Darrell Blackwelder, Author at Salisbury Post - Page 12 of 18

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Irregular winter weather takes a toll

Irregular weather patterns take a toll on landscape plants and flowers, especially those that have just been planted. This fall presented a myriad of varying ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, November 24, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Use mulch to sell your home faster

By Darrell Blackwelder I recently did a presentation for the Salisbury/Rowan Association of Realtors about the benefits of landscape improvements to aid in selling homes. ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, November 22, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Composting is a win-win process

Composting is an excellent way to eliminate spent leaves and help the environment. Composting also conserves moisture and improves the physical properties of the soil. ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, November 17, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Amaryllis – worth the effort

A lady at Richards BBQ has an amaryllis bulb that she had brought indoors after being outdoors over the summer. It was a large, expensive ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, November 10, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Hardy, colorful muhly grass

Driving north on I-85 toward Lexington, you may observe colorful white and pink grasses planted on the roadsides and the medians. The mass of pink ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, November 3, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Quick, before the frost hits, do these things

Frost will be here soon, and many homeowners still have gardening and landscaping chores. Inquiries concerning fall maintenance of their lawns and landscapes plants are ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, November 1, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Pansies: bright and bold all winter long

It’s time to yank out summer annuals and extend color with mass plantings of pansies. Pansies paint the landscape and containers with bright and bold ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, October 27, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Darrell Blackwelder: Dry conditions threaten new and established lawns

October historically is one of the driest months of the year, especially this fall with the excessive heat over the past few weeks. Many forget ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, October 25, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: The spider mite is tiny but hungry

A few weeks ago, the yellow lantana at St. John’s Lutheran Church looked great. The leaves were healthy, full of blooms and doing well. However, ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, October 13, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Darrell Blackwelder: Time to plant bulbs for spring blossoms

By Darrell Blackwelder Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, crocus and other spring-flowering bulbs should be planted in October and November. Cooler fall temperatures aid in root development ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, October 11, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Ugh, the stink bug

Salisbury is infested with an invasion of stink bugs. People are complaining about the bugs congregating around and finding a way into their homes. The ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, October 6, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: The key is in pruning correctly

One the most frequently asked gardening question concerns pruning. Many have asked if its okay to pruning in late summer or early fall. The answer ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, September 29, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Boring but important: soil testing

The most common mistake by home gardeners is not having their soil tested before applying fertilizer or lime. I often hear “you can’t put down ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, September 22, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: The curse of the giant ragweed

If you’ve had a runny nose, sneezing or other hay fever symptoms lately, you may be experiencing the curse of giant ragweed pollen. It’s a ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, September 15, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

It’s almost fall and that means time for lawn care

Fall is the best time to fertilize and reseed cool season fescue, which is the predominant turf grown in Rowan County. Cool season fescue and ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, September 13, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Here’s what can go wrong with your lawn

Lawn care and renovation seems to be a challenge with our recent excessively hot and dry weather conditions. Some make lawn makeovers an annual chore ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, September 13, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

But what should I do with my lawn now?

Our fescue lawns are suffering from extended heat and dry weather. Now is the time for fescue renovation. Turf-type fescue renovation should be initiated in ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, September 13, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Hibiscus weed

I was about to yank a weed out of the annual flowerbed in front of St. John’s Lutheran Church a couple of weeks ago when ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, September 8, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Problems and pluses in the late summer garden

August has been providing typical summer weather of hot, muggy days with scattered showers in the afternoon. Many people have questions about their landscapes. Below ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, August 30, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Passionflower, a.k.a. Maypop

During my younger years, the neighborhood kids would play in a pasture behind our house. We were always fascinated with a vine that had the ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, August 25, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Perennial begonias

If there is a shady location in your landscape that needs some perking up, you may want to consider hardy begonias. Hardy begonia (Begonia grandis) ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, August 18, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Hot weather brings out the yellow jackets

Yellow jackets are active and causing problems for those working outside or trying to enjoy the outdoors. Hot weather we’re experiencing seems to make their ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, August 16, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Avoid the jimson weed

I drove past an unusually large, flowering weed on the side of the road the other day that had a particularly interesting bloom. It had ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, August 11, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Crabgrass thrives in hot weather

Crabgrass is running rampant in our cool season fescue lawns and shrub beds. It is a warm season, annual grass that thrives in the hot ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, August 4, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: Soil solarization kills plant pests

Home gardeners who place the same plants in the same location each year will ultimately experience fungal and bacterial disease buildup, as well as insects ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, July 21, 2019 12:00 am

Columns

Darrell Blackwelder: How do I get rid of this prolific weed?

You may have a type of grass growing in our flower beds that seems to grow more when you pull it up. Yellow nutsedge is ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Sunday, July 14, 2019 12:00 am

Lifestyle

Darrell Blackwelder: Ok, so what’s up with Roundup?

    People have asked me about Roundup and are concerned because of the recent California court ruling. Below is the latest information on the use of ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, July 6, 2019 12:00 am

Farm & Garden

Darrell Blackwelder: Answers about trees and shrubs

Plant growth has accelerated for most plants with the warm weather and recent afternoon showers. It’s surprising how well landscape plants are doing, especially summer ... Read more

by Darrell Blackwelder, Friday, July 5, 2019 12:00 am

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