SC Native Plant Certificate Program

Yes, we’re talking about mint! The breath-saving, tummy-taming, taste-boosting mint. At Fantastic Gardeners, we love this refreshing plant, and why wouldn’t we? It is fragrant, easy to grow, and has many beneficial uses in culinary arts, medicine, and cosmetics.

December is the month we celebrate Arbor Day. So, consider planting a tree in honor of this day. Start by selecting the right plant for the site. First, analyze the chosen site by checking the soil drainage, number of sunlight hours, and amount of available space for a tree to reach its mature height and width. Once these factors are determined a tree species can be selected. CAUTION: Call 811, two to three working days before you dig. This service will mark underground utility lines.

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.

2020 Master Gardener Training Course registration is OPEN

“Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.” Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

Garden Sprouts is a program I run at the South Carolina Botanical Garden that is designed for preschoolers and caregivers. This class takes place once a week for three months every spring and fall. The goal is to share age-appropriate nature-based activities with children, who are mostly three to five years old, but sometimes younger or older. Over time I have learned the caregivers also learn things they never knew, enjoy the activities immensely, and are able to connect more deeply to the natural world through this program. The structure of this hour-long program is three-fold, we begin inside with a book related to the theme of the day, a walk or outdoor activity, and finally a craft. In this blog, I would like to share some of the books, outdoor activities, and crafts we have done in this class.

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.

Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’ was once touted as the perfect, sterile garden or landscape tree. It has now bred prolifically with other pear species and spread so extensively that it is now on South Carolina’s invasive plant list. Now is an excellent time to replace these pest trees with something more ecologically sound. We have several options to choose from at the South Carolina Plant Sale or visit your local nursery to find alternatives. The SCBG plant sale is online again this spring; details are here: https://www.clemson.edu/public/scbg/plant-sale/index.html

Native grasses are an excellent choice for low-maintenance, attractive, and wildlife-friendly plants to add to your landscape. Their beauty is often more subtle than the color splashes of perennials and annuals but can add amazing depth and interest to the gardener’s palette. There are so many species of native grasses to choose from, and each one brings differing structure, texture, and color to the garden. Grasses give multi-season interest to the landscape. Perennial grasses mostly emerge in the spring and are at their peak in summer and tend to be happiest in full sun. Persistent seed heads provide structure and movement to the garden in the fall and well into the winter.

Prediabetes is a growing problem in the United States. In South Carolina alone, 31.2 percent of adults have prediabetes. Having prediabetes, or blood sugar levels higher than normal, can put you at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Other risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include:

Utility companies have the thankless task of maintaining the right-of-way for above-ground utility lines to keep the power on. Gardeners and residents often gasp in horror upon seeing the tree and large shrub pruning performed to keep the lines clear. It is a necessary evil. But in many cases, following a ‘right plant in the right place’ mentality will avoid plants interfering with the lines.

At the South Carolina Botanical Garden (SCBG), we have always viewed gardening as a fantastic vehicle for teaching. We do this with programs like the new in-person afterschool program: The Green Thumbs Kids Club. Each participant will plant, tend, and harvest vegetables, herbs, and ornamental plants in this club. In addition, they cook, craft, carry out experiments, observe garden critters, and more. To find out more about The Green Thumbs Club, and to register, visit https://calendar.clemson.edu/event/green_thumbs_kids_club#.YdcCLhPMLuV