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Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Deer and rabbits are the bane of many gardeners with these critters making a lunch of their gardens. However, there are some plants that are mostly pest-resistant. This doesn't mean that deer and rabbits will never eat them. If they are hungry enough and their favorite noshes aren't available, they may just nibble away. However, plants that are poisonous, fuzzy, prickly or have spiny foliage or a strong fragrance will deter them. Deer and rabbits will also avoid plants with tough, leathery, fine textured, or hairy features. The following are some of these plants.
Thanks to anthraquinone poison in its berries, Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum odoratum var. thunbergii 'Variegatum', is relatively pest free. A great shade plant, especially the variegated variety, this perennial has fragrant, bell-shaped flowers that may be white, green, or gold/yellow and bloom in late spring. It's drought resistant and spreads easily. The hairy stems and rough leaf feel of the Shaggy Wood Fern, Dryopteris wallichiana, deter deer and rabbits from snacking on it. As a fern it prefers moist, well-drained soil in partial to full shade. It can be deciduous or semi-evergreen and fairly drought tolerant once established. It can grow up to 4 feet tall and provides beautiful texture in woodland gardens.
Lycorine, an alkaloid, present in the flowers, leaves, roots, and stems of Spider Lilies, Lycoris, makes them inedible to pests. However, this alkaloid has worked as a mice-repellent in homes and been used to treat dementia and other diseases. Spider Lilies, sometimes called Surprise Lilies thanks to the sudden appearance of their flower stalks ahead of the leaves, is a perennial bulb flowering in late summer. They spread easily through bulb offshoots and prefer to be left undisturbed. Great in a pollinator garden, they attract bees, humming birds, and butterflies. In the leaves and sap of Hellebores, Helleborus, are glycoside and saponin, highly poisonous substances in both the living and dried plants, which can cause illness and death. Deer and rabbits won't eat them. Hellebores, a perennial herbaceous evergreen, bloom in late winter and early spring with cup-shaped flowers in white, pink, red, purple, and yellow. They flourish in dappled sunlight or partial shade and spread through self-seeding.
The fuzzy, fragrant foliage of Catmint, Nepeta, is detested by deer, but humans find the minty-flavored leaves tasty making herbal teas from the leaves and using fresh leaves as a flavoring in cooking. Its fragrance also deters certain insects, including aphids and squash bugs. The flowers attract butterflies. This herbaceous perennial needs full sun and good drainage and is drought tolerant. Thanks to its spiny leaves, Hollies, Ilex, are deer and rabbit resistant. As many as 14 species are native to North Carolina with many holly shrub and tree species and cultivars available in nurseries. Holly flowers are pollinated by bees, and the fruit provides nourishment for birds especially in winter.
Visit the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox at plants.ces.ncsu.edu for more information about the above plants.
Visit the JC Raulston Arboretum Midweek Program, "(Mostly) Pest-Free Plants", 6/4/2025, for information on other pest-resistant plants at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2z8JTXLOKw.
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Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Summer is almost here by the calendar, but already it's sunny and warm in eastern NC, and container gardens are bursting with color. These planting beauties can be seen around the Pitt County Arboretum, along the curbs in Greenville, and in home gardens around the city. Container gardens offer you the opportunity to create a new look every summer, combining old and new plants, annuals and perennials, or vegetables and herbs. They do need to be refreshed from time to time and below are some ideas to inspire your own designs. Shade and partial shade gardens may or may not have flowers, but leaf patterns, colors, and textures create a striking visual appeal. In photo 1, the four hostas offer varying shades of green with a variety of leaf textures and shapes. The fern in the back is an evergreen. Both the hostas and the fern are perennials that will return year after year and are great selections for a perennial planter.
In photo 2, the caladiums and the dianthus grow in a partially shaded area. The bright colors of the caladiums provide a pop of color while the white dianthus flowers echo the white in the caladiums. Sunny areas provide lots of plant options for container gardens. Photo 3 is an example of a 4-season pot. All of the plants except for the coleus are perennials that will keep growing all year. The coleus is the one plant that needs to be replaced in the fall. Coleus last longer if the flowers are cut off as soon as they appear. This is another example of plants with different greens, colors, textures, and growing patterns creating a varied visual palette. This planter displays the thriller, filler, spiller mantra for container planting with its combination of a tall plant with fillers and spillers.
Photo 4 shows a euphorbia and a scaevola playing well together with the exuberant euphorbia providing the thriller factor and the scaevola a combined filler/spiller effect. In addition, the variegated euphorbia adds a touch of yellow to the color palette.
Let your creative imagination take root as you create your summer planters remembering to faithfully water your planters especially during the height of summer heat and humidity, fertilize and deadhead as needed, and keep an eye out of pests or diseases.
Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer So maybe your gardening efforts haven't always been as successful as you'd like. Your plants die shortly after planting or after just one season. They fail to thrive or they don't bloom at all. Alas, don't despair! There are plants out there that are hard to to kill even for the brownest of thumbs. You might want to add one of the following plants to your garden this year.
support, it becomes a ground cover. It's a common sight along Greenville's greenway. It has no major insect or disease problems. But there are two caveats: (1) all parts are poisonous so be careful to use gloves when handling it; (2) due to its extreme flammability rating, it should not be planted close to structures. Dryopteris wallochiana, Autumn fern, also known as Japanese Shield Fern or Shaggy Shield Fern, is a semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial that matures to 2' (h) x 3' (w). A great shade plant, it also does well in dappled sun. New fronds are reddish in color. It prefers an acidic, moist soil high in organic matter. Browsing rabbits don't bother it.
Dianthus has a number of common names including Carnation, Cheddar Pinks, and Sweet William. A real stalwart in the garden it can be found as annuals, biennials, and evergreen perennials with more than 27,000 registered cultivar names. Plant in full sun in well-drained neutral to slightly alkaline soil with good air circulation to avoid root rot and fungal diseases. Deer won't eat it but rabbits will. Salvia nermerosa is a flowering clump-flowering, deciduous perennial sage in the mint family. its violet-blue blooms appear from June to September. A great pollinator plant, it attracts hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. Easy to grow, it prefers full sun to partial shade in average, moist, well-drained soil. Deer and rabbit browsing rarely damages it. It has no serious insect or disease problems.
While these are hardy plants, they still need care so be sure to plant them in the right place, water regularly, and fertilize and prune as needed.
Now try some of these plants in your garden and turn your thumb green! These and other plants were reviewed by Mark Weathington, Director of JC Raulston Arboretum, during the Raulston Midweek Zoom program, Top 10 Bullet Proof Plants at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX-cas8YtfM More information about these plants is also available through the NC Extension Plant ToolBox at https://emgintranet.ces.ncsu.edu/ where you can search by name. By Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer April is National Gardening Month, when we gardeners celebrate the joys and benefits of playing in the dirt! Planning a garden, selecting plants, digging them into the ground, caring for them, and watching them grow is all part of the fun. Visiting other gardens helps us to appreciate the beauty and diversity of gardens and all that they offer. Gardeners enjoy sharing their passion for growing things so much that in the 1980s, the National Garden Bureau worked with 23 co-sponsoring horticultural groups to legislate National Garden Week. President Reagan signed the Proclamation in 1986, making it official in 1987. In 2002, the National Gardening Association worked to designate April as National Gardening Month. Now there's even a National Gardening Day, April 14th, when people are encouraged to get outside and start gardening. Growing plants and being in touch with nature offer many benefits. Working outside lets you enjoy the benefits of fresh air and sunshine. Gardening is a low-impact way to build strength and maintain flexibility. Time spent in the garden is relaxing and can help to calm the spirits and promote restful sleep. A garden can produce fresh fruits, herbs, and vegetables just outside your door. Flowers add beauty to your yard and can be cut to brighten the inside of your home or shared with a friend. Tree shade helps to cool your house.
There are many ways to celebrate this month: If you're new to gardening, start small with a container garden. Vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers and herbs can be planted alongside parsley and chives in containers. Introduce a child to gardening by letting them sow easy-to-grow plants such as marigolds, radishes, and lettuce. Join a community garden where you'll meet like-minded gardeners who enjoy sharing their garden knowledge, produce, and friendship. Go to the NC State Extension Master Gardener website at https://emgintranet.ces.ncsu.edu/ to learn more about plants and gardening.
Whatever you choose to do, enjoy the fun of being in nature!
Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Spring is almost sprung, and gardeners are dreaming about colorful summer blooms. Browsing through nurseries and garden centers, they're planning for what to plant in this year's beds and containers.
Look for vigorous plants with a healthy green color. Know what your plant should look like. It's shape should be balanced and well formed, not too big or too small for its container. But don't be fooled by a pretty face! Beautiful flowers don't necessarily indicate a healthy, high-quality plant. Lots of foliage with few, if any flowers open, is desirable. It's best to buy plants before the buds break to extend bloom time. Bigger is not necessarily better! Spindly or lanky plants, especially with annuals, don't transplant well. Also avoid ones that are misshapen, potted too deeply, pot bound, or wilted.
The risk of frost is still with us so it's too early to plant your summer annuals. However, this is the time to plant your new perennials when cooler temperatures allow them to put down their roots before summer heat, humidity, and drought are here.
Before digging your plants into the ground or a container, remove the top inch of soil in the pot, which contains weed seeds. Throw that soil into your yard waste to avoid adding new weeds to your garden. Water thoroughly until the plant starts to grow. Then water and fertilize as needed. Careful research and selection of your garden plants will be time and dollars well spent to help you achieve a more pleasing result in your landscape. Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Did you know that your garden is more than just a pretty picture? Plants are great multitaskers whose bark, berries, flowers, fruits, galls, gums, leaves, rhizomes, roots, seeds, stems, and wood have a myriad of uses. This is thanks to the fact that all plants contain phytochemicals, which are part of the plant's immune system and help to protect them from viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. These same phytochemicals help to protect human cells from environmental toxins and the body's own natural chemical processes. Because of their antioxidant properties, phytochemicals are used in the manufacture of medicines, perfumes, disinfectants, sweeteners, solvents, soaps, cleansers, and many other products. For example, chamomile and lavender teas are used to alleviate anxiety; blueberries and blackberries to make dyes; thyme and black oak to make disinfectants; aloe vera and witch hazel in skin care products; balsam fir and alliums in insect repellents. For a list of more plant uses, go to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWHz0c-PyBCb5YmQesmeYDA - Click on Midweek with Dennis - Chemistry in the Garden: The Pharmacy in Your Plants. The following are some common plants that may be in your garden that offer not only color and beauty to your landscape, but are beneficial in many ways.
So as you stroll around your garden admiring your plants, thank them for the many contributions that they make to our health and well-being.
For more information: https://homegrown.extension.ncsu.edu/2021/12/18/growing-medicinal-plants-in-the-home-garden/ Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Are you experiencing a post-holiday let down? Does the house seem a little dull without colorful holiday decorations? You might want to add some houseplants in your home to brighten both your mood and your environment.
Before deciding whether to bring some house plants home, consider your light source. The lighting in your house is usually indirect meaning that it passes through another medium such as a window shade or it's reflected off of another surface before hitting the plant. Any plants labeled partial shade, full shade, or low light will probably do well in household light. For more information on measuring light levels in your house, go to the NC State Extension Master Gardener site at https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/extension-gardener-handbook/18-plants-grown-in-containers#section_heading_8773
Watering is the other big issue for house plants. More of them are killed by overwatering than underwatering. Pay attention to the plant care instructions on the label. For more information on growing your plants, go to the Plant Toolbox on the NC State Extension Master Gardener site at https://emgintranet.ces.ncsu.edu/ where you can search by plant name. The following are some of the easy, low-maintenance house plants that you may want to add to your home. Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) is a low-light plant preferring partial to deep shade. Its white flower is called a spathe. Keep its soil slightly moist. Allow the top inch of soil to dry slightly and then water until it drains from the pot. Discard excess water from the saucer to prevent root rot. Trim off the spathes when flowering is over. Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is a tropical plant that does best in bright, indirect light as too much light causes its variegation to fade. Place in a pot with wet pebbles underneath as it needs high humidity. While growing, keep the soil evenly moist but let it dry out between waterings in the winter. It's grown for its interesting foliage rather than its tiny flowers. Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata) is a tough-to-kill plant unless overwatered. From spring to fall, let it dry out between waterings. In winter restrict watering to every other month. It will tolerate very low light.
Of course, be sure to periodically check your plants for pests like spider mites and mealy bugs and treat if needed. Follow fertilization recommendations for your plant when it's growing.
If roots protrude at the bottom of the pot, the leaves are yellowing or drooping, or the plant is drying out too quickly, it's time to repot in potting soil. Occasionally spray the leaves to remove dust. Create an indoor garden and enjoy the fun of caring for plants and the benefits that they can bring to you and your home. Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Tis' the season for Christmas trees! Even before Thanksgiving colorfully decorated trees could be seen everywhere in town. For many families, trimming the tree is a treasured family tradition. Christmas trees haven't always been a seasonal decoration. They didn't come to the United States until the 1800s when Hessian mercenaries fighting for the British during the Revolutionary War brought trees to their barracks during the holiday. In 1870 the U.S. government declared Christmas a federal holiday. By the 1930s the Christmas tree was firmly established in the American Christmas celebration.
This 18 1/2-foot tree is displayed in the White House Blue Room extending from floor to ceiling. It's surrounded by a colorful carousel with the names of every state, territory, and the District of Columbia included in the tree's decorations.
North Carolinians can be very proud of our state's long Christmas-tree growing tradition that has supplied so many trees to the White House and homes around the world.
For more information: Joanne K., Pitt County Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Nothing is more delightful than seeing pops of color in the garden during winter and early spring when most flowering plants are dormant. If you look carefully in your garden, or stroll around your neighborhood, or visit the Pitt County Arboretum, you may spot signs of winter blooms to come. In late summer and during the fall, various bulbs send up green shoots promising future flowers. The following are some to look for now. All photos by Joanne K.
By Martha Keehner Engelke, NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteer of Durham County Interest in natural dyes is undergoing a resurgence as people look for environmentally conscious and sustainable ways to make clothing and household goods. I didn’t know much about the topic but this summer I had two experiences that gave me a beginner’s knowledge about a plant that has been used for centuries to dye textiles: Indigo. My first experience occurred when I volunteered at the Clover Bud Camp. The camp is a joint venture between the Durham County Master Gardeners and the Durham County 4H program. Children between the ages of five and eight years old learned about Art in Nature. One session was on using indigo to dye fabric.
Photos: Left: River Takada, Mixed Media and Fiber Artist, from Durham, North Carolina, shows examples of 'Shibori.' Right: Children learn about 'Shibori.' (Image credits: Martha Engelke) During the class, the children had an opportunity to not only dye fabric but to learn about Shibori, a traditional Japanese method that involves folding and binding the fabric to create patterns when the fabric is dipped in the indigo. River mixed the dyes in large buckets using indigo that had previously been extracted from the plants. Extraction is a process that requires a large crop of indigo and a lot of time (several weeks). The second experience was attending a workshop offered through Piedmont Fibershed, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a regional fiber system centered around local fibers, local dyes, and local labor. This workshop was led by Bethany Joy Hebbard and the focus was on growing and using fresh indigo leaves rather than dye that had been previously extracted from plants. The history of Indigo Indigo was used in China 3,000 years ago and in Egypt more than a thousand years before that. The most common uses were to dye textiles or make cosmetics. However, indigo has also been used for medicinal purposes. Neurological disorders, dental problems, inflammation, and skin diseases have been treated with indigo, and indigo is thought to have antimicrobial properties and aid in the healing of burns. In the United States, indigo became a commercial crop in the 1740’s and was grown on plantations in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Growing indigo was a very labor-intensive process. In 1870, two scientists in Germany (Adolf von Baeyer and Adolf Emmerling) synthesized indigo, leading to a significant decrease in the growing of natural indigo. Although synthetic indigo still dominates the market, there has been a resurgent interest in natural indigo dye because it is more sustainable and environmentally friendly. The precursor to indigo is indicin, found in the leaves of the plant. Through a process of oxidation and fermentation, indican is transformed into a blue, water-insoluble indigo dye. The most common colors associated with indigo are blue and green but by using heat during the extraction process, it is possible to activate another chemical (indirubin) to produce red and earth tones. Although many plants are used to dye textiles, one of the advantages of indigo is that it doesn’t require a mordant (fixative) as long as the cloth is scoured (treated with soda ash or sodium carbonate) before applying the dye. There are varieties of indigo from China, Guatemala, and other tropical environments. These varieties vary considerably in their indigo content. The variety that is most often used to dye textiles is Japanese Indigo (persicaria tinctoria) because it yields the most dye. Growing Japanese Indigo (persicaria tinctoria) Persicaria tinctoria (also known as polygonum tinctorium) is a member of the Polygonaceae family. It is hardy in zones 10-12, but in our area it is considered an annual. Seeds can be started indoors 4-6 weeks before the last average frost. The seeds should germinate within two weeks but occasionally germination takes a month. They can be harvested from existing plants but it is unlikely that the seeds will germinate after the first year, and long-term storage is not recommended. They can also be sown directly outdoors after the threat of frost has passed. Japanese Indigo grows in any soil, but clay loam seems to be the best. Adding a bit of guano or cow manure to the soil enhances growth and using a nitrogen fertilizer during the growing season is recommended. Few diseases affect the plant but it does do best in the sun with regular, frequent watering. Remember, it is basically a tropical plant.  Above photos: Persicaria tinctoria can be grown from seed or cuttings. Left: In an outdoor garden. Middle: A potted plant grown from cuttings. Right: The leaves and flowers. Image credits: Left: I Naturalist UK, CC-BY-NC; Middle and Right, Martha Engelke. Persicaria tinctoria is also very easy to propagate from cuttings, which is what I did. The workshop was held in July and it was too late to grow the plants from seed. Bethany had a field of plants that she shared with us. I took several cuttings, put them in a pot indoors, gave them plenty of water and sunshine, and they have done well. I found that they do need to be watered at least every 1-2 days. Once the plants are established, you can harvest the leaves 2-4 times before they flower and set seed in mid to late September. Once they have set seed, the amount of indigo in the leaves is greatly reduced. To harvest the leaves, cut the plants about 6-8 inches from the ground, leaving a few leaves at the base. Keep them moist and use them within 24 hours if you are planning to use them for fresh-leaf dying. Fresh-Leaf Indigo dying Before using the leaves, it is important to scour the fabric (boil it with soda ash at a concentration of 1-2% of the weight of the fabric) for 30 minutes and then soak it in soy milk. This will help to remove natural gums and waxes and ‘fix’ the dye, especially when using bath methods. There are two ways to dye with fresh indigo: abrasive methods and baths. The abrasive method is easy and straightforward. Using dry fabric, one can hammer (Tataki zome) the leaves once they have been affixed to the fabric with packing tape, or you can use a stencil. In the stenciling method, after stabilizing the fabric, affix the stencil to the top of the fabric. Then, take 4-5 indigo leaves and stack them so they look like a cigar. Keep refolding and replacing leaves as your leaves disintegrate. It is best to use a stencil made of hard plastic or wood rather than one made of cardboard. Contrary to what I thought, stencils with smaller spaces rather than ones with wide open spaces worked better. The bath technique includes several methods. You can make a salt marsh by sprinkling a few teaspoons of salt over a bowl of fresh leaves and then use your hands to agitate the leaves until the liquid is released. Continue to do this for 10-15 minutes or until the fiber stops getting darker. Rinse the fiber in cool water and dry out of the sunlight. Another bath approach is to place your indigo leaves in a blender and fill it about halfway with cold water. Although indigo is not toxic, I chose to wear gloves because the dye is a bit difficult to remove from your hands. Blend until the mixture is frothy. Strain the mixture over a tea towel and squeeze the liquid into a bowl. Submerge the cloth for about 15 minutes, stirring if needed. You can repeat the process if you want a deeper color. Dry the fabric out of direct light.  Photos: The first sample was created using the stenciling method, the middle picture represents the hammering method, and the samples in the picture on the right were made using a bath. Image credit: Martha Engelke. Using fresh indigo to dye fabric has many advantages. It is a low cost, straightforward process that can be completed by an individual or it can be a fun project with children. You need only a few plants and resources. Of course there are constraints. It is a seasonal activity and after my plants go to seed, I will have to wait until next year to grow more fresh indigo (although I am going to see if I can keep it growing as a house plant). To get the best results, you need to work fairly quickly and especially with the abrasive methods, the results can vary based on how well you are able to hammer or the type of stencil you use. The results will also vary depending on the freshness of the indigo. If you wait until the plants start to set seeds, your results may be disappointing. However, I am dye-ing to try it again!
Resources and additional information
This article summarizes the historical and cultural background as well as the identification distribution and uses of indigo. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP642 If you are interested in growing larger amounts of indigo and extracting the dye for use in bigger projects, the story of how an artist in South Carolina did this is inspirational. https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2022/11/carolinian_indigo_harper.php Susan Dye (appropriate name, right?) has experimented with growing different varieties of Japanese indigo as well as other indigo plants. She shares the results of her experimentation on her blog and discusses the sociopolitical implications of the resurgence of indigo dyeing. To learn more about the artists and the classes that they provide, visit their websites: River Takada: www.rivtak.com Piedmont Fibershed: https://piedmontfibershed.org/home/ Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-4Zu The Gardening Association of NC has a program on plant dyes on November 21. Here is a link to the program: https://gaonc.org/event-5827809 This blog was reprinted with permission from the blog published by the NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County on September 11, 2024. The author and photographer, Martha Engelke, is a former Extension Master Gardener Volunteer with Pitt County. Pitt County EMGVs thank Martha Engelke and the NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County for allowing the Pitt County Arboretum website to reprint this blog. |
