Pollinator Gardening
In 2007, the U.S. Senate designated a week in June as National Pollinator Week to increase the general public’s awareness of the importance of pollinators to food production. What is pollination?...
Category: Landscaping
Soil Texture Analysis “The Jar Test”
Soil is a medium comprised of soil particles, organic matter, water, air, and living organisms, all of which are important to the overall health of the soil and the plants that grow in it. The three...
Salt Tolerant Plants for the South Carolina Coast
Salt exposure is just one of the many environmental factors that makes coastal landscaping challenging. Selecting plants that are tolerant to salt exposure will increase the rate of success....
Cleome or Spider Flower
An easily grown annual native to South America, cleome (Cleome hassleriana synonym C. pungens, C. spinosa) is a favorite in Southern gardens. The delicate pink, rose, purple, white, or bicolor...
Shorescaping Freshwater Shorelines
Shorescapes South Carolina is blessed to have an abundance of water resources in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds, and estuaries, and many residents own properties that adjoin these beautiful...
Herbicide Damage to Landscape Plants
Using herbicides to control weeds or other undesirable plants is a common practice in many integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. However, improper application methods and drift of herbicides...
Hydrangea
Hydrangea macrophylla, also called bigleaf or French hydrangea, typically has either pink or blue flowers, although a few cultivars have white flowers. Flower color is determined indirectly by the...
Tree Maintenance
Tree Establishment The length of time for the establishment of a tree depends on the original tree size and the growing conditions after planting. All trees experience transplant shock regardless of...
Miniature Gardens: A Story to Tell
People have varied interests in gardening. For the more serious gardeners, it often involves directed planting and labor to produce desirable vegetables, fruits, or flowers. For some people,...
Plants that Tolerate Drought
These plants are drought tolerant once established. All plants need water while establishing their root system and during periods of extended drought. Root establishment can take from one to several...
Landscape Tree Decline
Landscape tree decline may be a combination of several biotic, environmental & chemical factors that slowly kill trees. If stresses add up, trees may go into decline. Stressed trees are more apt...
Spice Up Your Landscape with Annual Color
The addition of annual color will add interest to your summer landscape. Annuals may be used in containers, window boxes, hanging baskets, or planted in landscape beds. In choosing which annuals to...