Story and photo by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC – Our good friends over at Garden Supply Company here in Cary just published a great post about January Gardening. With the weather unseasonably warm this year, I’d thought I’d add my two cents. Read more
Editor’s Note: It’s time to plant bulbs for spring bloom in Cary, and we saw this great post by our friends at Garden Supply Company. Thanks to GSC for letting us share it with our readers.
Cary, NC – If you’re looking forward to beautiful blooms this winter and spring, here’s what you need to know right now about Spring Flowering Bulbs. Read more
Cary, NC – Ever go to the garden store and wonder what to plant right now? Right now, it’s pansies and violets.
Gardening is a warm-weather affair up north. But here in the Carolina Piedmont, we can grow flowers all winter.
Planted now in beds, boxes, borders and pots, pansies and violas will grow on the warmer days of the autumn, survive snow and ice, and explode in size come spring.
Sometimes, the garden store can be overwhelming. But during the fall, you’ll see pansies and violas up front and prominently displayed.
Keeping it simple: buy two-six packs, one each of pansies and violas (cost: about $3.50 ea). Get a bag of potting soil and plant the seedlings in three or four medium sized pots. Place in a sunny spot and water regularly.
Joy will be yours from now until the beginning of next summer.
Pansies and violas come in a fantastic array of colors and color-combination: strong yellows and pale apricots; purples so dark they look black; vivid blues and mixtures of hues that look like faces.
Pansies and violas are smallish plants – three or four will fit nicely in a window box or medium pot. They like to stay moist, not wet. Don’t let them dry out. Use a liquid fertilizer like Miracle Grow every now and then.
Pansies and violas do best in a sunny or partly sunny spot.
Pansies are actually a hybridized version of violas. Pansies are generally bigger, thicker and bushier than their parent stock. But, technically, they’re all violas.
How about Violas and Violets? Are they the same thing? Yes – viola is the Latin name and violet the common name.
African Violets, popular for many years as a house plant, are not related to true violas.
Photos by:
Used under a Creative Commons license.
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The Gardening column on CaryCitizen is sponsored, in part, by Citizen Websites.
Story and photos by Hal Goodtree
Cary, NC – Just a short drive from Cary is the wonderful world of Chapel Hill. More like its own republic than a town, some say. Just recently, I discovered the most wonderful rose garden tucked in a park far away from the hubbub of Franklin Street. Read more
Story by guest columnist Christine Pechner, Landscape Architect. Photo by Hal Goodtree.
This sure was a hot summer here in Cary and there is no doubt that you are looking forward to the beautiful weather of the coming months. With cooler temperatures comes the opportunity to get outside to tackle some gardening tasks that need to be done along with things that you can do to add color to your yard next spring. Read more
By Matt Young, Photo by Benoit Guenard of NCSU Biology Department.
Cary, NC – The North Carolina Pest Management Association (NCPMA) and NC State are alerting Carolinians to be on the lookout for the Asian Needle Ant, a relatively new pest in the region. NCPMA is the trade association representing the professional pest management industry in North Carolina. Read more
Story by Hal Goodtree. Photo by Rosie Rosenberger.
Cary, NC – It’s still pretty hot out in Cary. But as the days begin to get shorter, it’s time to think about a plan to rescue the fescue. Read more
Story and photo by Hal Goodtree
Cary, NC – Trees can get stressed in hot weather, and it’s sure been hot in Cary. Here’s a gardening tip to help your trees survive (even thrive) during the height of summer heat. Read more
Story and pictures by Hal Goodtree.
Cary, NC – Just a few pictures from Herbfest in case you couldn’t make it or just wanted to relive the glory. Read more
Story and photos by Hal Goodtree
Cary, North Carolina – I like the idea of a Cary gardening column being an almanac of what grows in our town and when. So, this week, here’s what’s blooming in my North Carolina garden.
Chives, garlic, onions, leeks and shallots – they’re all part of the allium family. Many alliums bloom in this part of N.C. at this time of year.
In my garden, we grow humble, 6″ garlic chives in a pot. They are blooming right now in a sunny spot and come back year after year. My chives need almost no care whatsoever. I barely water them. They’re also nice is omelets, salads and stir fries.
Dianthus covers about 300 species of flowers, mostly shades of pink. Mine are low-growing perennials that die back in the winter. Carnation is in the dianthus family.
Dianthus puts on a happy show in spring, then retires gracefully to the back of the garden. I have them in a sunny bed that’s only moderately watered.
When I think of indigo, I think of blue, like the color of blue jeans. It’s true, wild indigo can have deep blue flowers.
But wild indigo, a native to the North American prairies, can come in white and yellow too.
My indigo (Baptisia leucantha alba, White Wild Indigo) grows in a pretty dry bed in the shade under a plum tree. The cascading white flowers are very showy and long-lasting. The stems have a distinctly blue-green color.
April is the season for Clematis here in the Piedmont.
Clematis must love North Carolina, because it thrives in conditions from full sun all the way to partial shade. A vining plant, Clematis explodes in April with 4″ flowers that cover the entire plant.
Different varieties have slightly different bloom times and flower sizes. They generally come in shades from pure white to pinks, blues and purples.
Easy to grow in Cary, Clematis blooms profusely in the spring and is a great way to add vertical interest to your garden. This picture is from my neighbor’s house up near the mailbox in full sun.
Also blooming in my garden this week are azaleas.
Azaleas are a most Southern of plants, with azalea festivals up and down the region. No need for me to tell you, dear readers, about the importance and beauty of azaleas in Southern gardens.
Cary garden pictures and gardening stories are always welcome – gardening@carycitizen.com.