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 soil’s overall health and the plants that grow in it. There...
Category: Landscaping
Choosing A Fertilizer
Fertilizers contain essential elements or nutrients required by plants. These nutrients are important in germination, growth, flowering, and fruiting. When the soil does not provide these nutrients...
Fertilizers and the Environment
When fertilizing plants, consider the 4Rs of nutrient management: the right kind of fertilizer applied in the right amount, at the right time of year, and in the right location where it can be taken...
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?...
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...