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Thank Heaven
for Robert Clark: Arguably one of South Carolina's finest photographers, Mr. Clark nabbed
this shot of the Iris Gardens and Swan Lake in Sumter. But we also offer gratitude to the good people of Sumter,
who maintain the gardens and keep its eight species of swans -- more than anywhere in the world --
alive and quacking. Bring a bag of bread when you visit.
Photo by Robert Clark. |
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A muse for Monet:
The French painter would be in heaven at the Biltmore Gardens in Asheville,
North Carolina. But so are horticulturists of any ilk. Here, you can stroll the grounds,
explore the greenhouse and then celebrate the beauty with a glass of
wine from the winery.
Photo courtesy of Biltmore Company |
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One Transplanted Gardener's
Carolina Story |
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he events of my life have produced two passions, gardening and travel.
As a national spokesperson for several clients in the garden industry, I
made many forays into the Carolinas. Today, I'm one of those Carolina gardeners
I used to admire. Here's how and why this native New Englander got
here:
Doing TV and radio interviews in cities and towns across the
Carolinas, I met as many gardeners as there are varieties of plants. County
extension agents, nursery owners, landscape architects, garden writers -- they
all shared my passion for growing anything green. Immersed in southern
hospitality, I began to visit gardens in my spare time. Hopping in rental cars
with scribbled maps from gardeners I'd met -- gardeners worldwide are friendly,
but here, especially so -- I checked out glorious destination after glorious
destination. They wanted me to know their special places. I'm glad they
did.
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eflecting, it was the diversity of the Carolinas that most appealed
to me. From sandy beaches to stunning mountains, this was a place where you
could experience it all within easy driving distances. On the first visit to
Chapel Hill I had lunch with a few garden folks at a small eatery on Franklin
Street. The place was lively and filled with all sorts of people. As students at
nearby tables discussed politics, religion, social plans and campus housing
problems, our conversations were getting deeper and deeper into the "dirt." Mud
pies all around for dessert. Yum. Food is good here too.
Like it or not,
soil -- a.k.a. dirt -- is the first consideration for a good garden. Shelter is
important too, but you'll never get the trees and shrubs to grow and provide the
shelter if you don't improve the soil first. Soils vary in the Carolinas. Even
in very short distances you can find red clay, rich loam, gravel and/or sand.
Once again, we have it all here. If you don't inherit good soil, you'll have to
purchase it or create it by adding organic material until it is rich and
loamy.
Regardless of the soil on your property, be sure to amend it
yearly with organic matter such as compost and soil conditioner. In cold areas,
garden beds should be mulched for winter. Every spring top dress your beds with
pine needles or some other organic mulch. In addition to protecting plants,
mulching conserves water, helps keep weeds down, improves soil texture and
releases nutrients that stimulate good plant growth. Mulch beautifies and is the
final finishing touch.
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It's a good time here and if you've done your
garden work well in the cool of spring, you can sit back and enjoy the flowers
and vegetables without having to do too much except the harvesting.
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I also amend the soil with granular fertilizer
annually in early spring. I'm very keen about Sta-Green (developed in the South)
because it is released over many months at the times when the temperature is
best for plant growth. Throughout the growing season, spray-on liquid
fertilizer. Miracle-Gro is a great partner in the flower and vegetable
garden.
It won't take you long to realize that the heat of summer is the
limiting factor in the Carolinas except, of course, in the mountain areas. In
the summer we all take a rest, plants included. It's time to sit back on the
porch with a good book and an iced tea or mint julep, depending on the time of
day. The days are long and lazy. It's a good time here and if you've done your
garden work well in the cool of spring, you can sit back and enjoy the flowers
and vegetables without having to do too much except the harvesting. The more you
pick your flowers and vegetables, the more they'll produce.
Newcomers
will have successes and failures. I did. In my haste for an instant flower
garden at the front door I only amended the planting holes rather than digging
and improving the entire bed. Occasionally I'll think because I'm a garden
expert I can break the rules and force plants to do whatever I desire. I should
know better by now. The difference between my front and back gardens was soon
very apparent. The improved soil of the back garden delivered so many luscious
tomatoes that it was obvious why tomato and Mayo sandwiches are a Southern
summer specialty. Flowers bloomed with abandon right through the middle of
autumn. Deep down in my gardener's heart I knew I had cheated. I understood it
wasn't the heat causing the plants out front to languish. I knew what I had to
do and now all soil gets amended.
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Like most other Carolina gardeners, I spend a lot of
free time just smelling, watching and listening.
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You'll be able to grow many annuals and
perennials in the mild climate of most of the Carolinas. The sun lovers may
require a bit of shade and shelter here in order to survive the summer heat.
There's a good chance your garden may feature a bit of woodland and if so,
you'll be all set. You may even have to do a bit of selective thinning. If you
need to create shade, take the opportunity to expand your horizons and get to
know some of the lovely small trees that thrive here. Red bud (Cercis
canadensis), sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), golden rain tree (Koelreuteria
paniculata), native dogwood (Cornus florida), oriental dogwood (Cornus kousa)
and silverbell tree (Halesia carolina), are just a few.
If I could only
have one tree here my choice would be a crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica).
Adorned with large masses of flowers in hues of red, pink, purple and white,
these trees are stunning in our sunny gardens. My favorites are the luscious
watermelon-hued varieties. Deciduous trees, most crape myrtles display lovely
red-orange autumn tones before dropping their leaves.
On that day with
my pals in the little eatery in Chapel Hill, I could never have imagined that
someday I would have a chance to live and make a garden here. The Carolinas
seemed worlds away and so different from my very large West Coast garden in the
Bay Area. Over the course of time my path has led me here. Growing up in a big
garden in the Northeast (my father was a professional gardener) and I've always
had a big garden. Now my garden is a tiny gem. It's the test plot for many new
varieties for the garden industry. It is colorful, fragrant, abundant and filled
with birds and butterflies. Like most other Carolina gardeners, I spend a lot of
free time just smelling, watching and listening. Carolina wrens, bluebirds,
woodpeckers, hummingbirds, cardinals and a host of other feathered friends
entertain and amuse me.
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The warm days of summer cajole people and
plants to a slower tempo.
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The lawn and shrubs are kept trim and tidy by
the community maintenance service. Soaker hoses on automatic timers, combined
with a little attention from a gardening pal, keep flowers and vegetables
flourishing year-round even when I'm traveling.
Like so many other
things, gardening seems to come easier here. We're a little more laid-back. We
understand it's not a perfect world and if something doesn't work out, it's an
opportunity to try something new. It's a good attitude and I like it.
The
season is a long one. Except perhaps in the mountains and very cold areas,
pretty pansy faces and charming Hellebores brighten all our winter days. Salad
greens thrive in the cool months. Spring generally comes early, heralded by a
host of golden daffodils. You can't imagine how many shapes, sizes and hues of
daffodils and narcissus there are until you experience a Carolina spring.
Azaleas are the brazen hussies of our springtime. At the end of March, visit
three-centuries-old Magnolia Plantation and Gardens on the Ashley River near
Charleston, South Carolina, and see for yourself. You'll have memories and
inspiration to last a lifetime.
The warm days of summer cajole people and
plants to a slower tempo. Nevertheless, with just a little water, summer gardens
can be lovely with shrubs such as butterfly bush (Buddleja species) and a wide
array of flowering perennials such as cone flower, black-eyed Susan, canna lily,
clematis, day lily, hydrangea and roses. Yes, you can have roses in the
Carolinas. The new Flower Carpet roses, the David Austin roses and the rugosas
all do well here. For a big punch of color there are annuals such as the new
varieties of 'Wave' petunias in vibrant hues of pink, purple, coral and misty
lilac. Other good bets are cosmos, marigolds and zinnias. The grand Carolina
garden finale is the chrysanthemum display which lasts over a long period in the
autumn.
There's so much to share about Carolina gardening. Why don't
y'all come down and see for yourselves? Maybe like me you'll become a "damn
Yankee," as my special friend Bill Park at Parks Seed in Greenwood, South
Carolina, likes to call those of us who stay and make the Carolinas our home.
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Ellen T. O'Donnell Henke, a.k.a. America's Plant Doctor,
has a Ph.D. in Botany from Columbia University. She is a TV and radio
personality, popular lecturer and now, happily, is an intrepid gardener in
Durham, NC.
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