I love native plants but I also love nonnative, non-invasives as well. You have a very inspiring gardening style that helped get me into plants of all kinds for my own biodiverse ornamental garden.
I’ve left sooooo many things behind too. I believe the creative amongst us will have the easiest transition. We have to let go of something to grab the next. Sometimes we’re forced to let go before we know what we’re grabbing. But grab we must.
A LOT of people also misidentify harmless snakes as copperheads and water moccasins. NC *does* have a lot of copperheads, for sure. But there are also people who will see a dekay's brown snake and think it's a "baby copperhead". Then like you said people end up killing snakes that aren't harmful to people (and are actually good for their gardens) because they think they're venomous. And those people tell their neighbors that they just saw a "copperhead" in their yard. Again, NC does have a lot of copperheads so caution is warranted. But this myth gets built up about copperheads and cotton mouths in particular and then people see every snake as a bad snake. Anyway, for folks who are afraid of snakes, snakes don't like being sprayed with water, so a quick spray under or around your bushes might scare anything lurking in your garden away while you're out there. It's also super helpful to learn to identify just the venomous species in your area. For example NC only has 4 categories of venomous snakes: coral snake, copperhead, cotton mouth, and three species of rattlesnake. If you learn those snakes, when you see a snake that doesn't fit any of those descriptions, you can be pretty sure it's not going to harm you. Last, snake bites often happen when people are trying to interact with a snake - either trying to move or kill the snake, or otherwise bothering it. So getting close to a snake to chop it with your shovel is putting you more at risk. Just grab your garden hose, stand well away, then give it a spray. Otherwise you can call a snake relocation service in your area or check out the whatisthissnake group on reddit for a local expert who can help you safely relocate any venomous snakes.
Applause, applause. As far as Dekay Brown Snakes, I have really only noticed them in the last couple of years. I have flower beds not far from a white oak, I keep it mulched, so yeah, I have to hand pick a plethora of leaves through he fall. That is when I find the DeKays, there are just little things, I will admit, I am initially startled when I uncover a snake, but I leave them alone. I have not seen a king snake since 2003, I remember the year because it was my mother's last summer and she screamed so loud I thought there was an intruder in the yard. The fact that it is 2025, and I haven't seen a king snake since is disconcerting. (live in NC).
Same here in north Georgia. I raised a daughter in the woods and creeks, I create hides and habitat in my naturalized "lawn". I see few snakes because they have places to live. They don't like to see big scary humans and will always save their venom if given the chance. There are snake ID channels aplenty for the truly curious but best left alone. More kids are harmed by vending machines than snakes but you don't see parents warning kids about those! If it is a little snake without a yellow tail, chances are it's NOT a baby copperhead 😊 Snake loving grandma here, they limit rodents which limit fleas and ticks too
I have a couple of rhododendrons ("Taurus') that were heavily browsed by deer a month ago. I've had these a little over six years and prior to recently, they have never been bothered by browsing animals. Curiously, they did browse most of the leaf portions and left the bloom buds alone, Thank God. I sure hope they recover from browsing since they are generally healthy.
I have deer too. They ate almost all the leaves off of my Nellie Steven’s Holly and nibbled my Taylor junipers. I’m so shocked. They must be desperate. My neighbor started feeding the Deer two months ago, then stopped so they are all over our yards now. SMH
I plant sacrificial plant material for the rabbits - esp native ground covers. They grow back incredibly easy & root establishment does not take much time. Put them on the periphery of the garden. Rabbits get full there, don’t need to munch on the more desirable plants in my garden. Good luck
Thanks for answering my question about the taxodium. I didn’t know they had such a taproot until I had to move them. 😅 I’ll let you know if they survive. You letting me know bougainvillea has weak roots helped me transplant my variegated one last year and it survived and has grown multiple feet since.
People with deer problems, I have a big container of Deerstopper concentrate that I use to spray my plants that the deer love most: hostas, roses, oak leaf hydrangeas, azaleas (only in the wintertime), and some herbaceous perennials. It smells good and works well. The challenge with it is that you have to respray new growth often in spring, even if you sprayed the old foliage less than a month before.
'Equal Opportunity Plant Person' (EOPP go forward) is a term I am going to use from now on. I'm constantly getting the 'frown/negative comments' from my friends when they visit my garden or when we discuss Native vs Non-Native. I feel like I'm always defending my choices. Like you, I too have/am incorporating Natives where they will work best in my OWN garden. My dilemma is in the gardens I help manage (at my church, MGV volunteer gardens, etc.) It is becoming harder and harder to not go one way or the other - ONLY. When I am walking through my Garden Center and am OOing and AWing over their selections, checking to see if the plant is Native or not is NOT top of my mind. If the plant is, then great. If not, I still love it and will find a place for it.
Tell 'em that you limit yourself to plants that are native to planet earth. I've actually had someone lecture me about how I needed more native plants for the health of honeybees, lol! That conversation took an interesting turn when they learned that honeybees aren't eve native to North America.
In the Pacific NORTHwest, Vancouver, WA, British Columbia -- "Buchart Gardens" is a gorgeous, public garden site to see what thrives there (inland more than Seattle!).
Question, over grown gold mop 6 ft tall zome 6 Kentucky. How much or hard can it be pruned ? How much can I cut it back at one time to get it to fill in with out killing it ? I in tend to us some of the cuttings to propagate more plants !
I’m in southeast Alabama, newly zone 9a (although we got down to 10 with 7 inches of snow in January 😅)…is it too early to prune sunshine ligustrum and vitex? Thank you for all you do!
Question for this week: are there multiple species of Clerodendrum that grow in Raleigh? I know you have the peanut butter Clerodendrum Trichotomum. Asking because I have many here in FL zone 9b like the shooting star bush, pagoda flower, and bleeding heart vine to name a few. There are many great Clerodendrum that grow well in Florida so I was wondering if that was the only one that grows in Raleigh?
For question of the week. I’m up on the Delmarva peninsula. During the last snow, someone ran off the road through my yard and ran over my ~ 6 year old cornus florida. It’s around 8 inch circumference in trunk. It was obviously laid down when the vehicle went over it but popped back up after the vehicle cleared it. It’s leaning 10 or 15 degrees in the direction it was forced over but definitely did not break. What are the chances this thing will pull through? Or should I just replace it preemptively in spring?
Snakes in SC Kansas - let em be!!! Rarely do water moccasins make it out of SE KS to the open Plains. Always misidentified snakes inevitably lead to destruction of those snakes - a damn shame. Thx Jim for another solid video
I had a Japanese Maple come back from being eaten by half from deer! Zone 8 , GA! Amazingly lucky I think! They touched everything in that garden. In a new home now they eat the hydrangeas , roses, laropetulum! ( sp?)
Good morning, Jim. Question I'm hoping you might tackle next week: I'll be planting an Empress of China dogwood in the next few weeks and wanted to ask you about yours. I'm in NE Georgia, with my garden practically straddling the line between 7B and 8A (so similar to Raleigh). I've seen mixed advice on how well the tree can handle mid-day/afternoon sun, but yours seems to be thriving in what appears to be a full sun location. Is this correct, or is it getting some protection from the mid-day sun?
North GA 8a. I am removing large swaths of bermuda grass to turn into garden space (flower, shrubs, etc.). We are planning on using a sod cutting machine, followed by layers of amendments (chips and soil3 compost). Is this the best strategy and is there anything else we can/should do to help prevent the bermuda return?
Jim will hopefully chime in next week with his thoughts, but unless you're planning for an ongoing battle that will likely end with some use of herbicides once you've exhausted every other option, you're best bet is probably to start with glyphosate. I believe some sod farms actually grow bermuda by cutting with a sod cutting machine like you'll be using, then topping with amendments like you'll be using, and letting the grass regrow from the roots that remain.
Hi Jim! Unfortunately my lawn is the dreaded bermuda grass and I'm planning to create some new planting beds in my yard this spring. Thinking I'd rent a sod cutter, get the grass out and start adding woodchips? I know I will still be fighting to keep the bermuda out but not sure I can avoid that. Would that be a good approach for new beds?
I’ve had my house washed with bleach and never had a problem with my foundation plants. I covered some of them (spider web fatsia, gardenia, October magic camellia) with a frost protection blanket. But I don’t think it made any difference. Never had a problem with bleach on ornamental plants in practice.
I have a meyer lemon tree and a lime tree. Every year I start to get fruit develop and then something eats the small fruits off the branches. I'm in Houston TX, I have no deer.
Back when we grew peach, nectarine, and apricot trees, squirrels used to strip them overnight a few days before we were ready to pick the fruit. Maddening.
I got off of Facebook many years ago. In the gardening groups we had people who thought answering the question can you eat oleanders. Yes I said oleanders and they responded that they were safe to eat. They are EXTREMELY POISONOUS AND should NOT BE CONSUMED! That information is dangerous and NOT FUNNY. People go there to learn. It was not a place I wanted to be involved with.
I think u mean moles. I use Grubex to stop the grubs. Grubs are a major food source for moles, so stopping them is a bug help. Also, I have a couple of cats that help. But I still have a mole or 2.
That's what I use, but I must have a generational family that decided to homestead on my property. They are bad this year and Gruber didn't help this go round
Have you ever written a book on plants if not you should I just ordered a book called your natural garden by Kelley D Norris buy a friend recommended Doug Oster the organic Gardener he has a UA-cam channel and a talk show on KDKA radio every Sunday morning
Good morning! My China Snow Fringe Tree, which bent over 90 degrees last year in a storm, is still going strong. I planned to cut it back last year, but by the time I got around to it, it was standing on its own again. Seems to grow fast and flowers well, adding weight in spring. I don’t want to risk another wind injury though. Would you recommend pruning it before it flowers?
I've said it before, but someone could become a billionaire quickly if they could design a herbicide that was genetically targeted at Bermuda grass and nothing else. I hate Bermuda, but it's everywhere in Central Texas, including our 5 year-old home.
Also, I’ve heard the common name of mondo grass used interchangeably with lirope. Liriope spicata can be very invasive. (Ophiopogon generally isn’t as invasive as L. spicata)
Have you heard if prices on plants (flowering tropicals ,houseplants, etc.)imported from Mexico will be impacted by the recent tariffs placed by the U.S. government.
When someone asks me my thoughts on native plants I’m just going to send them to the right timestamp of this video. Ditto, Jim, ditto.
Right? I wish people would chill.
It's your garden, you do what you want with it!!
Thank you for sharing your logical position on natives. I agree 100%.
Thanks for the birthday wish, Jim! My wife is the best!!! 😄
I love native plants but I also love nonnative, non-invasives as well. You have a very inspiring gardening style that helped get me into plants of all kinds for my own biodiverse ornamental garden.
I’ve left sooooo many things behind too. I believe the creative amongst us will have the easiest transition. We have to let go of something to grab the next.
Sometimes we’re forced to let go before we know what we’re grabbing. But grab we must.
Great video effects....... your wood chips are steaming!!!!!!!!!
A LOT of people also misidentify harmless snakes as copperheads and water moccasins. NC *does* have a lot of copperheads, for sure. But there are also people who will see a dekay's brown snake and think it's a "baby copperhead". Then like you said people end up killing snakes that aren't harmful to people (and are actually good for their gardens) because they think they're venomous. And those people tell their neighbors that they just saw a "copperhead" in their yard. Again, NC does have a lot of copperheads so caution is warranted. But this myth gets built up about copperheads and cotton mouths in particular and then people see every snake as a bad snake.
Anyway, for folks who are afraid of snakes, snakes don't like being sprayed with water, so a quick spray under or around your bushes might scare anything lurking in your garden away while you're out there. It's also super helpful to learn to identify just the venomous species in your area. For example NC only has 4 categories of venomous snakes: coral snake, copperhead, cotton mouth, and three species of rattlesnake. If you learn those snakes, when you see a snake that doesn't fit any of those descriptions, you can be pretty sure it's not going to harm you.
Last, snake bites often happen when people are trying to interact with a snake - either trying to move or kill the snake, or otherwise bothering it. So getting close to a snake to chop it with your shovel is putting you more at risk. Just grab your garden hose, stand well away, then give it a spray. Otherwise you can call a snake relocation service in your area or check out the whatisthissnake group on reddit for a local expert who can help you safely relocate any venomous snakes.
Applause, applause. As far as Dekay Brown Snakes, I have really only noticed them in the last couple of years. I have flower beds not far from a white oak, I keep it mulched, so yeah, I have to hand pick a plethora of leaves through he fall. That is when I find the DeKays, there are just little things, I will admit, I am initially startled when I uncover a snake, but I leave them alone. I have not seen a king snake since 2003, I remember the year because it was my mother's last summer and she screamed so loud I thought there was an intruder in the yard. The fact that it is 2025, and I haven't seen a king snake since is disconcerting. (live in NC).
Same here in north Georgia. I raised a daughter in the woods and creeks, I create hides and habitat in my naturalized "lawn". I see few snakes because they have places to live. They don't like to see big scary humans and will always save their venom if given the chance. There are snake ID channels aplenty for the truly curious but best left alone. More kids are harmed by vending machines than snakes but you don't see parents warning kids about those! If it is a little snake without a yellow tail, chances are it's NOT a baby copperhead 😊
Snake loving grandma here, they limit rodents which limit fleas and ticks too
I have a couple of rhododendrons ("Taurus') that were heavily browsed by deer a month ago. I've had these a little over six years and prior to recently, they have never been bothered by browsing animals. Curiously, they did browse most of the leaf portions and left the bloom buds alone, Thank God. I sure hope they recover from browsing since they are generally healthy.
Can you talk about critter control especially in the new garden. Rabbits and deer for me.
I have deer too. They ate almost all the leaves off of my Nellie Steven’s Holly and nibbled my Taylor junipers. I’m so shocked. They must be desperate. My neighbor started feeding the Deer two months ago, then stopped so they are all over our yards now. SMH
I plant sacrificial plant material for the rabbits - esp native ground covers. They grow back incredibly easy & root establishment does not take much time. Put them on the periphery of the garden. Rabbits get full there, don’t need to munch on the more desirable plants in my garden. Good luck
Please speak on voles& moles!!
They eat the roots. Not much on UA-cam about how to discourage them without killing them.
@@wmcovington1041raptors and snakes are the best defense. They can really do a number on them
Thanks for answering my question about the taxodium. I didn’t know they had such a taproot until I had to move them. 😅 I’ll let you know if they survive. You letting me know bougainvillea has weak roots helped me transplant my variegated one last year and it survived and has grown multiple feet since.
People with deer problems, I have a big container of Deerstopper concentrate that I use to spray my plants that the deer love most: hostas, roses, oak leaf hydrangeas, azaleas (only in the wintertime), and some herbaceous perennials. It smells good and works well. The challenge with it is that you have to respray new growth often in spring, even if you sprayed the old foliage less than a month before.
Good morning Jim and Stephany. Thank you for sharing another great Q&A! 😊
'Equal Opportunity Plant Person' (EOPP go forward) is a term I am going to use from now on. I'm constantly getting the 'frown/negative comments' from my friends when they visit my garden or when we discuss Native vs Non-Native. I feel like I'm always defending my choices. Like you, I too have/am incorporating Natives where they will work best in my OWN garden. My dilemma is in the gardens I help manage (at my church, MGV volunteer gardens, etc.) It is becoming harder and harder to not go one way or the other - ONLY. When I am walking through my Garden Center and am OOing and AWing over their selections, checking to see if the plant is Native or not is NOT top of my mind. If the plant is, then great. If not, I still love it and will find a place for it.
Tell 'em that you limit yourself to plants that are native to planet earth. I've actually had someone lecture me about how I needed more native plants for the health of honeybees, lol! That conversation took an interesting turn when they learned that honeybees aren't eve native to North America.
In the Pacific NORTHwest, Vancouver, WA, British Columbia -- "Buchart Gardens" is a gorgeous, public garden site to see what thrives there (inland more than Seattle!).
Another great Q and A.
Thank you Jim and Stephanie !!❤
I like UA-cam the best too!!
Question, over grown gold mop 6 ft tall zome 6 Kentucky. How much or hard can it be pruned ? How much can I cut it back at one time to get it to fill in with out killing it ? I in tend to us some of the cuttings to propagate more plants !
I’m in southeast Alabama, newly zone 9a (although we got down to 10 with 7 inches of snow in January 😅)…is it too early to prune sunshine ligustrum and vitex? Thank you for all you do!
What's the best way to remove wild onions from the garden?
Question for this week: are there multiple species of Clerodendrum that grow in Raleigh? I know you have the peanut butter Clerodendrum Trichotomum. Asking because I have many here in FL zone 9b like the shooting star bush, pagoda flower, and bleeding heart vine to name a few. There are many great Clerodendrum that grow well in Florida so I was wondering if that was the only one that grows in Raleigh?
For question of the week. I’m up on the Delmarva peninsula. During the last snow, someone ran off the road through my yard and ran over my ~ 6 year old cornus florida. It’s around 8 inch circumference in trunk. It was obviously laid down when the vehicle went over it but popped back up after the vehicle cleared it. It’s leaning 10 or 15 degrees in the direction it was forced over but definitely did not break. What are the chances this thing will pull through? Or should I just replace it preemptively in spring?
Snakes in SC Kansas - let em be!!! Rarely do water moccasins make it out of SE KS to the open Plains. Always misidentified snakes inevitably lead to destruction of those snakes - a damn shame. Thx Jim for another solid video
I had a Japanese Maple come back from being eaten by half from deer! Zone 8 , GA! Amazingly lucky I think! They touched everything in that garden. In a new home now they eat the hydrangeas , roses, laropetulum! ( sp?)
Deer fence?
Good morning, Jim. Question I'm hoping you might tackle next week: I'll be planting an Empress of China dogwood in the next few weeks and wanted to ask you about yours. I'm in NE Georgia, with my garden practically straddling the line between 7B and 8A (so similar to Raleigh). I've seen mixed advice on how well the tree can handle mid-day/afternoon sun, but yours seems to be thriving in what appears to be a full sun location. Is this correct, or is it getting some protection from the mid-day sun?
North GA 8a.
I am removing large swaths of bermuda grass to turn into garden space (flower, shrubs, etc.). We are planning on using a sod cutting machine, followed by layers of amendments (chips and soil3 compost). Is this the best strategy and is there anything else we can/should do to help prevent the bermuda return?
Jim will hopefully chime in next week with his thoughts, but unless you're planning for an ongoing battle that will likely end with some use of herbicides once you've exhausted every other option, you're best bet is probably to start with glyphosate. I believe some sod farms actually grow bermuda by cutting with a sod cutting machine like you'll be using, then topping with amendments like you'll be using, and letting the grass regrow from the roots that remain.
Hi Jim! Unfortunately my lawn is the dreaded bermuda grass and I'm planning to create some new planting beds in my yard this spring. Thinking I'd rent a sod cutter, get the grass out and start adding woodchips? I know I will still be fighting to keep the bermuda out but not sure I can avoid that. Would that be a good approach for new beds?
I just started a BlueSky account and building a list of accounts to follow, certainly wouldn't mind seeing you there!
One of the big pluses of Bluesky is that it isn’t owned by an oligarch.
Can I grow something just outside my zone?
Have you ever been to the Juniper Level Botanical Garden in south Raleigh? And what is your take on their style?
Yes he has.
I’ve had my house washed with bleach and never had a problem with my foundation plants. I covered some of them (spider web fatsia, gardenia, October magic camellia) with a frost protection blanket. But I don’t think it made any difference. Never had a problem with bleach on ornamental plants in practice.
Why is your pile not smokin today?
I have a meyer lemon tree and a lime tree. Every year I start to get fruit develop and then something eats the small fruits off the branches. I'm in Houston TX, I have no deer.
Back when we grew peach, nectarine, and apricot trees, squirrels used to strip them overnight a few days before we were ready to pick the fruit. Maddening.
I got off of Facebook many years ago. In the gardening groups we had people who thought answering the question can you eat oleanders. Yes I said oleanders and they responded that they were safe to eat. They are EXTREMELY POISONOUS AND should NOT BE CONSUMED! That information is dangerous and NOT FUNNY. People go there to learn. It was not a place I wanted to be involved with.
Moles for me
I think u mean moles. I use Grubex to stop the grubs. Grubs are a major food source for moles, so stopping them is a bug help. Also, I have a couple of cats that help. But I still have a mole or 2.
That's what I use, but I must have a generational family that decided to homestead on my property. They are bad this year and Gruber didn't help this go round
Hi Jim I sent you an email at horttube about a speaking engagement, trying to teach you, Debbie Bussey
Have you ever written a book on plants if not you should I just ordered a book called your natural garden by Kelley D Norris buy a friend recommended Doug Oster the organic Gardener he has a UA-cam channel and a talk show on KDKA radio every Sunday morning
Good morning! My China Snow Fringe Tree, which bent over 90 degrees last year in a storm, is still going strong. I planned to cut it back last year, but by the time I got around to it, it was standing on its own again. Seems to grow fast and flowers well, adding weight in spring. I don’t want to risk another wind injury though. Would you recommend pruning it before it flowers?
I've said it before, but someone could become a billionaire quickly if they could design a herbicide that was genetically targeted at Bermuda grass and nothing else. I hate Bermuda, but it's everywhere in Central Texas, including our 5 year-old home.
💯
I have mondo grass in a few places and I like it. Why do some people dislike it?
It's invasive in some areas
Also, I’ve heard the common name of mondo grass used interchangeably with lirope. Liriope spicata can be very invasive. (Ophiopogon generally isn’t as invasive as L. spicata)
Have you heard if prices on plants (flowering tropicals ,houseplants, etc.)imported from Mexico will be impacted by the recent tariffs placed by the U.S. government.
Hi Jim and Steph - excited about the open garden in June! Can ticket holders get the address so we can start looking for accommodations? See you then!
They are extremely close to the Raleigh Rose Garden, if that helps. 😊 Make time for the JC Raulston Arboretum on your visit to Raleigh as well🌿✨
It's in google
709 Harris St Raleigh, Nc 27607