COVID-19 has taken the world by surprise, and many people around the world have had to slow or shut things down in recent times. While many folks are working from home, one group of people who cannot are our farmers. Our farmers here in South Carolina have been working and are continuing to work each day so that the world’s food supply and our food supply here in South Carolina remains constant.
The farmers and farm staff that I work with every day are my heroes! They spend all day every day in the field, working hard to ensure that we have a safe and abundant food supply. With the recent viral outbreak, many restaurants and institutions have all but stopped buying food from our South Carolina farmers, leaving a huge deficit in their business and income. I am asking that we, as citizens of South Carolina, support these local heroes by stepping up and buying local products from them right now. What could be better than buying fresh strawberries, blueberries, asparagus, lettuce, collards, radish, beets, onions, and pasture-raised beef and chickens from your neighbor right down the street? The South Carolina Department of Agriculture has put together a list of farms that are selling local products right now to consumers. https://agriculture.sc.gov/coronavirus/local/. This list only scratches the surface of the farmers we have in South Carolina. I would encourage you to find local farms in your area and support them during this time.
I have called many farmers over the past week to ask how they are doing, how their crops are doing, and how or where they are selling their products. After every conversation, the last thing that is said is, “if you or your family need anything from us at this time, especially food, please don’t
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As the year passes, and as each new season settles upon us, we are blessed with abundant and various seasonal crops and produce. While in most mainstream grocery stores, we can now find our favorite foods all year round; however, many prefer to eat what is being grown specifically in that season. Here in South Carolina, entities such as Certified SC Grown is just one example of an organization that is working to bridge the gap between field and plate, making finding local, seasonal fruits and vegetables more attainable.
No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Florida pusley is a low-branching, annual summer weed. Its pretty, white, star-shaped flowers produce an abundance of seeds, and a single plant can quickly turn into an infestation. This weed is extremely drought tolerant and can easily out compete lawns that are not irrigated during extended dry weather conditions.
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.
Want to add a tropical flair to your garden this spring? Elephant ears will add a bold statement to a filtered sun or high shade spot. These striking “drama queens” of the garden may be either in genera Colocasia or Alocasia. The easiest way to tell these beauties apart is that colocasias (Colocasia esculenta) will have leaves that point downward, and alocasia (Alocasia species) leaves will point upward. Depending on the species or cultivar of each genus, the size can range from 3 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 10 feet in width. Both types of elephant ears are native to the tropical regions of Southeastern Asia.
In a year when many of our favorite sporting events have been postponed or even canceled, the garden marches on! As gardeners, we have our own backyard competitions each year, keeping mental notes on which varieties we will plant again or replace due to their performance on our ‘home court’. But choosing which varieties will be in our starting lineup each year can become a daunting task.
Springtime color in the residential landscape is never lacking with the multitude of flowers of many species of annuals, perennials, and shrubs. However, autumn colors may be a bit more lacking in the average home garden. This is why I have included deciduous viburnums in our landscape design. Not only do many species have outstanding fall color, but most have beautiful clusters of red, blue, pink, or glossy black fruit. Additionally, for the native plant enthusiasts, there are many species of native deciduous viburnums from which to choose. Of approximately 18 deciduous species that grow well in South Carolina, six are natives.
The spring migration of ruby-throated hummingbirds from their tropical winter homes to South Carolina gardens is a highly anticipated event. These jeweled visitors usually arrive in mid-March; therefore, it is important to put up hummingbird feeders by around March 15. Nothing is more exciting than spotting the first arrivals.
March brings springtime, and with the warmer temperatures, vibrant colors in the landscape like the lawn. Many lawns in South Carolina are warm season, like bermudagrass, centipedegrass, and zoysiagrass, which will start to transition from a tannish-brown color to a new green color. But while we may get excited when the grass starts to green-up again in the spring, there are some instances where springtime diseases can create patches of persistent off-color turf.
After 17 long years, billions of cicadas are ready to emerge from the ground, and we’re going to hear about it! Cicadas are harmless insects with big, bulging eyes and see-through wings held like a roof over their large bodies. Some cicadas appear every year, some every few years, and some, like the “Brood X” cicadas, are about to emerge throughout the mid-Atlantic, appear periodically every 17 years.
Including more whole foods in your diet, such as fruits and vegetables, can keep your body healthy and functioning at its best. Fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals necessary for your body’s health and maintenance. People who eat more fruits and vegetables as part of an overall healthy diet are also likely to have reduced risks for some chronic diseases.
Lily of the Nile or agapanthus (Agapanthus africanus and hybrids with this species) is a blue-flowered perennial that grows from a rhizome (fleshy root). Each rhizome sends up several shoots. Rhizomes also reproduce, so over time, a one-gallon plant of a vigorous cultivar like ‘Blue Storm’ will make a clump 2.5 feet wide. One of my large-leaved, unnamed cultivars has spread 3.5 feet in all directions.