carolina. It’s hard to have favorite flowers or shrubs because there are so many from which to choose. This month, flowering shrubs really take...
Benefits of Riparian Buffers Along Waterways
Approximately 6% of South Carolina is covered by water, with 30,000 miles of rivers and streams carving through the state’s rolling hillside, pastoral farmland, historic cities, and saltmarsh-laced...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – April 13, 2022
Coastal Region Rob Last reports, “Crops are generally looking good in the area. Strawberries are coming to harvest with good volumes. Keep scouting for spider mites and thrips. Thrips were found...
Tomatoes in Containers
Gardeners across the U.S. are in varying stages of preparing their vegetable gardens. Most will choose to include tomatoes in their plans. According to garden.org, tomatoes are the number one...
Two Little-known Native Irises
Dwarf Crested Iris, Iris cristata, is a beautiful native iris that grows in the woods all over the Piedmont. The eight-inch, sword-shaped leaves arch towards the outside of the spreading clump....