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June 17-23 was National Pollinators Week, a week set aside to raise awareness for honeybees and other insects that are essential for pollinating so many of the crops that we grow for food and fiber. While a number of different insects and birds play a role in pollination, honey bees are by far the most important pollinating species. Much attention has been paid in the last several years to the plight of honey bees. This is largely due to recurring colony losses that are putting a strain on commercial beekeepers. There are some benefits to this increased attention, as there seems to be a greater interest in pollinator conservation and many new hobbyist beekeepers have started hives. Still, many challenges remain, as beekeepers continue to struggle with insect and disease pests, lack of food and forage for bees, unintentional pesticide exposures, and other issues that weaken hives and lead to colony losses.  The Arboretum's gardens, including the Butterfly Garden, demonstrate landscape plantings that provide food and habit for pollinators. Photo: Lindsay J., Pitt County Arboretum Extension Master Gardener Volunteer. We know that honey bees are directly responsible for pollinating about one-third of the food that we eat, including almost all of our fruits and vegetables. While the claim that we would starve without bees is somewhat misleading (we’d still have most of our grain crops, and our livestock, so it’s not like food would disappear), there would unquestionably be an incredible reduction in both the quantity and diversity of our food supply without honey bees. So what can we do to help? While more beekeepers are a good thing, certainly not everyone who cares about this issue is able to start their own hive. Non-beekeepers can help by being cautious about which pesticides they use in their gardens, and when. Wherever possible, use lower-toxicity, narrow-spectrum pesticides rather than higher-toxicity, broad-spectrum ones, and limit spraying as much as possible on plants that are actively blooming. Of course, gardeners can and should incorporate non-chemical methods of pest management as well. Even small things like planting more flowers or letting temporary weeds like henbit and dandelion bloom in the lawn rather than rush to kill them can be helpful. Bees feed on nectar and pollen from flowering plants, so the more plants in bloom, the less likely bees will have trouble finding food.
Education is also important. New beekeepers need to know how to properly care for their bees to keep their hives healthy and new audiences need to be introduced to beekeeping. In Pitt County, the Tar River Beekeepers Association, a county chapter of the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association, offers an introductory beekeeping course each spring and meets monthly throughout the year to share information among members. Home gardeners who want to help support pollinators need to know exactly which plants to incorporate in their landscapes to do so. The Pitt County Arboretum, like many public garden spaces, demonstrates landscape plantings that provide food and habitat for pollinators including in the Butterfly Garden, as well as use of native plants throughout many of the Arboretum’s other gardens.
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705.
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With a long-lasting and distinctive bloom, along with a catchy name that memorably describes the blossom, Black-eyed Susans are one of the easier landscape plants to identify. Even novice gardeners and children seem to recognize that yellow daisy-like flowers with dark centers are likely to belong to a Black-eyed Susan. Despite that seeming familiarity, there are actually several different species of plants known as Black-eyed Susans, and though there are clear similarities among their flower characteristics, the plants themselves can look very different.
The most recognizable of the Black-eyed Susans is Rudbeckia fulgida, a native herbaceous perennial that spreads as wide (or wider) as it grows tall. It has oval shaped leaves adorned with leaf hairs, and resembles Echinacea, or coneflower, another long blooming perennial often planted alongside it. Since Rudbeckia fulgida spreads by both underground rhizome and seed, it will establish wide clumps in the right conditions. Rudbeckia fulgida was named the 1988 NC Wildflower of the Year, and a popular cultivar of this species ‘Goldstrum’ was named the 1999 Perennial Plant of the Year. ‘Goldstrum’ is slightly more compact than the species and has larger blooms.
Rudbeckia triloba is sometimes referred to as Brown-eyed Susan. Like R.hirta, it is upright more so than spreading, growing as tall as 5 feet with a spread of only about 18 inches. It tends to be a rather short-lived perennial and may only last 2-3 years in a garden before disappearing. It does re-seed fairly liberally, however, so it may pop up in a new spot in the garden to continue its residence.
Finally, there’s a Black-Eyed Susan for those who like their flowers head-high! Rudbeckia maxima, also called Giant Brown-eyed Susan and Cabbage-leaf Coneflower, produces tall flower stalks that stretch as high as 7 feet tall. The leaves are vaguely oval shaped, as are the other members of the genus, but are large and generally clustered tightly toward the lower portion of the plant, forming a clump resembling cabbage. The center of the R. maxima flower stands prominently above the petals, which tend to rest flat or point slightly downward. The overall effect is similar to the plant known as Mexican hat, Ratibida columnifera, so named for its resemblance to the sombrero.
Rudbeckia of all types will perform best in full sun, though it will tolerate partial shade. All species are tolerant to some degree of hot, humid conditions and are quite drought tolerant once established. Each can be found loaded with various species of butterflies and bees during their bloom period, and each feeds birds via seedhead long after their bloom concludes. Surely you can find space in your garden for at least one! Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. If you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705. By Matt S., Pitt County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent Growing plants that produce fruit is rewarding, but often difficult work. It’s great to pick a fresh fruit off the branch and take a bite, but for some types of plants the yield may not add up to what chores like pruning, fertilizing, and pest control would seem to indicate. Blueberries are an exception. They are easy to grow and require little if any pesticides, making them an ideal choice for organic-minded gardeners. Blueberries are acid-loving plants that like well-drained, sandy soils. A pH of about 4.8 is ideal, so you’ll want to test the soil well before planting and add sulfur if the soil is too basic. Add a bit of compost or organic matter to help retain water and nutrients. On heavier soils where drainage is an issue, use organic matter to build a raised mound or ridge at least 6 inches high in order to provide plants with adequate drainage. While blueberries can grow in sun or shade, they’ll produce more fruit if grown in full sun. Though they require some pruning, they’ll need much less than other fruit producing plants such as grapes, apples, or peaches.
In addition to their delicious fruit, blueberries provide quite an aesthetic punch, making them an excellent addition to a home landscape. Starting with pinkish-white blooms in spring, which turn to bright blue fruit in summer, and finishing with intense red fall foliage, blueberries will bring more color to your landscape than many traditional ornamental plants. If you’re growing just a few plants, you can easily incorporate them into landscape beds with other acid-loving plants. There’s no need to set them apart unless you have a large planting.
While pruning is not as intensive as it is for other fruit-producing plants, it will need to be done periodically to ensure the bushes produce optimally. Many gardeners make the mistake of pruning too drastically and removing much of the good fruit-producing wood, while others don’t prune frequently enough and allow older, less productive growth to take over. Typically, a mix of thinning and heading back cuts with the occasional removal of older branches for rejuvenation is the best strategy for pruning blueberries.
Matthew Stevens is the County Extension Director and Horticulture Agent for North Carolina Cooperative Extension’s Pitt County Center. f you have questions about this article or gardening in general, please contact the Pitt County Extension Master Gardeners at [email protected] or 252-902-1705. |
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