Forgiving the Garden During the hot month of August I had a temper tantrum over the state of my garden. I felt my...
Learning to Follow the Sun in the Garden Several years ago I gave a presentation at Duke Gardens called “Follow the Sun”—and I learned...
Stories Our Plants Tell Us My fellow Durham Master Gardener, Lise Jenkins, was the first person to alert me to the many...
Plants for Heavy Clay and Damp Areas Need plants for murky soils that drain poorly? With our clay soils, the answer is probably...
How to Rescue Your Fescue Lawn Fall is the best time to renovate and invigorate your fescue lawn. Aeration and compost topdressing...
Tips on Growing Warm Season Grasses Do you grow cool season grasses like fescue in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North...
Fall Lawn Care Tip: Evaluate Before You Renovate! Is your lawn looking worse for wear? Extreme temperatures experienced this year both in winter and...
How To Invigorate Your Lawn This Fall September through early October is the ideal time to combat thatch buildup and soil compaction in...
Managing Invasive Japanese Stilt Grass Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum), occasionally called bamboo grass as well as other...
Solving Powdery Mildew Problems Fortunate is the gardener who hasn’t had to combat powdery mildew in the late spring. Powdery...
Managing Plant Disease in the Cold Months of Winter Winter is a dormant period for many plant diseases. Unfortunately, the cold weather doesn’t kill...
Spiders Are A Gardener’s Friend Maybe it’s because my name is Charlotte and I grew up on a farm, but I have always had an...
3 Fragrant Flowers for Your Winter Garden Fragrance in the spring and summer garden is something we gardeners take for granted. But fragrance...
Substitution Plants: Try These Trouble-Free Options People call the Extension office and desperately want to know how to cure their Leyland cypress or...
Conifers for Shade Nothing gives a landscape a sense of character quite like conifers. They provide a background for...
Heritage Camellias: A Growing History Camellias have long been a symbol of southern garden traditions.
Crape Myrtles – A Tale of Love, Murder, and Proper Pruning Trees and shrubs need to be properly pruned on a regular basis. Pruning provides many benefits:...
The Return of the American Chestnut Tree How far would you go for a plant you’ve never seen? I might invest a season, or two, trying a new...
Dwarf Ginkgoes – Horticultural Gems Many people express a fondness for ginkgoes (Ginkgo biloba). Perhaps it is their unique foliage...
Fall Planting Tips for Trees and Shrubs Fall is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in central North Carolina. That may...