January edition of Garden Zone, produced by Extension Master Gardeners of Mecklenburg County

Welcome to Garden Zone, a monthly newsletter for anyone interested in gardening. It's produced by Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Mecklenburg County. View in your browser January in the garden Start off the new year by making a list of gardening tasks you need to accomplish. Here's a list to get you started: Perennials, annuals & bulbs ✳️ Don’t forget to water! Winter drought can be just as severe in the winter as it is in the summer. ✳️ Pay close attention to newly planted shrubs and trees. The roots need to stay hydrated, so they do not become brittle over winter, leading to a shock for the plant when spring showers come, and roots are not able to take up the needed water for new growth. Check the soil by digging or probing the bed. Lawns & landscaping ✳️ Eliminate hard-to-mow spaces, like sharp angles or bed borders, to decrease lawn maintenance. ✳️ Avoid heavy traffic on dormant lawns. Dry grass is easily broken, and the crown of the plant may be severely damaged or killed. Trees, shrubs & groundcovers ✳️ Prune fruit trees and woody ornamentals that bloom on new growth, such as althea, buddleia, crepe myrtle, hydrangea and vitex. Don't prune spring-bloomers until just after they’ve bloomed. ✳️ Protect broadleaf evergreens with blankets or burlap during periods of extreme cold. Fertilize them in winter or early spring before growth begins. Houseplants ✳️ Don’t over water; wait until the soil surface is dry. Keep winter fertilizing to a minimum as plant growth has slowed considerably. Don’t forget the birds! ✳️ Feed them regularly. See this list of the top 10 foods for winter bird feeding. ✳️ Keep birdbaths free of ice; here are tips . Continue adding fresh water every week. See our complete list of tasks for January. Gardening in a Changing Climate by EMG Alden Picard Make no mistake, our climate is changing. In just the past 20 years, farmers across the state are seeing an increase in temperatures including warmer nights and the arrival of earlier springs ( Farmers & Climate Change | State of Change | PBS North Carolina (pbsnc.org) . As a Carolinian born and raised, I can certainly attest to this. If you’re a newcomer to the area, just ask any Master Gardener who’s been here a while and they’ll likely agree. This however is purely anecdotal. To see the science behind climate change, look no further than the North Carolina Climate Science report which provides a historical assessment of climate data including trends and projections for the future ( North Carolina Climate Science Report :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (ncics.org) . According to this report, the average temperature on the globe has increased by 1.8 degrees since 1895, and there is a major consensus among the global scientific community that this warming is due to human activities (the combustion of fossil fuels) that have increasingly saturated the atmosphere with carbon pollution. The report states that “It is virtually certain that global warming will continue, assuming greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase”. This report was created and driven by North Carolina climate experts, and oversight was provided by an advisory panel consisting of university and federal-level research scientists with international reputations. This is the science behind climate change. The impacts of this warming have implications both globally and locally here in North Carolina. While North Carolina has only seen an average annual temperature increase of 1 degree since 1895, the ten years from 2009 to 2018 were the warmest on record for the state according to the report. As gardeners in Mecklenburg County, we can expect an increase in warm nights, an increase in heat index values, and a greater number of hot and very hot days each year. We can expect the upward trend of heavy rainfall events to continue. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor content; therefore, we can expect an increase in high intensity, extreme rainfall events. It is also likely that severe droughts will increase in frequency and intensity leading to more wildfires across the state. These are only a few of the many projections from the North Carolina Climate Science report and they are concerning. A home landscape that was drought resistant 30 years ago may now require supplemental irrigation at a price. Shrubs and trees that previously did well in the heat are quickly becoming stressed and more susceptible to insects and disease. This extreme heat also brings safety concerns for those gardeners like us who work outside. We hope to address these concerns and more in the coming issues of the Garden Zone. It is important, now more than ever, to build climate resiliency into our home landscapes and gardens. Stay tuned each month as we discuss strategies and solutions to gardening in a changing climate. Photo courtesy of iStock Regrowing Spring Onion by EMG Parul Sinha The Spring Onion that we buy from grocery stores usually has its roots intact. We often cut one inch off of the bottom and compost/discard it. But we can just as easily plant it and regrow it! Simply stick the cut off ends in soil, root-side down and walk away. Almost immediately new growth appears like magic! This is one edible that survives just fine outdoors in USDA Zone 8. The rainfall that is typical in Charlotte in the cooler months is more than sufficient for it to thrive without the need for supplemental watering. One can keep snipping off the green growth, for a continuous supply of this popular ingredient and the plant doesn't mind it one bit! Spring Onion also does really well in pots, even shallow ones. Place it at a convenient location accessible from the kitchen for quickly grabbing a handful of greens for garnish. So do not discard your spring onion ends. Plant them instead and you may never need to buy it again! Photo courtesy of EMG Parul Sinha Sharing the Sparkle of the Amaryllis Flower by EMG Connie Rothwell Amaryllis flowers have long been associated with love, strength, success, and determination. The name Amaryllis means ‘sparkle” in Greek. If you planted your amaryllis bulb outdoors around 5 years ago, the bulb has propagated several new bulbs. Dividing the bulbs in the winter is very healthy for the bulbs and will make your friends very happy to receive the pups. Locate the tops of the bulb and measure about 8 inches from its center. Loosen the soil all around with a hand shovel or garden fork. Avoid piercing any bulbs. Lift out the bulbs and pups. Keep loosening more soil as often there are more bulbs hidden near the original. Gently separate the bulbs with your hands. Most often there is a dried paper-like covering between the bulbs to make separation easy. Choose the bulbs you want to keep and replant. Be sure to keep the neck exposed. Store the “new” bulbs in peat moss or potting soil and wrap in newspaper or cardboard. Try to avoid plastic which can promote fungus. Now, add some sparkle to a friend’s garden with a loving gift from your garden. Photos courtesy of Carolyn West and NCSU Toolbox Sustainable Landscaping by EMG Stacy Hodes The new year is upon us and we are thinking about our yards and the new season of gardening. What needs to change, be added, deleted, replaced or improved? As you ponder, consider introducing sustainable landscaping practices. What does that mean? Sustainable landscaping takes into account a blended approach that is environmentally friendly, economically feasible and aesthetically pleasing (to you and your neighbors!). So here's a list of possible considerations for positive change: Introduce more diverse plants into the landscape. Diverse plants attract diverse insects, birds and wildlife. Avoid monocultures–large plantings of the same thing. Select for year-round interest and sources of food and nesting. Add layers of plants throughout your landscape from the ground up : ground covers to flowers to bushes to small trees. It’s appealing and provides privacy (as seen in the picture provided). Tackle a storm water mitigation issue. Consider adding a rain garden that contains plants that can sustain short periods of flooding and longer periods of drought. Add a Rain Barrel . The water is free and may reduce your monthly water bill. Create a hedge for privacy, wind protection or noise abatement with mixed screening . Replace hard to mow areas or places where the grass will not grow. Add a pollinator garden . Add a fruit or nut tree or perhaps a small fruit or berry bush . Start small. All of these are the first steps to having a more sustainable landscape and are easy to implement. Other Helpful Resources: Wildlife Friendly Landscapes Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants Master Gardener Publications Photo courtesy of EMG Stacy Hodes Elaeagnus umbellate by EMG Jean Wilson Elaeagnus, also called ‘Autumn Olive’ and ‘Ugly Agnes,’ is an invasive shrub from Asia that was introduced as an ornamental in the 1800s. Although it remains in cultivation and there are several visible plants in my neighborhood, the berries are spread by birds and it has escaped into the wild and gotten a very bad reputation. It threatens native plant communities by out-competing them and taking over their space. Identification is fairly easy, due to the thick waxy leaves that are silvery underneath. The plants stay green after most of our native shrubs have lost their leaves in the fall, which can make it easier to identify and remove them. Small ones can be dug out, although you have to get all of the roots. Larger shrubs can be cut and the stumps dabbed with herbicide. There are many attractive native shrubs that can be used to replace Elaeagnus if you have a plant in your yard. American Beautyberry, Winterberry Holly, Yaupon Holly and Spicebush all are attractive shrubs with red berries that feed the birds in the fall. Photo courtesy

Welcome to Garden Zone, a monthly newsletter for anyone interested in gardening. It's produced by Extension Master Gardener volunteers in Mecklenburg County.

View in your browser

January in the garden

Start off the new year by making a list of gardening tasks you need to accomplish. Here's a list to get you started:

Perennials, annuals & bulbs

✳️ Don’t forget to water! Winter drought can be just as severe in the winter as it is in the summer.

✳️ Pay close attention to newly planted shrubs and trees. The roots need to stay hydrated, so they do not become brittle over winter, leading to a shock for the plant when spring showers come, and roots are not able to take up the needed water for new growth. Check the soil by digging or probing the bed.

Lawns & landscaping

✳️ Eliminate hard-to-mow spaces, like sharp angles or bed borders, to decrease lawn maintenance.

✳️ Avoid heavy traffic on dormant lawns. Dry grass is easily broken, and the crown of the plant may be severely damaged or killed.

Trees, shrubs & groundcovers

✳️ Prune fruit trees and woody ornamentals that bloom on new growth, such as althea, buddleia, crepe myrtle, hydrangea and vitex. Don't prune spring-bloomers until just after they’ve bloomed.

✳️ Protect broadleaf evergreens with blankets or burlap during periods of extreme cold. Fertilize them in winter or early spring before growth begins.

Houseplants

✳️ Don’t over water; wait until the soil surface is dry. Keep winter fertilizing to a minimum as plant growth has slowed considerably.

Don’t forget the birds!

✳️ Feed them regularly. See this list of the top 10 foods for winter bird feeding.

✳️ Keep birdbaths free of ice; here are tips. Continue adding fresh water every week.

See our complete list of tasks for January.

Gardening in a Changing Climate

by EMG Alden Picard

Make no mistake, our climate is changing. In just the past 20 years, farmers across the state are seeing an increase in temperatures including warmer nights and the arrival of earlier springs (Farmers & Climate Change | State of Change | PBS North Carolina (pbsnc.org). As a Carolinian born and raised, I can certainly attest to this. If you’re a newcomer to the area, just ask any Master Gardener who’s been here a while and they’ll likely agree. This however is purely anecdotal.

To see the science behind climate change, look no further than the North Carolina Climate Science report which provides a historical assessment of climate data including trends and projections for the future (North Carolina Climate Science Report :: North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies (ncics.org). According to this report, the average temperature on the globe has increased by 1.8 degrees since 1895, and there is a major consensus among the global scientific community that this warming is due to human activities (the combustion of fossil fuels) that have increasingly saturated the atmosphere with carbon pollution. The report states that “It is virtually certain that global warming will continue, assuming greenhouse gas concentrations continue to increase”. This report was created and driven by North Carolina climate experts, and oversight was provided by an advisory panel consisting of university and federal-level research scientists with international reputations. This is the science behind climate change.

The impacts of this warming have implications both globally and locally here in North Carolina. While North Carolina has only seen an average annual temperature increase of 1 degree since 1895, the ten years from 2009 to 2018 were the warmest on record for the state according to the report. As gardeners in Mecklenburg County, we can expect an increase in warm nights, an increase in heat index values, and a greater number of hot and very hot days each year. We can expect the upward trend of heavy rainfall events to continue. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor content; therefore, we can expect an increase in high intensity, extreme rainfall events. It is also likely that severe droughts will increase in frequency and intensity leading to more wildfires across the state. These are only a few of the many projections from the North Carolina Climate Science report and they are concerning.

A home landscape that was drought resistant 30 years ago may now require supplemental irrigation at a price. Shrubs and trees that previously did well in the heat are quickly becoming stressed and more susceptible to insects and disease. This extreme heat also brings safety concerns for those gardeners like us who work outside. We hope to address these concerns and more in the coming issues of the Garden Zone. It is important, now more than ever, to build climate resiliency into our home landscapes and gardens. Stay tuned each month as we discuss strategies and solutions to gardening in a changing climate.

Photo courtesy of iStock

Regrowing Spring Onion by EMG Parul Sinha

The Spring Onion that we buy from grocery stores usually has its roots intact. We often cut one inch off of the bottom and compost/discard it. But we can just as easily plant it and regrow it! Simply stick the cut off ends in soil, root-side down and walk away. Almost immediately new growth appears like magic! This is one edible that survives just fine outdoors in USDA Zone 8. The rainfall that is typical in Charlotte in the cooler months is more than sufficient for it to thrive without the need for supplemental watering. One can keep snipping off the green growth, for a continuous supply of this popular ingredient and the plant doesn't mind it one bit! Spring Onion also does really well in pots, even shallow ones. Place it at a convenient location accessible from the kitchen for quickly grabbing a handful of greens for garnish. So do not discard your spring onion ends. Plant them instead and you may never need to buy it again!

Photo courtesy of EMG Parul Sinha

Sharing the Sparkle of the Amaryllis Flower by EMG Connie Rothwell

Amaryllis flowers have long been associated with love, strength, success, and determination. The name Amaryllis means ‘sparkle” in Greek.

If you planted your amaryllis bulb outdoors around 5 years ago, the bulb has propagated several new bulbs. Dividing the bulbs in the winter is very healthy for the bulbs and will make your friends very happy to receive the pups.

Locate the tops of the bulb and measure about 8 inches from its center. Loosen the soil all around with a hand shovel or garden fork. Avoid piercing any bulbs.

Lift out the bulbs and pups. Keep loosening more soil as often there are more bulbs hidden near the original.

Gently separate the bulbs with your hands. Most often there is a dried paper-like covering between the bulbs to make separation easy.

Choose the bulbs you want to keep and replant. Be sure to keep the neck exposed.

Store the “new” bulbs in peat moss or potting soil and wrap in newspaper or cardboard. Try to avoid plastic which can promote fungus.

Now, add some sparkle to a friend’s garden with a loving gift from your garden.

Photos courtesy of Carolyn West and NCSU Toolbox

Sustainable Landscaping by EMG Stacy Hodes

The new year is upon us and we are thinking about our yards and the new season of gardening. What needs to change, be added, deleted, replaced or improved? As you ponder, consider introducing sustainable landscaping practices. What does that mean? Sustainable landscaping takes into account a blended approach that is environmentally friendly, economically feasible and aesthetically pleasing (to you and your neighbors!). So here's a list of possible considerations for positive change:

Introduce more diverse plants into the landscape.
- Diverse plants attract diverse insects, birds and wildlife.
- Avoid monocultures–large plantings of the same thing.
- Select for year-round interest and sources of food and nesting.
- Add layers of plants throughout your landscape from the ground up: ground covers to flowers to bushes to small trees. It’s appealing and provides privacy (as seen in the picture provided).
Tackle a storm water mitigation issue.
- Consider adding a rain garden that contains plants that can sustain short periods of flooding and longer periods of drought.
Add a Rain Barrel. The water is free and may reduce your monthly water bill.
Create a hedge for privacy, wind protection or noise abatement with mixed screening.
Replace hard to mow areas or places where the grass will not grow.
Add a pollinator garden.
Add a fruit or nut tree or perhaps a small fruit or berry bush.

Start small. All of these are the first steps to having a more sustainable landscape and are easy to implement.

Other Helpful Resources:

Wildlife Friendly Landscapes

Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants

Master Gardener Publications

Photo courtesy of EMG Stacy Hodes

Elaeagnus umbellate by EMG Jean Wilson

Elaeagnus, also called ‘Autumn Olive’ and ‘Ugly Agnes,’ is an invasive shrub from Asia that was introduced as an ornamental in the 1800s. Although it remains in cultivation and there are several visible plants in my neighborhood, the berries are spread by birds and it has escaped into the wild and gotten a very bad reputation. It threatens native plant communities by out-competing them and taking over their space. Identification is fairly easy, due to the thick waxy leaves that are silvery underneath. The plants stay green after most of our native shrubs have lost their leaves in the fall, which can make it easier to identify and remove them. Small ones can be dug out, although you have to get all of the roots. Larger shrubs can be cut and the stumps dabbed with herbicide. There are many attractive native shrubs that can be used to replace Elaeagnus if you have a plant in your yard. American Beautyberry, Winterberry Holly, Yaupon Holly and Spicebush all are attractive shrubs with red berries that feed the birds in the fall.

Photo courtesy of EMG Jean Wilson

Your Bird-Friendly Garden by EMG Sylvia Hindman

Did you know that the global bird feeding market size in 2021 was $1.1 billion and over 59 million Americans feed the birds? If you aren't already one of them, winter is a great time to get started! No matter the season, a bird's simple needs are the same: food, water, and shelter. In addition to putting birdseed in a few feeders (suet, peanuts, black oil sunflower seeds, and thistle seeds) and smearing some peanut butter on tree trunks, our garden plants will provide both food and shelter. It is beneficial to be a little messy: build a brush pile with fallen branches, twigs and plant trimmings in an out-of-the-way spot; leave some fallen leaves under trees; and do not cut back perennial or ornamental grass seed heads until February. Evergreens, birdhouses, and roosting boxes can be lifesavers in extreme weather. Water can be a little trickier when we have an occasional freeze. Break up the ice and pour hot water into the bird bath or purchase a heater attachment.

For safety reasons, place screens or decals on reflective windows, and please keep your cats indoors. Winter is a great time to start planning for early spring planting of bird-friendly landscaping. Visit our FaceBook page (Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteers) where you will find a great list from the Audubon Society public bulletin series, Conservation Begins at Home: Landscaping for Birds with Native Plants. Welcoming birds into your garden will add so much pleasure to your life.

Here are a few fun Citizen Science activities that you may want to check out:

Project FeederWatch counts birds at their feeders from November through April. https://feederwatch.org/welcome-to-feederwatch/

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a 4-day event held over a weekend in February which is National Bird Feeding Month.

https://www.birdcount.org

Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com, Vector Images, Videos and Music

Growing Strawberries by EMG Gina Tadle

Did you know that strawberries are the most popular small fruit grown in home gardens? There are many reasons why:

They are easy growers
They can be grown in the garden, a raised bed or in a container
They are perennials so you can enjoy them for years to come
They are pesticide free when you grow them at home
The memories you can make picking strawberries will last forever

Growing strawberries can be done from seed or from plant. Growing from seed is more difficult. Be mindful that seeds from most hybrid cultivars will not reproduce in true form; however, heirloom and Alpine varieties usually do well. Most strawberry seeds need to be cold stratified before planting. Start indoors with a seed tray, grow light and a good mix of organic seed starting soil once your seeds are ready. It will take 2 to 3 weeks to germinate. When temperatures are in the 50’s, the plants will need to be hardened off before going in the ground or a container.

Strawberries love the sun, are not drought tolerant and prefer sandy loam high in organic matter. If growing in a container, add a couple of inches of compost to the surface over top of the potting mix.

We had a strawberry patch in our yard when I was a girl and I loved picking strawberries early in the morning with my mom and then having strawberries with milk and a little sugar for breakfast. It was wonderful but sadly it only lasted a couple of seasons. My dad ran the patch over with the lawn mower and it never came back. If your patch is growing in an unprotected area of the yard, consider a small fence or barrier.

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

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The Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (EMGV) program operates under the Mecklenburg Center of the NC Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES), a part of NC State University and NC A&T State University.

NCCES is a part of Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation.

NC State University and N.C. A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity and prohibit discrimination and harassment regardless of age, color, disability, family and marital status, gender identify, genetic information, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status. NC State, N.C. A&T, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.