It’s WPTF’s 12 Days of Christmas, getting you ready for the holidays, powered by Triangle Shooting Academy! WPTF has a pile of presents for you to unwrap like gift cards to awesome retailers including: Cape Fear Seafood, Deep River Sporting Clays and Shooting School, High Park Bar & Grill, JE Womble, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Zips Car…… Continue Reading
There is one thing we don’t have a lot of in my house and that’s houseplants. I have absolutely no reason why. I have had a pothos and a snake plant on my desk at work for many years. Of course, they are low maintenance and that’s true of ninety-nine percent of the plants in my landscape too. Now, we do buy several seasonal plants during the Christmas season. At the Campbell Road annual Christmas Open House every year we buy poinsettias, cyclamen and “holiday” cactus. Some people relish the thought of trying to sustain the life of the poinsettia and cyclamen; however, we buy these favorites every year to support our plant nursery friends and brighten up our home. They do a much better job of growing tropical plants than we do!… Continue Reading
I have always believed that God is in everything. There can be nothing on Earth to which this idea applies more than a garden. Don’t forget — one of God’s first creations was the Garden of Eden. George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “The best place to find God is in a garden.” For me, gardening has become a spiritual quest. I would like to say I have been a gardener all my life, but truthfully, I hated pulling weeds as a boy and never pursued working in God’s earth until I was unexpectedly thrown into hosting a radio gardening show more than four decades ago.… Continue Reading
Most of us have seen or have some knowledge of the most iconic plant in the world: It’s the “Venus Flytrap”, which is native to a small area of southeastern North Carolina. One of its cousins, also a native to the “Tar Heel State”, is the venerable “Pitcher Plant”. It is also carnivorous and has an equally insatiable appetite for insects. This is another plant I don’t have in my landscape. I do need one after seeing the crop of the Purple Pitcher Plant at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill.… Continue Reading
One of the most economical and practical things you can do for the plants in your landscape and vegetable garden is to start a compost pile. We’ve discussed it fairly often on the “WPTF Weekend Gardener” over the last 40 years. The first step is to find a relatively shady well-drained location in your back yard. You don’t have to buy a container, just build your own or find a proper spot on the ground. A wire cylinder 3 to 4 feet in diameter will work or build a three-sided box that’s 4 to 5-feet high and wide. However, if you prefer, ready-made bins are easy to find.… Continue Reading
We all want resilient plants for our landscape. Frankly we want something that is cost effective. A plant which fulfills that description and expectation is “Ironweed” (Vernonia noveboracensis). This seems to be the most common variety grown in North Carolina. Anne Clapp used to say: “A weed is a plant you don’t want in your yard,” but you definitely will want Ironweed! It is a popular and hardy herbaceous perennial that you’ll find in a lot of landscapes in North Carolina. Herbaceous means it does not have a woody stem and dies back to the ground after it flowers. By the way, “Ironweed” was named for the English botanist William Vernon who traveled extensively in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s.… Continue Reading
If you have ever wanted to grow your own bottle brushes, then you have come to the right place. The Fothergilla latifolia or F. major or the Dwarf Fothergilla (gardenii) is what you have been looking for. It has another cool name: “Witch Alder.” Actually, this plant is not in the alder family, it just resembles the alder trees. The Fothergilla is actually kin to the Witch Hazel. This deciduous shrub has a lot more going for it than the characteristics of its leaves or the shape of its flower which is about 3 inches long. It is quite interesting with the curious-looking spring flowers that last 2 to 3 weeks and have a faint honey fragrance.… Continue Reading
SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (NCN News) – One year after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, recovery continues across the mountains. The storm killed 108 people, caused more than 2,000 landslides and left businesses, roads and communities in ruins. While many restaurants, farms and attractions are reopening, most small businesses still have not returned to pre-Helene revenues. State officials say bipartisan support has brought new funding and infrastructure repairs, but rebuilding remains a long-term effort.… Continue Reading
I planted some Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) decades ago. Alas, I can’t remember when it faded into oblivion. It is really not native to Russia and hails from Central Asia, ie, Afghanistan, Tibet. The name derives from the genus of the plant which is “perovskia” and it was named for the Russian General V.A. Perovski in the 1800’s. I don’t know why, I suppose he was some sort of wise person or “sage”.… Continue Reading
I must say that I have rarely written an article about a plant I like but I don’t recommend for WPTF Weekend Gardener listeners. Sweet Autumn Clematis(Clematis teriflira) or Japanese Clematis is an exception. Sweet Autumn Clematis is actually in the Buttercup family. It does not act like one however. It is a master at spreading and surviving once its roots are established. It is very invasive and NC State doesn’t recommend that you plant this vine. The North Carolina Invasive Plant Council feels the same way. I don’t even know where you can buy this plant now. It is purported to be poisonous too. That being said, when I see it blooming in my yard and especially along the roadside in late August into September, I know fall is on the way and I love fall and winter.… Continue Reading