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...
Tag: Blogs
April 25 Week 4 Garden Photos
April at Crooked Trail Farm Fashion Azalea (Rhododendron x'Fashion') Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University Coral Bells Azalea (Rhododendron indicum 'Coral Bells') and Bumble Bee Barbara...
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 18 Week 3 Garden Photos
Beautiful Planters, Window Boxes, and Hayracks in Historic Charleston Charleston Window Box Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University Charleston Hayrack Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson...
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...
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....
April 11 Week 2 Garden Photos
A Garden Stroll Around Historic Charleston Yellow Lady Banks Rose (Rosa banksiae) Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson University Anemone (Anemone coronaria) Barbara H. Smith, ©2022 HGIC, Clemson...
An Ecology of Spring Wildflowers
Spring wildflowers are garden stars in the wooded area of South Carolina Botanical Garden’s Natural Heritage Trail from February to May. The spring herbaceous layer is exceptionally diverse in...
SC Fruit and Vegetable Field Report – April 4, 20222
Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “It finally feels like spring in the fields. The strawberry crop is really behind schedule this year. Most farms have plants with 3-4 crowns on them. In most...
Burgundy Spice Sweetshrub
This year, the newest shrub addition to my garden is a Burgundy Spice sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus var purpureus ‘Burgundy Spice’). When I spotted it across the nursery, it was as if a big neon...