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.

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

We're so glad that you can join us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty I'm a Clemson horticulture agent, and I get to come here and be with my co-host, Terasa Lott, who has was in charge of all the Master Gardener program, kind of in an administrative way.

And but now you're kind of sitting here in Sumter and taking outings to go to the district of which you're the director.

Terasa> That is right.

So an exciting new adventure for me as the Midlands District director supervising or overseeing nine counties.

But it's really the staff in those offices that do the important work of connecting people with the information that we share.

Amanda> You know, and Pat, who, of course, you know, in our office is the administrative assistant.

I just thought she really exemplified Extension because we're in a great big building.

People get off the wrong floor and no matter what their problem was, she'd say, well, let me look this up and find out where you're supposed to go.

You know, because we're supposed to help the people.

So it doesn't necessarily have to be an insect or, you know, planner.

It's just I think we are a connection with trying to get people the right information.

Terasa> We really are public service.

Yes.

And if we aren't the correct agency, it is our job to try to get them directed to the proper person or people that can help them.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, my good friend Tom Nelson is here, and you are the Master Gardener of the Year for the Lakelands Master Gardener's Association.

How about that?

Tom> It's quite an honor.

Amanda> Yes, it is.

But you weren't there to receive your Honor.

Tom> I was not.

(laughing) Amanda> And you weren't lollygagging around.

Well, you may have been, but you weren't.

It wasn't that you didn't show up.

Tom> Right.

I was out of the country.

Amanda> Yeah.

>> But apparently I was very well represented.

(laughing) So you were a head on a stick.

That's good.

(laughing) Terasa> I was fortunate enough to be at the meeting and very excited to hear the announcement, because Tom certainly exemplifies what it means to be a master gardener.

And they did a great job.

Yes...of (laughing) of posing someone.

Amanda> Well, and we're so happy to have you with us.

Tom> Thank you very much.

Amanda> We really appreciate it.

And Stephanie Turner, you are the horticulture agent up there in Greenwood County.

Stephanie> Yes, I work with the Lakelands Master Gardeners quite a bit.

And they have lots of projects in our county.

Amanda> They are busy.

>> Yeah, lots of fun things.

Amanda> And maybe later on you can tell us a little bit about the American balloon thing y'all are going to have there.

That sounds pretty exciting, too.

Stephanie> Yes.

We had them visit, you know, the National conference in South Carolina last year.

So, very exciting.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

And Daniel Greenwell, you are the head of the horticulture department and Agriculture at Piedmont Technical College.

Daniel> Yes.

Amanda> So how much agricultural do y'all do?

>> We are an agriculture program and station in Saluda County, and we cover beef, cattle production, crop production, small vegetable production, environmental and natural resources, all...all types of topics.

Amanda> Gosh, how many people teach in your department?

Daniel> We have three full time faculty.

One of them is a full time agriculture instructor and then I teach horticulture.

We have another instructor that kind of goes between both agriculture and horticulture.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, we are so happy to have you here, and especially because you are the 2024 National Association of Landscape Professionals' Outstanding Educator of the Year.

How about that?

Daniel> That's wild.

Amanda> Gosh, Terasa.

Terasa> So much.... Amanda> I know I kind of feel like we need to go home... (laughing) That's just wonderful.

That's terrific.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So do you take your children to competitions and things like that?

Students?

Daniel> We do.

So we take the students to as many industry events as we can in the state and then nationally.

So the one that you just mentioned with the award is associated with the National Collegiate Landscape Competition, which we just attended in mid-March and brought our students back from.

It was a great experience.

Amanda> That is something.

How about that?

Where was it?

Daniel> It was in Provo, Utah.

It was hosted at Brigham Young University.

Amanda> Gosh, Daniel> Yeah.

Beautiful.

Absolutely beautiful.

Amanda> Wow.

That was very exciting for people from Greenville, South Carolina.

Daniel> 100% Amanda> I mean, y'all are pretty, y'all are pretty cool.

Daniel> So we don't see mountains very often.

(laughing) Amanda> Golly Pete.

Isn't that the most exciting thing?

Okay.

And so, Terasa, later on we're going to see Austin Jenkins, our naturalist friend, came by and talked to us about the cicada emergence, which is going to be fun, isn't it?

Terasa> It sure is.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

And so we're going to get a cookbook, look and see if we can find... You love to bake.

So I'm going to have you be in charge of the cicada cookies.

Okay.

We've tried a few things.

I think we tried ants or, I don't...cate-, caterpillars or something one time, and they weren't ...it's crickets.

It was crickets in a trail mix.

Amanda> Yeah.

Yeah.

>> So I guess I can be adventurous and try cicadas, too.

Amanda> Okay.

Thanks a lot.

(laughing) Well, have people have been adventuresome with their Gardens of the Week that they sent you?

Terasa> Oh, Gardens of the Week, I think people were waiting for us to come back from our break.

And now that everything is reawakening in the landscape, we are getting so many submissions.

I think there were 140+ (plus) the last time I looked.

So this is your chance to show off what you're doing in your yard, your garden, your landscape, maybe inside, or perhaps you've visited a beautiful place.

Let us take a look.

We begin with Richard Chapman, who submitted a very vigorous and sprawling Lady Banks rose from Mary Marshall a flower of her banana shrub.

And she said that Amanda, you helped her to identify it many years ago, and they enjoy its fragrance.

Amanda> They do smell like heaven, don't they?

Terasa> They do, like ripe bananas.

I guess that's just where it got its common name.

Brenda Fischer shared an exciting find.

The Green Fly Orchid, which is an "ep" in the genus Epidendrum on an oak tree in Northern Charleston County.

So this is the northern most epiphytic orchid.

And even though it's locally common, it's not rarely observed because it's primarily occurring in Blackwater swamps.

So.

Amanda> You know and I've seen in St. Matthews over the town hall entrance, there was a, you know, an aluminum roof and I've seen it there.

I mean, it just needs to be up in the air.

Terasa> That's the neat things about epiphytes, right.

They just need a place for some structure.

From Carol Berlo, a stunning cluster of what we commonly call Amaryllis.

Although the genus is Hippeastrum, And I'd just like to say that one just kind of flows off.

your tip... (laughing) And I have to give Carol credit.

Carol had a time trying to send me a photo that was going to be resolution enough that we could use on TV.

But her persistence paid off and we got it.

Amanda> Oh great!

Terasa> And last, but not least, Deb McGee shared a pot of succulents with hens and chicks offset.

And it's living up to its name that Sempervivum which means live forever and refers to the offsets that keep being produced.

So thank you everyone, for sharing your photos.

Remember, that's just a small sampling.

We encourage you to visit our Facebook page and view what others have sent in.

And when you see us make a call for Gardens of the Week, post your photos in the comments.

Amanda> Well, thank you for picking out some and I know you just kind of select them randomly.

So don't get your feelings hurt (laughing) if...if you know, if yours weren't there, that's okay.

All righty.

Well, is there a question we might get some help from my panel for?

Terasa> Always questions.

People ask lots of questions.

The whos the hows, the whys or what's going on in their landscape?

We're going to start by trying to help Vince in Simpsonville.

Vince said, I know there's a native Wisteria.

How can I tell the difference between the native one and the invasive species?

Amanda> You know, wisteria to me is just one of the worst because not only does it girdle the trees, but it when it gets up over the tops, it just keeps there's no sunlight coming through.

So there's just a dead zone underneath.

Tom do you know?

Is this one that you know about?

Tom> Well, having been out and about recently and you had said earlier about gardens and landscapes coming alive.

Well, this is one of those plants that is showing its face now out in the landscape and in the woods.

But the Asian, the Chinese and the Japanese varieties are the ones that are so invasive and we do have an American wisteria that is not... it's a vigorous grower but not as vigorous as the Asian.

The Asians can grow up to 80 feet long and the American ones, maybe 30 feet or something along that angle.

And so... the way to distinguish the the difference between the two is that the... the Chinese variety tends to twine up its support from left to right.

If you look at the base, the Japanese from right to left.

Amanda> But that...that didn't I mean, both of those you should just cut off with a stub of glyphosate.

Tom> But if you... if you're.

Exactly.

If you're wondering whether or not you've got the the invasive variety or not.

And then of course the American one also goes from left to right.

Amanda> But the...but if I'm not mistaken, Stephanie, the Asian varieties tend to be more spectacular, perhaps because the flowers come before they leaf out so much.

Stephanie> Yeah, and the American is not as a vigorous grower and the seed pods are smooth, instead of fuzzy.

Yeah.

Amanda> Terasa, I know that you pay a lot of attention to invasive species because you're always encouraging us to plant native species, which have you had some experience of wisteria, too?

Terasa> Yes, and it is hard because those invasive species, they make such a spectacular view that it's hard to convey that they can, can be dangerous.

But the American wisteria, even though the risk seems the the flowers are going to be a little bit shorter, it's equally as beautiful, I think.

And it's not going to pose the ecological risks that the invasive species do.

And so, Amethyst falls is one of the cultivars that it's pretty commonly available and it's going to be flowering a little bit later in the year.

So that's another clue that people can use.

Usually the, the Japanese and Chinese have sort of finished up by the time the American is is starting to flower, but you can put it on a trellis and know that if you leave that landscape that it's not going to become a pest like the others will if the the new owners aren't aware of the problem.

Amanda> But that cat is out of the bag.

I'm afraid.

Stephanie> That's for sure.

Terasa> Yeah.

I mean, even though it doesn't typically spread by seed, you can still when you see it, you know, it probably started, you know, from someone's planting and then it has spread, you know, by veining and getting out of control.

I've been to places where there were acres and acres of some honey persimmons.

Oh well, well, what's next?

Maybe something Terasa> We're going to go with something new and exciting.

Amanda> Okay, great.

>> I think, Stephanie is going to share a petunia that has some unusual characteristics.

Amanda> Come on.

Okay, Stephanie> So, yeah, there are some neat things coming along in the home garden genetics realm, and there's a brand new petunia available for the first time this year.

That is a white fire, Petunia.

It looks like a normal garden type petunia, A> Yeah?

Stephanie> Yeah, but it has been genetically modified so that it bioluminescence in the evenings.

Amanda> Whoa!

Stephanie> So.

Yeah.

Sounds like something out of the movie Avatar or something, yeah.

And so this petunia, the flowers are white.

They're about yay big.

it's a small flowering type.

Amanda> But they can be lots of flowers?

Stephanie> They can cover.

Amanda> Cover it.

Stephanie> Yeah, it'll, it'll bloom.

You know, just like your regular garden side and petunia.

But that flower and the new growth is the part of the plant that shows that bioluminescence.

But, you know, it's bioluminescence, so it has to be dark in a moonless night, a dark corner of the garden kind of thing that you would be able to see it.

Amanda> It wouldn't have worked during our last eclipse because it didn't get dark enough Stephanie> It didn't get dark enough.

No.

No.

No.

So it's not you know, it's not like landscape lighting, but you're not going to be walk your path by light of petunia.

But it's pretty interesting.

They took in.

Yeah.

Used genetic engineering to add that bioluminescent mushroom DNA in there.

Amanda> Really?

Stephanie> Mmm hmm!

Amanda> Golly, Pete.

Stephanie> Yeah.

And you just grow it like a normal petunia just normal culture conditions.

Amanda> And maybe you should warn people who are at a cocktail party at your house, you know, that's out there because otherwise they may say, I think I've got to Stephanie> I've had too much to drink.

(laughing) It's called I don't think I even said the name.

It's called Firefly petunia.

Amanda> Firefly.

Isn't that something.

Okay.

Stephanie> So right now I think it's only been available through mail order.

So, it's very unique to the market.

Terasa> It will be interesting to see if it kind of takes off, if it becomes the new kind of hottest trend in gardening or if it's a very niche kind of market.

Stephanie> Yeah, because like I said, it's a very subtle glow.

So when I received a plant through mail order and I had to take it in the closet.

(laughing) to see it, and and so, you know, it was blooming when it arrived and so I had to take in the closet and it was glowing.

But, you know, we had to take it in the deep in the deep, dark in a low light situation.

Amanda> Okay.

Stephanie> Yeah.

Amanda> So if you've got an annoying security light or something, it might not work.

Stephanie> It won't be as obvious if you have like path lighting near it or something like that.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, it's in a pot.

You can just move it around to another place.

Stephanie> That's true.

(laughing) Amanda> Okay.

Well, that's a lot of fun.

Stephanie>Something interesting.

Amanda> That is interesting.

Well Terasa.

Terasa> Well, let's see what else we have.

It seems that Jim in Greenwood has a question.

Jim said, I've been noticing strange, fleshy objects on my camellias this spring.

What are they?

Amanda> Well, who wants to tackle this one?

Daniel> I can talk about that.

Amanda> Okay, Daniel.

So the first time I actually have experienced this myself when I lived in Pennsylvania, I was in a botanical garden and saw this crazy succulent.

It looks almost like a fruit on the plant.

It happens on camellias, azaleas and several plants in the Arecaceae family.

But it's actually a fungal pathogen called Exobasidium.

On camellias it's Exobasidium camelliae and on other varieties, its Exobasidium vaccinii, which will affect azaleas and mountain laurels.

But it looks wild, kind of like an alien, something from an alien planet, but it's really not terribly harmful to the plant, so it's more esthetic, but to control it, it's recommended to pluck those off and throw them in the trash, as soon as you can.

They'll go through a phase where they start to sporulate and that's when that can spread and then it will appear again next year.

So the recommendation is to remove those it gets produced or it produces from cold, wet environments.

So which sometimes you can't avoid that if that's our natural climate.

But if you sometimes it's encouraged from overhead irrigation, if, if there's too much overhead irrigation on your plants.

So if you can avoid that and if it occurs, just pluck them off and throw them away and that's all you got to do.

Amanda> It seems to me that I've often seen it more frequently on sesanquas than on the other camellias Daniel> That's correct.

You will see it more often on the sesanquas.

Amanda> But, you know, I mean, I've been places where people haven't done anything to the plants for a hundred years, and I'm sure they've had some of those wet, cold times.

It doesn't seem to be much of a threat, I believe.

So, you don't have to get a ladder out.

Daniel> No.

Terasa> There's an Exobasidium that will get on Horse Sugar as well, and it's kind of one of the ways that I recognize horse sugar, if I'm walking.

It almost always will be on there.

And in fact, someone had sent us a picture on our Facebook page like, what is this thing?

But they're kind of a neat looking and galls can be formed from all sorts of things.

So sometimes in response to a mite, sometimes in response to a virus, a fungus.

And you mentioned a fancy word, sporulate.

What...?

Maybe our viewers want to know what that means.

Daniel> So it's basically just produce spores.

That's essentially, if you think of how plants reproduce, it would be the way that a fungal pathogen reproduces.

It'll sporulate.

It will send spores out and then they'll reproduce when the environment is right again the next time.

Amanda> Okay.

Daniel> The other thing- Stephanie> -You to clean up the leaf.

Getting the spore out of there.

Daniel> Exactly.

And I mean, the other thing is, it's recommended to mulch underneath the plants because that splash up, if there's bare soil, can carry that, the spores back up and it'll happen on a fruit too.

I don't know if I mentioned that.

So you'll get these the flowers actually and fruit, but the flowers will get all fleshy and look again just very odd.

Stephanie> And pruning to thin the bush can kind of help too, with air circulation.

Daniel> Absolutely.

Stephanie> Cut down on that moisture.

You know that fungus loves.

(laughing) Amanda> Well, but again, this isn't life or death.

Daniel> No.

>>Which is...sometimes a relief.

Yeah.

Terasa> Thankfully, a lot of the things in the landscape are not really.

A lot of the things we worry about are really esthetic issues.

Amanda> Okay... Well, there's going to be some pretty exciting stuff happening in the landscapes in certain parts of South Carolina.

And Austin Jenkins going to talk to us about the emergent cicadas.

I'm talking to Austin Jenkins, who's a naturalist over at USC Sumter.

Also, there's something really exciting getting ready to happen.

Austin> Absolutely.

So from about mid April through mid-May of this year, 2024 we'll have the emergence of one of the periodical cicada broods.

It's known as the Great Southern Brood, I think, and it comes across the Carolinas and goes all the way over to Illinois and towards Kansas, but will have them here, especially in our Piedmont region, just above the Midlands, into the Piedmont of South Carolina.

Amanda> We have... see cicadas every year.

They're the ones that let us leave this funky little shells on the outside of the tree.

Austin> Yes.

And so those are the annual cicadas or sometimes called the dog day cicadas.

And they have because they come out in the dog days of summer when it's getting kind of hot and long.

And...and we'll see them, especially people notice their exoskeletons on the bases of trees.

But then you hear the noise up in the trees later on in the day, and those are the cicada males especially singing.

So they look like this individual that's here, kind of deep green in color.

We have several different species of them.

The best way to tell the difference is really by listening to the songs, which I encourage people to do.

Every different song that you hear is a different species of cicada, and you'll have several in your own back yard.

These have about a three year life cycle typically, but they alternate each year, so we have them present every year.

Amanda> Okay.

Austin> You know, so.

Amanda> So they don't they don't do everything in one year.

But there are so many.

There are a couple of them.

So every year one of them is going to come out.

Austin> That's right.

Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Fun.

And, and so I remember the first time I saw an adult, I was 30 something years old because I was out in the garden and I said, What in the world is that huge, big eyed book?

Austin> Yeah.

Yeah.

They...they stay tucked away up in the trees, you know, And the males are singing and the females are hopefully interested in their songs and then they lay eggs up in the trees too.

The eggs hatch out, and the larval cicadas just kind of free fall down onto the forest floor of the ground of your yard.

And then they burrow into the ground, find a tree root, and then start to suck on the xylem on the interior part of that tree root for the next few years.

So there's, you know, unless you're looking up on the trees or you see one dead on the ground, it's not often that you run across them.

Amanda> And the xylem is the part of the tree's vascular system that's taking water up and not full of carbohydrates, like the phloem, which is sending things down, the photosynthetic compounds.

Right?

And so is that one reason that perhaps these take a long time, these periodic stay under the ground drinking xylem food for that long?

Austin> Yeah.

So, you know, even the ones we see each year that are two and three year cicadas, that's kind of a long time for an insect to live.

And so that is one of the hypotheses that since they're not, you don't you're not feeding upon a nutrient rich source.

Well, you just need to take a little bit longer to do what you do.

And so two or three years and a lot of our, you know, annual cicadas and then 13 or even 17 years and the ones that are going to emerge, you know, this spring.

Amanda> And the mysteries of nature, you say they even have some gut bacteria.

We don't know how exactly how that works.

It helps them get some other nutrients.

Austin> Right.

So, first of all, if they're on nutrient poor source, you can just take longer to get what you need, but also you can partner up... they call them endosymbionts, a little bacteria that live in the digestive track.

A lot of...we're doing this too, you know, as humans, but the cicadas use some of these bacteria that help them to assemble amino acids in ways that would not be possible otherwise.

And so that's great for the cicada, but it's also great for the natural world because you're getting calories that are being produced out of something that wasn't available without that partnership.

Amanda> And some people worry that they're going to...

They're drinking all the water out of my poor tree roots.

Well, first of all, I think when they go down, they aerate the soil and then with this relationship's going on.

I imagine there are some exudates coming out.

Austin> Yes.

I mean, absolutely.

And then when they ultimately perish, I mean, so there's exudates and there's...when they perish, they fertilize the soil.

They're a tremendous, you know, boom to the ecosystem economy, so to speak.

I mean, they really are.

a lot of birds, for example, other animals that eat the cicadas do really well in the years that the cicadas emerge.

Amanda> There's so much food.

Austin> increased production.

And that'll sometimes last, depending on the species for several years after the emergence of some of the periodical cicadas, especially.

Amanda> Now the female adult has, I guess they mate and then she has an ovipositor Austin> She does.

Yeah.

And so when that egg is laid often in the distal margins of a lot of the trees and a lot of times it's deciduous trees for the periodical cicadas, the hardwoods, especially.

Amanda> The distal margin is kind of towards the end of the Austin> Toward the end.

Yeah, so if you drive through the Piedmont of South Carolina for example, anywhere with this brood hatches in 2024 and look at the tops of the trees, you know, in the mid to late summer, you can see a lot of dead branches.

and that's because the ovipositor of the female cicada went in there and, did a little bit of damage.

But it's not been shown to be enough to have anybody worry.

Amanda> And she lays and then she just moves down a little bit.

She will, may lay a fair number of eggs and one little twig.

Is that correct?

Austin> That's correct.

And move.

She, you know, they've even found that sometimes they pick sunny spots, you know, because those are the places where perhaps there's going to be a more beneficial life cycle of cicadas.

But it's... those distal outside small twigs results in some natural pruning.

Amanda> Yeah.

Austin> And good gardeners know that that's important.

Amanda> Selective pruning can be important.

So we have the adult that's going to be coming out in our area, actually not where I live, but in the Piedmont of South Carolina is different looking in some ways.

Austin> Yeah.

And so this year is the hatch of the periodical cicadas.

Amanda> 2024.

Austin> 2024.

And these individuals have been underneath the ground for, you know, 12 years.

This is the 13th year they're teenagers.

So they want to be wild and crazy.

They're going to come out and party and they're going to do that in numbers that are unimaginable.

A million and a half cicadas on one acre of land.

Amanda> Uh Uh.

Austin> Yeah.

It's just incredible.

You can't walk through the forest and have a conversation like we're doing now because it's that loud sometimes.

It's very difficult to walk upon the floor without stepping on them.

So I would encourage everybody to go see these things, but this is markedly different from the every day annual cicada that we have in our backyards, for sure.

And so they're going to be coming out in such numbers again to try to overwhelm a lot of the predators that are out there.

That's a good strategy.

If you have the same amount of offspring every single year, then predators can, you know, have populations that are adapted to that.

On the other hand, if you surprise somebody, you know, every so often make more offspring than anybody can be ready for.

Well, that's part of what their strategy is.

Amanda> And you said the fact that it's prime numbers even exacerbates that positive emergence.

Austin> Yeah.

So, you know, the periodical cicadas are either 13 year cicadas or 17 year cicadas.

The ones we have are emerging in their 13th year.

The reason that's useful is because for one, they've learned how to live longer than most other insects, and a lot of their predators are other insects, which means those other insects have shorter life cycles.

and the cyclicity of those other insects is going to be like two years or three years or four years.

You can't get the 13 that way.

You can get to 12 and you can't get to 17 that way.

I mean, you can eventually, but not as often, You know, as long as you're using a prime number for your life span.

So 13 and 17 are important, important numbers in the life of a periodical cicada.

Amanda> There's some places that where we can go and see not only this fascinating animal, but also a fascinating plant species, too.

I think that's a good place to go and see both... two things happening at once.

It's pretty special.

Austin> Yeah.

So the periodical cicadas are going to be available probably in some of your backyards, but also some of the land that we, you know, as citizens of South Carolina enjoy, such as lands for Canal State Park.

And there you can see the periodical Cicadas, but also the blooming of the Rocky Shoals Spider Lily.

Those happen about the same time, you know, early to mid-May and then also Sumter National Forest is a great place.

It's kind of, you know, segregated a little bit.

There's a plot of land just north of Columbia that's fantastic, up towards Newberry and another one just north of Aiken.

So Sumter National Forest would be another great place to go see the cicadas if they're not- Amanda> Well, if I went up to Landsford Canal State Park, do I just wander around or listen for them?

Or what's the what's the best way to actually see the numbers?

Austin> So, good question.

So they are a little different from our every day cicada because they sing in the morning rather than the afternoon, oftentimes.

It's a droning sound.

So it'll almost feel like you, maybe your hearing aid is going off or something like that.

It's this odd sound.

It just doesn't not sound like a cicada.

Yeah.

And so follow that.

Even though it sounds spooky, follow that.

That will take you to the cicadas.

And typically they're up in the deciduous forests.

That's the best kind of place too.

Amanda> Because that's where they had emerged.

Austin> That's right.

That's right.

Amanda> Okay.

And that's where the females are going to be laying eggs after she mates?

Austin> Yes.

Yes.

Amanda> Okay...Gosh.

Austin> It's a lot to take in.

Well, it's just the complexity of something.

We just think, it's an insect, right?

We say blah blah blah.

You know, and then to think of all the combinations it has with other organisms is just awesome.

It's the most miraculous natural world.

Austin> It is.

It is.

And it never stops to amaze you.

And so that's why I'm so excited about this year.

I was I was present for them in 2011.

I'm hoping I'll be around to see these guys too.

So.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, I'll look forward to seeing people out there listening for the drone.

You've got that.

Austin> Yes, absolutely.

Well, thanks for taking the time to get people excited about them.

Amanda> I think they already are.

But now they'll be even more so.

Austin, thanks, always for coming in and sharing your...with us.

Austin> Absolutely.

Amanda> What a happy occasion in 2024.

I hope everybody gets to go and see this.

Well, You know, Terasa, I just love peonies.

And sometimes with the changes in climate that we're experiencing mine don't bloom because it's too hot in the... at night, in the summer particularly.

But I was just so thrilled I went out there and look what I've got.

Terasa> Those are spectacular.

Really lovely.

Amanda> They're really something.

And then you know I go back and forth a lot of times from St. Matthews to Columbia for various reasons and that takes me to a sandy area and I'll see this beautiful little bap-tish- I mean lupinus and this is a perennial one and I think it's called Lupinus diffusus, and it's related to the Texas Blue Bonnet, Bluebells, I think or bluebonnets.

Isn't that what they call them?

Terasa> Yeah.

It's cute Amanda> Isn't that?

And, and in one place next to someone's house, they've got a big field and it must be three or four acres with just these huge patches.

It's just one of the most stunning things every year, you know.

Isn't it fun the things that you look forward to in nature seeing?

And that's of the things I look forward to in nature Anyway it grows on the sides of the roads.

And I was careful not to I mean, of course I didn't take the roots or anything, but I was careful not to take a flower from, all one plant.

So I tried to be careful in harvesting them.

Any how.

Terasa> I was looking up some information because I am used to seeing one that has hairy leaves.

So I was a little bit curious about this and apparently it doesn't really do very well.

It doesn't transplant very well because the tap root doesn't like to be disturbed.

And so that species in particular, it says it's best to just enjoy in its native habitat.

Amanda> I did see that there were some seeds available, but I don't know if it would.

It seems so happy in those sands.

That's where I always see it.

I'm sure that taproot going down like that gives it an advantage in getting some water, wouldn't you think so?

Terasa> Apparently it's pretty finicky.

It requires full sun, but very well-drained sandy soil.

So you just have to have just the right spot.

Amanda> The right place.

(laughing) So don't put that in any of your landscape designs up there in Greenville Stephanie> In our clay soil?

Amanda> Oh, goodness.

But it is a pretty thing.

It's just, you know, the cycles of nature, it's...it's fun to experience those.

Isn't it!

Well, Tom I think you've got something to talk to us about.

Tom> I do...again.

Terasa had mentioned about the landscapes coming alive, and one of the things that I enjoy so much about this season of the year is watching to see what happens.

And one of those that has fascinated me this year is clover.

We see a lot of the white clover on the side of the road that is in the little globes and a great food source for our pollinators, our bees.

Later on, we'll see some red clover, which really isn't red.

It's more pink, the same shape, the...globe.

And then my personal favorite I have brought some... Amanda> Now, that's red.

Tom> This one and these...are... Amanda> If you'll put them down.

There we go.

Then we might get a good view of them.

How about that?

Tom> I'll just hold a couple of them up.

They're cone shaped and just are a beautiful red.

Of course, as in all of the... Amanda> -many of the legumes.

Tom> They have the three tri-foliate leaves.

And so... these, in fact, on the way up here to the studio today, we saw these just all over the side of the road, and it was just glorious to see them.

Amanda> And they're right tall.

Tom> They are.

Yeah, they are.

Amanda> They really make a show.

Tom> And can be used quite nicely for silage for cattle.

(laughing) Stephanie> Or Amandas.

Tom> Yeah.

Or Amanda.

Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

So anyway, these are, these are just gorgeous and if you leave them in place or you want to go out and collect some of the seeds and spread them in your yard, they make great groundcover for the winter.

Amanda> Okay.

Wonderful.

Stephanie> They're a nice cover crop that uses nitrogen, right?

Tom> Exactly.

Amanda> And then they'll bloom for you in the spring.

They'll sit there happily growing.

Okay.

All right.

Well, Terasa?

Terasa> Roberta in Greenwood said her husband noticed something, an infestation on beautiful gardenia bushes that had been healthy for years and would like to know what our diagnosis and recommended treatment is.

And of course, pictures to accompany so we can properly identify.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, Stephanie, do you have an idea of what's happening?

Stephanie> Yeah.

So the photo shows the trunk of the gardenia with all of these little holes are lined up in a row and kind of a little block, and it's where the bark has been chipped away and it's in some cases, you can even see where the sap...is dripping down the trunk.

And if you see that that pattern is very distinctive for a sap sucker.

Amanda> Ah!

>> Yeah.

Woodpecker bird.

And so they make that very distinct pattern.

All the holes might not be the same size or shape, but it's very obvious and they're kind of almost evenly spaced.

Almost like you... Amanda> Had a ruler.

>> Yeah.

Almost like you put a little pattern on there for them to peck away at.

And so on the trunk of these gardenias, they had been limbed up and the whole trunk is very exposed.

And so... what I would recommend is that you use some sort of physical barrier.

You can wrap it with burlap.

You can use some bird netting or something like that to keep the bird from because, you know, if it's enough damage, it can really, you know, stress it out.

Amanda> I don't think that happens too frequently.

Stephanie> Yeah.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank you so much.

Well, Dan I think you've got something to talk to us about.

Daniel> Yeah, I wanted to talk with y'all all about the competition.

So the landscape competition that we mentioned earlier, that...was...it's one of the, I would say, the highlights of our year in our program.

We've gone for the past four years or four times excluding the COVID years.

So like I mentioned this past year, it was up in Utah.

We took five students with us and we competed in about 15 different events.

So the competition is hosted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals and industry comes in.

There's about 30 different events there and industry from all sectors.

So equipment, you know, irrigation suppliers, all sorts of industry come in and they host the competitive events.

So the students, the competition is kind of what is known for, but they do other things as well.

They'll go to educational workshops.

They will go to a career fair, which there's over 100 different companies that are trying to recruit to full time positions, internships.

It's pretty amazing.

Amanda> Yeah.

What were some of the things that...challenge them?

Daniel> Yeah, the competitive events are certainly the most challenging.

They've got, you know, we prepare for the year starting in January, sometimes even back to the fall, but we'll certainly start in January.

The students...I would say kind of the main event that's at the very end of the competition is a landscape plant installation event, and it's a team of three students that do that and all the rest of the schools and everybody is there cheering their teams on.

So there's about probably over a thousand people out there watching and cheering on.

And so they've got to take a ten by ten, a drawing of a ten by ten plot, and they're given mulch, edging, trees, shrubs, annuals, and they've got to plant it according to the plan.

And so they get evaluated based on how closely it matches the plan and how...how much attention to detail they put into it.

Amanda> That's really something Daniel> It's a lot of fun.

Amanda> I'm so glad you all got to go and that they were recognized and that you were recognized also.

Okay.

Well, we're going to go to Hickory Top, which is an equine therapy center, and I think you be very excited to see the work that they're doing.

(piano music) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We're in Eastover, South Carolina, and I'm talking to Amanda Malanuk, and we are at Hickory Top Farm.

And you have an interesting aspect to this farm.

>> We do, Amanda.

Our therapeutic riding program is so honored to be the new stewards of this 50 year old farm.

It's just a great place to have a permanent home for therapeutic riding in our community.

Amanda> This is certainly different from what people think of as therapy.

Why horses?

Amanda Malanuk> You know, Amanda I used to work in Children's Hospital and spend a lot of time with families and children coping with illness and emotional difficulty with trauma and things of that nature.

And I quickly realized that horses have an amazing capacity to help with wellness and to help people heal.

So I took my work from the children's hospital and took it outdoors to a farm and began in a therapeutic riding program in Charleston.

And we're now we're doing it here at Hickory Top Farm.

Amanda> It is exciting.

And so, from physical difficulties, how can a horse help?

Malanuk> So the horse provides a wonderful input.

So the stimulation from the horse's movement and rotation helps people work on core strength and balance and alignment, as well as strengthen their motor skills.

Amanda> You have a young person who started with you who I think has made tremendous progress.

Malanuk> Yes, young Ansel Bunch started with us when he was three years old.

And Ansel has Charge Syndrome, which has really affected his vision, and his hearing, but mostly his muscle tone.

So he was unable to walk without the help of a walker.

And when he began riding with us, the three dimensional rotation of the horse's movement provided input into his body.

And so he had muscle to muscle contact with the horse's back and started creating muscle memory.

And then his brain began to understand that forward rotation of his pelvis, which mimics the human walk.

And in a short time, Ansel was able to stand up by himself.

And then he began walking.

And now Ansel runs.

It's just amazing to see what his relationship with the horse has not only done for his body, but also it's taught him some communication skills.

He spent a lot of time in his early, early years riding with us, being very quiet and now he gets on that horse and he says, "Walk on."

And he's just so he's found his leadership skills through the horse.

It's been really great.

Amanda> You want little boys to be boisterous and now we have a wonderfully joyful boist- boisterous little friend.

Malanuk> We really do.

Amanda> Also the emotional benefits for certain people, it's just amazing.

And so can you share some of those stories with us, please?

Malanuk> Yes.

You know, it seems these days, especially since COVID, there's a lot of anxiety and people are worried a lot of the time or they're depressed and they're kind of withdrawn from all of the isolation.

And so learning to have a relationship with the horse who offers a very trusting presence being with someone with anxiety helps them learn to slow down their breath cycle how to relax.

And we always encourage not only our riders, but our staff and our volunteers to leave their worries at the gate.

And that's actually the first thing we do when we arrive.

Before we get with the horses, everyone leaves their worries at the gate and then they become in partnership with the horses.

Amanda> And autism, which is being diagnosed and recognized more, also seems to respond.

Malanuk> It has, you know, autism, social skills.

Horses really do a wonderful job of helping people make eye contact.

You've got to understand how to approach the horse from the horse's perspective, which means you come to the side and you walk into their personal space.

But you also have to wait and let the horse come into your space as well.

And someone challenged with autism can really gain those life skills in working with the horses.

And from there then they learn to ride.

And so we start at the ground and then we get up on the horse and it transfers into other communication skills and using your voice and especially your intention, you know, intention is a word we use a lot here at this farm because we want people to have a picture in their mind of what they're trying to accomplish.

And so if you can use the power of your mind to convey your intentions, you can accomplish a lot, especially on the back of a horse.

Amanda> Amanda, it is Hickory Top Farm because you want this to involve the community and not just be a program for people who have the therapeutic needs.

Malanuk> Yes, we are re-establishing Hickory Top Farm as a community resource and we are really excited to work with different community partners such as our local elementary schools.

We're...starting a literacy and horses program where school groups can come out and engage with the horses and when they're reading stories to the horse, they're having to find their confidence and project their voices and find fluency and rhythm in their storytelling capacity.

And when doing that, horses are drawn in to things that feel good and they have a nice, calm energy.

And so the horse will come all the way down to the page of the book and be very interested and be the best audience an emerging reader has ever heard.

Amanda> I think I know where my children's bedtime story books are.

I'm going to go and get one and come back and practice my reading with the horses.

But right now, I want to go and meet one of your riders' who's here, who has a very interesting story of his own.

Malanuk> Yes, Winston Ridley began with us two years ago, and he started his horsemanship experience by learning how to approach the horse and has gained so many skills since that time and has really developed a long lasting relationship with Rain, his horse.

And so I'm very excited for you to witness his...ability to communicate on the ground and while he's riding with Rain.

Amanda> Well, thank you for the work you're doing, therapeutic riding out here at Hickory Top Farm.

And thank you for letting us come today and learn about this fascinating and extremely beneficial program.

Malanuk> Thank you Amanda.

It's been wonderful to be with you, ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Winston, thank you for letting me watch your workout with your horse today.

Winston> You're welcome.

Amanda> What is her name?

Winston> Her name is Rain.

Amanda> Well, she's a lovely, gentle animal.

Yes, ma'am.

She is.

Rain and I have a pretty good friendship.

Amanda> And we were at Hickory Top Farms.

What do you like about coming out here?

Winston> Well, what I like about Hickory Top Farm is that it is beautiful, peaceful, and it has a lot of pretty land and arenas.

So gorgeous.

Amanda> Today you were working out in the arena.

Tell me how you first approached Rain, and then how you all got into the arena.

Winston> We first approach Rain by preening the horse, by petting the mane withers, and smelling the hands as a greeting to say hello.

And Rain loves that so much.

Amanda> So...y'all can establish a feeling between each other and remind each other of how much y'all like each other, maybe.

Winston> Yes, man.

This is called love and affection of horses.

Amanda> Well, she's easy to love.

I agree with you.

And then when you got inside the arena, you need to check some things before you begin.

Tell me some of that process that you go through please.

Winston> Before riding the horse, we had to check the horse equipment by checking the straps.

and to match their arm length if they're the same.

and that they're the same.

And now we looked at this stirrups to see if they're even.

Amanda> Okay.

And...that they're straight.

And even.

Amanda> So you got all the equipment checked done.

But now you've got to get on the horse.

How do you do that?

Winston> We get on the horse by using reins and mane.

first on the left hand.

Amanda> Did you use the mounting block first?

Winston> Yes, ma'am by using mounting block first.

Then climb up onto it.

But first I put my left feet on the left stirrup and holding the mane and... And the right part of the seat And then swiftly swing the leg back getting onto the horse.

And the right feet got into my stirrup by squeezing both legs to make the horse walk.

And now we start the warm up lap by using upper body warm ups like swinging the arms, twisting the arms and swinging arm circles five times.

And so after the one lap, we practice horseback riding lessons by using two point possession.

Amanda> What is two point position?

Winston> Two point position is when the horse rider holds onto the reins tightly and squeezing the neck and making the legs spin.

And it makes the legs stand up.

This is called balance and coordination.

Amanda> You look like people, some people think you just do things by kicking the horse, using the reins.

But it looks to me like you use your body weight and the insides of your thighs.

Tell me how you try to get a good seat on the horse.

Winston> To get onto good seat of the horse by sitting tall, nice and straight, like a tall person by using great posture like this.

This is how we sit tall.

Amanda> Your instructor, Lindsay, was helping you get started with some of the warm ups.

Winston> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> And you all have had a good relationship.

What were some of the things she was encouraging you to try today?

Winston> She encouraged me, to try to, take the walk-halt transitions by playing red like green light.

And it was my favorite part of horseback riding lessons.

Amanda> What's so much fun about that?

Winston> What is so much fun about playing green light is that is I get to repeat patterns of of a walk-halt transitions.

Amanda> At one point you were doing some trotting on the horse Tell me how you prepare for that and what you do while you're trotting, please.

Winston> In order to... to prepare to trot the horse I squeeze both legs and make a clucking sound and say trot, and then the horse will trot, which is also my favorite part of horseback riding lesson.

Amanda> So that part is too, because you get to do a lot more activities.

And again, you're explaining to me that using different parts of your body is not like just telling the horse to do something.

You're using your body to talk to the horse.

Winston> I'm using my body to talk to horses, with my arms and legs and the voice as a way to communicate to horses.

Amanda> You went in and out of cones and you had to really get Rain to cooperate.

Tell me how you did that.

Winston> I used direct reins.

I used direct rein steering to weave through cones.

So that, so that Rain can turn left on the cones.

And the left hand is the inside hand and the right hand is the outside hand.

When I use the right hand as an inside hand, the horse turns back and and...the left hand will be the outside hand.

Amanda> You have a lot of thoughts to keep straight in your mind while you're doing this.

I guess you really focus on what you're doing and don't think about other things, perhaps.

Winston> Yes, ma'am.

Amanda> I can see that important.

But then I think both you and Rain earned a little bit of relaxing.

Tell me about cooling down.

Winston> It's important that we had to do the cool down lap by making the body relaxed, Right... like twisting the ankles, pointing the toes up and down, just to make the feet relax.

Right.

And I twisted my arms.

Just to make my arms to relax, as well.

Amanda> Do you think Rain is relaxing, too?

Winston> Yes, ma'am.

Rain is always relaxed.

Amanda> After you get off, I think you want to use positive reinforcement to thank her.

How do you do that?

Winston> I use positive reinforcement by petting the withers.

to tell Rain, "Good job."

And she appreciates that.

And I appreciate Rain by the hard work paying off and I'm grateful for that.

Amanda> Thank you for telling us about coming to Hickory Top and I hope you'll get to come back and keep on enjoying it for many years.

Winston> You are so welcome.

My pleasure.

♪ Amanda> What an exciting program they have out there and they're finding ways to expand it, to involve more children from some of the local schools.

And we hope we can show you some of those activities in the future.

Well, you're with people.

That's kind of a long drive.

Dan, we so appreciate it.

Stephanie> We had good company.

Amanda> Did you?

(laughing) I hope that y'all will come again soon.

Stephanie> Of course.

Amanda> And let's say good night to everybody and hope that you all at home will join us next week for Making It Grow.

♪ closing music ♪ ♪ ♪ 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.