Clemson Extension Wants Your Input

Kindra Clineff

The tropical rain forests of South America hold a treasure when it comes to plants that are beautiful, exotic, and can make for great houseplants. Have a look at the most amazing South American Indoor Plants you can grow!

I have been reading the Penguin Encyclopedia of Gardening which aims to provide ‘….an explanation of words used in a technical sense in a horticultural context in the UK and USA.’ Set out as an A to Z this resulting post, missing a thousand definitions, is unlikely to rank highly with search engines.

In case you hadn’t noticed, weeds are having a bit of a moment, and have been for some time. They were stars of the show at Chelsea this year and are increasingly being appreciated for their up-until-now-overlooked ornamental value. They are also living proof that our attitudes to gardens – who they are for and how they should look — are shifting. Gardens have always been a mirror to society, and now more than ever we see the pressing issues of our time reflected in how we think about them. We are no longer creating gardens solely for our enjoyment, but for the birds and the bees too. We are also being much more mindful about resource management, selecting plants and materials which will have the lightest footprint, requiring the least intervention. Weeds (whatever that term means) are the perfect solution. Incredibly well adapted to their environment, they will need little or no nurture to get established and thrive. And because they’re native, they support a huge range of insects and invertebrates who have evolved alongside them.

Take a walk and enjoy the beautiful South Carolina spring.

What’s blooming at the South Carolina Botanical Garden this week!

Late summer and fall perennial flower selections for South Carolina gardens.

Nothing says Christmas more than a poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Did you know that December 12th is known as National Poinsettia Day? Plant breeders have developed a wide range of colors in hues of white, purple, orange, and pink, but red poinsettias continue to be the most traditional color of the holiday season.

As people are spending more time around their homes during the concerns of COVID-19, they may be more likely to notice small ants crawling in and around their houses. Now is the perfect time to do something about it.

“Spring in Nature’s way of saying Let’s Party” ~Robin Williams~

Hi, there. I am your neighborhood stormwater pond. You might call me by a different name, maybe lagoon, lake, or fishing pond, but chances are if you live in a community with a pond, it’s me, your friendly stormwater pond. I have been designed by engineers to perform an important job and help manage flooding and stormwater pollution in your neighborhood. Each time it rains, stormwater runoff is directed to me through a network of drains, pipes, and ditches; once it reaches the pond it is temporarily stored and slowly released over time, reducing flooding around your streets and homes and capturing and trapping pollution in your pond, protecting downstream waterways. I do such a good job at these that I am one of the most frequently used practices to manage runoff in our communities. In South Carolina’s eight coastal counties, researchers have documented more than 9,000 stormwater ponds alone!

Clemson University’s Cooperative Extension Service is proud to offer a brand new program to the citizens of South Carolina! Many landscape professionals, whether in the private industry, grounds-maintenance, or employed by government agencies, are in constant need of good training resources for themselves and their employees. Many homeowners also want to know that their landscape operators/providers have the skill set necessary to deliver consistent, high-quality service.