Hey Everybody,
Let's do an introduction of sorts... Tell us about your gardens and what you have growning in them... Include some info about yourself and your areas too!.
I'll give it a start and let's see where we go.
I currently live in Burlington, NC, smack dab in the middle of the state. We're known for red clay soils that are hard as a rock in summer and sticky goey when wet. I've moved to a new place, so I'll be starting my garden projects over this year. I have an acre of almost blank canvas growing area to develop. Several areas are sloping and in my side yard I have this interesting rock outcropping. The trees are a mix of pine, hard woods and black walnuts. (Don't laugh Shoe) I have a greenhouse project that I'm revisiting and some raised beds that I'll be redoing too. Total relocation here folks.
The other area that I have is my inherited homeplaces in Coastal NC. So I get to garden in a couple of spots with vastly different growing conditions. These homeplaces are mainly maintainence right now, but with future plans in mind. My grandmother was quite the gardener and I keep discovering things around her house. Sandy soil, hot, humid, windy, salt air to work in. The nice thing is that there has been no pesticides or fertilizers on the land for over 10 years (unless you count the fire ant control attempts). So this is a possible organic venture in the future.
I share my spaces with a teenage son, a cat named Molly, an adult Aussie Shepherd named Libby and a new Aussie puppy named Keely.
OK - I've got a tall glass of Diet Pepsi and just settled in to hear about your places.....
Swoz
Let's get to know one another..
Hi, I'm from Currituck County, NC. 10 miles from the bridge to the OUter Banks but only 5 minutes from the Ocean. This is a new house with no landscaping - not even sod since the season is wrong. I've attached a 360 degree photo merge of my backyard. We have a landscaping budget but that will mainly be for sod. I'm trying to minimize lawn in my backyard but still leave enough for croquet and play area.
Lots of sandy soil, wind, birds, wetlands in the back, ditch on one side. Will be working on screening on both sides.
Nancy
Nancy,
What is the name of your village/community or town - however designated? I grew up Downeast - Cape Lookout, Marshallberg, Harkers Island area. I'm familiar with the territory...
Your picture did not upload for us - but I can just place myself in your yard and experience it... I can hear gulls overhead too.
A couple words of advice if I may... Bring in lots of frogs to help with the mosquito population that you'll get from the wetlands and the ditch.. Also - consider some heavy duty storm shutters so you can batten down when storms come through...
Try your picture again.
Swoz
My photo won't upload, My computer locks up.
Actually, we don't get seagulls - see them on the fields along the highway and anywhere there is food (like Hardees). The town is Grandy - we are about a mile inside a golf course - on one end. We have lots of other birds - woodpeckers, wrens, nuthatch, redtipped blackbirds, etc. And deer (only have seen the tracks). Also geese and swans overhead. At night we can hear the geese honking - in the morning we hear gunshots from the hunters.
If I bring in lots of frogs I might get lots of snakes? Storms do come through. Our wind insurance is higher than our flood insurance!
Before we moved in, a tractor pushed dirt/stone towards the back, covering some of the grasses. I've been using a rake and bringing grass plus pine and oak seedlings back to their upright position.
Nancy
360 of my backyard
I live in Selma, NC - Johnston County. Have 1.5 acres that was completely bare in 1997 when we bought the house. The gardening bug did't hit me until after we had been here a couple of years. The front yard is mostly clay and the back yard has a sandy layer over the clay. I think this was farm land in the past. I play mostly in the back yard which is larger. I'm trying to collect as many shrubs and small trees as I can to have a mixed screen around the yard. Unfortunately some of my neighboring views are going downhill as time goes on. My first love is perennials. I have four beds . Two of them are expanding every year in size to include trees and shrubs. I have wild bermuda so it is a constant battle to gain new planting ground. I created a small mountain of sod and garden debris last year that I'm still trying to figure out how to handle.
On a happy note- I won the Top 25 contest at Plant Delights Nursery in 2005 so I have been busy selecting what I'll be planting this year. Not a small feat when I want one of everything! LOL I encourage everyone to try entering the contest. You have until Feb 15 to enter. I never would have imagined I'd win and was totally blown away.
Happy gardening to all!
Shari
Hello carolina gardeners :)
I moved from Maryland to Chapel Hill ten years ago - by then, I'd been gardening for over 20 years. The first two years here, I was paralyzed by the huge difference between my familiar zone 6 and my new (bare) zone 7 yard. I spent those initial years here overhauling the entire, totally neglected back yard - there's so many different elevations and much stonework/terracing/retaining walls was done to control erosion & water flow towards the house. Meanwhile, I read all I could about southern gardening. Eventually, an overall plan emerged in my mind - that was about 5 years ago.
I've got a great start on a large shade garden- it was the first area ready to garden in. i've mixed it up with hostas, ferns, japanese red maple, camellias, hellebores, arborvitae, azaleas, hydrangeas, dwarf mountain laurel, poet's laurel, and even a rhodo. In the summer, re-seeded impatience fill any empty spaces. I'd like to focus on some flowering shade perennials now. I love gingers and i think they'd do well in this garden.
The last several years I've been interested in, and continue to read a lot about, winter gardens. This winter I've added quite a few winter-bloomers - yet more camellias, edgeworthias, winterhazel, flowering apricot, oh and did i mention more camellias? I seek out summer plants that provide winter interest ... ornamental grasses are great for this .. i'm starting about 20 kinds from seed next week.
My biggest gardening challenge is a (seemingly) mile-long chain-link fence that separates my back yard from the woods/deer - the fence was here when we bought the place. I'm trying to obliterate the fence from view year-round with conifers, camellias, and for summer fun - flowering deciuous shrubs. I added several viburnum last fall. I've got some large clumps of garden phlox going here and there along the front of this border - wherever it's sunny enough. the shrub border is a mixed bag of exposures - a few hours of direct sun, then shade, then part sun, more direct sun - all within a day's cycle.
Last summer I made a kitchen garden from the last remaining uncharted territory in my yard. It's a four-square design, with cross-paths and a large circle in the middle. I'm hoping to do some pottery chard mosaic work in the circle. I just ordered rhubarb and sweet potato roots. About to buy blueberry bushes & everbearing strawberries. A dwarf fig might be nice, too :)
I love to propagate plants and shrubs.
marsha
"dig"
Marsha,
I worked for 10 years at UNC Med school. What area of Chapel Hill are you gardening in? I used to walk on my lunch breaks down in the residential areas and some folks took such care in their gardens. During spring it was a heady walk with all of the flowers blooming...
Shari,
I do the drive by Selma on my way to the homes downeast. I have'nt done much exploring in Selma - I know where the outlets are and the fuel farm. I just have a general knowlege of the area. Am I mistaken or is there a new vinyard/ winery near you?
I love hearing about places - this is cool...
Swoz
Swoz, There is a vineyard- Hinnant . It is in Pine Level which is just to the east of I-95 on the old 70A highway. I have not tried their wine but hear that it is good. We bought a case for the boss and wife for Christmas this year and they were most appreciative. I'm about five miles from the fuel farm. If you are in to antiques downtown Selma is quite the destination these days. It was beautiful at Christmas this year.
Shari
My best friend is really into antiques. We do junkets every year so if you can find some info on the shops down there, I'd be interested. Yes I remember the name Hinnant now. We stopped for gas on the way to the coast at a place that had coffee and wine - somewhere in that area along 70. I saw the wine there, but did not try it. I buy Duplin wines for my friends who like the sweet table wines. I'd like to tour the winery.. Hhhhmmmmm sounds like a road trip to me..
I live in zone 8b, coastal SC. I am right outside of Charleston in Mt.Pleasant. I am about 10 minutes from the beaches, very hot and humid in the summer but can garden about 12 months out of the year. I am still planting pansies etc and it has been in the 60's and 70's lately. But that could change tomorrow. The other day I saw azaleas and lantana blooming in the neighborhood. I have about 200 roses, no hybrid teas, many hundreds of bulbs and lots of perennials and whimsical garden art pieces. I have started mosaicing and did my first bowling ball last week. Turned out pretty cool and is now my newest garden globe.
Hey Y’all (plural = All Y’all) , Hurricane Fran in September, 1996, fixated me on gardening. After having Mother Nature remove my “natural” (i.e., no work) pine/oak yard, I was determined to keep a new landscape investment intact. Ever since then I gave up on golf (probably a good thing for other golfers) and focused on creating our little lot into my oasis within the city. I have been in Raleigh for over 30 years and it’s a great place to create green get-aways.
I have enjoyed DG for about 3 years and have picked up valuable tips and recommendations. I hope the Carolina page will focus on issues and opportunities specific to our local environment.
Hi All,
How is everyone? I live in the Fuquay-Varina area. I have a one acre lot, half natural woods, half sunny grass area with the house on it. I really didn' t begin serious landscaping care of my property till about 2-3 years ago. I pretty much have the usual "hard as rock, impossible to amend clay that kills my back every spring season" type soil, lol.
I have a 6 square plot veggie garden area, with each plot being 4' X5' in dimensions. In the past 2 years I have grown (all from seed): tomatoes, green bell peppers ( they really loved it and produced well into fall!), poblano peppers, eggplants, fresh garlic (got from Filaree Farms online catalog), onions (ordered onion sets, didn't do too hot), and brussel sprouts (rabbits/dear ate the leaves this winter).
For everything else, my love is perrenials. I am currently in the expanding/relocating phase. I realized what I planted once year just didn't look very asthetically pleasing to me 2 years later, so I move them around alot. In my basic garden's collection I have the following:
Trees: Mimosa (grew like a weed and beautifully pink flowers in the poor clay soil), maple, crepe myrtle, riverbirch, leyland cyprus, and a recently catalog ordered Eastern Redbud tree slated to arrive this spring.
Shrubs: (new this year)>Heavenly Bamboo, Japenese Cleyera, red camellia, red azaleas, Raspberry Carolina Red Everbearing (past years)> lantana "Miss Huff" ( do I need to trim this back in the spring??? grew like a weed from 1' to 6' wide after I bought it last summer alone! pretty though), gardenias, white and lilac colored azaleas, hydrangeas, black bamboo (one sprig someone gave me from Wilmington), Knock Out Rose - red, butterfly bush, pampas grass, privet ( looks sickly, I think it needs Ironite)
Perrenials: (new this year) > Garden Phlox, Oriental Poppies (pink and red), Helenium Moerheim Beauty, (past years)> H. Fulva Daylilies all over the place, red spider daylillies? not sure but they are beautifull, Red Hot Poker "Lola" - the honking large variety from Plants Delight Nursery (I have babies growing, trade anyone? PDN catalog prices went up this year on this plant but still worth it on a splurge), irises, purple verbena (trying to propogate this year, so far so good), creeping phlox, turtleheads, Ginger Lily (willing to trade this one away to a good home, just don't like it anymore), red hot pokers (small kind grown from seed from Walmart packet 2 years ago)
Vines: some kind of white/purplish honeysuckle purchased from Atlantic Ave nursery, trumpet vine
Resources: I have over the past year been able to get fresh cow manure from a local farmer in HollySprings to add to my compost pile. The farmer is really nice and the cows are cute and curious about my empty buckets I bring with my shovel ready in hand. Also I usualy hit the library for stacks of landscaping books and ideas. I love the "The Southern Living Garden Book" 3rd printing.
I was wondering what is the Fuel Farm????
Pretty much I am also interested in trading/swaping plants when I have the chance as I travel alot but I am pretty much a Sunday gardner. My philosophy is "one garden plot at a time". Well, now that I have yakked my head off, I just wanted to say I am glad I have found this forum. I think DG has been very helpful in my past online searches about plants I am interested in. Therefore, I just recently joined but have used DG many times before for input. Thanks.
Rebecca
I can tell already that this is gonna be a happening group.... I'm just lovin reading about folks gardening adventures.
Marsha, You're right - those places are wonderful when in full bloom. It made the walks so much fun and relaxing.
gardener413 - your places sound like mine down on the coast - My grandmother's rose bush stays in most constant blooms. I know all about the hot/humid with the salt twang..... Gosh I sure miss it - I'm so homesick this week. I'd love to see pictures of your roses - they must be breathtaking.
01Glenn - Fran did some rearranging in the hardwoods of our yard at the time. We were in a new house - only two weeks when Fran came thru. Tornadoes went around the back of our houses and toppled 70 ft tall trees.... Kinda rearranged my plans too..
Rebecca - your place sounds like a nursery heaven - and the cows don't mind helping out either!! I have clay in my area too - I finally gave up trying to amend it and started building raised beds on top of it. That helped my back and I had a better success rate with the plants too. Since I would need dynamite to break ground - and not sure that would make much dust - up seemed the way to go. That black bamboo - isn't it invasive? I remember seeing a lot of that around the Wlimington area - used to ramble down that way during my college days...
Suzy
Rebecca, the "fuel farm" is the oil terminals located just off of Hwy70 in Selma. I lived just around the corner from them when Fran came through (apartment) . Being on the same utlity lines we had our power back on w/in 24 hours. Kinda made up for having to deal w/ the oil tankers every time I drive into town.
Post your have/wants here as far as plant trading. Some of us are close enough to arrange meetings and not have to mail.
Shari
Now there's an idea. Why not a meeting of some sort? How about a tour of some of the local gardens or nurseries? There's the arboretium in Raleigh, Duke Gardens, UNC Botanical Gardens. I have'nt checked out any of the garden centers. Throw in some ideas - we could do a once a month thing maybe?
well i will say hello even though i am in south carolina.
i live in Jackson near North Augusta Sc if any one want to look at a map. i have two acres of natural wooded area.
lets see i have been here since Dg started. gosh i am old. hehe
i try just about everything i can find. i give unwanted plants homes and my passion is vines.
my garden is very random in planting. you might find daylilies with mondo grass or brugs in with the cannas. there is no telling what i come up with when i plant but it works out.
my motto is if there is a space in the planter box fill it with whats in your hand. hehe
Hey Swoz,
I think a monthly field trip would be cool. Get to know your nurseries and fellow gardners better. In addition to what you mentioned, I think there's also gardens in Southern Pines, and in Fayettville. I have seen them before in passing on the internet, but they may be like for a small entrance fee. Perhaps the free ones could be done as the first go arounds. I am up for it. Sundays I am usually available. UNC Botanical Gardens? I don't think I've been there in agessssss. What does everyone else think? Anyone want to shoot for mid/end of March?
Oh by the way, I have found the Raleigh Farmer's Market off 440 is an Excellent! place to buy lots of great plants on the cheap. Lots of things to see and taste there. Free and open on the weekends as well.
Imzadi - Is Jackson, SC near Greer, SC? If so, I travel to Greer every so often. Just curios. Thanks.
Chamty - yes, local swaps is what I am aiming for. It sure beats mailing this stuff out.
If anyone may possibly have any of the Red Verbena (perrenial) plant, I would love to trade with you. I would like to have a mass ground covering of Red and Purple (perrenial) verbena together like I saw once at a house near the NCSU campus in Raleigh. The color popped even in the heat of summer, that was 10 years ago.
Rebecca
Another South Carolinian here; I've learned lots and traded for some wonderful plants here on DG.
My home is in the far southest corner of the state; outside Beaufort, SC. I am a lot closer to GA then to NC but a Carolinian is a Carolinian. LOL
Geeting from Andrews, As far inland as you can get without being in TN. Located in the far western mountains. Still landscaping, bought a house three years ago and still hard at it. In order to landscape had to have truck loads of top soil brought in. We are getting there though. Lot of Japanese maples and weeping tree's . also a clematis freak.
Hi neighbors...I'm from Anderson, SC...and Rebecca 30, I am near Greer. I retired from teaching 3 years ago and now am obsessed with my yard. Marsha"digginit", I think our yards could be twins! I have a shade garden that I started last year, a tiny butterfly garden, and a woodlands area out back. My DH and I are about to pull out the plants in the front yard and re-landscape. I am also planning an 18 by 30 kitchen garden. I know I am going to need some advice in the next few weeks when we get started. Also, My sister and I are going the Southeastern Flower Show in Hotlanta this Friday. Anyone else going? It was relly great last year...it helped with the itch that I just can't get scratched yet.
Deb
It's so interesting to see the different regions we're all writing from. Wow - from Low Country in SC to Mountains of NC and then over to the coasts. This is a great diversity... I have enjoyed reading all of your posts.
Rebecca, I have lived in this area for 20 years and NC all of my life and have never been the the Raleigh Farmer's Market. Do they have things there now - or would a bit later be better for a visit when the crops start coming in? Do they allow pets on leash? I keep telling myself that I need to go there and it's on my perpetual list of places to go - but duh - never swung over that way.. I go the the fairgrounds every now and then for the flea market. Let's compile a list of neat places to go - and then perhaps a vote?
ardesia - I grew up in and around Beaufort NC (Bow furt)! Small world.. We ended up with the Vienna Boys Choir there once because of the misunderstanding and similarities of the places..
gldandrews - do you have pics of your clemantis from last year? Why not post a few...
scshadylady - welcome and let's see some pics of that landscaping project....
Woo hoo - this is gonna be a happenin kind of place..
well, swoz, now i don't feel so bad :) i've been ashamed to have been here 10 years without ever having gone to the famous Raleigh Farmer's Market. I haven't been to the fair yet, either. i think this is the year i change all that.
shadylady - i dug up everything in my (small) front yard last fall. it was all inherited with the house and never appealed to me. so, a clean slate to play with. so far, i've chosen an evergreen magnolia that tops out at about 15' high, and some blue chip juniper to border the driveway and street curb. i've built a raised bed with a stone border where i removed foundation shrubs that were hiding the front porch. unlike the rest of my yard, i've spent A LOT of time on design and planning and researching - the "curb appeal" factor weighs heavily in my plans. i'll be interested to hear about your front yard renovation.
marsha
Swoznick,
Could only find one pic of the clematis, this one is the Blue Moon (Erivin).
Gary
http://davesgarden.com/place/fp.php?pid=1455772
This is a pic of the sunset yesterday.
And the view from the deck.
I'm jealous - the Raleigh Outdoor Market sounds fantastic. I ordered some plants from Earthworks that sells at the market. I was very pleased with service, packaging, plants and cost. $12 - $14 overnight.
Nancy
Hi everyone
I just found the Carolina gardening forum.
I garden in 2 Carolina places.One down at the SC Beach south of Myrtle and the other in the mountains NW of Boone NC.
We were spending 6 months in each place but now,because of family concerns,we spend most of the time at the beach.
Before we moved to the Carolinas 7 years ago I gardened in very tropical South Florida.I have had to start from the beginning in 2 very different zones.I have learned alot but still have a long way to go before I can consider myself an experienced gardener in these areas.Even though we have a much shorter growing season in the mountains,gardening there is much easier than at the beach.My problem is that everything grows almost too well and I am constantly weeding when I am there.
There is an Organic Growers Seminar near Asheville on March 11th.It was posted on the organic gardening thread but some of you may have missed it.A whole day of classes costs only $35.I have signed up.
Looking forward to reading about others in the carolinas.
(Yet another)
Nancy
Let's have the link for Earthworks...
I saw the link on Organic Gardeners Seminar. I'm debating on going - I'd have to get up really early to get there with a 3 + hour drive, but it may be worth it. Still thinking...
Hello,
I live in a house with over 200+ plants, mainly cacti and succulents, although I am getting into African Violets and tropicals. I have just received some AV leaves and little plantlets which I hope will do well. Yesterday I received a dwarf cavendish banana tree, so I need to learn how to grow that.
I am 43 and had not grown any indoor plants my whole life until 2 yrs ago. Then someone challenged me, knowing that I do not usually back down from a challenge. I can be quite stubborn at times. So I started with one little plant from Home Depot. Now I have between 200 - 300. I really do love what I have done so far.
I want to start some kind of flower garden outside but I do not know anything at all about that. I would also love to plant a few vegetables this summer. I have been thinking about getting a couple earthboxes, but still not sure. I think my biggest problem is that I am afraid that I will not do it right and the plants will die. My biggest fear is getting started. Once I get started, I do pretty well, with the help of all of you here at DG. So if I can get past my fear of failure, I think I will do okay.
My yard is plain. It has absolutley nothing in it at all. So I do not really know where to start. I was thinking about doing something like lasagne gardening in a little plot that I am hoping my DH will build out of some extra lumber that we have laying around outside. Do you think that I should use the lasagne gardening method or maybe some other method? I am open to all suggestions.
I live with my DH and a wonderful Border Collie named Zackary. He is 10 years old. Those two are the most important things to me in the whole world. My DH did not like my plants in the beginning until I figured out that, since he is legally blind, he did not see them like we see them. To him, green is green, he does not see the varigation. So then I decided to start growing AVs for him because he loves the bright colors. I have just been sent some leaves and plantlets that I am trying to grow for him. I want him to enjoy plants too.
Oh, the reason for the earthboxes and lasagne gardening is because I am disabled and cannot do a lot of digging or anything that will cause my lower back any stress. I am on the Fentanyl pain patch all the time, so that helps some. But other than a little bit of watering, that is most all I can do. If any of you have an ideas of how to grow a little flower garden without a lot of manuel labor, please let me know. I am enclosing a photo of myself in case anyone is interested. I was acting silly when this picture was taken, so ignore the silly grin on my face.
Thanks for listening,
JesseK
Hi Jesse, We got the April edition of Carolina Gardening today at work and wouldn't you know it showed a vegetable garden done entirely in hay bales. This gentlement just lined up the bales and popped in the plants. He said he tried many different kinds of veggies to see what would do well and was delighted to see that everything did well. The pictures included with the article showed how well everything was growing. The only drawback was that he had to water twice a day. Once in the morning and once in late afternoon. I think he also used a water soluable fertilizer every couple of weeks. Adele
Wow Adele, that would be very interesting to see. How do I get a copy of that? And I would also like to join the Carolina Gardening thing, whatever it is. I wasn't sure if it is a mail out catalog or some type of newsletter. Could you give me some information on it please?
JesseK
Carolina Gardener is a magazine. A little hard to find on the stands in stores but available.
Here's a link to their online site:http://www.carolinagardener.com/
I think that idea would be great for you to try and the magazine would be very helpful for anyone just starting out with gardening in the Carolinas.
Good luck with your outdoor endeavors. I think you will find much enjoyment in simply getting out and trying.
Shari
Thanks for the link. I will have to check them out.
JesseK
I checked them out and they costs a little too much for me. Maybe one day I will.
This message was edited Feb 9, 2006 9:54 PM
Hi Jesse,
It sounds like container gardening may be the option for you to consider. There's a forum on DG for container gardening and it is very low maintainence. Once set up - watering is about all you need to do. Any ideas of things that you would like to grow? The Carolina Gardening magazine is sometimes available at shops that sell lawn equipment - I can sometimes get a copy at my local John Deere dealership. I think they give complimentary copies to these dealers so that folks can see what's up with it. Perhaps the local library may have it on subscription.
I see that you live in Durham. Dmail me - I work in the downtown area.
Swoz
Hey!
I'm new here to Dave's Garden and relatively new (5 years) to the South (Summerville, SC Z8 from Somerville, NJ). Still experimenting with what will grow here and have a few successes and quite a few failures - learning all the time and that's the fun part. Love the idea of this forum where we can trade local info - even though local can be really different in the Carolinas - how many zones are there?
Does anyone know of a good reference for timing of pruning shrubs and perennials for zone 8?
Cathy
Okay, okay...I'll go next. Course now, some of ya'll know I'm kinda shy.
I'm a long-time DGer and love living here! (That means living in NC as well as living on DG!) I've grown organic produce more years than I care to admit and also grow/propagate/sell herbs, perennials, shrubs, veggie seedlings (mostly heirlooms) and raise chickens (for eggs) and an assortment of other small farm animals. One of my next goals is to branch out into tree propagation.
It's been rumoured that I can be helpful with gardening/plant growing consultations as well as having the inherent ability to tell tall tales (although I'm sure I can tell short tales as well)!
A hearty WELCOME TO DG to all the new folks! Hope to see you around the site!
Shoe.
