Middle South Regional Report

Mild Winter Makes Way for Early Blooms

Many gardeners dread winter, but I'm not one of them. I truly enjoy chilly temperatures and long nights, and even a stretch of gray days every once in a while. Today, however, is sunny and bright. And though the day began cold, the forecast predicts...
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Resources

Davidson Symposium
Waxing Camellia Blooms

Recycle Torn Row Covers
Give Lemonade a Seasonal Twist
Dress Concrete Block Walls
Choose a New Lettuce
Know Catalog Lingo

Evergreens are Winter's Primary Players

It's been slow coming, but winter has arrived with a vengeance. After listening to the heating unit run through the night, I rose early this morning to see the thermometer hovering just above the 20 degree mark and to find rhododendrons in telltale...
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Resources

Master Gardener Symposium
Beautiful at All Seasons

Seed Hardy Annuals
Take Cuttings
Tidy Houseplants
Get Ready for Pruning
Irrigate Before Storms Blow In

Resolutions for a New Year of Gardening

My garden resolutions for 2012 can be summed up by the phrase, "Keep it simple, stupid." That's right; after years of expanding my gardening knowledge and interests, as well as the garden itself, I've decided to retrench. No one begins a garden with...
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Resources

Callaway Gardens Annual Southern Gardening Symposium
Dwarf Golden Mop False Cypress

Remove Trees Safely
Save Time with Tarps
Balance Wheelbarrow Loads
Plant Boulders
Be Consistent with Design

Favorite Plants, From My Garden to Yours

Everyone has their favorites: a favorite meal, a best-loved sweater, even a book they read time and again. Gardeners, of course, have favorite plants, and I'm no exception. Now that holiday shopping for loved-ones is behind me, I want to gift my...
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Resources

Greenville Master Gardener Symposium
Blue Fescue

Cathch Up on Your Garden Journal
Give Cyclamen a Cold Shoulder
Enhance Ready-Made Wreaths
Discourage Deer
Remove English Ivy

Carve a Measure of Good Cheer

The holidays are upon us, and whatever our faith, many of us celebrate the month of December with long-held family traditions such as decorating our homes with symbols of faith and hospitality, sharing a special meal, and giving gifts. Of the many...
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Resources

Plants for Winter Interest
Variegated Holly Osmanthus

Give Plants as Holiday Gifts
Capture Seeds with Bag-A-Weed
Stay Healthy with Herbs
Create an Outdoor Space for Relaxing
Edge Lawns for Manicured Appearance

New Adventures in Birdwatching

Living near a river has brought a whole new dimension to my backyard bird watching, even though I now reside in an urban neighborhood. In addition to the songbirds I expect to see in the garden, there's a blue heron that frequently swoops up and down...
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Resources

Songbirds in Your Garden
Serviceberry

Leave Birdhouses Unpainted
Make Birdhouses Perch-Free
Add a Submersible Pump to Your Birdbath
Avoid Pruning Climbers in Spring
Cover Mirrors that Distract Birds

Fall Under the Spell of Witch Hazel

Many of my favorite plants are fragrant winter bloomers. The list includes Japanese flowering apricot (Prunus mume) , paper bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) , and shrub honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima) , just to name a few. And yesterday, in my...
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Resources

Winter-Flowering Shrubs
Paper Bush

Make a Compost Sifter
Identify Garden's Warm and Cold Spots
Wait Before Using Some Vegetables
Harmonize Clashing Colors
Hasten Stump Decay

Return of the Great Pumpkin

Sure as shooting, I know autumn has arrived when my neighbor, Lisa, changes out the bodacious annuals in her porch urns for a mix of fall branches and crowds the stoop with an over-the-top display of pumpkins and gourds. Like falling acorns and...
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Resources

'Okame' Cherry
Pot a Pumpkin

Adjust Soil pH
Create a Wildlife Pond
Provide Suet for Birds
Divide Peonies After Frost
Make Leaf Mold

Most Spiders Get a Bum Rap

When the weather cools, pumpkins begin to appear on porches, and billboards carry news of the state fair, I always think of E. B. White's award-winning children's book, Charlotte's Web , and its lively cast of characters. Who could forget the story of...
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Resources

Collecting and Storing Seeds
'Limelight' Sage

Take Stock for Next Year
Plant Ground Covers
Protect Young Trees
Care for Perennials
Dig and Store Summer Bulbs

Making Sense of a Bird's-Eye View

I've been on the road again, and as usual, I squeezed a garden visit into my travel schedule. This time the destination was Seattle, but a side trip took me further afield to Victoria, British Columbia, and The Butchart Gardens, located just north of...
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Resources

Fall Plant Sale at Winghaven Gardens
Spanish Bluebells

Choose Healthy Bulbs
Consider Minor Bulbs
Calculate Bulb Planting Depth
Adjust Drainage for Bulbs
Group Bulbs

All Acorns Not Created Equal

Where the weather is concerned, it seems the only thing we can count on these days is the knowledge that we can't count on anything. Though it's typically hot and dry in my area in late-summer, the weather has been brutal since mid-July when...
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Resources

True Nature Country Fair
'Fireworks' Gompherina

Make Gourd Birdhouses
Grow Salad in Part Shade
Save Good Seeds
Plant a Windbreak
Remove Strange Sprouts

Middle South Regional Report

Mild Winter Makes Way for Early Blooms

Resources

Reminders

Evergreens are Winter's Primary Players

Resources

Reminders

Resolutions for a New Year of Gardening

Resources

Reminders

Favorite Plants, From My Garden to Yours

Resources

Reminders

Carve a Measure of Good Cheer

Resources

Reminders

New Adventures in Birdwatching

Resources

Reminders

Fall Under the Spell of Witch Hazel

Resources

Reminders

Return of the Great Pumpkin

Resources

Reminders

Most Spiders Get a Bum Rap

Resources

Reminders

Making Sense of a Bird's-Eye View

Resources

Reminders

All Acorns Not Created Equal

Resources

Reminders