Ligustrum
Common or European privet (Ligustrum vulgare) and Chinese privet (L. sinense) have escaped into the wild in South Carolina to become weedy and invasive pests. Birds eat the small, black fruit and...
Category: Landscape
Gardenia
Gardenias have been popular shrubs in South Carolina since the 18th Century and have been grown by the Chinese for over a thousand years. They were named after the Scottish naturalist Alexander...
Storm & Weather Damage
Landscape plants are often subject to damage caused by environmental stresses, including lightning, wind, snow or ice. It is important to know how and when to offer aid to a damaged plant to save...
Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a large genus of flowering plants in the Malvaceae or mallow family. The Malvaceae family includes many plants grown for their ornamental flowers and vegetable and fiber plants, such as...
Barklice
Description & Habits Barklice are members of the order Psocoptera, and there are over 300 species in 26 families in the United States and Canada. They are small and, with few exceptions,...
Boxwood
Boxwood has long been a cornerstone of southern gardens, especially on historic estates in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. They are ideal for formal gardens with their dense growth habit that allows them to be pruned into hedges, rounded shrubs, and topiaries. Today, more than 90 species and 260 cultivars of boxwood are available. Littleleaf, Japanese, American (including English), Korean, and...
Landscape Irrigation Management Part 5: Irrigation Time of Day
The best time of day to irrigate is the subject of some debate. One group suggests that early morning is the best time, while another group claims that afternoon is the best. Very few people...
Landscape Irrigation Management Part 4: Winter Irrigation & Winterizing
Winter Irrigation Winter landscape irrigation has long been considered an oxymoron in the Southeast. A good portion of South Carolina’s 48 to 52 inches of annual rainfall finds its way to Earth...
Landscape Irrigation Management Part 3: How Much Water?
Quite a bit of information about water use is known about agronomic crops such as tomatoes, cotton, and peaches. Most of this information was determined from research that compared crop yields (and...
Landscape Irrigation Management Part 2: Determining When to Irrigate
Irrigation mismanagement occurs simply because few people know when to begin irrigating. Some wait until plants begin to wilt before adding water, while others are convinced that watering frequently...
Landscape Irrigation Management Part 1: Water in the Landscape
Many in the Southeast view irrigation as a “quick fix” for problems encountered during a hot, dry summer. It is a simple way to get water to wilting plants and keep them alive until rainfall...
Composting
What Is Composting? Composting is a biological process that decomposes organic materials into a high-quality soil amendment. This process occurs in nature but can be accelerated and improved under...