Over the course of the meeting more than two dozen concurrent sessions were held.  Time was short and it was difficult to choose which to attend.  I chose those that would provide material I could use later in local presentations.  My head is still spinning with ideas for rain gardens, nomenclature, diagnosis, history and social media.  Social media???  Yes, there is a new world out there.

There were tours, lots of them, to local public and private gardens.  Since the meeting was in our backyard so to speak, I had been to most of them before but gardens are always evolving and change is good.  No trip to North Carolina would be complete without a visit to Plant Delights and nothing was left out at this conference.    

The exhibition hall held over 90 booths with everything such as new plant introductions (I am still salivating over some), recent gardening books, tools and equipment, supplies, seeds, you name it!  Many of the booths offered samples and the manufacturer’s reps were there to explain the nuances of the latest and greatest. 

Some of the new plants that caught my eye included several dwarf crape myrtles in the Razzle Dazzle series from the Gardener’s Confidence Collection.  Novalis, one of our own South Carolina companies, gave out samples of an exciting new, fine leafed Mahonia ‘Soft Caress‘.  I am excited about trying this one in my own garden.  Biltmore had a lovely and salt tolerant Hydrangea ‘Nantucket’ said to be good for coastal areas.  Southern Living featured, among others, an evergreen semi-dwarf Loropetalum with white flowers, ‘Emerald Snow’.

It seems deer are a problem all over the country and there were many companies offering new and improved repellents; I intend to try them all in my personal battle.  One called Shake Away which is made from coyote urine appears to be effective, so far so good.  Another from a company called I Must Garden is completely safe to use on food crops and the rep demonstrated by tasting the product.  This will go on my fall crops as I plant next week.  Both companies offer repellents for other pests also. 

A cultivating tool called “Cobra Head” is well balanced for my arthritic hands and impressed me as it easily dug through my heavy soil.  A longer handled version is available and would be helpful for those who no longer kneel.  Among Corona’s products a trenching shovel designed for the irrigation trade with narrow, 5” blade caught my eye.  It looked to me like it would be useful in digging between the tree roots we deal with here in the Lowcountry. 

Daniels Plant Food is a new (to me) organic and I noticed some fresh buds on some justicias within days after trying it.  The rep for FreezePruf explained how this product, when sprayed on tender plants, provides up to 9 degrees additional protection during the winter.  What could be more useful to those of us gardening in zones 8b/9a? 

Remember, there were 90 booths; these are but a few of the plants and products I learned about.  There will be more plant, product and book reviews to come.  In the meantime I know Margot is smiling on Sharon, Marian, Lucrecia, Susan and I, knowing well how much we enjoyed honoring her at GWA.          
 

Media Advisory
Plant disease inspectors to go door to door in Beaufort, Colleton area
 

CLEMSON — Clemson University and USDA plant industry officials on June 9 will begin conducting a house-to-house search for a harmful plant disease in the Beaufort area. Searchers will be looking for citrus plants with citrus-greening disease. The disease poses a serious threat to the citrus industry nationwide. The public’s assistance is needed in finding citrus plants in backyards in the area.

Clemson University Department of Plant Industry (DPI) personnel and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS PPQ) inspectors from South Carolina and Florida will conduct the survey for citrus greening disease (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus), also called Huanglongbing (HLB).

Surveys will begin Tuesday and last for 2 to 4 weeks. Inspectors will cover the city of Beaufort and Beaufort and Colleton counties. Personnel will be going door to door because most citrus in South Carolina is grown in residential settings. Surveyors will contact homeowners in the targeted areas, beginning with city of Beaufort.

Surveyors will carry photo identification and credentials from their agencies.

The purpose of the survey is to determine the extent that citrus greening exists in South Carolina.  It is a significant threat to citrus plants. However, there is no risk to people. The fruit from diseased plants is safe to eat but may be unappealing.

Officials ask the public’s help in locating citrus plants. It is vital to determine if the citrus greening disease is present in Beaufort and Colleton counties in order to prevent it from reaching citrus-producing states, such as Arizona, California and Texas.  Beaufort and Colleton counties are included in the survey because the insect for citrus greening was detected in those counties last summer.  However, the disease has been detected only in Charleston this year as of May.

It is not always possible to detect diseased plants by sight, as symptoms may be difficult to identify. Residents can contact the USDA at 843-746-2950.

For more information about citrus greening, go to the USDA Website: www.SaveOurCitrus.org.

State plant industry officials have set up a webpage on which people can report suspected citrus greening. The website is http://www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/plant_industry/invasive_exotic_programs/

A Clemson University News Services press release provides background on citrus greening. The release is available online: http://www.clemson.edu/newsroom/articles/2009/april/Citrus_disease.php5

In Beaufort, contact Clemson Extension Agent Laura Lee Rose for more information.  Her contact number is 843-470-3655, ext. 117.

In Clemson, contact Christel F. Harden, Department of Plant Industry

Clemson University, at 864-506-5386 (cell).

PAYING THEIR WAY
by Sandra Educate

Gardening is not a charity.  Plants must earn their garden space. Any gardener knows there are no maintenance free plants, so in return for providing them with a home, nutrition, water and a hospitable environment, they must pay back with beauty, utility or food.

One of the most difficult lessons to learn is that they, too, serve who only feed the compost heap.  How many of us can yank out a disappointing plant without at least a little pang of guilt?? 

After all, who put it there in the first place?  Don’t we at least owe it a chance to survive elsewhere?  Maybe. 

Is it worth the effort to dig and transplant hoping for a better fit somewhere else?  Sometimes.

But just existing doesn’t mean it is earning its way.  The ability to consign a plant to the compost heap must be mastered if we are to have a satisfying garden.  We all have limited resources,--money, time or space.  We simply can’t afford to waste any of these resources.

Now it’s true that most of us have a few favorites that seem to justify irrational amounts of attention.  And we have all tried to grow stuff that “just doesn’t grow here”.  When we succeed, we are filled with self satisfaction.  And sometimes, we keep on trying in the face of irrefutable evidence that it just ain’t gonna work.  But we needn’t restrict ourselves to petunias and marigolds just because their success is predictable. 

However, most of us don’t have the time to mollycoddle all our plants like spoiled children.  How will we have to time to enjoy our gardens if we spend our time coaxing performance from a plant that just doesn’t work?

Unlike royalty, from whom little more than reproduction is required, plants must provide more than that to justify the investment we have made in them. If they fail to live up to expectations, just evict them!!   And know that while they might not be going to a better place, they are at least going to a useful place.

Edible Landscaping
By Shawn Jadrnicek sjadrni@clemson.edu

In the recent past, communities gained immense value from the fruit and vegetables they grew.  Houses were known for the flavorful pomegranates, peaches, and figs gracing the yards.  Neighbors also traded vegetables, eggs and fruit while admiring the largest tomatoes on the block.  However, modern agricultural practices have consolidated food production and selected products that ship well but lack the taste and nutrition of homegrown food.  The average vegetable in the grocery store now travels 1,500 miles and loses much of its nutritional value during transport and storage.  Our busy lifestyles have omitted food from the landscape and replaced it with lawns, ornamentals and bi-weekly trips to the grocery store. 

Nothing can compare to the personal satisfaction of creating a landscape that is both productive and beautiful.  An edible landscape will take less time than caring for a lawn, especially if disease resistant perennials, shrubs and tree fruits are grown in the proper location.  When choosing an edible plant for the landscape the success of the plant will depend on many factors.  Here are a few suggestions:

Edible Plant, Permaculture and Food Forestry Plant List for the State of South Carolina in pdf and EXCEL format is included below:

Pdf Format: Food forest and edible plant list6.pdf

EXCEL 97 and 2003 format: Food forest and edible plant list6.xls
 
Caveat
Please do not eat any plant or plant part unless you are absolutely sure you have identified the plant.  Many of the plants listed serve other functions besides being edible and may be poisonous.  Some of the plants may have edible parts as well as poisonous parts or may need processing to remove the poisonous parts. 

Please read and follow all directions for use of edibility.  Many people have food allergies and may be allergic to new plants.  When consuming a new plant eat a small amount first to determine if you are allergic.  The plant list is not a complete list of edible plants for the region and many of the genus listed contain several edible species. 

The reader is encouraged to explore other sources including the Plants for a Future database on the internet.  Heat and Climate zones vary throughout the state and information is incomplete.  Heat and climate information in () indicates an approximation of based on plant distribution maps in Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas by Albert E. Radford.  If the plant listed does not have information regarding heat and climate zones please research this information or consider the plant experimental.  Microclimates vary and some plants can be grown outside of listed heat and climate zones in selected microclimates. 

For more information on the plants root patterns, soil requirements, medicinal qualities and taste ratings please refer to Edible Forest Gardens volume 2 by Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier or the Plants for a Future internet database.

Climate Zone information from the USDA

Heat Zone information from the American Horticultural Society

Brickell, Christopher and Marc Cathey. 2004. The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of
Garden Plants. New York, NY: DK Publishing.

Fern, Ken.  Plants for a Future Edible Medicinal and Useful Plants for a Healthier World.

Jacke, Dave and Eric Toensmeier. 2005.  Edible Forest Gardens Ecological Design and Practice for Temperate Climate Permaculture.  White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Radford, Albert E. et al. 1968.  Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.  Chapel Hill, NC:  The University of North Carolina Press.

Tenaqiya, Rain. 2005.  West Coast Food Forestry a Permaculture Guide. Self published.

Wigginton, Elliot and students. 1975.  Foxfire 3.  New York, NY: Anchor Books.

Attack of the Killer Lawn
By Shawn Jadrnicek

The American love affair with lawns began in England and France during the late 18th century.  In the cool moist climate of England, lawns flourished and became the vogue of the rich elite.  Early colonists and later the USDA, Golf Associations and garden clubs spread the lawn ethic throughout the country in an effort to transform the wild into the sophistication of the wealthy. 

Today our nation has 25 million acres devoted to lawns and the environmental catastrophe of the lawn is now rearing its ugly face.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency, lawns account for 30-60% of our residential water use.  Much of this water is applied to lawns when they don’t even need it, such as automatic irrigation systems watering during the rain, irrigation systems left on during winter, or over-watered lawns.  The problems with lawns don’t just stop with their thirst.

Eight hundred million gallons of gas are used annually to fuel our lawn habit.  This accounts for 5% of our nation’s pollutions.  The pollution a mower emits can be deceiving.  Even though the engine is small, lawn mowers don’t have the same pollution controls that cars do.  According to a study done in Sweden, mowing your lawn for one hour pollutes as much as driving a car 100 miles.

If a severe drought and a looming climate crisis aren’t enough to bid farewell to the lawn take a look at the statistics on fertilizers and pesticides.  Over 5.5 billion is spent on fertilizing lawns and 700 million coating them with pesticides.  Many of the pesticides and fertilizers find their way into homes, rivers, and aquifers with unknown risks to our health.

I’m proud to say it’s been over two years since I killed my lawn.  People continue to ask me, “What do you do without a lawn?”  Since I don’t have to maintain a lawn and a lawn mower I have an extra five hours of free time each week.  Five hours a week is equivalent to 6 ½ work weeks a year.   With this extra time I put in a pond, planted over fifty fruit trees and grow fish, fruits, and vegetables for my friends and family.  I’ve decreased the amount of produce that has to get shipped in from California or South America reducing my carbon footprint even more.  Let’s make the world a better place by killing one lawn at a time.

Shawn Jadrnicek is an agent with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service for Colleton/Jasper County.  To sign up for the next Master Gardener class call (843) 549-2595 ext.113.

Master Gardeners support scholarship program at Clemson
By Diane Palmer (864) 656-4741
spalmer@clemson.edu

AIKEN - Aiken County Master Gardeners will be presenting a check for $9,000 to Clemson University's Horticulture Department in December to help support a scholarship program for students who otherwise cannot afford to attend college. This follows a $16,000 donation in April and completes a $25,000 commitment to establish a permanent endowment.

The Master Gardeners earned the proceeds from their Rent-A-Master Gardener program, gardening almanacs and annual plant sales.  

In the Rent-A-Master Gardner program, three to five certified Master Gardeners will visit a homeowner in the Aiken County area for a $50 donation and help solve gardening and lawn care problems and take a soil test, if necessary. Each home visit lasts about an hour.

The gardening almanac is the culmination of five years of phone calls to Master Gardeners in the Clemson Extension office in Aiken.  The Master Gardeners got information from these calls and included the subject of the phone call, date and solution. Also, included were "what to do" and "what to watch for" topics, including insect and disease information. The almanacs sold for $10 each and were sold out in six weeks on two separate occasions.

The almanacs are being updated with a slightly different look and additional information. They will be available for sale in February of next year.

"Our annual plant sale continues to be a main fund raiser and continues to be supported by the community," said Bill Hayes, former Aiken master gardener association president. "We are four years ahead of schedule in this endowment due to the success of our projects."

The Master Gardener Program is a volunteer training program administered by the Clemson Extension Service.  Participants receive 40 hours of intensive horticulture training. 

After successfully completing the classroom portion, which involves passing a final exam, participants receive the title of Master Gardener.  They are then required to donate 40 hours of service in the Clemson Extension office or in the county by doing volunteer activities, which are coordinated through the local county Extension office.  Many exceed the expected 40 hours of service.

The Aiken County Master Gardeners Association consists of about 150 members.

For more information, contact the Aiken County Extension office at
(803) 649-6296 ext 122.
 

A Valuable Weed Lurks in the Garden
By Shawn Jadrnicek

Nature has the uncanny ability to take care of itself especially when left alone.  I first learned this by observing thistles growing in pasture.  When the pasture is overgrazed an army of thistles penetrate the pasture to ward off any teeth with their sharp spines.  It turns out that thistles like bare earth that is well fertilized a combination provided by overgrazing. 

A new miracle of nature showed itself to me this week.  While rummaging through weeds in my uncles yard I noticed a large crop of chamberbitter taking over.  Chamberbitter (Phyllanthus urinaria) is a peculiar weed with little flowers and fruit that hang down on the bottom of its pinnate leaves.  They usually show up in summer and continue until a hard freeze sends them to plant heaven or hell depending on how much you dislike them.

Like most weeds I encounter, learning everything about them tends to make them my
friend.  As it turns out, chamberbitter is a potent medicinal helping human’s with urinary problems like kidney and gall stones as well as liver disease.  What surprised me was my uncle was having urinary problems and nature was providing him with an abundant cure in the form a chamberbitter growing in his flower beds.

I’m frequently asked what medicinal herb can be grown for profit.  Many possibilities exist but this week my answer is chamberbitter.  A search on Google found the herb selling for $12.00/ounce.  If you want to try chamberbitter for yourself, steep one teaspoon of the dried leaves in hot water.  Strain the leaves, drink the tea and be grateful you didn’t have to pay the pharmaceuticals for this medicine.

Shawn Jadrnicek is an agent with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service for Colleton/Jasper County.  To sign up for the next Master Gardener class call (843) 549-2595 ext.113.
 

Master Gardener Class Teaches Energy Saving Tips
By STEPHANIE JADRNICEK scsteph@hotmail.com

Yellow Nutsedge
By Shawn Jadrnicek

The mighty yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) finally wins. It has crept through my yard undeterred by chemical combinations. Whenever I encounter a backyard weedy opponent I learn as much as I can about my enemy before I attack.  The grassy triangular leaves of the nutsedge disguise themselves among the grasses occasionally poking an airy yellow seed head above the leaves.  Tubers the size of a quarter sit solitary throughout the soil and taste sweet compared to the bitter purple nutsedge.

John W. Everst @ USA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Yellow nutsedge is one of the oldest plants cultivated or grown for its useful purposes.  The ancient Egyptians made cakes out of the ground tubers to enjoy the sweet nutty flavor and vitamin packed oils.  Currently it’s grown commercially in Spain to produce a drink called horchata (pronounced or-cha-ta).  The name horchata comes from a small girl who gave the drink to a king passing by.  The king pronounced “or axa” or “gold cutie” referring to a taste as rich as gold. 
Mexican horchata differs from the Spanish horchata since it is made from rice. Many of the local Mexican restaurants and grocery stores offer this sweet rice beverage.  Mexican horchata is my favorite drink so I just had to try the Spanish horchata.  So how does it taste?  You will have to make some yourself, but I will say this - it’s 24 Karat. 
I’m now slowly turning my lawn into a horchata producing garden of eden by letting the yellow nutsedge take over.  Nutsedge resembles grass enough to fool passing cars and pedestrians into thinking I have a lush lawn.  By learning about my opponent “yellow nutsedge” I have turned the enemy into my favorite food producing friend. 
As an interesting side note: yellow nutsedge is being studied to produce a different kind of gold…black gold.  The oil rich tubers are used to produce an alternative fuel crop called biodiesel.  So it turns out this weed will not only fuel my taste buds but also fuel my car. 

Horchata Recipe using Yellow Nutsedge

2 lbs yellow nutsedge tubers
2 lbs sugar
20 cups water
1 cinnamon stick

1. Clean, rinse and then soak the tubers in water for 12-14 hours
2. Rinse the tubers several more times until the water runs clear
3. Blend tubers in blender with a small amount of water until smooth
4. Add water and cinnamon stick to mixture and let soak in fridge for 2 hours
5. Add sugar and stir to dissolve
6. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh filter and then a cloth to remove the particles and serve cold.

To Kill Yellow Nutsedge in the Lawn 

Halosulfuron (Manor, Sedgehammer) and Sulfosulfuron (Certainty) can be used in Bermudagrass, Centipede, St. Augustine, and Zoysia lawn grasses.
Imazaquin (Image) at a reduced rate and Bentazon (Basagran T & O) can be used in Centipede and St. Augustine grasses.

Shawn Jadrnicek is an agent with the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service for Colleton/Jasper County.  To sign up for the next Master Gardener class call (843) 549-2595 ext.113.

Landscaping Challenges Screening the Unwanted Views
By Laura Lee Rose

Landscape design has got some very important challenges, and solutions will vary with the taste of the developer, designer or landscaper.  Many times the plants selected to screen the utility and service areas around our homes are hastily or poorly planned. 
Every home has its various elements which need easy access, but do not add to the attractiveness of the property.  These include HVAC or air conditioning units, pumps, tool, potting, or boat sheds.   The outdoor living spaces are called “garden rooms” and need the same design attention as the interior rooms of the house.
To begin a do- it- yourself design of the outdoor living or viewing  space it is easier if you have a plat of the property showing the footprint of the house and buildings.  The plat can be overlaid with a piece of tracing paper, and the walks, drives, trees, utilities, beds, and existing plantings can be drawn onto it with pencil.  Next we want to add views from inside the house that we enjoy and want to keep or enhance.  It is also important to note which views we want to lose or screen.  The dog run, the neighbor’s boat trailer, the compost bin are examples of these.  
The selection of fencing, trellises, pergolas and vertical elements can be chosen by the materials used in the house construction or those that would be in keeping with the neighborhood’s landscaping.   There are excellent plant materials available which will grow over and on them. Vines and vertical shrubs, small trees can be very effective when used as screening material.  Use of native plant material is advisable, because these are not only drought tolerant once they are established, but we can attract birds and butterflies to our yards, use less fertilizer and pesticides and still have beautiful seasonal color. 

Small Trees

Shrubs

Vines

Grasses

This is just scratching the surface, but please keep native plants in mind for your landscaping enjoyment and that of your friends, family and neighbors.

I did not give scientific names in the article, because many of them are common and available at garden centers and from mail order nurseries.  Plant breeders know a good thing and have made selections of these and carry them commercially. 
Please check out the website of the SC Native Plant Society.  A chapter is coming to Beaufort County.  We should be able to grow and sell native plants to the community in the upcoming year. 

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