Gardening Tips

June 26, 2021 By Hyams Garden Center

Planting Chart for Coastal South Carolina

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, it is important to know when to plant them. Here is a chart that may be of great help to all those who want to take up gardening of vegetables and fruits in coastal South Carolina.

	Spring Planting	Fall Planting
Asparagus	Early January to Late February (Crowns)	——–
Beans, Snap	March 15^th – 30^th	August 15^th – 30^th
Beans, Pole	March 20^th – 30^th	August 1^st – 10^th
Beans, Half Runner	March 15^th – 30^th	August 15^th – 30^th
Beans, Lima	March 20^th – 30^th	August 1^st – 10^th
Beans, Pole Lima	March 20^th – April 15^th	July 20^th – 30^th
Beans, Edible Soy	May 10^th – July 15^th	——–
Beets	December 15^th – January 30^th	August 1^st – 20^th
Broccoli [Transplant Plants]	February 15^th – March 1^st	August 10^th – September 15^th
Brussels Sprouts	——–	August 1^st – 15^th
Cabbage [Transplant Plants]	December 1^st to January 15^th	August 1^st – 15^th
Cantaloupe & Honeydew	March 10^th – April 10^th	——–
Carrots	December 15^th – January 30^th	August 1^st – 20^th
Cauliflower [Transplant Plants]	——–	August 1^st – 20^th
Collards	February 20^th – March 15^th	August 1^st – 25^th
Cucumber	March 20^th – 30^th	August 1^st – 20^th
Eggplant [Transplant Plants]	March 25^th – April 10^th	July 20^th – 25^th
Garlic	——–	October 1^st – November 30^th
Kale	——–	August 15^th – September 15^th
Lettuce	December 20^th – February 5^th	August 15^th – 25^th
Mustard [For longer harvest season, plant at intervals during suggested dates]	January 1^st – February 25^th	August 15^th – October 1^st
Onion, Sets	February 1^st – March 1^st	October 1^st – November 30^th
Onion, Plants	February 1^st – March 1^st	——–
Onion, Seeds	——–	October 1^st – 30^th
Okra	April 1^st – 20^th	June 15^th – 30^th
Peanuts	April 25^th – May 15^th	——–
Peas, Garden	January 10^th – 20^th	——–
Peas, Southern	March 25^th – April 15^th	August 1^st – 10^th
Pepper [Transplant Plants]	March 25^th – April 10^th	July 20^th – 25^th
Potatoes, Irish	February 1^st – 15^th	July 15^th – 30^th [Seed potatoes for July planting and fall harvest may have to be mail-ordered. It is usually available from local garden supply stores].
Potatoes, Sweet	April 15^th – July 1^st	——–
Pumpkins	——–	July 1^st -15^th
Radish [For longer harvest season, plant at intervals during suggested dates]	January 1^st – March 1^st	September 1^st – November 1^st
Rutabaga	——–	August 1^st – 20^th
Spinach [For longer harvest season, plant at intervals during suggested dates]	January 1^st – February 25^th	September 15^th – November 10^th
Sweet Corn [For longer harvest season, plant at intervals during suggested dates]	March 20^th – April 30^th	——–
Squash, Summer	March 20^th – April 10^th	August 10^th – 25^th
Squash, Winter	March 20^th – April 10^th	August 10^th – 25^th
Tomato [Transplant Plants]	March 25^th – April 10^th	July 25^th – 30^th
Turnips [For longer harvest season, plant at intervals during suggested dates]	January 1^st – March 1^st	August 25^th – October 15^th
Watermelon	March 25^th – April 20^th	——–

For more information on freeze and frost occurrence data for cities in South Carolina, please see the NOAA website: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climatenormals/clim20supp1/states/SC.pdf

May 17, 2021 By Hyams Garden Center

Ivy Topiary Maintenance

Potted Ivy (Hedra Helix) is maintained by watering when its soil is dry. We recommend that you use a water meter when watering your ivy topiary. Do not mist your topiary, put it in direct sun or allow water to stand in the saucer.

Fertilize your topiary with liquid plant food, prune, weave and clip vines to keep topiary shape. If your topiary becomes infested with bugs, you can treat it by spraying the topiary with a solution of soapy water. Mix 3 to 5 tablespoons of ivory liquid soap with one gallon of water. After you spray your topiary let the leaves dry. Spray topiary again with plain water to remove soap from the leaves. Continue to use the soap mixture every four days for the next two weeks to rid your topiary of bug infestation. Soap will kill Aphids, Mites and other insects. For better results use a stronger commercial insecticidal soap.

April 14, 2021 By Hyams Garden Center

Time to apply Lawn Fertilizer

It is time to apply 15-0-15 Centipede Lawn Fertilizer. This works on all types of warm season grasses we grow, namely, St. Augustine, Centipede, Zoysia and Bermuda. This formulation will ease your grass into fully greening up. Once that happens, you can go after any weeds you may have. Please avoid using “Weed & Feed” products until your grass is fully greened up and actively growing. You can also put down any fungicides or insect controls to prevent problems you may have had last year. Feel free to email me at rhowie@hyamsgardencenter.com with any questions. Our phone lines have been overwhelmed with calls and may be hard to get through. (Randy Howie)

April 14, 2021 By Hyams Garden Center

Designing a Butterfly Garden

Butterflies are flowers with wings. These winged beauties delight our hearts as they flutter around in our garden. If you are designing a ‘Butterfly Garden,’ then you need to pay attention to some of the following points.

CLIMATE
Butterflies usually make their appearance in the spring once temperatures are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and stay around through autumn. Butterflies fly best when their body temperature is between 85 and 100 degrees. If temperatures dip below 80 degrees, you may spot butterflies basking in the sun with their wings outstretched, absorbing the heat. A flat rock is often included in butterfly gardens for this purpose.

SHELTER
Butterflies require a sheltered location to rest and seek protection from bad weather. During the night they roost on the underside of leaves or hide in shrubs and tall grasses.

PUDDLES
Often times you will observe a crowd of butterflies around puddles of water, this is known as “puddling.” It is thought that butterflies are attracted to puddles because they contain and dissolve minerals in which butterflies need to supplement their diet. You may think about placing a shallow birdbath or shallow dish in your garden to attract butterflies.

HIBERNATION
Except for the migratory Monarch butterfly, most butterflies hibernate at the same place that they spend their summer. Butterflies look for places such as loose bark, wood piles, or buildings to hibernate in. Some butterflies over-winter as adults, others as pupa and some as caterpillars. Many people like to place a “Butterfly House” in their gardens, meant to provide shelter to some species for hibernation. Situate your “Butterfly House” in the woodiest section of your garden, near a host plant to increase your chances of occupation.

Shrubs, Trees, Perennials and Annuals that are suitable for a BUTTERFLY GARDEN

Butterflies play an important role in pollinating plants. They thrive around shrubs, trees, perennials and annuals that provide them nectar. It is a sugary solution that gives adult butterflies their energy. However, a sensible butterfly garden designer also thinks of the caterpillars. They do not eat nectar but live on leaves and plants. Shrubs, trees, vegetables and even pesky weeds are host plants for caterpillars. Female butterflies lay their eggs only on suitable host plants as the emerging young ones cannot travel far to find food. Since caterpillars heavily munch on the plants, it may be a wise gardening strategy to plant them in areas of the garden that are not easily visible to visitors.

Butterfly Shrubs and Trees

Abelia (glossy)
Buddleia or Butterfly Bush (Buddleia Davidii)
Blueberry (Vaccinium species)
Citrus
Hawthorn (Crataegus species)
Privet (Ligustrum spp.)
Red bud (Crecis)

Butterfly Annuals

Cosmos
Dill
Fennel
Globe Amaranth (Gomphrena globosa)
Impatiens
Marigolds
Nasturtium
Parsley
Sunflower
Queen Anne’s lace
Verbena
Zinnia

Butterfly Perennials

Ageratum
Aster
Bee-balm (Monarda)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Bugle (Ajuga Reptans)
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Chives
Coneflower (Echinacea purperea)
Coreopsis
Daylily (Hemerocallis species)
False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
Gayfeather (Liatris species)

Godenrod (Solidago species)
Hibiscus
Hollyhock (Altheaa rosea)
Joe-Pye Weed
Lantana (Lantana camara)
Lobelia (Lobelia cardinalis)
Milkweed (Asclepias species)
Passion Flower (Passiflora)
Phlox (Phlox paniculata)
Sage (Salvia leucantha)
Sedum
Verbena
Yarrow (Achillea species)