
Farm & Garden
Darrell Blackwelder column: Trees to avoid
Without a doubt, trees are a coveted aspect of our landscape. They provide shade, flowers, fall color, food for wildlife, barriers and design concepts. But ...
Without a doubt, trees are a coveted aspect of our landscape. They provide shade, flowers, fall color, food for wildlife, barriers and design concepts. But ...
The overabundance of rainfall this fall and winter have made our cool-season fescue lawns look pretty bad, especially those that were reseeded. Areas that were ...
In the spring as the weather changes, many are concerned about pruning crape myrtles. Hacking the tops of crape myrtles has become a common practice ...
Moss is a serious problem in our cool-season lawns. The overabundance of cool, wet weather along with poor growing conditions such as poor drainage, low ...
Bark damage, especially near the base of the tree, is the No. 1 killer of many trees. Repeated bumping of the trunks with lawn mowers ...
Lawn care and landscape maintenance is now big business in Rowan County. In 1979, Rowan County had only a scattering of lawn care companies. Today, ...
I had a question a few weeks ago from a person who was hearing noises in her attic. She suspected it was a squirrel and ...
One day my neighbor was taking a few photos in the woods of one of his favorite trees. It was a smaller deciduous tree that ...
The new year has arrived and the annual gesture of self-improvement and moderation is often a test of one’s will. Other than desire, home gardeners ...
Early winter is generally when gardeners receive a steady supply of seed catalogs. With the weather we’ve had lately, seed and plant catalogs provide welcome ...
Cold damage is almost certain for many outdoor plants during the uncertain weather of our upcoming winter months. In some cases, the damage does not ...
Well, it didn’t take long for the dreary days of winter to arrive along with shorter days, falling leaves and cloudy, rainy weather. It’s a ...
The Christmas holiday is here and many have questions concerning their poinsettia. One of the biggest questions is if poinsettias are poisonous. It’s a myth ...
Outdoor landscape plantings are generally not a major priority during the Christmas holidays, but there is a special plant now in bloom that has an ...
A lady emailed me earlier this week and was upset that her favorite Japanese maple had become a victim of some woodpecker damage. The woodpecker ...
Poinsettia producers spend nearly five months producing beautiful holiday plants only to provide a few weeks of enjoyment during our Christmas holiday season. Under normal ...
My wife, Gerrie, and I were traveling the Smokey Mountains last week on a “pandemic getaway daytrip.” I noticed something very odd about a small ...
There is a plant in our landscape that has a vast display of small, colorful fruit. It has a strange resemblance to a bushy, cherry ...
We’ve had a few days with cool mornings, but our weather seems more like early May than November. Many are working outdoors with ongoing gardening and ...
Those that have re-seeded their fescue lawns are now beginning to experience emerging turf as a result of our warm, wet fall weather. It is ...
A Salisbury resident emailed me last week and was concerned about his oak trees. They were doing quite well but had no acorns for the ...
As our outdoor temperatures fluctuate, homeowners are considering landscape and other outdoor maintenance chores. There are a number of chores home gardeners must do before ...
Cooler temperatures and falling leaves are a signal for those with houseplant outdoors to move them indoors soon. Nighttime temperatures dipping down into the 40-degree ...
Sasanqua camellias (camellia sasanqua) are beginning to show their beautiful bloom colors throughout the county. Sasanqua-type camellias bloom in the fall while the larger bloomed camellia ...
Now is the time to consider fertilization of established fescue lawns. Properly fertilized and maintained turf withstands summer droughts, diseases and other pest problems. ...
Many are planting chrysanthemums as an annual event to add a splash of color to our landscapes because many of the summer annuals are beginning ...
Fall is the best time to renovate or plant cool season fescue or fescue blend lawns. It’s a narrow window to work on lawns especially ...
Early fall is the period when many flowers with color seem to fade. Fortunately, there is a native flower that is ablaze along our roadways ...