IT'S A GOOD TIME TO MULCH

The Arboretum is looking in top shape right now.  Master Gardener Volunteers have spent many hours over the past few weeks spreading mulch in most of the gardens.  The mulch will help to retain moisture and suppress weeds.  We use the free mulch from the Pitt County Transfer station.  Our mulch was once your yard waste and Christmas trees.  You, too, can get free mulch.  Check out the Pitt County Website for the phone number to call to see if mulch is available.  Remember to take a tarp to cover your load when leaving the transfer station.

MG Volunteers at Work

Ag Center with New Mulch

IT'S TIME TO TWITTER

Danny Lauderdale our Extension Agent and Arboretum Director has started to Tweet!  You can follow his updates at www.twitter.com/pittgardening. It is a public site and you can see what is going on or what to be looking for in the garden and landscape or at the Pitt County Arboretum that is current, up to date, and links you to more information. If you want to officially follow pittgardening on twitter you will have to set up an account which is easy to do. Then you can reply to his tweets (posts) and see them on your twitter account.

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WHAT'S IN BLOOM - Trees and Shrubs

Head out to the Arboretum to see these trees and shrubs in bloom.  Most can be found in our Certified Plant Professional (CPP) area.  The camillia is next to the Perennial Garden.  You will find maps in the display case under the Green Roof Shelter in front of the Ag Center Building to aid you in a self guided tour.  The CPP area is a good place to see just how large some of the plants will get that you purchase for your own space.  The trees and shrubs all have plant tags that give information on mature plant sizes.  If you click on the red names of these plants below, you will be directed to a fact sheet about each one.

Magnolia 'Galaxy'

Prunus x yedoensis -Yoshino Cherry

Loropetalum chinensis -Fringe Flower

Cercis canadensis -Eastern Redbud

Chaenomeles speciosa -Flowering Quince

Cercis chinensis -Chinese Redbud

Camellia japonica -Japanese Camellia

National Gardening Association

The National Gardening Association has a website that posts regular 'Regional Gardening Reports'.  Skip Richter is the garden writer for our Lower South area.  His recent column, 'Hope for a Brown Thumb', should gives us all some inspiration as we head into our Spring gardening season.  He wrties, "We gardeners are lifetime learners, and gardens grow better as the gardener grows!"

The Pitt County Master Gardener Volunteers have begun potting up perennials, shrubs, trees, and starting seeds for vegetables which will all be available at their annual PLANT SALE to be held May 14th.  Scroll down the right side under HELPFUL LINKS for more plant sale information.

Yellow Blooms

Yellow is the color you see in bloom at the Arboretum this week.  First is the forsythia x intermedia which is growing in the Certified Plant Professional area.  This is an easy to grow shrub that is one of the earliest to bloom and brighten the landscape.  You can find growing information by clicking here.

Additional yellow blooms can be found on the daffodils planted around the Ag Center, in the Children's Garden, and in the Fire Hydrant Garden.  The daffodil bulbs have been in the ground for several years and multiply readily.  A large variety of bulbs have been planted to ensure that blooms continue for weeks.

A wise gardener proclaimed that it is time to prune the roses when the forsythia blooms.  And that is exactly what has been happening at the Arboretum over the past week.  However, if you have a once-blooming climber wait until after it blooms to do any pruning.  As always, if you have any questions about gardening call the Master Gardener Hotline at 252-902-1705.