Let's get to know one another..

When we first moved here in 2001, we worried about the beetles on pines here in Jackson County, western North Carolina. I haven't gone to the link posted above, but it seems a more "normal" amount of rainfall for the past 2 years has improved the situtation. We were told the beetles don't do well when the weather is wet, and we arrived in NC during a drought, so the beetle situation looked bad.

Also, Rebecca, your pines will probably fare better than ours because you are in zone 7a. We have also been told that the species of pine in question is at its northernmost limit in our zone, which puts extra stress on them and makes them more susceptible to other injuries, like the beetles.

Hi Y'all, I just joined DG today even though I've used this site for the past year for info. I'm trying to learn to garden so I may ask really simple questions sometimes. Most of what I planted has survived so I guess I'm doing ok. I posted on the welcome mat forum also. Its nice reading about all the things you guys write about.

A hearty WELCOME TO DG, RosyK!

Come on in, set a spell! Prop your feet up!

Isn't Gates down around the coast somewhere? Sure sounds familiar.

Shoe.

Wow that was a quick repy. You guys seem so nice. Gates is in the northeast corner of NC. I'm just below the VA border. I moved here 3 years ago. I have not quite 3 acres but half of that is completely wooded[except what the hurricane took]. The couple before me left a lot of azaleas, daffodils, lilies, and boxwoods. I took the boxwoods out and want to put in dwarf nandinas so they won't cover my windows. I've planted 4 roses in a bed with russian sage, a bed with lantana,hollyhocks, spirea, and a few small perennials and I scatter zinnias for the butterflies. I've had a small veggie garden the past 2 years. Tomatos, cukes and peppers did great for me but my pumpkins and melons rotted. I guess they were to wet.


This message was edited Feb 24, 2006 8:24 PM

Ahah, I thought Gates sounded familiar. I used to go camping at Merchant's Millpond over your way. Beautiful place, you should check it out sometime.

Sounds like you have a pretty good grip on growing things, RosyK. Hope to hear more how your garden goes this year!

Nandina, dwarf and otherwise, has been planted I think in every landscaped space in this area. It's true it's green and red and fresh-looking all winter. Why do I dislike it? Not sure, but I can't stand the way it looks in the summer. I can't even say why, exactly. But I know I would never replace boxwoods with Nandina. As the French say, "Chacun ses goûts."

Roseykay,

Welcome to the Carolina forum. It is nice to meet you. I'm still pretty new to gardening myself. I've never had an outside garden, all of my plants are inside. But I think that I am going to venture out this year and start an outside vegetable garden and also plant some flowers. I hope everything works out okay.

I am so glad that you have joined us. This group seems to be really neat. I have enjoyed spending time with them so far. And I look forward to meeting with all of them even more.

JesseK

it's funny, in all i've read and heard expressed about nandina, it's one of those plants that people seem to either love or hate. i like the nandina that's sprung-up in a few places in my yard (domestica) - it basically fades into the background during the summer color riot and bursts into prominence late in the season when color's at a premium. and i'm all for all things evergreen. they were large enough this winter that i could cut foliage and berry clusters for arrangements and still leave plenty on the bush. the berries i cut for holiday arrangements are still nice looking - i'm amazed by them.

i'd probably feel differently about them if i lived in areas where they're invasive.

Clearing brush today, I was trying to eliminate competition for a Balsam fir I discovered on our property. I was sorry to discover the white wooly little adelgids on some of the fronds. The tree itself is a pathetic specimen, but we have so few, I want to help it along. Can someone post a link for me to a tried and true site that tells me what I can do for this tree?

here's a link on fir diseases/pests. i hope it's helpful to you :)

Thanks for the warm welcome from everybody. Missgarney I have to agree that dwarf nandinas don't look good in the summer. I'm going to try to disguise them with some type of flowers. They are so pretty in the winter and I love the red berries on nandina without the thorns of hollies. Holiday decorating was on my mind diggingit. JessieK, I need to venture inside! I have only one surviving peace plant. I also started out to big outside and it overwhelms me sometimes. Horseshoe, I'm just a few miles from Merchants millpond and I've not been there yet. My husband and kids have been camping there with the scout troops.

I'm glad for the discussion about Nandinas. Reminds me that I haven't pruned mine yet this year. The best time is supposed to be around the holidays. I try to prune the canes yearly at different heights and prune out the oldest canes. It keeps it from getting that leggy look that I think turns most people off from growing them.

It's quite possible that I just don't know how to prune Nandinas, and that's why I don't like the way they look in my garden.

Hello Everyone, I am fairly new here so I will tell you a little about myself. I live in Millers Creek,N.C.. We are located between Winston Salem and Boone,in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I don't have elaborate gardens,just my simple cottage style flower beds. I work full time,and don't have nearly as much time for my gardening as I would love to have.I like tropical looking plants,and love to try plants that aren't supposed to be hardy in my zone 7 location. I would love to have a greenhouse so I could enjoy my plants year round.

Howdy rosellamcneil...and WELCOME TO DG!

Between W-S and Boone? You must live up 421 someplace? If so, beautiful area.

Hope to see you around the site! Come on in, have a seat!

Shoe.

Hi Shoe,Yes I do live off 421.Millers Creek is just outside of Wilkesboro.We are about sixty miles west of Wintson-Salem,and about thirty miles east of Boone.Thanks for the welcome. Rosie

Hey - we're popping up roses on this forum! Welcome rosellmcneil and Rosykay. Shoe's already offered you a seat - I'm serving up coffee and lemonade. Good to hear from you two. Rosykay - I grew up almost directly South of Gates in a region called Downeast - near Beaufort. You'll have to get your map out to looksee... rosellmcneil - you're to the West of where I currently live - about an hour it sounds like. I look forward to hearing what you're planting and designing down there.

Rosykay - it's almost 'skeeter season - are they tuning up their engines down in the swamps yet? I know they're brutal where I grew up and it did'nt take them long to come out with the slightest bit of warm weather and rain.

Join in the fun folks!

Swoznick

Hi y'all, The skeeters weren't too bad last year. I think because the county cleaned the ditch that cuts through my property so the water flowed better which attracted dragonflies.

Hi, everyone. It's been a while since I have been on Dave's Garden website, and it looks like a lot of things have changed. I am really excited to see this new forum!!! It's nice to get to talk to other Carolina gardeners. My husband and I have lived in Summerville, SC (flowertown USA) for a year now, and we love it here. You can find out more about me and my garden if you visit my gardening diary at http://davesgarden.com/journal/d/m/hgurule/.

I have looked through this thread and have not seen anyone from Raleigh. That was kind of interesting.

I live in Raleigh and although I am an avid gardener have just bought in a new development so my canvas is blank. I came from a 30 year old garden to one tree at the whole house.

I love to garden in the Carolina mornings. I am usually out there in my pajamas.

Good luck everyone, here is to a great year.

Michelle

Hiya. I live and garden in Raleigh. I've recently become a DG member, but only found this forum today.

Question: has anyone ever used an anti-dessicant? I've got aucubas drying out every time it gets cold and its been really windy recently=droopy foliage. I thought a spray might help, but I'm concerned about transpiration during the summer months.

leigh

Welcome Michelle and Leigh,

Glad to have you ladies stick your head into the door to say hello! Come on in and visit with us.

There are a few folks from the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area that are posting on other threads in this forum and other forums in the garden. I encourage you to visit the other forums and you will see those folks posting in the areas of their interests. The Carolina Gardening forum is only a month or so old - so you can get it started with us. On the thread called Field Trips, we're cooking up a meeting at the Raleigh Farmer's market in the next few weeks - why not consider joining us?

I have recently moved and will be working on re-establishing gardens as well - so you have some company. Tell us about your area so we can enjoy your progress with you. So settle on in and grab a chair!

Swoznick

Hi everyone--Welcome to you. Keep us posted on what you are growing or want to be growing. This is a good group of people. I don't post much, but I lurk around the edges all the time.

Diane

Hey all,

I got over the influenza virus, yippie. I had a chance to take a good look around my garden. I discovered I lost one of my gardenia bushes. Hmmm, good excuse to buy a replacement bush at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh. :)) Oh well, I hate seeing a plant die. I had a chance to cut bak to the ground my lantana Miss Huff bush, crossing my fingers to see some growth this spring. My seedlings are doing good, My sedum Autumn Joy seeds are doing good to. Glad to be back from being sick.

Fishy Potting Soil-

Anyone ever buy that big bag of potting soil from the home improvement guys, and use the dirt and find out that your great deal on a huge bag of potting soil really is alot of pine bark particles? I hate that. Anyone else notice that?

Rebecca, Those pine bark particles are great for long term potting of outdoor plants. Provides the good drainage that's needed. I actually added pine bark fines to some of the potting mixes I used last year. So many of the potting mixes on the market now have wetting agents added and are too heavy. The only thing I can think of that It may not be best for is sowing seeds. Lots of nurseries use it for their growing medium. If nothing else it'll make a terrific soil ammendment.

Shari

So have we decided on a time, when we will all meet up with each other? This is so exciting to get to meet other Carolinians. When a time is decided, could someone let me know?

JesseK

JessieK

Check out the thread called Field Trips. That's where we're doing the trip planning for the Farmer's Market... C'mon over!!

I live in Moyock, NC, moved 2 years ago from Virginia Beach and even though it is within 30 miles it was a big adjustment on growing trees, plants etc.... The ground here is solid clay in most place about 6 inches down. I lost a few trees and schrubs because they drown in the clay bowl. So I went to local Garden shop and asked what to do. Now I make my husband dig a 3 - 4 ft whole past clay add pea gravel at bottom and then add soil conditioner and have been doing okay on most since then. What a change. On the other hand I had cucumbers coming out my ears last year. Tomatoes were okay. I have a little greenhouse and Cherry tomatoes will be ready in a couple of weeks. Zone 8a

sewmuch, are you saying that your clay doesn't start until you go 6 inches down?! I'm envious.

Sewmuch452 - how's your cherry tomatoes doing? I have some I have started from seed. I am hoping they grow to big bushy plants. Right now they are just seedlings with 2 little leaves on them, very tender things.

Rebecca30

Good Morning and welcome to all who have joined in. With all the warm weather we have had the past couple of weeks we have lot of things blooming. The Cherry trees, Bradford pears, Sugar maples etc. I noticed yesterday that My Clematis have flowers buds!! I have been making several trips per day around the garden to see if things are coming up, knowing good and well that nothing has come up since the last time I checked on them 1 hour before. LOL. I do have peonies and bleeding hearts coming up as well as lilacs in bud. Of course the early guys, Daffs, tulips, Dutch Iris and creeping phlox are in bloom. Keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get a prolonged cold snap or more snow as it's hard to tell about the weather in March in the mountains.

Happy Gardening

Gary

Hi Folks,'
I'm new here. This is my first post. Glad to see two other Currituck NC residents here. I've lived in two parts of Currituck. My first location was mucky clay. Now, my yard is mostly sandy. The two extremes here are quite different. The wind is a killer! I'm on six acres near the Courthouse. Growing hostas, grasses, daylilies, lots of trees, perennials, herbs, and just about anything I can get my hands on. Been gardening forever. Either of you Currituck gardeners in the Master Gardeners? They have a great program here. Good folks. Lots going on.

Gary, to me it seemed that the windy and rainy night we had last Thursday, I think it was, gave a signal to nearly every plant in the area to get going. Tomorrow, near 70...but lows in the upper 20's are predicted for Tuesday night.

missgarney, We hit 80 today a record for our area. I saw the forecast does look like a couple of nights in the 20-30 range. I'll cover the clematis for sure!

Hi, I'm yet another Nancy. I just found Dave's Garden and I have been here every spare moment. We recently moved from Santa Barbara, Ca. to Southport , NC. just a little north of the SC border, on the coast I grew up in Wisconsin, so it took awhile to get used to the beautiful things that bloomed all year long in Ca. Now I am trying to find everything I can learn about what will grow in the sand of my hot and humid new surroundings. I don't know much, so I will just be reading and reading. I do agree with the song,,,,nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina.

Welcome baileynboo. I hope you enjoy your time here like I do.

Jesse

Welcome to the Carolinas.

Diane

Hey folks - I posted this over on Field Trips thread. Since Shoe was brave enough to post up a pic, well I'll put one up too. Hope I don't start a stampede or anything...

Welcome OBXguy and Bailynboo - I just love the areas that you're in. I grew up in coastal NC - so there's a special place in my heart for places like Southport and Currituck. Been both places more by boat than I have by car in fact.. Check out the Field trips thread - those of us who can are getting together at the Raleigh Farmer's Market on Sunday - Be plumb pleased if you'd join us!!

Hey you are right - Nuttin could be finer that to be in Carolina... but I'm just a tad biased... Bailynboo - got to tell us about your gardening adventures here. If you're just getting started - lots of suggestions come from this site. We're like family sitting on the porch and visiting.

Say - let's get a roll call of who's coming out on Sunday...

Rebecca
Jessie
Suzy

I will be there in spirit. Wishing I was in person. It has been so cold here lately. Yuck

I am trying to set things up to spend my spring break in SC. But I need to wait and see the finances and come up with a good reason to tell the boss.

Never been to the ocean on the east coast. That will change soon I hope.


Casey