Weekend Gardener Archives

Serviceberry: A little-known native tree that birds (and gardeners) love

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Many years ago, my family and I were visiting relatives in Ohio in early April. On the way back home it snowed, although it did not stick to the roads. It stopped snowing as we were coming down Fancy Gap mountain on the Virginia-North Carolina border, just north of Mount Airy. I have vivid memories of a tree with white blooms that caught my eye. It was a Serviceberry (Amelanchier) which is in the rose family. It is also called Shadbush, Shadblow, Juneberry, and Sugarplum. Native to all three regions of North Carolina and I had never seen one, so I read up on it and asked my “WPTF Weekend Gardener” co-host Anne Clapp about this interesting tree.… Continue Reading

From Ditch Lilies to Showstoppers: Growing Daylilies in North Carolina

Our loyal Weekend Gardener listener and friend Steve is the pot master of the universe when it comes to daylilies (Hemerocallis). You may have heard them referred to as “ditch lilies. These perennials originated in China. I must say though, they just love the climate here in North Carolina. There are over 60-thousand varieties with lots of colors from pale yellow to pink to lavender to maroon. They are extremely popular in North Carolina and there are active daylily clubs all over the state including Raleigh. Our friend Steve’s club meets at the Ralston Arboretum. Once upon a time Rufus entered a daylily from his landscape in the club’s marvelous show and won a blue ribbon. You would have thought he had been handed the Nobel prize.… Continue Reading

Meet Illicium: A Shade-Loving Shrub with Personality

I can remember a time when there were few shade-loving shrubs from which to choose for the North Carolina landscape. In the early years of the “Weekend Gardener,” Erv Evans or those who filled in for him, would primarily recommend: acubas, rhododendrons, azaleas, or hydrangeas. Now there are a plethora of woody plants for the darker areas of your yard. What I am building up to is the world of Illiciums or Illicium parviflorum, illicium floridanum and illicium parviflorum anise shrubs. The leaves of this species have a distinctively pleasant scent when crushed. Most people say it smells like licorice, which is not my favorite. However, I do think it has a unique fragrance. The flowers of the floridanum have another distinctive attribute. They are pretty, a red to maroon color with a raw fishy fragrance. Some say it smells like a wet dog. This odor is not apparent unless the flower is right up to your nose. The plant usually blooms in April and May.… Continue Reading

Why the ninebark shrub deserves a spot in your garden

How many of you have ever heard of the Ninebark shrub or Physocarpus opulifolius for those of you who like to get technical? I hadn’t until recently! Since then I have learned that the Ninebark is also referred to in horticulture circles as Common Ninebark, Atlantic Ninebark, or Eastern Ninebark and is native to the eastern United States including North Carolina. Most frequently seen growing in the mountains and foothills of North Carolina, but seen less often in the central part of the state. It seems to like rocky hillsides and slopes near rivers. You won’t find ninebark growing very much in eastern North Carolina.… Continue Reading

A honey of a winter bloom

By Mike Raley If you want a plant with a scientific name that really rings, then winter honeysuckle is for you. The botanical name for this aromatic specimen is Lonicera fragrantissima. Catchy, huh? Known around here as “Sweet Breath of Spring,” I planted one decades ago, and like some of the flowering plants in my…… Continue Reading

Japanese flowering apricot, a J.C. Raulston favorite

This small deciduous tree is a native of Japan and China and is glorious in its winter appearance when its glorious light to dark pink or white flowers bloom, and the spicy fragrance permeates the landscape.… Continue Reading

Rhododendron tips from the Weekend Gardener to help your blooms thrive

The rhododendron is a fixture on the sides of hills in the higher elevations of the west, from Tryon to Sparta and on to Murphy. Some of our listeners tell us on the WPTF Weekend Gardener that they have trouble growing rhododendrons. But we grow rhododendrons all over the state and they are actually easy to grow. Many of the rhododendrons we grow are azaleas. But not all rhododendrons are azaleas.… Continue Reading

Planting and caring for Pansies

By Mike Raley I can vividly remember visiting Sunset Nursery in Rocky Mount with my mother, from mypre-teen years well up into my 40’s. She was not an avid gardener, but she so enjoyed hercamellias, azaleas, and annuals. Pansies were her favorite and we made a yearly pilgrimage on afall day to “Sunset” for a…… Continue Reading