Horticulture Hotline 12/16/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

I should start by writing that I have large pine trees in my yard that trap the heat of the earth, so my yard does not frost as easy as some. Ted Beckett taught me about this a long time ago after he had left Magnolia Plantation and had his own nursery on John’s Island – Beckett’s Nursery. These trees create a great microclimate. Right now, 12/16/2024, I have cassia, bottlebrush, pentas, milkweed, sunflowers, sasanqua camellias, japonica camellias, Little Gem Magnolia, lantana, and hibiscus all blooming. I also have great color from the leaves of a Japanese Maple and the needles of a Bald Cypress. Suppose to be in the 70’s this week – crazy!

 

Alright, this is when I might get in trouble with the male readers of the Horticulture Hotline. I am willing to do this for the sake of the Lowcountry’s landscape. Ladies, you know how your male friend, significant other, or husband has purchased your lingerie in the past. A gift for you, no doubt, and a gift for him as well. This year you (the ladies) could purchase a gift certificate from Possum’s or another local garden center for your significant other. He might come home with a beautiful pot, a custom program to follow to maintain your yard all year, a beautiful tree, some cotton burr compost – the possibilities are endless! Like the lingerie, you will both get to enjoy the gift! They say it is the thought that counts, just a thought.

 

Every season, certain plants really strut their stuff. This year with the mild fall, the many varieties of Japanese Maples have caught my eye. The different sizes, shapes, and colors have been spectacular. If you get the urge to plant one, be sure to plant it where it is protected from the sun, especially the afternoon sun.

 

Fall / winter is for transplanting or planting. With either one of these plantings, it is best to get it in the ground before the spring flush of growth, so the plant can establish itself.

 

Preparing the planting areas with Nature’s Blend, Fairball, SeaHume, 04-04-04 Bolster and a wetting agent will help reduce the plant’s water needs, and the plants should not dry out so quickly. The plants should quickly establish a massive root system; therefore, require less water.

 

Fire ants, moles, large patch fungus, roaches, and rats seem to be the pests of the month.

 

Many of you have taken advantage of Possum’s soil test and custom programs to help let you know what to do and when (win) for your soil. Some of the you purchased several months of product in advance, so when you were ready to spread, the product was waiting in the garage for you. Yardwork made simple!

 

Have you taken a soil test recently? The time is now!

 

Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.

 

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

 

 

 

                                             Large Patch

                                                    Large Patch

 

                                             Good Systemic Fungicide

Horticulture Hotline 11/26/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Ok, I get it. The mid-seventies in late November. It is Charleston and why we love it. Apparently, the mole crickets, moles, fire ants, and Large Patch fungus love it as well. I have seen more fire ant mounds this fall than I can ever remember seeing. We (Possum’s) sell 25-pound bags of fire ant bait that cover over 16 acres per bag. I never remember selling so many of these bags this late in the season.

 

I thought about sending out an alert type Horticulture Hotline (I think it would have been only the second one in 25 years of writing this column); however, I did not want to cause any hysteria around turkey eating time. The large patch fungus is exploding throughout the Lowcountry! The dry month of October must have weakened the grass as it was going dormant (light hours decreasing), then we finally got some rain and the conditions were right for the disease to flare up in a big way. Driving around the Lowcountry it is amazing how many yards have been damaged. Strobe Pro G and T-Methyl are two good systemic fungicides to rotate to manage this disease.

 

A little more information to add from last week’s article is the Optimus Club of West Ashley will be selling Christmas Trees at 1095 Playground Road beginning Friday (11/29/24) at 10:00 AM.

 

Sweating while you bring in the Christmas Tree – ah the Lowcountry! Here are a few holiday gift ideas for the gardener.

 

Does it seem like your free time is spent doing maintenance yard work around the house?  You work long hours all week, and then on the weekend instead of spending time with your family, shopping, on the boat, on the golf course, hunting, etc., you are spending it pushing a lawn mower inhaling that blue smoke?  Give yourself a lawn care company for a year and enjoy your time off doing what you like to do.  You can still spend time in the yard doing specialty things; just get rid of the mowing, edging, control product applying and blowing.  Also consider hiring professionals to do other house maintenance (power washing, painting….). The gift of free time is awesome!  If you enjoy working in the yard, a custom program based on your soil test can give you a plan for success.

 

Plan a trip to a local public garden (for example Magnolia Plantation, Middleton, Boone Hall, Drayton Hall, Charles Towne Landing, the many county parks – be sure to take in the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park, or Hampton Park) and get ideas for your own landscape.  This also makes for a wonderful day with the family.  You can take a picnic lunch and make it a full day enjoying the beauty of the Lowcountry. Many of these parks you can buy a yearly pass for just a little more than a onetime visit and enjoy the park throughout the year. The gift of visiting an ever changing and special place to the Lowcountry is awesome! Since you live in the Charleston area, you probably have out of town visitors, so you will have a great place to take them for the day.

 

If you would like to take a road trip, travel to Brookgreen Gardens by Myrtle Beach, or Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. You can also give a gardener a trip out of the area for a long-distance gardening adventure.  Calloway Gardens in Atlanta, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, The National Arboretum outside of Washington, D.C., The Redwoods in California, or any other garden throughout the United States…. or anywhere in the world!

There are some awesome gardens out there!

 

Give a gardener a gift certificate for a future Home and Garden Tour event.  There are great tour events throughout the year in areas all over the Lowcountry.  Kiawah, Seabrook, Daniel Island, City of Charleston, Summerville, Mount Pleasant all have different garden tours.  If you want to go on a road trip, Savannah and Beaufort also have garden tours. There is a great Plantation Tour in the Georgetown area that I have been on several times. Seeing what other landscape ideas do well in the Lowcountry is awesome!  

 

Give your gardener a membership to one of the many clubs or societies in the Charleston area. The Rose Society, The Charleston Horticultural Society, The Native Plant Society, The Camellia Society, The Koi Fish Club and Daylily Society just to name a few.  I have attended many of these club’s lectures.  They are all very informative and are passionate about their interests, willing to help newcomers, and provide different community projects to improve the Lowcountry.  I have run into many old friends and have made many new friends at these meetings. Gaining knowledge about a topic you are interested in is awesome!

 

Books (different Universities sell very informative books at very good prices), quality hand tools (especially pruners and pruning saws), cuttings from your garden, a plant, tree, or bulbs, or something you have canned from your garden, all make great gifts!

 

A gift certificate to any of the local garden centers or nurseries makes an excellent choice for the garden enthusiast.   They are bound to find something they want and you do not have to worry about whether they will like the gift. For the most part free and easy parking. Now that is awesome!

 

Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com. 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving and Thank You!

 

                                           Cassia - Great Fall Color!

                                           Fire Ants

                                                     Large Patch

Horticulture Hotline 11/17/24

By Bill Lamson-Scribner

 

Another year has almost gone by. What a year! Army worms, lots of high tides (salt issues), mosquitoes, strange rain (or lack of rain) patterns, and moles. With the dry spring very little brown patch – a nice change! With the recent rains large patch and fire ants have been hot topics.

 

This week I started seeing tents going up in parking lots, so I figured it was time for the yearly Christmas tree article.  

 

The Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park is always a must see this time of year. The light show is definitely a tradition with my family. The lights, the train, hot chocolate, smores (if you listen to “The Garden Clinic” , you know I’m not a fan of smores, but everyone else seems to be), the walking trails with lights, the big sand feature, music, gift shop, and oh yeah, Santa. If you are a kid, does Christmas still seems like it takes forever to get here? It sure comes up quick to me! 

 

I wanted to get this yearly Christmas Tree article out, so you could make plans to go to a local Christmas Tree Farm, find a local source for a cut tree, or use a live tree that you could use in your landscape after the holidays, if you were so inclined.

 

After Thanksgiving, many of you will be searching for a Christmas tree.  If you are going to buy a cut tree, consider buying it from a local business that is here year-round like an independently owned garden center.  If you buy it from a tent, or a temporary site, look for one that is run by the Exchange Club, Optimist Club, Rotary Club, a local church, a local school club, a local landscaper, or another local organization.  Many local organizations that sell trees give a portion of the profits to local charities such as Camp Happy Days.

 

There are some people from out of state that set up tents in grocery store parking lots. Many of them bring their employees with them. They take their profits out of state when they leave. If you support our local businesses, then you keep our money in our local economy and maybe save a local job. Very important to always keep profits local, especially these days.

 

Many of the local garden centers offer great Christmas gifts along with trees this time of year.  They have purchased many seasonal items that would be a great present for anyone. Gift certificates are usually available for the hard to shop for gardener. Shopping at a garden center is a great way to avoid long lines.  The parking is free and plentiful this time of year. A nice pot, potting soil, wetting agent, and fertilizer would make a great gift.

 

Have you ever considered a live tree? Different Hollies (right now you can tell the females with beautiful berries), Eastern Red Cedar, Little Gem Magnolias, Osmanthus, Deodara Cedar and many more make great trees and after the holidays you can plant them in your yard instead of throwing them to the curb. Leyland Cypress have been removed from this list due to their disease issues.

 

Local tree farms are also an option. A ride in the country is always a good family event (young children, “how much longer will it take to get there?”). Picking out your own tree is fun for the whole family and usually involves hot chocolate and hay rides. You know you are getting a fresh tree when you cut it yourself. 

 

If you go with a traditional cut tree, make sure it is in water at the place you buy it (unless it is coming fresh off the truck), and make sure it stays in water until you take it to the curb after the holidays.  Once you bring the tree home, cut an inch off the bottom of the tree, and place the tree in a five-gallon bucket of water.  While the tree is still outside, consider spraying the tree with Transfilm, Cloud Cover or Wilt Proof to keep the water loss through the needles to a minimum. If you notice any insects on the tree, blast it with a strong stream of water or consider an insecticidal soap. Let the tree dry before bringing it into the house. 

 

Locate your tree within your house away from heating ducts and the fireplace.  A stand that can hold a lot of water is a big plus because a fresh cut Christmas tree can drink 1-2 gallons of water per day.  Have one responsible adult in charge of watering the Christmas tree daily to avoid ruining the carpet or floors.  If you can, fill (2) one-gallon milk jugs each day and let them sit for 24 hours, this will allow the chlorine to evaporate out of the water.  Letting the chlorine evaporate from the water you water your plants is a practice you should use when watering all house plants.  

 

There are many secrets to keeping a tree fresh.  Having a fresh cut and keeping water above this cut always is the most important thing you can do for the tree.  The water conducting vessels quickly close if the tree does not have constant water.  Using a drop of Super Thrive in each gallon of water will help the tree stay fresh. Many people use 7-up and an aspirin in the water. You might want to save the aspirin if you drink Uncle Joe’s egg nogg, bourbon soaked cherries, or Holiday Punch.  

 

Thank you for shopping at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply and for all your letters, questions, comments when I meet you, and for reading “The Horticulture Hotline”! Make it a Great and Safe Holiday Season!

 

 Bill Lamson-Scribner can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply. Possum’s has three locations 481 Long Point Rd in Mt. Pleasant (971-9601), 3325 Business Circle in North Charleston (760-2600), or 606 Dupont Rd, in Charleston (766-1511). Bring your questions to a Possum’s location, or visit us at possumsupply.com. You can also call in your questions to “The Garden Clinic”, Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM, or listen to the replay of Saturday’s show, Sundays from 11:00 to noon on 1250 WTMA (The Big Talker). The Horticulture Hotline is available 24 / 7 at possumsupply.com.