‘Orange Harvest’ re-blooming bearded iris.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

Name: Lagerstroemia indica x fauriei ‘Ppcomoke’, ‘Pocomoke’ Crape Myrtle

Zones: 7 – 9

Size: 20-inches tall and 35-inches wide

Conditions: Sun

The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA)  and North Carolina Cooperative Extension are pleased to announce our fifth year of Showstopper Plants. Nominated by North Carolina nurserymen and selected by North Carolina Cooperative Extension horticulture experts, the 2012 Showstopper Plants are “must have” plants for any Carolina garden. These featured plants are promising new cultivars or iron-clad plants that will thrive across the region. They are featured in Extension Gardener Learning Centers at home and garden shows throughout North Carolina.

Name: Ilex x’Conaf’, Oakleaf Holly

Zones: 6 – 9

Size: 14-foot tall by 8-foot wide

Conditions: Full sun

One of the more exciting introductions into the world of hollies is the ‘Oakleaf’ Holly. This evergreen beauty is a chance seed- ling from another well-known holly called ‘Mary Nell’. The ‘Oak- leaf ’ cultivar is one of five different hollies introduced as the “red hollies” in the mid-1990s.

‘Oakleaf’ Holly gets its name from the shape of the plant’s leaf, whose shape resembles that of our native Scarlet Oak tree. The evergreen foliage is an attractive medium green color with a lighter colored leaf edge. The overall appearance of the plant is handsome.

This holly cultivar will reach a height of 14 feet with some reports up to 20 feet. The ‘Oakleaf ’ Holly’s eight-foot spread makes it ideal for evergreen hedges or planting in mass for screening purposes. This “showstopper” is attractive enough to set out into your garden as a specimen plant. Grow in full sun or in very light shade.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA)  and North Carolina Cooperative Extension are pleased to announce our fifth year of Showstopper Plants. Nominated by North Carolina nurserymen and selected by North Carolina Cooperative Extension horticulture experts, the 2012 Showstopper Plants are “must have” plants for any Carolina garden. These featured plants are promising new cultivars or iron-clad plants that will thrive across the region. They are featured in Extension Gardener Learning Centers at home and garden shows throughout North Carolina.

Name: Chionanthus retusus, Chinese Fringetree

Zones: 5 — 7

Size: 18 – 35-feet

Conditions: Full sun or partial shade

What kind of plant is tough as nails, has gorgeous foliage and flowers consistently nearly every year? Why it is the Chinese Fringetree. Native to Korea, China and Japan, this deciduous tree displays a showy white, clustered bloom that appears like fringe each spring.

Sometimes grown as a multi-stemmed large shrub, Chinese Fringetree can develop into a modest sized tree ranging in height from 18 to 35 feet. Transplant this Asian native into a location with full sun or partial shade. The lustrous, leathery foliage looks best when grown in some light shade, while the flowering is heaviest when planted in full sun.

The Chinese Fringetree is an excellent choice anywhere a small tree is needed. It is well suited for most Carolina landscapes due to its adaptability to our varied soil types. Use as a specimen tree or in a mixed shrub border. Like many white-flowered plants, the Fringetree looks especially pretty transplanted in front of a dark evergreen backdrop.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

The North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association (NCNLA)  and North Carolina Cooperative Extension are pleased to announce our fifth year of Showstopper Plants. Nominated by North Carolina nurserymen and selected by North Carolina Cooperative Extension horticulture experts, the 2012 Showstopper Plants are “must have” plants for any Carolina garden. These featured plants are promising new cultivars or iron-clad plants that will thrive across the region. They are featured in Extension Gardener Learning Centers at home and garden shows throughout North Carolina.

Name: BUTTERF LY BUSH’ Miss Ruby’,       Buddleja ‘Miss Ruby’

Zones: 5 – 10

Size: 48 – 60 inches height and width

Conditions:

Thanks to the plant breeding efforts of Dr. Dennis Werner, NC State University has released a series of new and improved butterfly bushes. This year’s “showstopper” was selected due to its compact habit and remarkably vivid, rich pink flowers. Some observers say the magenta blossoms on ‘Miss Ruby’ are more vibrant than any other Buddleja variety being sold.

‘Miss Ruby’ Butterfly Bush has an upright, globe shape with numerous lateral branches. It should be grown as a specimen plant in the landscape or used in a mixed border of plants. Although compact in habit, don’t forget this new cultivar will reach a height of five feet so give it plenty of space to grow.

Butterfly Bushes require full sun and good soil drainage to thrive. ‘Miss Ruby’ attracts butterflies in abundance. In 2008 the United Kingdom’s Royal Horticultural Society plant popularity poll ranked ‘Miss Ruby’ as its number one (out of 97 varieties) butterfly bush cultivar!

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

Name: CAROLINA JESSAMINE, Gelsemium sempervirens

Zones: 7 – 9

Size: 20 feet or more

Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil.

Born in the South, the Carolina Jessamine is a terrific native vine for Carolina landscapes. Admired for its sweetly scented canary yellow flowers, this vine really puts on a show from February to April, depending on weather. The golden trumpet-shaped blooms are 1 1/2 inches long and seen in small clusters with narrow, glossy evergreen foliage.

Carolina Jessamine can be trained to arbors, trellises and is often found in wooded areas growing up tree trunks. The Jessamine has a modest growth rate, and it generally takes three to four growing seasons for the vines to cover an average-sized arbor.
This landscape plant will become 20 feet or taller when allowed to grow untrained. Occasionally older Jessamine vines become top heavy or sparse. This can be remedied by pruning the vines soon after they finish flowering. The Carolina Jessamine is the state flower of South Carolina.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA)

“We enjoy partnering with other landscape professionals to assist them in achieving their overall plans,” says owner, Chris Wilkerson. “Each job is unique and that’s what makes it an interesting challenge.” Using their 90” tree spade, they can install and relocate up to 12” caliper trees. For smaller trees, they bring in their 54” tree spade which allows them to dig trees as small as 3” caliper. By focusing on tree moving, they provide their clients with a valuable and unique service.

From golf courses, to commercial developments, to private residences and institutions, Tree Movers, Inc. has the opportunity to bring in mature trees that are in scale with projects or work with larger trees that are already onsite and simply needed to be moved. With many satisfied clients and the ability to partner with others in the landscape process, Tree Movers, Inc. is looking forward to the next ten years.

Tree Movers, Inc. Chris Wilkerson, Owner

7630 Panther Lake Road, Willow Springs, NC 27592

(919) 552-8008 Tree Movers, Inc

By: Helen Yoest

The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association

7630 Panther Lake Road, Willow Springs, NC 27592
(919) 552-8008 www.treemoversinc.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Hackney Parker (hackney@seasidemulch.com)
Lee Craft  (lee@seasidemulch.com)

Seaside Mulch
201 N. Green Meadows Dr.
Wilmington, NC 28405
910-791-2100/1-800-641-0881

Seaside Much

Wilmington, NC- October 21, 2011- Seaside Mulch, the Cape Fear Region’s premier mulch & soil producer and supplier for over 15 years, is proud to announce NuLeaf ® is now a certified compost by the U.S. Composting Council Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) Program.

NuLeaf®, is manufactured in New Hanover County and consists of composted local recycled vegetative debris. Seaside Mulch is completing the recycling cycle by saving tons of vegetative waste from the landfill to create NuLeaf®, an earth-friendly compost.  NuLeaf® is rich in organic nitrogen and ideal for organic gardening and farming. Nuleaf® has all the benefits of compost without the biosolids and salts found in manure-based composts. NuLeaf® is an environmentally friendly and economic option for top-dressing existing turf, including lawns, athletic fields, and golf courses. Nuleaf® is a great soil amendment when seeding or sodding. NuLeaf® provides vital minerals and nutrients for flower and vegetable gardens and helps to establish strong roots when planting new trees and shrubs. NuLeaf® is ideal for erosion control, as it does not have run off issues found in manure-based composts and granular fertilizers.

The U.S. Composting Council’s STA Program is a compost testing, labeling and information disclosure program which ensures the health and safety of compost products. The program was created in 2000 and is the consensus testing program among the leading compost research scientists in the United States.  Compost producers must meet all local, state and federal regulations to be eligible to participate in the STA program.  The science behind the STA Program includes a suite of physical, chemical and biological tests. STA compost products are analyzed for nutrient content, soluble salts, moisture content, particle size, pathogens and trace metals.  These tests help both compost producer and consumer determine if the compost they are considering is suitable for their specific use.  All testing of the STA composts is performed by a group of independent, certified labs. The tests results are available to the consumer so that the consumer is certain of what they are purchasing and that the product is healthy and safe for the environment.  To remain in the STA program, Seaside Mulch has NuLeaf® tested quarterly to ensure its quality and compliance with the STA standards.

Seaside Mulch opened in the spring of 1996 and began selling bulk mulches in Wilmington, North Carolina. Today Seaside Mulch has locations in North and South Carolina and produces all of its own mulches, soils and composts. Seaside Mulch produces the highest quality products and sets the standard for others in the mulch & soil industry. For more information visit Seaside Mulch at 201 N. Green Meadows Dr., Wilmington, NC or call 910-791-2100.

By: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association

Zones: 9 – 10

Size: 18 – 24 inches tall and wide

Conditions: morning sun, afternoon shade; moist but well-drained soil; landscape or container plant

Since I’ve moved into an apartment and have been somewhat confined to container gardening, I’ve found my selection criteria for a plant has changed. It has to be colorful, easily managed in a moveable container, and provide a long season of interest. Nephrolepis exaltata Rita’s Gold™ meets all three of my standards.

When it comes to color, Rita’s Gold™ shines. The fronds have a chartreuse color that is vibrant AND, more importantly, the color doesn’t fade. In my container display, I echo the color throughout the planting with Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’ and Canna ‘Pretoria’. Or, if you prefer an example using opposite sides of the color wheel, I’ve complimented it in the past with the blueberry-smoothie-colored leaves of Heuchera ‘Berry Smoothie’.

It’s easily manageable in a container. I have mine planted singly in a terra cotta pot, but you could just as easily plant it in a fibrous hanging basket, in a mixed container, or in the ground. Just make sure that the roots don’t dry out too much. It doesn’t like sitting in water, but it does like to be in moist soil. 

And, it provides a long season of interest. Mine is over a year old now since I bought it back in June of 2010. I overwintered the plant in my living room, and it proved to be a nice accent plant. It received only a few hours of light and twice a week watering. A few of the lower leaves browned, but they were easily removed with scissors. My experience in the past taught me warm temperatures are crucial. Back in Tennessee, I tried to overwinter it in an unheated garage, but that method resulted in sickly plants the following spring.

From my discussion above, you may quickly see why gold is part of the name. But, who’s Rita? She is Rita Randolph, an excellent plantswoman and the owner of Randolph’s Greenhouses in Jackson, Tennessee who introduced the fern in 2006. It’s still making its way through the trade, but keep your eyes open for it. Whether you’re an apartment dweller or have a large garden, it’s certain to be a golden choice for

Edited by: Helen Yoest
The TarHeelGardening blog is published and edited by Helen Yoest. For more information on Tarheel Gardening, please visit our website at Tarheel Gardening - your online resource for North Carolina gardening enthusiasts.

Sponsored by the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association

you.