Plant A Tree
December is the month we celebrate Arbor Day. So, consider planting a tree in honor of this day. Start by selecting the right plant for the site. First, analyze the chosen site by checking the soil...
Category: In the Garden
Holiday Houseplants
What better way to enjoy this time of year than use it as an excuse to buy more plants! Poinsettias, amaryllis, paper whites, cyclamen, Norfolk Island pines, Christmas cactus, kalanchoe, rosemary...
Forcing Amaryllis
It isn’t necessary to be a botanist to choose a good amaryllis bulb. A little botanical knowledge about amaryllis, however, ensures gardeners buy productive bulbs for a beautiful floral display....
Growing Microgreens
Gardening is a great family activity but with today’s hectic schedules it’s hard to find time for a garden. Growing microgreens is a fast and tasty way to grow veggies with the entire family. The...
Common Chickweed (Stellaria media)
Common chickweed is a low, spreading, winter annual weed that germinates when we receive lots of cool, wet weather. Its leaves are opposite each other, smooth and elliptical in shape. It is tolerant...
Cottony Plants Abound
My daily commute to Sumter is a joy. Although I’m wary of logging trucks during the daytime and deer and wild hogs at dusk, mostly I am free to enjoy the fields and woodlands I pass. Calhoun County,...
Fothergilla – The Best of the Natives
No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English...
Fall Leaves: To Leave or Not to Leave
Fall brings that time of year when leaf color can be its most vibrant! However, as time marches on towards the winter season, leaves quickly begin to fall to the ground and create a blanket of...
Mikania scandens, Climbing Hemp
I really need to keep waterproof boots and a long-handled hard rake in my car as I often find myself negotiating (unsuccessfully) roadside ditches to get specimens or take pictures of plants growing...
Halloween Means Bat Week!
Of the animals we associate with Halloween, bats are arguably the most popular and terrifying. Since the days of Cortez and the Spanish Conquistadors, bats have been widely misunderstood animals in...
Composting Tips
Autumn is not only time to rake leaves but also time to start a compost pile. Fallen leaves provide the ‘brown’ carbon-rich ingredients to the compost pile, while grass clippings from the last lawn...
Weed of the Month – Florida Betony
Florida betony is a cool season perennial weed that is beginning to come out of dormancy now. Another common name for this weed is rattlesnake weed, because of the thick white tubers that form...