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| The white berries of mistletoe ripen in early winter and are a favorite food of birds, though are poisonous if eaten by humans. |
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| Many garden centers offer rosemary plants pruned in the shape of Christmas trees. Following the holidays, these hardy shrubs can be planted in the landscape and enjoyed for years to come. |
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| 'Minerva' is one of many varieties of Amaryllis available to force into bloom for the holidays. |
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| Cleaning up diseased leaves from around shrubs like this Indian Hawthorn can help prevent disease infection next year. Give you garden a good clean out this fall to help it get off to a healthy start next spring. |
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| In addition to being a tough, drought tolerant perennial, Mexican bush sage is one of many ornamental plants deer prefer not to eat that thrive in our area |
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| Drought tolerant plants like these, 'Color Guard' Yucca (front), Texas sage (middle), and pink muhly grass (back), thrive in improved sandy soils will no additional watering. |
Interested in cultivating sweet, home-grown onions and flavorful garlic in your own backyard? If so, now is the time to plant. Growing onions from seed and garlic from cloves is easy to do in home gardens. Onions and garlic have few pest problems, and crops started now will be ready for harvest in spring. Ensure your success by properly preparing your soil and choosing varieties recommended for our area. 
Want to grow grapes in the south? If so, you have two choices, plant muscadines or plant another type of grape and watch the vines die. While table, wine, and concord type grapes rarely live for more than a few years in our area, muscadines thrive.
Hurricanes and trees may sound like a bad combination, but the outcome of these two meeting is not always destructive. How well a tree survives a hurricane depends on several factors, many of which are under your control. These include tree species planted, tree root health, and pruning practices.
Lettuce and other salad greens are easy to grow and thrive in the cool temperatures of fall. They can be ready to harvest in as little as 30 days from sowing, making them one of the quickest vegetables you can grow. What’s more, lettuce and many of the greens popular in salad mixes flourish when grown in containers, so you can easily grow your own salad even if you do not have a vegetable garden!
Late summer is prime time for more than just hurricanes in eastern NC – it is also peak caterpillar season. Many different types of caterpillars can currently be found munching on tree, shrub, and vegetable leaves in our area, such as these spiny oak worms feeding on oak leaves. In vegetable gardens caterpillar control is often necessary, but for trees and shrubs leaf damage this late in the season usually does not pose a serious threat to plant health so spraying is rarely needed. Plus caterpillars are an excellent food source for migrating birds, who can help provide control naturally. If you do have a caterpillar outbreak that requires control, both organic and synthetic insecticides are available from most garden centers than can do the job.
Pecan trees are a common site in eastern North Carolina. Unfortunately so is the damage caused by pecan weevil, the most destructive insect pest of pecans. Pecan weevils damage nuts in two ways. First they feed on the young nuts in late summer, causing some to drop early still in their husks and never complete development. Then they lay their eggs inside the pecans still on the tree. Within a few days plump, cream colored grubs hatch from these eggs and begin feeding on the nut. By the time the pecan drops to the ground, the grub has devoured most of the nut, at which point they drill a small hole in the top of shell and crawl out. If you have ever picked up pecans that had a hole in the top of the shell and were empty, or found grubs inside pecans when you cracked them open, then you have experienced pecan weevils. Though their damage will not become evident until later in the year, now is the time to control this pest.
Current temperatures might not make it obvious, but fall is not too far away and now is the time to prepare for your fall vegetable garden. Many favorite vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, collards, spinach, lettuce, beets, turnips, mustard, and radish can be planted over the next month for harvest throughout the fall and into winter. This is also the time to plant cool season herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill. Onions, garlic, and shallots should be planted in October for harvest in spring. So don’t wait - now is the time to prepare your soil and get your fall crops started for a bountiful fall harvest.
Fire ants have become an established menace throughout the South. While there is no way to permanently eradicate fire ants from any location, there are many products available for managing them. Among the easiest to use and most environmentally friendly are baits. Baits can be applied around individual ant mounds or broadcast over a large area. When applied correctly, broadcasted baits only need to be put out once or twice a year to provide excellent control of fire ants.
Soaker hoses allow beads of water to slowly drip into the soil and are a very efficient way to water flowers, shrubs, trees, vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Because they apply water at soil level, little is lost to evaporation or runoff and foliage stays dry, which helps prevent many plant diseases.
Honey bees and other pollinators are essential for the production of many of the foods we grow and eat every day. These include fruits like blueberries, apples, and peaches, as well as many vegetables, including cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, beans, melons, and peppers. When crops are not adequately pollinated the results are misshapen fruits, reduced yields, or no yields. Maintain your gardens productivity by planting flowers to encourage pollinators to visit your garden. Protect them once they are there by using pesticides carefully and sparingly.
Would you like to be a more successful gardener? Do you want to understand the science of gardening? Are you interested in sharing your knowledge with others? If so, you should become a Master Gardener Volunteer! Master Gardener Volunteers are people just like you who enjoy gardening and want to share their passion and knowledge with others. Master Gardeners volunteer with their local Cooperative Extension’s horticulture outreach program to share information with people in their communities. The first step to becoming a Master Gardener is to attend Master Gardener training, which begins August 12th in Pender County.
Crape myrtles are the queen of the southern summer landscape. Who can deny that title to a plant that dares to flaunt such large trusses of brightly colored blossoms in the heat and humidity of high summer? But their reign does not end when fall begins. If grown properly, crape myrtle can truly be a tree of year-around beauty. In addition, the wide variety of selections available will guarantee that the perfect crape myrtle can be found for every southern landscape.
Even if you cannot afford an island vacation this summer you can bring a touch of the tropics to your backyard by planting plants with tropical flare, like this hardy red ginger, Hedychium coccineum. This lush perennial grows best in moist, rich soils in sun to part shade and produces bright orange, sweetly fragrant flowers in summer.
Recent high temperatures have caused many home vegetable gardens to experience a drop in production. Tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and beans have been particularly hard hit. Blossom end rot, seen left, is a common problem in tomatoes that often occurs during hot weather. Blossom end rot occurs when plants are not able to move enough calcium into their developing fruits. This disorder also occurs in peppers, eggplant, melons, and squash. Other hot weather problems that reduce vegetable yields include blossom drop and poor pollination. Home gardeners can help reduce yield loss during heat waves by keeping their vegetable gardens evenly watered, mulching to conserve moisture, and by avoiding high nitrogen fertilizers.
Do you have shrubs that have been covered with brown, spindle shaped sacks all year? If so, you have bagworms and you need to treat now to prevent serious damage to your ornamental plants.
Blueberry season is here and it promises to be a bumper crop! Finding locally grown, farm fresh blueberries ready to pick or purchase already harvested is an easy task in our area, considering Pender County is the second highest blueberry producing county in the state. But did you know blueberries are relatively easy to grow in most home gardens? In fact, blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow organically, making them the perfect pick for many home gardeners. To start your blueberry patch all you need to know are the best varieties for our area and how to prepare your site for them to prosper.
Pender County Master Gardener Volunteers will be on site at the Poplar Grove Farmer's Market next Wednesday, June 9, from 9am to Noon, to answer your gardening questions!
Two serious pests of squash plants are on the prowl in vegetable gardens in our area. Squash bugs, seen here with eggs, and squash vine borer frequently attack summer squash, zucchini, pumpkins, and winter squash, often causing plant death. Both of these pests are difficult to control once damage shows up. Currently adults of these pests are actively laying eggs, making now the critical time to act to prevent them from damaging your squash crop.
Interest in gardening with native plants is increasing in the southeast for many reasons, but chief among these is a desire to provide food and shelter for native animals such as song birds, beneficial insects, pollinators, and hummingbirds. Research has shown that native animals survive and reproduce more successfully on native plants than on introduced species. Unfortunately we are losing large areas of native vegetation to development, especially in coastal areas. By including some native plants in your yard, you can replace some of what is being lost so future generations can enjoy the diversity of plants and animals that enrich our area.
If you have potatoes growing in your garden be on the lookout for 
While there are many plant diseases that make growing tomatoes a challenge in the Southeast, a relatively new disease threatens to make home grown tomatoes even more difficult for many local gardeners to produce. Known as Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus, or TSWV, this disease is different from most tomato diseases because it is caused by a virus rather than a fungus or bacteria. Most virus diseases in plants cause the infected plant to develop strange color patterns on the leaves or flowers and may cause stunting, but usually do not kill their host plant outright. Unfortunately TSWV does, and it has started showing up on tomato plants in our area in the past few weeks.
'Color Guard' yucca (front) , Texas sage (middle), and pink muhly grass (back) provide fall color in a drought tolerant landscape. Grouping drought tolerant plants together in landscape beds reduces the amount of water needed to keep your landscape healthy. This is one of the principles of water wise landscaping.
A revolution is taking place in backyards across America that involves a fundamental change in the way everyday citizens are thinking about their lawns and landscapes. As awareness of water quality issues flows beyond the realm of researchers, and into the daily life of every individual, many people are asking more of their yards – that they become more than simply a place of beauty and relaxation, but also act as a first line of defense in protecting our environment against water pollution. There are many ways each of us can make a difference locally, but one practice that is proving both effective and attractive is rain gardens. Find out more about how to create a rain garden in your yard by reading the entire article from the Pender County Cooperative Extension Website, http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+71
Growing a healthy vegetable crop can be a challenge in our climate, with some vegetables proving more difficult than others. Among the most challenging are tomatoes, yet they are also the most popular vegetable in the United States and almost everyone yearns to produce the perfect home grown tomato. Achieving this task is not impossible – it just requires a little knowledge about how tomatoes grow and how to manage their many disease problems.
April is the month to get your vegetable garden ready for summer. Warm season vegetables, including squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, and corn, can be planted after the threat of frost has passed. The average last frost date for our area is around April 15, though we cannot rule out a light frost later in April, so be prepared to protect newly planted annuals and vegetables by covering them with an old sheet or floating row cover if frost is predicted. Read the entire article: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=LAWN+69Pender County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your lawn, garden and landscape questions during their annual plant sale, April 16 & 17 at the Pender County Cooperative Extension Center, located at 801 S. Walker St. in Burgaw. The plant sale will feature a wide range of tough plants that thrive in Pender County conditions, including annual and perennial flowers, vegetables, herbs, blueberries, and figs!
In addition, Summer Vegetable Gardening 101, a FREE class covering all the basics of growing a summer vegetable garden, will be taught at the Extension Center Saturday, April 17 from 10am to noon. Call 259-1235 to register for this class, find out more about the plant sale, or get answers to your gardening questions. Information is also available online at http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu.
Thinking of trying your hand at home fruit production? Your chances of success have a lot to do with which fruits you try to grow. Tree fruits, such as apples, pears, peaches, and plums are often difficult to cultivate in our area because of the many pest problems that plague them. Most berry producing fruits though thrive in local gardens and require less care than tree fruits. Among the easiest to grow are blackberries, blueberries, and muscadine grapes, all of which can easily be grown organically in most backyards. While not technically a berry, figs are also easy to grow in home gardens, have very few pest problems, and are usually very productive. When planting any type of fruits, be sure to choose varieties recommended for our area and plant them in a sunny area with well drained soil. Find out more: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=news&ci=AGRI+5
The 2010 Season of 'Ask a Master Gardener' plant clinics begins this Wednesday, April 14, at the Poplar Grove Farmer's Market (http://www.poplargrove.com/farmers_market.htm). Master Gardeners will be on site from 9am to noon to answer your gardening questions, provide soil test supplies, and identify insect, weed, and disease samples. 
Master Gardeners will be at the Market the 2nd Wednesday of each month, April - October, from 9am to Noon to help with your gardening problems and provide lawn, garden, and landscape information.
Spring is finally here! And what better way to explore its possibilities than by attending the annual Pender County Master Gardener Plant Sale, Friday, April 16, from 9am-5pm and Saturday, April 17, from 9am-4pm at the Pender County Cooperative Extension, 801 S. Walker Street in Burgaw. For the flower lover, in addition to having an ample color palate of annuals and perennials to purchase, special focus will be given this year to flowering plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators. Those with culinary tastes will savor a variety of herbs, vegetables, and fruit plants as well as free gardening classes on Saturday:
Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice. Proceeds from the sale benefit Pender County Cooperative Extension Educational Programs and Teaching Gardens. For more information on the Plant Sale, please call 259-1235.
Find out more about the plant sale: http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/.
Centipede grass is often promoted as a low maintenance, easy care grass and in many locations it thrives on neglect, requiring little to no fertilizer and infrequent mowing. Where centipede is happy, it grows very well, producing a dense, healthy, carpet of grass that is able to smother out weeds. In other locations though, centipede grass is plagued with problems. Some of these problems can be caused by insects or diseases, like large patch disease (seen here), while others are due to over fertilization, herbicide use, or incorrect care. Figuring out which problem is the cause of your lawn’s decline relies on careful consideration of the symptoms and how the lawn has been treated.
Rosemary is one of many different types of herbs can be grown in southeastern North Carolina. A great opportunity to learn more about herbs and to purchase many different varieties is coming up this weekend, March 27 and 28, at the Herb and Garden Fair at Poplar Grove Plantation, on Hwy 117 between Hampstead and Wilmington. Extension Master Gardener Volunteers will be on hand both days to answer questions and provide gardening advice.
Spring is almost here, bringing with it gardening season! As you start working in your yard or garden this spring, you may find you have questions or problems and Pender County Cooperative Extension can help you find answers and solutions! As part of North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Pender County Cooperative Extension provides Pender residents easy access to the resources and expertise of NC State University and NC A&T State University. Through educational programs, publications, and events, Cooperative Extension agents deliver unbiased, research-based information to Pender County citizens in many areas including horticulture. Our programs are designed to enrich the lives, land, and economies of all North Carolinians. Take advantage of the many resources Extension has available to help you garden and landscape successfully, such as the Pender Teaching Gardens located at the Hampstead Library (picture left) and Pender Extension Office in Burgaw!
Florida betony is a tough, problematic perennial weed found throughout the southeast. Also known as wild artichoke or rattlesnake weed, Florida betony is especially noticeable from fall through spring when it is actively growing. Florida betony usually goes dormant (stops growing) in summer, but its roots continue to live in the soil, sending up new shoots in fall as temperatures cool. One of the easiest ways to identify Florida betony is by the tubers (shown left) that are produced underground. These tubers are long, white and segmented, and resemble a rattlesnake’s rattle or a large grub, and are actually edible. They may be several inches long and are able to store tremendous amounts of energy for the plant, which is why Florida betony is so tough to get rid of once it is established. Effectively controlling Florida betony requires persistence, and a different strategy is needed to control this difficult weed in lawns and landscape beds.
More information about Extension Gardener is available on our home page: http://extensiongardener.ncsu.edu.