Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: What to do when azaleas won’t bloom
It seems a very good year for blooming trees and shrubs. Many are in awe over the cascade of blooms. However, I’ve spoken to a ...
Darrell Blackwelder, Author at Salisbury Post
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Liriope can be a weed
Liriope, commonly known as monkey grass, is one of the most utilized landscape plant materials. Often integrated into landscapes as a border, redefining its use ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, April 20, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Questions about pruning hydrangeas
Hydrangeas are a part of many landscapes in Rowan County and many ask when is the best time to prune or cut them back. Hydrangeas ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, April 13, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Wisteria is a colorful spring-blooming vine
Wisteria is a colorful spring blooming vine often used in landscapes and readily found in local garden centers and nurseries. The plant was introduced to ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, April 6, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Q&A: Foliage and fertilizing
Our weather has been about what you can expect during the month of April — cool one week, exceptionally warm a few days later. Remember ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, April 6, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Redbuds add color to landscapes
Spring color has arrived with blooming trees painting the landscapes around the county. The perfect companion tree for spring flowering dogwoods is the redbud (Cercis ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, March 30, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Rough stalk bluegrass in fescue lawns
Warm spring weather and plentiful rainfall have given new life to ailing fescue lawns. However large splotches of light-colored grass in newly seeded areas of ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, March 23, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Preventing shrubs from dying
Early spring is an opportune time to plant trees and shrubs as they can easily acclimate at this time to both weather and soil conditions. ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, March 9, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
H&G Q&A: As the weather warms, questions come in about blooms
Even though we’ve had a taste of warm weather, it is important to remember there may be a chance of frost over the next few ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, March 9, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Wild garlic in lawns
Wild garlic, often confused as wild onion, is a foul smelling weed easily identified in lawns throughout Rowan County. Blue-green tufts of the weed dot ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, March 2, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Planning the landscape of your dreams
Now is the time to research, plan or redesign the landscape of your dreams. Research and ample preparation are essential for a successful landscape planting. ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, February 24, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Now is the time to think about spring lawn fertilization
Now is the time of year when homeowners should be considering spring maintenance for their cool-season fescue lawns. Unusually lower temperatures followed by warm weather ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, February 17, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Bark damage is the No. 1 killer of many trees
Bark damage, especially near the base of the tree, is the No. 1 killer of many trees. Repeated bumping of the trunks with lawn mowers ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, February 10, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Questions about pruning
Pruning trees and shrubs is the most recurring question for most home gardeners. Weather change is the spark igniting this interest, whether light trimming or ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, February 10, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Lichen can be found on a variety of surfaces
I spoke to a homeowner recently who asked if a gray moss-like growth on limbs and twigs on their trees and shrubs was the primary ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, February 3, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: The Green N Grown’ Show
Area nurserymen, landscapers, lawn care and landscape professionals congregated in Greensboro last week for updated horticultural information and displays of new and interesting plant materials. ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, January 27, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Winter weed control
With our recent usual cold winter weather, it’s difficult to contemplate weed control in lawns. Even though weather this month has slowed down weed growth ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, January 13, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Protecting plants from winter cold
Extreme drops in night temperatures can cause damage to both mature and newly planted plant materials. Sudden temperature fluctuations may cause bark damage to trees ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, January 6, 2024 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Seed catalogs for 2024
Early winter is generally when home gardeners receive a steady supply of seed catalogs. With the weather we’ve had lately, seed and plant catalogs tend ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 30, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Tips for keeping your poinsettia looking its best
Poinsettia producers spend almost 5 months producing beautiful holiday plants that provide only a few weeks of enjoyment during the Christmas holidays. Below are tips ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 23, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Christmas rose is now in bloom
Outdoor landscape plantings are generally not a major priority during the Christmas holidays, but there is a special plant now in bloom that has an ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 16, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
December H&G Q&A: Poinsettias, pruning and pansies
The Christmas holidays seem to come faster each year. Many have questions relating to plants and the upcoming holiday season and other landscape questions. Below ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 16, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Winter pansy care
Even though we’ve had some usual weather and drought over the past few weeks, fall pansies still look very good. A friend asked what they ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 9, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Gardening trends
When I’m out and about, people frequently ask gardening questions. The No. 1 question is how to prune trees and shrubs. This seems to be ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, December 2, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Fraser fir Christmas trees
Black Friday after Thanksgiving Day is the kick-off day for Christmas shopping and also for Christmas tree sales. Christmas tree stands are scattered throughout the ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, November 25, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Preventing cold damage to plants
Unpredictable weather can take a toll on landscape plants and flowers, especially those just planted. This fall presented a myriad of varying weather conditions — ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Q&A: The change in weather brings out questions
We’ve had a few days of winter weather, but lately it seems more like early May than November. Many are working outdoors with ongoing gardening ...
by Darrell Blackwelder, Saturday, November 18, 2023 12:00 am
Lifestyle
Darrell Blackwelder: Applying lime on the lawn
Fall has arrived and now is the time to fertilize fescue lawns. Our soils need proper nutrients to allow for maximum fescue growth during the ...