Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.

♪ ♪ ♪ > Well, good evening and welcome to Making It Grow .

We are so happy that you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I'm a Clemson Horticulture Agent.

And I'm here with my good friend and my co-host.

Thank you so much Terasa Lott, for everything you do for us.

> It is an absolute pleasure and I'm very proud to support Clemson Extension, to be able to provide trusted information to our viewers that will hopefully help them in their gardening endeavors.

Amanda> Yes, yes.

And don't guess, find out what's going on.

We've got wonderful agents that you can call and you can call HGIC.

No reason to be ignorant.

Right?

Terasa> That is right.

We are a resource.

We are there for people.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Glen Payne, you're the Urban Horticulture Agent down in Beaufort.

And there's been a lot of growth down there.

> Yes, ma'am.

There has been, population wise as well as plant wise.

There's been a lot of growth this year, with all the rain we've had.

(laughter) Amanda> Oh, yeah.

And lots of fungal diseases and Lord knows what else.

Yeah, yeah.

So you have a lot of people, I guess, who... still want to grow some kind of Northern grass on their lawn or something.

There's a lot of education for you with all these people who are moving in.

Glen> Yes, there really is.

And luckily, we have some programs through Clemson, that help folks with introductory to horticulture and growing in the Lowcountry.

Miss Carmen Ketron and Mr.

Brad Fowler, put a program together with Miss Stephanie Turner.

So that's available online.

Folks can log on and get registered for that class and start learning about growing grass in South Carolina.

Amanda> Okay.

Or shrinking your lawn and planting natives which are larval food sources, which is also a good thing to do.

But you need enough grass, I say, for a picnic or slip and slide if you've got kids.

Glen> That's perfect.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, slip and slides are so much fun.

My days are kind of passed.

(laughter) Well, Brittney King, you are the Commercial Horticulture Agent, and I'm going to have to read this out.

It's about half of the state.

Chesterfield, Darlington, Florence, Lancaster, Lee and Marlboro.

And, so what are some of the commercial crops that are in your area?

> Yeah.

So right now I'm looking at a lot of cucurbit crops, which is your watermelons, zucchini, squash, and pumpkins are in the ground right now as well.

Amanda> Come on.

<Mhm> So, watermelons, which I would have thought would have been passed.

And pumpkins, which I think of as very fall.

That's kind of an odd combination.

Brittney> It is.

Yeah.

You can actually do fall watermelon.

Yeah, they're more susceptible to diseases and... just from the early springtime.

But yeah, you could definitely do it.

It's, a cooler weather.

And we usually get more rain this time of year, too, so that helps.

But, we've been really dry- Amanda> It's been really dry.

Brittney> It's been super dry in our area.

We definitely could use even an inch of rain at this point would be great.

Amanda> And watermelons have a lot, you know, they're full of water.

Brittney> They require a lot.

Amanda> They are so good for you too.

And, Terasa, my dog loves watermelon.

Terasa> Oh, yes.

Mine too.

Amanda> Really?

Brittney> Mine too.

Yeah.

Amanda> Really?

Okay.

And I do too.

Woof, woof.

(laughter) Well, thank you for being with us.

Brittney> I'm happy to be here.

Amanda> And, we're going to have a good time, with things to show you.

Davis Sanders from South Pleasantburg Nursery, oh, it's such a treat when he comes.

And he's going to talk about Asters and ornamental grasses.

And then succulents and pumpkins for fall decor with Holly Beaumier, over from where... you hail from kind of, from Florence.

<That's right> And, that's a lot of fun, too.

It's fun to get ready for fall with things, isn't it?

Yeah, yeah.

<It is> Pumpkins and decorating... all kinds of stuff going on.

Well, sometimes- And I hope that this is one of those times.

We have lovely pictures or sometimes some funny pictures from our viewers.

Terasa> We do.

It's very much fun.

Like you were talking about, looking forward to fall decor and the change of seasons.

So the "Gardens of the Week" has become like a virtual field trip where we get to go around the state and see what you're doing in your yards and gardens.

Today we begin with Rhonda Haltiwanger, who shared Sedum from Walhalla, South Carolina.

From Michelle Holt, some creative container gardening in Gray Court.

Susan Rivers shared that after Hurricane Helene brought down some arborvitae in her yard in Blacksburg, she decided to create a pollinator garden and it looks like it has done very well.

Amanda> Good for her.

<Awesome> Terasa> From Nancy Burfield, a relaxing screen porch view of Lake Murray in Prosperity.

And we wrap up with John Gore, who shared a lovely area featuring Caladiums and Red SunPatiens that are summer garden highlights.

Thanks to everyone who shared their gardens on our Facebook page.

This is just a random sampling and I do encourage you to visit that page and see all of the other submissions.

Amanda> Thank you so much and thanks to everybody who sent things.

And there are lots more pictures, I think, if you go to Making It Grow's Facebook page Is that right?

Okay, well, good.

All right.

Well, Terasa.

Huh, fall, fall, fall but you can garden all the time in South Carolina.

<You can> There's some questions we can help some people with?

Terasa> There are always questions.

And you're right, you can always grow something.

But it might be more challenging, as we already heard about... watermelons in the fall.

So, Anita asked a question she said, "I was wondering if someone could tell me the name of this plant?"

So we've got a photograph.

"I've had it for several years and can't remember the name.

The blooms are magnificent and only last a day at most."

So she's wanting to know can we ID it but says, "Thank you and I love the show."

Amanda> Aww, isn't that sweet?

Terasa> We appreciate our viewers.

Amanda> Well, it only lasts a day, but I guess she got a good picture... So, what's going on?

Brittney> Yeah.

So this is actually, the Night-blooming cereus.

The botanical name is Epiphyllum oxypetalum.

Amanda> Okay.

Night-blooming cereus is enough for me.

Brittney> Right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It does, It has a very, very good fragrance, but you do have to catch it at night whenever it's blooming.

A lot of times people don't even know that it blooms because when they wake up, there's nothing there.

Amanda> Whoa!

I can remember... my father telling me that somebody in their neighborhood had one, that was like a hundred years ago, and they would go up there and sit and try to stay awake to watch it.

Isn't that something?

(laughter) This was before people had TV and all of that.

Yeah.

So do they- What time do they usually open?

What time do they bloom?

How late do I have to stay up?

Brittney> Right, right.

Usually... whenever the sun is setting, usually I've seen them start to kind of pop open around then.

And usually they'll stay until the sun starts to rise.

Amanda> Oh, okay!

Do they kind of shake a little bit as they open, like some of those things like moon vine used to?

Brittney> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And so a lot of times, you know, the flowers that open at night, they like to be pollinated by moths because moths are usually active at night.

Moths and beetles.

Amanda> So are they... hardy or do we need to bring them in, in the winter?

Brittney> So there are some- I think they're more of a tropical.

Yeah, so they'll definitely need to be brought in.

They don't like the cold.

Amanda> I don't think it's a very attractive plant itself- Brittney> It's really there for the bloom.

People want it for that big, showy, fragrant bloom, even though it's at night, you know.

But it's still, if you could get a picture of it, it's worth it.

Amanda> Okay.

So is it like... poinsettias, do you need to put it in a dark closet for a while, or just let it sit out?

Brittney> You can just let it sit out.

It's a cactus, so... <Ah> Yeah, yeah.

You can actually, it's very easy to take cuttings of it, and root it in.

It's almost like the holiday cactus, the way that the leaves are kind of conjoined.

And you know how easy the leaves of the holiday cactuses fall out.

You can just pick them up.

And it's the same thing with that, with the Night-blooming cereus.

Amanda> I wonder how many years before it'll bloom.

Brittney> I know.

Terasa> And that term Night-blooming cereus is really kind of somewhat of a catch-all.

So it doesn't refer to only a single species, but a number of orchid cacti that all have kind of similar, the flowers are at night.

But some of the flowers are a little more ornate than others.

<Really?> So I have one that was given to me by a coworker, but I am still waiting for it to bloom.

So yeah, and you're right, it's not particularly attractive until you get that flower.

So I keep hoping but, I'm guessing it's probably going to wait another year because it's about time, it's going to have to come inside.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

So you don't think it's going to bloom inside?

You think it would have bloomed... Terasa> I'm guessing.

Amanda> ...before frost came?

Brittney> It would have bloomed already.

Terasa> Usually when people send us pictures, they tell us, it's like on their patio or on their porch.

Brittney> It definitely should have bloomed already.

Amanda> Well, that sounds like somewhat of a challenge, but as you say- Brittney> It might be worth it.

Amanda> It smells good too.

Brittney> Yeah, it smells amazing.

Amanda> Really?

You smelled one?

Fun, fun, fun.

Well, that was cool.

Thanks.

Okay, Glen, you got a bunch of stuff up there.

What all did you bring in?

Glen> I do, I have a bunch of native vines that I've brought in with me, Amanda.

And I'd like to show you a couple of them.

I know folks are seeing, a lot of birds are trying to, eat and fatten up for the winter.

<Yeah> So, there's a lot of seeds that are on the vines that are currently growing.

And as you're driving down the highway at 55 miles an hour, you see it and may not know what it is.

So I thought I'd bring a couple of vines in that are native for a close up.

Amanda> Okay, well, what's the first one you're going to talk about?

Glen> The first one I'd like to talk to you about is the Maypop, (laughter) also known as the passionflower.

And there's a couple of types of... vines that you have.

You have your deciduous ones, which is just a fancy way of saying, "vines that drop their leaves in the fall."

And you have your evergreen ones.

So your Maypop is a deciduous.

It'll drop its leaves.

It has showy fruit that's on there, as well as the showy flowers.

All summer long, the butterflies have been landing on the passionflower and, eating up.

And so now you've got the seeds that are there, which, we can also eat.

So you can, cut those open.

They're kind of sweet.

We're a couple of weeks away from being just ripe, right now.

But if you can wait till the beginning of October, it's kind of a sweet treat inside the Maypop.

Amanda> And so we can't have that one today at lunch?

Glen> Not today.

It's a little early.

Amanda> Dagnabbit.

(laughter) Terasa> Not quite ripe.

You know what's interesting about passion vine, I think, is that- So, I have been trying intentionally to cultivate it because it is a host plant.

But some people will be very annoyed with it because, they don't want it, and it will appear in places in their yard where they don't want it.

Amanda> So do the birds scatter the seeds?

Glen> They do.

And, also the fruiting body that it has will fall off, like if you've planted it as a cover on a chain link fence.

And they're growing along the top because, Maypop only gets about 15 to 20 feet long.

<Right> So that's kind of a limiting factor, it's not as, long, and vigorous and aggressive as some of your other vines that you may plant.

So you're relatively, safe when you plant it.

But know that when it does have the seeding body fall off, that it will grow right where it's planted, right there.

So it kind of falls off, it'll drop the fruit and the seeds will set in the ground.

They'll overwinter, and once it goes through that stratification period, then they'll start to grow again.

So that's kind of unique with the passionflower.

And it is a twining vine.

<Oh!> So you can see, some of the little tendrils that it produces that are on here.

So, it will tend to, wrap itself around.

And that's genetically controlled.

Some plants will be clockwise when they produce their tendrils.

Others are counterclockwise when they do it.

Amanda> Not in the- The Maypops are all one way?

Glen> Maypop... and they're all one way when they start.

They will either go clockwise or they'll go counterclockwise.

And that's controlled by the genes of the plant.

Amanda> Mercy me, that's pretty fascinating.

Okay, fun, fun, fun.

Glen> And that's your Maypop.

Amanda> What we got next?

Glen> Next, I wanted to show you something that was, growing along a chain link fence.

It was kind of intertwined with some coral honeysuckle, which is another very pretty, dark pink to yellowish orange, flower, flowering vine.

Amanda> Not bad honeysuckle, this is our wonderful native.

And it's not... they're not real aggressive.

I mean, they're... you have to kind of pay attention to them.

Glen> Right.

So it's a great companion vine, for the Peppervine that we have here.

And the Peppervine, this time of year, it's producing its fruit, that you can see on there.

Amanda> Boy, that's a lot of fruit.

Glen> So there's a, a lot of fruit this year.

It's been a great wet year in the Lowcountry down in Beaufort County.

You have a lot of seed, which, of course, is the whole point of plants is to produce seeds.

<Reproduce> And so we have a tremendous amount of seed, for the birds this year that can eat that and then take it and spread it around, and we'll have Peppervine growing around.

And something unique about the Peppervine is that, it can be, toxic to some people.

So you don't know until you touch it.

And, you want to be careful with it.

It does have another common name, known as the cow-itch vine.

Amanda> Okay.

So toxic- Not, I mean, you don't need to be afraid of it, but it might irritate your skin.

Glen> Right.

Toxic, not poisonous.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Fun.

Glen> So that's the Peppervine.

Then on the next one that we had here... this is Virginia creeper.

I'm sure many folks have seen this, just growing- Amanda> And they always get it mixed up with poison ivy, don't they?

Glen> It is.

Terasa> They do, although I'm not exactly sure- To me, they don't look very similar.

And this has five parts of... Amanda> The leaf.

Terasa> Right.

Glen> You are correct, Terasa.

Just like you said.

So, a lot of times in the, plant science world, the botany world, horticulture, you'll use Latin names for the plants.

<Yes> So the Latin name for the Virginia creeper is Parthenocissus quinquefolia.

And if you translate the "quinque" that means "five."

There is a Parthenocissus tricuspidata, which... that grows, farther north.

So like, think, the Boston Red Sox, they have the big green monster, which has Parthenocissus tricuspidata growing on it, in the outfield.

Amanda> Whoa!

Glen> So that vine was actually planted on the wall to kind of make it a little more ornamental, out there.

So the folks that live on Lansdowne Street would watch the baseball games for free.

They wanted to make them paying customers.

Amanda> Oh, that is too fun.

Terasa> But the moral of that story is vines can sometimes be used for screening.

Glen> Exactly.

And that's typically what you'll use your vines for.

With your vines, they can have small adventitious roots that can be twining.

They can have tendrils, like we see, in here, and you see the small tendrils.

And then you have other ones, like a rose.

That will just kind of... it will sprawl out and just grow on top of things.

So if you have an old fence that's fallen down or something, you could plant a rose on it and just let it sprawl and take over if you didn't want something to actually pass into it.

So with your Virginia creeper, it can be poisonous.

So you don't want to eat the berries, which are related to grapes.

It's related to a grape vine.

It can cause your mouth to go numb and get inflamed.

Amanda> But I think, it's a great larval food source for certain moths or butterflies, isn't it?

Glen> It is.

Terasa> I think it's sphinx... sphinx moth.

Amanda> Sphinx moth.

Terasa> And great fall color.

So this is one that most people aren't usually happy about.

But, in the right spot it really can provide for wildlife and then also some color when maybe other things are a little bleak.

Amanda> And it doesn't have the urushiol or whatever you call it, that poison ivy does.

<Right> It has something in it, salicylic acid or something.

Glen> Salicylic acid.

Amanda> Can bother people sometimes.

Glen> You are correct.

Yeah.

That's why you wouldn't want to eat the berries or ingest it.

It can really give you a bad tummy ache.

And there's way better things we can eat in the fall.

Like, pumpkin pie.

Amanda> How about muscadines?

Brittney> Muscadines.

Yeah.

Glen> Muscadines this time of year.

Or evidently watermelons as well.

Brittney> Watermelons.

Yeah.

Amanda> Isn't that crazy?

Glen> So that's our Virginia creeper.

And South Carolina does have beautiful fall color, thanks to it.

And the last one I brought in, is a sample of our state flower.

It's currently not in flower.

It's, known as Carolina Jessamine or Gelsemium sempervirens.

And again, back to the Latin.

We talked about how you have deciduous vines.

This is an example of a evergreen vine.

And semper translates into "always."

Amanda> Okay.

Glen> So, sempervirens it's always green.

So... you can use that as an identifying characteristic when you're out and you're searching for vines.

And this is an example of a twining vine.

So it doesn't produce tendrils.

<Ah> But you can see how it starts to twine.

And that will continue to twine, as it's growing.

And what's very interesting about that is on the tips of the leaf, it actually has, a lighter weight than down near the bottom.

And so that's, so it can reach for the sunlight when it's climbing up on a fence or up in a tree.

So it actually defies gravity on the end by being lighter weight and has less mass than it does.

And you can see the stems thicker down at the bottom.

And it can actually pull down.

So the vine will, pull with gravity closer to the ground and kind of anchor itself.

And if there's nothing to twine on, it will twine on itself.

Amanda> Ah, well, that's a pretty good way to go up the beanstalk.

Glen> Very interesting.

And you have yellow flowers in the spring which are very attractive to your pollinators.

And it actually has a mild fragrance as well.

Amanda> But I will say, that... it can seed down even though it's our state, you know, wildflower and all that kind of stuff.

But it can really seed down.

And, you have to- I've had to crawl under some azaleas and things sometimes to get it out.

Because it is very... It germinates very easily, I believe.

Glen> Yep.

That is correct.

And it can be very aggressive.

It's trying to reach up very high on its support that it's growing on.

So that the seeds can be produced in the air and then your birds and things, they don't have any predators higher up, so they're able to eat the seeds and don't have to always be defensive.

So they can enjoy their lunch without, worrying about somebody waking up from a nap or something and bothering them.

Amanda> Okay.

Thank you so much.

You know, and these are just native things here.

And, some people, you know, say blah, blah, blah I want all these other fancy things.

But these things have a very important place in the ecosystem.

Glen> Yes they do.

Amanda> Thank you so much for finding all those and bringing them to us.

Glen> Thank you for letting me talk about those.

Well, now we're going to go and talk to Davis Sanders from South Pleasantburg Nursery, a favorite guest of ours.

And he always has fascinating show and tell.

I'm talking to Davis Sanders, who came down from South Pleasantburg Nursery.

And Davis, I think you've got some things that would make fall a more fun time of the year.

> Absolutely.

We love the... colors that these plants bring during that desperate season between summer and fall seasons.

This one in front of me is, one of the hardy Asters.

It's part of the Kickin' series.

They call them "Kickin' Asters."

This one is called "Kickin' Lavender."

It's a very compact grower, very profuse bloomer, and doesn't get as big and gangly as some of the species- Amanda> Look at all those flower buds.

Davis> But it does, it does have a very long bloom season, usually from... late September or rather, excuse me, late July, all the way up into October and sometimes even November.

Trimming it back a little bit if the blooms start to fade, will encourage more blooms.

The one next to you is, also referred to as an Aster.

Although it's not a true Aster.

This is one of the Stokesias, or Stokes' Asters.

This particular one is called "Color Wheel" because when it blooms, the bloom opens up as a really pretty, medium violet purple, gradually fades to, more of a lavender before it turns pure white, before the bloom finally drops off.

Amanda> Gosh.

So it's not, just one day bloomer the blooms going to persist for a few days.

Davis> Right.

The blooms persist for a few days.

And here again, it has a long bloom season.

And a lot of times these will bloom in spring and fall.

Amanda> Are they hardy here and are they going to be deciduous?

Davis> They're extremely hardy.

Depending on the weather, probably in the lower part of the state, they may be more semi-evergreen.

In the upstate, they do, pretty much die back in the winter.

But... who knows what's going to happen with the way our winters are now?

Amanda> I think these would be, very nice to... put a grouping of because they're small and I think you'd notice them and appreciate the flowers more if you did that.

What do you think?

Davis> Exactly.

All of the Asters are beautiful, planted in masses.

And you can mix a variety so you get different colors, maybe a little bit different bloom season.

The Stokes' Asters or Stokesias also make excellent cut flowers.

Amanda> Whoa!

Well, that is too much fun.

Well, thank you so much for bringing them down.

Davis> Well, thanks for having me.

> Oh, we're just so excited when Davis comes down.

He's a lot of fun himself.

Terasa> Oh, he is.

Amanda> But he brings great plants as well.

I know you enjoyed seeing those.

And hats, hats, hats... So, thank you, thank you Ann Nolte.

(laughter) So Dahlias, you know which... I guess where you grew up, up in upstate New York, you could have Dinnerplate Dahlias can't you?

Terasa> Mhm.

It wasn't something I grew, but I know of someone who, that's kind of her new hobby is all of the different Dahlias she can grow.

Amanda> Yeah, but down here, we're limited.

They don't like our heat.

But, Ann has some pretty ones, and they come in very late.

They're just coming in... we haven't had a frost, but back in the day, we would have had a frost.

But they're just so pretty.

And... one day I'll have to see one of those Dinnerplate ones.

But I've been to some places in North Carolina, where they have large ones up there too.

And I believe, Terasa, that the Georgia Dahlia Society list some Dahlias that perform better in the South.

So if you want some- Terasa> That could be very helpful.

Amanda> Maybe you can have some.

Yeah.

Anyway.

And then I also have some Tradescantia.

This is a purple hat.

Some Tradescantia.

And then... what did you tell me this other little flower was?

Veronica?

Brittney> Angelonia.

Amanda> Angelonia.

Good, I'm glad you- Oh, if I would have said the wrong thing, everybody would've called in and told me what a horrible mistake I made.

Thank you so much.

Brittney> Secretia... Glen> Hanging out in the back there, in the dark purple.

Amanda> Is it back here somewhere?

Anyway.

(laughter) Terasa> That's one that I can't keep track because I think it was one name Brittney> It was one name... Terasa> ...and then they changed it.

And I can never remember which is the old and which is the new.

(laughter) Amanda> They did that with tractor seat plant.

Brittney> Yes, yes.

Farfugium.

Amanda> Yeah, okay.

Anyway, but anyway, it's fun to put these hats together and... Anyway Dahlias are just- Brittney> I love Dahlias.

They're my favorite.

Amanda> And I don't know what their reproductive structure is that's under the ground, but it's one of those, you know, I mean, you know, bulbs and roots and rhizomes.

Brittney> Tuber.

Most of them are tubers... Amanda> Tuber, okay.

Okay, anyway.

Well, you've got some things that thankfully aren't flying around the studio.

Brittney> Aren't alive.

Yeah, yeah.

So, I just happened to come to work one day, as I usually do, and I looked on the ground outside of my truck, and there was this really big wasp.

Thankfully it was dead, but it was in perfect condition.

So, me loving insects, I had to ID it right away.

And I figured out this is the Eastern Cicada Killer Wasp.

Amanda> All righty.

Brittney> So this is actually a male.

And the way I know it's a male.

I measured it.

It's about one inch, one inch in length.

The males are going to be smaller than the females.

And the females are actually the hunters.

They're the ones that will go and find cicadas and they'll kill them, and then they'll bring them back to their nest as food sources for their young.

Amanda> So this one has a stinger?

Brittney> So that, the males have what's called a "pseudo stinger."

So they actually use that false stinger to... <Oh!> as kind of a, "Hey, don't mess with me."

It's kind of, yeah.

Amanda> So it's a false stinger.

Brittney> It's a false finger.

Amanda> Golly Pete!

That's fascinating.

Brittney> And so the females, they come out later than the males.

The males come out, they kind of will scope out the area, make sure it's safe, and then the female will come out and start gathering the cicadas, making their nest.

Their nest- You've probably seen, you might have seen their nest before.

They make their nest underground, actually.

<Yes> And these stingers actually help them dig some soil.

So usually they make these little mounds, right in your yard, right where the sidewalk meets the grass.

Amanda> Where the sidewalk meets the grass?

Brittney> Yeah.

A lot of times they'll be like on the edge... edges of the yard <Interesting> edges of the house for some reason.

Terasa> And you need the kind of loose, like, bare soil.

Brittney> Yeah, it just looks like, it's really weird.

You'll just walk out and see just a little, almost like an ant hill.

But it's, there's no ants.

There's, the wasp down in there.

Amanda> Okay.

So how many of these- So she paralyzes the cicada and then, lays her eggs?

Brittney> Brings it back to the nest and then lays the eggs underground.

And some of them will actually lay their eggs inside the cicadas as well.

Amanda> Goodness.

Oh, well.

Cicadas... I hope you sang a lot <I know> and rubbed your legs together while you had a chance.

Brittney> Poor things, but they're actually these are actually considered beneficial because they do clear out a lot of the cicadas.

Because cicadas can actually lay their eggs in, branches of trees and cause the branches to die out.

<Okay> So they're actually, they kind of help, help keep the bad cicadas in check.

Amanda> Do they tend to... congregate where they lay their eggs?

Sometimes people will call and be hysterical because they think they've got all these stinging insects in their yard.

Brittney> Yeah, they'll stay really close to to where they lay their eggs, but they are solitary.

Even the females, that actually have a stinger.

They're most likely not going to sting you, Unless you are, you're asking for it basically, you know.

<Yeah> Really, homeowners, they're not going to be a nuisance to you.

If you wanted to get rid of them, I say swat them.

But even that, just let them be.

<Yeah> Let them be.

Let him live.

Amanda> It's just so fun to think about, you know, this paralyzed insect in there being eaten by all these... Brittney> I know... it's like something out of a sci-fi movie.

You know, it's crazy.

Amanda> Yeah, yeah.

(laughter) Well, now we're going to go to Davis Sanders and his ornamental grasses.

I'm talking to Davis Sanders from South Pleasantburg Nursery up in Greenville.

And Davis, I think you've got some native ornamental grasses.

Let's learn about them.

> Well, we try to promote the native ornamental grasses because, of course, being native, they're not going to be invasive.

They might be a little bit aggressive, but, but it is a native species.

So not only is it going to be well-behaved in the garden, it's going to provide, benefits for all types of wildlife.

For instance, the one on your right there, is Northern sea oats or "river oats," some people call them.

<Uh-huh> It's Chasmanthium latifolium.

Some people often refer to that one as, fish on a line or fish on a pole because of, just the way seed heads hang.

That's one that is, it is a native, and it's one of the few... ornamental grasses that can actually withstand a little bit of shade.

So, it's a little more versatile.

Amanda> Now, it's called Northern sea oats.

I mean, can we have it in South Carolina?

Davis> Oh, yeah.

It's native all up and down the East Coast.

<Whoa!> I don't know why it was given the name Northern sea oats, but that's- Amanda> So it does fine?

Davis> Right.

And it does great in the mountains, too, so it doesn't have to be near the ocean.

<Wow> It can be a little bit pesky because those seeds do germinate readily.

But also if you notice them growing in a spot where, where they're not wanted, they're not real deeply rooted when they're young, you can just pluck it right up out of the ground and, either transplant it or put it in your compost pile.

Amanda> And I would imagine there's somebody who enjoys these seeds.

Davis> A lot of finches do, particularly a lot of the ground dwelling rodents, chipmunks and voles and that kind of thing will help, help scatter the seed around what they don't eat.

So it's, it is a- Amanda> Good for wildlife.

Davis> It's excellent for wildlife.

And of course, like all ornamental grasses in the winter time when it's dormant, if you leave the foliage up, you get the sound of the wind blowing through it.

You get a little bit of motion.

So it adds yet another dimension to the home landscape.

Amanda> And, you know, the color is even when they're not green, is quite lovely.

Davis> Right, right.

Amanda> Kind of a gold... Davis> This one turns a really nice gold color.

Amanda> Okay, okay.

Davis> And the other one that I've brought along this time, is a very special plant.

This is the 2025 "Perennial Plant of the Year."

Amanda> Come on.

Davis> This is, Andropogon Blackhawks.

It's a relatively new introduction of the native big bluestem.

<Yes> Which, we're all familiar with the, broomsedge that grows wild everywhere.

This is a slightly different species, but it is in the Andropogon genus.

It gets this beautiful black, blackish or dark purple color on the stem throughout the growing season.

And like all of the bluestems, this one turns a beautiful scarlet color in the fall, before it goes dormant.

This one also, it's got very interesting seed heads.

The... little seeds are a lot more delicate and not as robust as you would see on, some of the introduced species.

And, this one, this one is particularly, loved by finches because the seeds are small.

And with the flexibility of the stems, a lot of times you'll see the birds actually land on them and push them to the ground.

And peck all the seeds off of them and then fly away.

Another advantage of this one is, the rigid, upright structure that it has is very attractive to dragonflies.

Dragonflies love to, love to perch on vertical surfaces like this.

Amanda> While it's looking for something, to go after to eat.

Davis> Right.

And we know that dragonflies are probably the second biggest predators of mosquitoes after bats.

Amanda> Golly.

So, this sounds like something I need to have in my yard.

Thank you.

Davis> I think everybody needs it in their yard.

Amanda> Wonderful and a native.

Isn't that fun?

<Uh-huh> Thanks, Davis.

Davis> Thank you.

Amanda> Thank you, Davis for coming down.

We do enjoy his visits.

And, I think that if you were at the beach and had a lot of deer problems, somebody called me one time and I said, "Well, you could plant ornamental grasses."

And they went, "Grasses?"

And I said, "Ornamental grasses can be really exciting."

I mean, they're different heights and textures and, you know, they stay up all winter and they're kind of a pretty color as they fade.

Don't you think, that might be nice to do?

> I would agree with you, Amanda.

The grasses can be really pretty in the fall, going into the winter when everything's dormant, and when you have the seed pods on your grasses, they really give you a lot of movement.

Amanda> Oh!

Glen> It picks up on the wind, so you don't have a static type landscape.

It gives a different element to it with the movement.

Amanda> And I don't know who eats the seed pods, who eats the seeds, but I'm sure somebody does.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I just think it's fun, something different.

And, I don't think we have to spray them yet.

Glen> No.

And it's usually something the deer will leave alone.

So that's always a big hit, if they don't want to mess with the grasses that you're planting.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well, Terasa?

Terasa> Let's see- Amanda> Open up that computer.

(laughter) Terasa> Yes, ma'am.

We have a question from- Amanda> You know, they call me "Demanda" sometimes.

(laughter) Terasa> I would not say that.

Glen> Is that the Latin name?

Brittney> Yeah, the Latin name.

Terasa> Oh, goodness.

This question comes in from Julie in St.

Helena.

She said, "Many of my plants don't look healthy.

I've been told I should take a soil sample.

Can you tell me how I would do that?"

Amanda> Okay.

Well, there are lots of reasons plants can give you a fit and not be very happy, but the soil does have to be right for some of them.

Glen> Amanda- Amanda> For a lot of them.

Glen> You're right.

And like you said earlier, I'm going quote you on that, and I'm going to change it just a little bit.

But "don't guess," I think is how you started it.

"Don't guess," and I'm going to go with "soil test."

<Yeah> "Don't guess, soil test."

If you're noticing that your plants may be looking deficient.

They're not healthy.

There's a few things you can do to start.

One of the ones I would highly recommend would be starting with a soil sample.

<Alright> And with your soil sample it'll tell you, two macronutrients with, potassium and with phosphorus that you have in there, and whether they're excessive or whether they're going to be deficient.

And then you- Amanda> And why don't they include nitrogen?

Because it's so- Glen> Nitrogen is very volatile.

And so that means, volatile... is just a fancy way of saying it "turns to gas really quickly."

So it can be difficult to test for what nitrogen is available.

Amanda> But that is one of the things that they really need.

But I was just asking.

Glen> And there is an option on your form when you come in to do soil testing at the lab, at the agricultural lab at Clemson, they are able to test for available nitrogen on that.

So, it's a little bit more than the six dollar fee, but it can be done.

Amanda> Okay.

But let's talk about what a regular person would do.

Glen> So what a regular person would do, when they walk into the office and they're having issues like Julia was on St.

Helena Island.

She would, go out with a bucket and a spade or soil probe and go down approximately four to six inches, Amanda> And you can just use your trowel or whatever?

Glen> Right.

You can.

And actually, if you look on the back of the bag here, I'll fold this down and you can see.

<Oh, okay!> It shows if you use a probe or if you use a trowel, the different procedures that you would have to use, in order to go and take that sample right here.

Or you also have an auger as well.

<Yes> So that's right there for you on the bag in case you can't remember, once you leave the office and we've talked about it, it's right there in print for you.

So you go about four to six inches.

You don't need leaf litter, you don't need mulch, you don't need pine straw.

They're really checking the soil.

<All right> And so, that's what you'll need.

I always recommend, put it in a five gallon bucket.

And the reason I recommend that is there's usually moisture that's in the soil.

And when you put wet soil into this paper bag it tends to rip right through it.

And you're not able to read all that information that you filled out on there.

So it's a good way to... have a reservoir for it, put it in that bucket, let it dry out for about 24 hours, <Oh> and then transfer it to the bag.

Or put it in a Ziploc bag and bring it into your local extension office.

Amanda> If you don't have a bag, you could just bring it in and y'all have plenty of bags.

Glen> Right.

There's plenty of bags there for it.

And then also, on your results when you get it, you'll have a key piece of information with what your current pH is.

And just think of your pH as sort of a lock.

And you need to get at the right pH range, about a 5.8 to 6.5 for most of your plant material outside of your acid lover's, like a blueberry or something like that.

And, with that range there, it just kind of unlocks it when your pH is in that range and it makes the other, nutrients available to the plants.

Amanda> That's a lovely way to describe it.

Good for you.

Brittney> That was good.

Glen> So and then... so you have those couple of macronutrients and then we also test for eight micronutrients as well.

Amanda> And I think if you have something you're particularly interested in, like blue- You could get results on several different things that you're growing, I believe.

Maybe you wanted some blueberries which need a lower pH and then, you know, Roses or something.

So you could say, "I want to grow this and this," and they'll send you the answers to both.

Glen> That's right, they will.

When you come into the office and you bring your bag, this bag... say you want to check your yard and it's just looking kind of yellow this time of year, and it's taking a beating with all the rain.

This bag can cover up to an acre, for your soil sample on it.

And then when you fill out the form, you have a space with four different lines that are on there.

So you could test for your centipede grass in the front yard.

You could test for the Zoysia grass in the backyard.

You could test for your Hibiscus that may be planted in there, as well as a redbud tree.

You can put that on there and we'll put the codes.

And then when you receive the results, it'll be numbered with the different recommendations for each plant.

Amanda> And I cut them, I cut them apart and put all the ones that are for the front yard, you know... grass and the backyard grass, because otherwise I'm like... you know.

So I just cut, I just put them in- These are all concerning the redbud.

These are all concerning the turf grass.

Glen> Right.

And what you need, there's a real neat line on here.

And it's really two cups of soil that you need.

There's a perforated line that's right here.

And if you read it, "it says fill to this line, not above this line."

So, makes it very easy if you just follow what's written right there on the bag.

Amanda> So you don't need to bring in massive amounts of soil.

<No> We have a very sensitive test.

Glen> You don't.

But if you do, I'd appreciate it.

There's a large hole in the parking lot at my extension office I'm trying to fill up, so if you'd like to bring that five gallon bucket in, I can certainly help you with that.

(laughter) Terasa> You be careful.

You're going to end up... Brittney> We'll be filling potholes all over South Carolina.

(laughter) Amanda> Okay.

It's fun- Holly Beaumier is such a creative person, and she gives us some wonderful tips for Halloween decorations.

I'm happy to have a visit from my friend Holly Beaumier of "Growing Hobby" over in Florence at the Pee Dee Farmer's Market.

Holly> Yes, yes.

Amanda> How did you get started?

Holly> Well, actually, we, got started with succulents, and, it was right after the pandemic, and I got my first succulent plants, and I fell in love, and it just kept growing from there.

But, we were doing succulents, and then we moved into air plants and carnivorous and, rare tropicals.

Now we're doing water gardens and water lilies, and my husband, has been creating bonsai trees.

Amanda> Mercy.

I hope there's not a lot of yard to keep up at home, it sounds like this is busy enough.

(laughter) Well, this time of year, of course, we think of pumpkins as Halloween-ish, but really, they can be just used as ornamentals.

In the way that some people use Chrysanthemums and things like that, and even last a little longer.

Holly> Exactly, exactly.

Amanda> Well, let's talk about, start with this, this fun, fun one.

What are some of the cool things you've got in it?

Holly> Well, my, one of my favorites that I added into this and these are all succulents added with, with a few silk plants.

Amanda> Fun things.

Holly> Yeah, a little bit of sizzle added.

But, the hen and chicks, that's a special hen and chicks that has a reddish tint to it.

Amanda> It's lovely.

Holly> Yeah.

And, Echeveria Topsy Turvy, it's one of my favorite names for a, for an Echeveria, and the shape too.

It's pretty cool.

<Yes> So that's all on a bed of, Spanish moss.

And over here, I took a lot of Sedum, different, different types of Sedum <Mhm> and added those in along with the Echeveria and hens of chicks, hens and chicks and, just kind of made a nice little arrangement.

Added a few berries.

Amanda> It's very fallish seeming to.

Holly> Yes, yes.

Amanda> I think that's fun.

And then we've got some little fellas out front that seem to have some smaller succulents.

Holly> Yes, yes.

And those actually came from a pot that was on my porch.

They had outgrown the pot.

They were kind of straggly.

And I thought, we'll just clip those and, the plants will be happier and I can make cute little decorations with them.

Amanda> They are, they are really cute.

They're fun.

Well, I think that we're going to actually do one ourselves.

Should we try that?

Holly> I think we should.

<Okay> Amanda> Well, Holly, it looks like, there's a lot to do here.

I have to warn you, I am not the artistic person in my family, but, so we have... I know this is a pumpkin.

Holly> Yes.

(laughter) Amanda> And you said you start off by, spraying them with polyurethane Holly> Right.

Amanda> Which is available in any craft store.

<Right> And you say that just helps them last a little longer.

<Right> Amanda> Gives them a sheen.

Holly> Gives them a sheen too.

And, the great thing about the way that we do the succulent pumpkins is we never cut into the pumpkin.

Amanda> It's going to last and last.

Holly> Yes, especially with the polyurethane on it.

<Okay> So, are you ready to dive in?

Amanda> I guess I am.

Holly> All right.

So, we start with, the Spanish moss.

We use E6000 glue, which, is also available at any craft store.

<Okay> And we just kind of dab it around it.

Amanda> Okay.

Holly> And this is going to hold in the Spanish moss, and then the Spanish moss will hold everything else.

Amanda> And I tell people who worry about Spanish moss, because I can collect it near my house.

If you are worried about bugs in it, which usually doesn't happen, just put it in the freezer for a little bit.

Holly> I didn't know that.

Amanda> Yeah, it won't kill it.

It'll you know, it can live fine.

I mean, freezes sometimes in the winter, right?

Okay.

Holly> Awesome.

Amanda> Sliding that over... Holly> So, I slide it, and I usually look for ones that have a long stem.

<Yeah> Amanda> Kind of charming.

Holly> So they, yeah.

It's cute.

Amanda> So you just going to gently press that down.

<Mhm> Okay.

Holly> And then it will eventually harden, of course with E6000, it takes a few hours.

But then you can start looking at what you have to work with and deciding what to put on there.

Amanda> So do you usually start with larger things first and then try to fill in.

What's a good strategy?

Holly> I start with large and I also start with like a focal sparkly something.

<Oh> So and I place first and then I go back and glue.

So if I want to change anything up, I can.

<Okay> Something that is really unique about succulents is say, I only want this much, of this guy, I can just cut it about down here.

Amanda> Oh.

Holly> Take off these.

Amanda> And now you've got enough stem left- Holly> -to pop in there.

Amanda> My word.

Holly> And these, if you just pop them on to the soil.

They will most likely grow into plants.

Amanda> Okay.

Holly> And so we'll do that.

Do you want to maybe take some from your side?

Amanda> Yeah, I do, I'm really intrigued by this color.

If that's okay.

<Mhm> Now, do you think I should use the larger one, though, or- Holly> A large would be good.

Amanda> Okay.

And just... (scissor cutting) Now I guess I'm going to remove- Holly> Some of the leaves.

Amanda> A few leaves.

Is that about right, you think?

Holly> Yeah.

That looks good.

Where would you like to put it?

Amanda> Well, I think, I'm going to have to turn things a little bit, but, I don't want to hide this too much.

Holly> Well, you can pop that in there, and then we can- Amanda> Okay.

Holly> That's the beauty of, not gluing them in first.

Amanda> I think I'm going to take a tiny bit more stem off.

Holly> Okay.

Amanda> Because I do like that pinecone.

Okay.

Yeah, I like that a lot.

Holly> Cute.

Okay.

Amanda> It kind of leans over a little bit.

Holly> And I think we, probably can say that it's going to, it's going to look good like this.

So we can start, maybe gluing and then start adding in some more succulents.

Amanda> Well did you want to put some of that on?

Holly> I do, I do so- Amanda> And so you just find these at craft stores as well.

Holly> Yes, Yes.

Really anywhere they... Amanda> And the pinecone I guess maybe you found in the yard.

Holly> So I just glued some on top of some of the leaves.

You can also use like a cool melt glue gun.

Like a... You know, just hot glue, but use it on the cold, cooled setting.

Amanda> I burned my fingers too much with that.

I think I'm going to stick with this.

Holly> E6000 is great.

You can just pop those in there.

And this, let's see how it's looking from the other side.

Amanda> Looks good to me.

Holly> That'll be cute right there.

Amanda> So you don't need to put a toothpick or anything in him.

He's going to sit very happily.

Holly> He'll sit Just fine.

Amanda> Okay.

Holly> So let's go ahead and take some of these that I got from my porch.

The little scraggles.

Amanda> Okay.

How, 'bout like so?

Holly> That's good.

And if you leave some of the leaves on the- <Tops> -on the bottom actually, <Oh> then they'll continue to grow more quickly.

Either way they'll grow.

<Okay> But I'll go ahead and just glue and stick.

Amanda> And so this can allow us to have a little bit of fall.

Oh and here's a, this is a great one.

<Yes> Use some of him too.

<Yes> Now you say if I cut and leave some of the bottom on it, it'll- Holly> -it'll grow back faster.

Amanda> Rejuvenate faster.

Okay.

So we will do that.

I think it's fun having things, let's do that, Can you change your mind?

Holly> Yeah, of course.

There you go.

Amanda> Okay.

Oh, I do like that.

And then just tuck a little bit of the Spanish moss around.

Okay.

Fun.

Because we're just expanding this.

Holly> Yes.

Amanda> Nicely.

Yeah.

Holly> I talked about the Topsy Turvy.

This is a Topsy Turvy that is dark green, and it's just a- Amanda> -bit of purple to it.

Holly> It does, it does.

It's a new cultivar.

If I could borrow the scissors.

Amanda> Of course.

Holly> Now, you can also, if you have a big pumpkin and you want to leave the soil around it, you can.

For this guy, I am going to cut it, leaving one leaf.

Amanda> Oh, so that it can continue to grow.

Okay.

Now, if you get this on your hands how hard is it to get off?

Holly> Just wait until it's dry and then just peel it right off.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Holly> I'll put that one right there, maybe.

The great thing about these is they're set up to be viewed, you know, three-sixty.

Amanda> Yeah.

And I love this color with the leaves that you brought.

That's fun, don't you think?

Holly> Yes.

Amanda> You know we don't have anything that color.

Holly> We don't, we don't.

So this is a, special type of hens and chick.

Amanda> Ooo, it's beautiful.

Holly> And it's bright yellow.

Yeah, it's called lemon... something... (laughter) But, she is ready to let go of all of her chicks.

Amanda> Oh, is she.

<Yes> Oh, look at that.

Holly> And so I am going to just cut her out of there.

Amanda> Okay, so the children have to learn how to fix their own breakfast.

Holly> Yeah.

They're gonna have to do it.

(laughter) And where should we put her?

Maybe right there?

Amanda> I think we do need something there, don't you?

Holly> I think so.

<Okay> Amanda> So you want to glue her down?

<Mhm> Holly> So what I'm doing is just gluing all over the back of it.

And then just holding it on there for just a little bit.

Amanda> It doesn't take too long to set.

Holly> It doesn't.

Amanda> Pretty cool.

Holly> Yeah.

Amanda> Do you think we should have a little more, a little more pizzazz?

Holly> I think we should.

What would you like to use?

Amanda> Um, I love the leaves.

Let's put some more leaves on.

<Okay> If that's okay with you.

And then maybe, I think the berries are fun.

Holly> Break them apart so that they aren't so- Amanda> A lot easier to, to glue.

Holly> They are.

Amanda> Independently.

(rustling sound) Holly> So there's a few there, and maybe we can stick a little a little bit of gold in there with that.

Amanda> Yeah.

It brings out the glitter on the pinecone.

Holly> It does.

Amanda> Well I'm going to turn it and look at it.

I'm real pleased.

And of course, I had a wonderful, tutor.

But, you know, fall is a great time for berries.

So why don't we just have the coup de gras?

Holly> Add some berries to it.

Amanda> Mhm.

Holly> Okay, so let's do maybe little snippets and we can spread them out.

Amanda> Oh, okay.

What a great idea.

Holly> I'll give you a little bit of glue on this one.

Amanda> The magic glue.

Holly> And I'll take the next one.

Amanda> Okay.

And I'm gonna... put it right up- Holly> Oh you took my spot.

No I'm just kidding.

(laughter) Amanda> That's what you get for letting me go first.

Holly> And I'll put mine right there.

<Oh> That's sweet.

That is so sweet.

I like it.

So, have you ever seen stacks of pumpkins on people's porches?

Amanda> No.

Holly> It's the new thing.

Amanda> Whoa.

Holly> Yes, yes.

So, should we go ahead and put that on the stack and see how it looks?

Amanda> Oh, look at these wonderful pumpkins.

Holly> I know.

Amanda> And these pumpkins are available in a lot of the farmer's markets now.

<Mhm> Okay little fella.

Holly> That looks great.

Amanda> He does.

What a great way to welcome people to your house.

And you could use it at Thanksgiving dinner.

Holly> You could, wouldn't that be pretty on a big round table.

Amanda> It sure would be.

And the only thing is you'd have to put the two people who don't speak to each other on either side, so they won't, see each other.

Holly> We don't have those people.

(laughter) Amanda> Oh.

Just delightful.

So much fun.

And so many ways to use it to decorate at your house.

And it's movable.

Holly> It is.

Amanda> You know, I mean, we could just take one and one, and one and move it to another part of the house and have the party be anywhere we want it.

Well, you made it a party for us today.

Thank you so much for coming.

Holly> Thank you.

It was a pleasure.

Amanda> And now we know that, you can get some pumpkins that were grown over in your areas right now for some of these fun things that Holly showed us to do.

We like for her to come.

Come back soon.

Well, we have a little bit of time left, and I think there's some new invasive insect or something.

What's going on?

Brittney> Yeah.

So since I have this Cicada Killer Wasp out, I wanted to talk about the Yellow-Legged Hornet.

Amanda> All right.

Brittney> It's been discovered in South Carolina in the past two years.

We've kind of been working on how to manage it.

But this is one of the look-alikes.

There's several look-alikes to the Yellow-Legged Hornet.

To see more information about that, you could just Google Clemson YLH and we've got a really nice guide that'll show you all the different wasps that it looks like.

Amanda> So what's so horrible about it, Glen?

Glen> With the Yellow-Legged Hornet, we know that the honeybee population currently is down about 60 to 65 percent, and the Yellow-Legged Hornet is preying on the honeybees as well.

So this has been devastating to the local populations.

Mr.

Brad Cavin and team are heading up the invasive species search for these.

They're putting traps out, throughout Beaufort County.

In Beaufort County, you may see some of the milk jugs that have the Clemson Extension sticker on there.

There's nothing harmful that's in these traps.

<Okay> They're using grape juice, that the bees are attracted to.

And so if you see things, like hawking behavior, that's when they're chasing other bees.

<Oh> You want to report that on the YLH website.

There's a few tips on there to help you.

And then if you want to report that, you can also click on the GPS coordinates and that will give them the coordinates of where they are.

So the teams checking traps they're trying to locate queens and nests are very busy.

Amanda> Well, thank you for telling us about that.

And we will be looking for it, hoping that we don't see it.

But it's here, now.

Glen> It's here.

Amanda> Okay.

Well at home, thank you so much for being with us.

We'll see you next time.

♪ ♪ Narrator> Making It Grow is brought to you in part by Certified South Carolina.

This cooperative effort among farmers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture helps consumers identify foods and agricultural products that are grown, harvested or raised right here in the Palmetto State.

McLeod Farms in McBee, South Carolina, family owned and operated since 1916.

This family farm offers seasonal produce, including over 40 varieties of peaches.

Wesley Commons, a full service continuing care retirement community located on more than 150 wooded acres in Greenwood, South Carolina.

Additional funding provided by the South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Bureau Insurance and Boone Hall Farms.