Empowering
gardeners.
Providing
garden
solutions.
Deer-resistant plants
in this issue
S A N D H I L L S
A N D
C O A S T A L
P L A I N
N E W S
Perennials for
Dry Shade
Growing
Vegetables in
Limited Space
Pecan Weevils
Proper Mowing
S T A T E
N E W S
Deer-Resistant
Plants
‘Fireball’ Hibiscus
Malabar Spinach
Drip Irrigation
Plant Disease and
Insect Clinic
One of the simplest ways to minimize deer
damage in your yard is to landscape with
plants that deer prefer not to eat. While no
plant is deer proof, there are many good landscape
plants that deer find less palatable. This does not
mean deer will not eat them if it comes to a choice
between eating something they don’t like and starv-ing
to death. But most of the time these are plants
that deer will pass over in favor of others.
Like goats, deer are browsers who feed on a
variety of plants, including trees and shrubs. Once
mature, large trees tend to be spared simply because
deer are too short to reach any but the lowest
branches, leaving small trees and shrubs to bear the
brunt of the damage. Small to medium-size trees
that have proven deer resistant over the years and
can be grown in most of the Carolinas include river
birch, crape myrtle, sweetbay magnolia, and chaste
tree (Vitex).
Because they provide a food source in winter,
evergreen shrubs are particularly prone to deer
attack. Evergreen shrubs for sunny areas that deer
prefer not to eat include yaupon, Chinese
juniper, wax myrtle, oleander, rosemary,
gardenia, nandina, and Chinese holly. In
shady sites try Japanese plum yew, avail-able
in both low-growing and upright
varieties, or needle palm, a shrub-forming
palm hardy to at least zone 7.
Although flowers are deer favorites,
there are several perennials they find less
tasty and are less likely to damage. These
include drought-tolerant, sun-loving
perennials such as the silver-leaved ‘Powis
Castle’ artemisia, colorful and hardy ‘Miss
Huff’ lantana, and Arkansas blue star (Am-sonia
hubrichtii), a Southeast native. Other
perennials that deer avoid include false
indigo (Baptisia), purple coneflower, gaura, and
perennial salvias such as Mexican bush sage (Salvia
leucantha), Texas sage (Salvia greggii), and ‘Black
and Blue’ anise sage (Salvia guaranitica).
On the whole, deer avoid eating ornamental
grasses, which is great for gardeners because this
group includes many tough, attractive, low-mainte-nance
options. Some of the most dependable variet-ies
for North Carolina include pink muhly grass,
panic grass (Panicum virgatum), and hardy fountain
grass (Pennisetum alopecuriodes).
Another group of plants that deer dislike is
ferns, which are great for moist, shady sites. Reli-able
perennial ferns for our state include Japanese
painted fern, lady fern, and cinnamon fern, all of
which go dormant in the winter. Evergreen ferns
that can be grown in most areas include autumn
fern, Christmas fern, holly fern, and southern shield
fern. Check with your local Extension office for
more recommendations of hardy, deer-resistant
plants for your region.
— Charlotte Glen
Gardener Extension
NC STATE UNIVERSITY NORTH CAROLINA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Summer 2013
Extension
Gardener
Summer is when gardeners worry about how plants will do in a drought. That makes this a good time to review perennials for dry shade. There are many to pick from, but I’ll share three favorites. An added bonus is that they’re all evergreen.
One of the toughest perennials you can plant in your garden is cast-iron plant, Aspidistra elatior. If the name alone doesn’t convince you that this plant is tough, consider that it’s also called barroom plant because it can survive the low light, neglect, and abuse it might suffer in the corner of a bar. Although this plant can be used as a house plant, it’s cold hardy enough to plant outside. The leaves of cast-iron plant emerge from the ground and are 12 to 18 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide. The leaves are dark green with parallel veins and have a tropical look. I like the variegated cultivars of this plant; the white por­tions of the leaves brighten shaded areas.
One of my favorite evergreen perennials is Helleborus orientalis, Lenten rose. It’s a tough plant that will survive dry shade. When given a little moisture, it will thrive and cheer you up in the winter. Flowers start in February and con­tinue through April. The leaves are divided by five to 11 deep lobes with finely serrated edges. Flowers are white, pink, green, or purple. Lenten rose provides a nice surprise in the winter garden with its nodding flowers at a time when we nor­mally don’t expect to see plants in bloom.
When we think about ferns, we often think of plants for moist, shady areas, but some ferns do well in dry shade too. A fern often used in landscaping that has not gained the popularity it deserves is holly fern, Cyrtomium falcatum. The fronds are bright green and glossy with triangle-shaped leaflets. The foliage looks great most of the winter. Most ferns just fill shady spots in the garden without draw­ing much attention, but holly fern’s brilliant leaves scream for attention. A good shearing in early spring brings a flush of new leaves that are like a breath of fresh air.
There are many more dry shade perennials available at your local nursery. With a little re­search, you’re sure to find several that will work well in your shade garden.
— Danny Lauderdale
Smart Gardening — Perennials for dry shade
If you think that only those with large back­yards can grow vegetables at home, think again! There are many ways to grow vegetables in limited space.
First, consider container gardening. Nearly any kind of container can be used for growing vegetables, provided that it has drainage holes. Traditional containers such as window boxes, decorative pots made of clay or plastic, and re­cycled nursery pots all make suitable containers. Fill the container with potting soil, and water your plants regularly to prevent the soil from drying out.
Another option for those who have a little bit of yard space is raised-bed gardening. There are many ways to design raised beds for veg­etable gardening. Your bed layout will depend on your needs and the amount of available space you have. You can create several small beds or a single long one; your beds can be raised 6 inches off the ground, or they can be several feet deep. The only rigid rule is to limit the width of raised beds to no greater than 4 feet. If you make the beds any wider than that, it becomes difficult to weed or harvest from the middle.
You may also be interested in straw-bale gardening. To grow vegetables in straw bales, you will need bales that have started to decom­pose in the center. Either use year-old bales or condition the bales prior to planting by watering them and adding a high-nitrogen fertilizer. It takes about two weeks to properly condition the bales before they’ll be ready to plant.
No matter which method you prefer, don’t let a lack of space deter you from growing your own vegetables. Be creative, and make the most of the space you have.
— Matt Stevens
Food Production — Growing vegetables in limited space
HortiSCOPE Supports Farmers’ Markets
A collaboration between North Carolina Cooperative Extension and the Cunningham Research Station in Kinston aims to in­crease product variety at farmers’ markets. HortiSCOPE (Season­al Collaborative Opportunities for Product Expansion) will help farmers grow, introduce, sample, and sell products at farmer’s markets, as well as train growers in production methods.
HortiSCOPE will handle product introduction and pro­motion at farmers’ markets on behalf of growers, offering food samples, nutrition information, and prepared foods. These facets of product introduction are difficult for most growers to ac­complish on a busy market day.
The project’s focus crops for 2013 are parsley and cilan­tro. These cool-season crops are well-suited for production in eastern North Carolina and could improve product variety at the very beginning and end of our market seasons. Consumers are aware of these products but often have few ideas for how to use them.
A recent Lenoir County farmers’ market trial offered samples of cilantro pesto and a bean salad seasoned with cilan­tro and lime. That week, fresh cilantro bunches sold out, and cilantro plants sold well. This fall, when the second round of crops is grown at the Cunning­ham station, a grant will fund the activities of two product ambassadors who will promote cilantro and parsley at markets in Lenoir and Greene counties.
— Nicole Sanchez
Extension Showcase
Lenten rose. Image by Shawn Banks.Regional News of the Sandhills and Coastal Plain
Tips
• Remember to keep your plants
watered during dry periods.
It is best to water deeply and
infrequently. Vegetables and
fast-growing annuals need more
frequent watering than trees or
shrubs.
• To prevent mosquitoes from
breeding, take time to drain
containers with standing water.
Saucers and tarps will hold rain-water
and need emptying. Rain
barrels can be covered with a
screen or treated with Mosquito
Dunks.
• Trim back flowering annuals
and apply fertilizer to encourage
new growth. Begonias, dusty
miller, impatiens, and petunias
respond well to this treatment.
• If weeds are out of control, con-sider
cutting them back. This
will slow seed production and
help limit the number of seed-lings
produced in the future.
• Add plant material removed
from the garden to the compost
pile. Compost is one of the most
valuable assets for gardeners and
can be made free in your own
yard.
• Providing three inches of or-ganic
mulch around the roots of
plants will help them conserve
moisture and reduce weeds. A
layer of organic mulch also helps
to buffer soil temperatures. Take
care not to pile mulch around
plant stems.
— Peg Godwin
Pecan weevils are one of our most trouble-some
pecan pests. If you have ever opened
a pecan to find a small white grub inside, you
have seen the larva of the pecan weevil.
The adult pecan weevil is a light brown or
grayish beetle with a long beak. Adult weevils
emerge from the soil from August through
September, often after rains of an inch or more.
Adult pecan weevils feed on green nuts, causing
some to drop prematurely. Female pecan wee-vils
cause more serious damage by laying their
eggs in nuts. The resulting larvae feed inside the
shells, eating the kernels. After the pecans fall
to the ground, the larvae chew their way out
and burrow into the soil, where they pupate for
one or two years before emerging as adults.
Because the life cycle of pecan weevils can
span three years, control requires consistent
treatment. First, consider spraying the root
zone and trunk of the tree with an insecti-cide,
such as liquid Carbaryl, when the adult
beetles are emerging from the soil and moving
into the tree canopy. Start monitoring around
the end of July, and spray whenever you find
adult weevils. Continue to monitor and treat
as needed through September. Monitor weevil
populations by tying layers of burlap cloth
around the trunks of the trees. Check the
burlap each day for any adult weevils. When
mature nuts fall, pick them up daily and re-move
them from the orchard.
— Lisa Rayburn
&Tasks
The first lawn-care question any homeowner
needs to answer is: what type of grass are
you trying to grow? Next you need to determine
the height at which to cut your grass and how
frequently to cut it.
Mowing height and frequency are impor-tant
factors in maintaining a healthy, vigorous
lawn. Mowing height is important because dif-ferent
turf species grow best at different mowing
heights. Recommended mowing heights for
warm-season lawns are:
• Bermudagrass, ¾ to 1 inch
• Zoysiagrass, 1½ inches
• Centipedegrass, 1 inch
• St. Augustinegrass, 2½ inches
Each turf variety will grow and outcompete
weeds best when maintained at its recommend-ed
height.
Mowing frequency is a trickier question. A
general rule of thumb when mowing the lawn
is to remove no more than one-third of the leaf
blade each time you mow. If too much of the
leaf surface is removed, the grass will go into a
stress or shock period from which it must recover
before it can resume growing and spreading.
To determine how often to mow your
lawn, measure its height. For example, I want
to mow my Bermudagrass lawn to a cut height
of 1 inch. In order to only remove one-third
of the blade when I mow, then I should mow
when the lawn reaches a height of 1½ inches.
The grass may grow faster some times of the
year and may need to be mowed more often.
If the grass gets taller than 1½ inches before
mowing can be done, raise the mower deck so
that only one-third of the blade is removed.
Gradually lower the deck the next couple of
times you mow to reestablish the recommend-ed
mowing height.
For more information about caring for your
lawn, visit www.TurfFiles.ncsu.edu.
— Shawn Banks
Carolina Lawns — Proper mowing
Pest Alert — Pecan weevils
Clemson University - USDA Cooperative
Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org
H.C. Ellis, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
What has showy, fire-red, 10-inch-wide flowers from June through August? The ‘Fireball’ hibiscus, a hardy herbaceous perennial that has dazzled gardeners since its introduction in 2001.
An attractive addition to any landscape, ‘Fireball’ hibiscus reaches a mature height of four feet. This plant displays a special ability to thrive in heat and humidity. Grow this tough perennial in full sun with evenly moist soil. In addition to its heat tolerance, this perennial hibiscus is cold hardy from zone 5 to zone 9. In other words, ‘Fireball’ can be grown anywhere in North Carolina.
This plant’s impressive red flowers and attractive, deeply cut green foliage with distinctive purple veins will impart a unique charm to any sunny garden. Keep the soil from drying out, and you’ll learn why this plant is a true showstopper!
— John Vining
www.ces.ncsu.edu
Extension Gardener provides timely, research-based horticultural information. We publish four issues per year. Send comments about Extension Gardener to:
Editor and Team Leader
Lucy Bradley, Ph.D., Extension Specialist, Urban Horticulture
Box 7609, NC State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7609
Managing Editor: Charlotte Glen
Content Editor: David Goforth
Regional Editor, Coastal Plain and Sandhills: Shawn Banks
Regional Editor, Piedmont: Charlotte Glen
Regional Editor, Mountains and Foothills: Donna Teasley
Production Editor and Designer:
Brent Winter
The use of brand names does not imply endorsement by N.C. Cooperative Extension nor discrimination against similar products or services not mentioned.
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©North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Extension Gardener may not be reproduced without written permission. Any news media using sections of the newsletter should credit “Extension Gardener, North Carolina Cooperative Extension.”
14-CALS-3828—6/13
http://extensiongardener.ncsu.edu
If you want to create a lush, tropical look in your garden this summer, try planting Malabar spinach (Basella alba), a beautiful, delicious leafy climber. The leaves and purple stems are valued in many cuisines across India, Africa, and Asia. This vigorous vine can be grown outdoors across our state. Our long, hot summers also provide a growing season long enough to allow you to gather seeds for future years. Although plants may be slow to start, if planted in full sun they will cover whatever structure you build for them. Malabar spinach tolerates dry weather, but it will produce succulent green leaves most abundantly if you provide a little compost and plenty of water throughout the season. Prepare to be amazed by this plant!
— Jeana Myers
Extension
Gardener
Showstopper — ‘Fireball’ hibiscus
Around the State
Edibles —
Malabar spinach
Recent droughts and water restrictions have led to an increased awareness of how precious and limited our water resourc­es are. As a result, gardeners are showing more interest in microirrigation, also known as drip irrigation. This method of watering uses a network of plastic pipes or hoses to deliver water under low pressure to garden plants. Drip irrigation applies water very slowly and is more efficient than sprinkler irrigation. Additionally, drip irrigation is usually exempt from watering restrictions.
Drip irrigation has traditionally been limited to commercial vegetable, nursery, and greenhouse operations. As drip irriga­tion systems become more readily available and designs are developed specifically for home gardeners, they are popping up in home landscapes and gardens all over. Drip irrigation is much more efficient than sprin­kler systems because it delivers water only to the targeted areas that need it. These flexible systems can be expanded or redirected as the gardener’s needs change, and they are even suitable for watering container plants. Drip irrigation systems can also easily be auto­mated for gardeners whose busy schedules make hand watering difficult.
Sustainability — Drip irrigation
Drip irrigation systems are available online and in many garden centers. Most systems can be installed by the average gardener, and kits are available to help first-time users with the initial setup. These systems can be customized for specific plants needs down to the size of the emit­ter, which delivers the amount of water that an individual plant needs.
As we become more conscious of the need to conserve our natural resources, drip irrigation is a great tool in water con­servation efforts.
— Donna Teasley
J.C. Raulston Arboretum