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.

♪ ♪ ♪ Amanda> Well, hello and welcome to Making It Grow .

I sure am glad that you're with us tonight.

I'm Amanda McNulty, and I am a Clemson Extension Agent who has the wonderful opportunity to come over and be with other agents and other specialists.

With my co-host Terasa Lott, who has the, she's the Midlands District Director, but she's still wonderful about coming and helping us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Terasa.

Terasa> I wouldn't miss it.

Occasionally, I do have some conflicts, but I'm really lucky to have great coworkers who can come and fill in.

And I'm excited to be here today with some old friends and new friends.

Amanda> Yes we do have, Jonathan Windham, we hadn't seen you in forever it seems like.

And, I Whenever I think of you, I try to think of the wonderful fragrance of roses cause you are a rosarian.

Jonathan> Yes ma'am.

Amanda> I mean, and you're doing breeding and all kinds of crazy stuff.

And that's just kind of... that's your hobby.

Jonathan> Yes ma'am, that's just my hobby.

Amanda> But what have they got you doing over at the Pee Dee REC?

Jonathan> Well, we've got a lot of things going on right now.

We have a new director, Dr. Jane Dever.

She started in April, so we're really excited to have her.

We are building brand new greenhouses.

So our greenhouse complex is expanding, and we're having, adding six more to what we've already got, to the 12 that we have now.

Amanda> And so, you're going to be managing, that's a lot of greenhouses, and you've got to manage the people who have things growing in the greenhouse.

That's... (laughing) Jonathan> But it's a good testament to the research we're doing and how we're expanding the research at the REC.

Amanda> Wonderful.

Oh, great.

Great.

Well, we'll have to come over when they get all done, see what you got... when everything looks good.

Jonathan> Yes.

Amanda> Okay.

And then Hannah you, Hannah Wilson is, Doctor Hannah Wilson.

I'm not gonna call you that because you're so young, but, but anyway.

And you are not a plant person.

Dr. Hannah> I am not.

Amanda> So tell us what, what kind of person you are, besides one with a lovely smile.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

So I'm a dietitian.

I'm a community nutrition researcher.

I'm also based at the Pee Dee REC with Jonathan.

And I do a lot of work around, trying to increase access to healthy foods for food insecure populations in the state.

Trying to develop and implement community programs for folks who have diet related conditions like diabetes, heart disease, etc...

So that's my area of focus.

Amanda> So a community based program might mean that they, would go to an office, or you would have a call or zoom, or how are you thinking these might work sometimes.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, both.

So similar to, if you've ever been to an extension health program.

I work really closely with our Rural Health and Nutrition Extension Team.

Amanda> Boy those people are great.

Dr. Hannah> They are fantastic.

Yes.

So trying to support their work.

Amanda> -get their medicines.

And when the world was shut down, they were just wonderful and kept in touch.

Well, you've got a great team.

Dr. Hannah> Yes, I do, very much so.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, thanks for being part of our team today.

Dr. Hannah> Thank you.

Amanda> And Davis Sanders is my dear, dear friend from South Pleasantburg Nursery on the banks of the Reedy River in Greenville.

And I've just been frantic about you cause, I mean, y'all, you could spit into the river.

Davis> And we do, occasionally.

Amanda> I was worried that y'all just might have been washed away, but- Davis> Our side of the river, our bank is fairly high, and this is actually the first time that we can remember, that it's actually breached the bank.

But it only got up as high as our overflow parking area in the back of the nursery.

So, we, we had more wind, but we were, we were really fortunate because, we, we only lost power for just a very short time at the nursery.

So we didn't have to really worry about the, the koi in the tank- Amanda> Oh, my goodness.

Davis> -suffering from oxygen deprivation or anything like that.

So- Amanda> Oh, well, I'm so glad 'cause... And y'all have been there a long, long time.

Davis> We'll be celebrating our 60th year next spring.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, and we are so glad that they let you come down and be with us.

Davis> I'm glad to be here.

Thanks for having me back.

Amanda> We're going to have a wonderful segment for you to watch, and this is an example of it, "Growing Hobby."

It's just great fun.

And you'll get all kinds of ideas of how to decorate your house for the fall, besides just chrysanthemums.

Which is kind of traditional wouldn't you think?

<mhm> At any rate, and usually Terasa has fun pictures or funny pictures or beautiful pictures that are our friends have sent in, to show off what they're doing or what they found amusing.

Terasa> You're right, Amanda, we could use lots of adjectives to describe your photos.

But it's your time to show off.

Show us what you're growing in your yard, your garden, a beautiful place that you've captured.

Today we begin our field trip across the state, so to speak, with Joni Molyneaux of Bonneau Beach, who sent us Salvia leucantha or Mexican bush sage.

And she said it's been utilized by butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

From Jo Wood in Orangeburg, not a plant, but something made from a plant.

She made beautyberry jelly.

And it has the most gorgeous color, I'm intrigued, because I've never tasted it.

And I had written that in an email, and she said people describe it in very different ways.

So, now I need to get my hands on some jelly and try it.

From Wayne Herlong in Lexington, his bat flower, in a hanging basket.

And you were mentioning about the hurricane, and the damage.

So the bat flower came inside and this picture was taken to protect it from, from the storm.

Joyce Wood sent in Celosia, or we might call it cockscomb.

She saw it at a farmer's market and, sent me the photo and asked if we could provide some additional information.

So, I know we've mentioned it on the show before.

Sometimes we see the flowers in plumes, but this one happens to be one of the crested forms.

And then last but not least, from Carla Pendleton, the orange flowers of fragrant tea olive.

And unfortunately, our TV can show off the beauty, but we don't get to enjoy that fragrance.

But I do thank all of you for submitting your photos.

We encourage you to post them on our Facebook page and visit the Facebook page to see the other submissions.

Amanda> And thank you for putting that together for us every week.

We sure appreciate it.

Terasa> It's my pleasure.

Amanda> Well, I know that you had a plethora of things from which to choose, but, let's show one of the things that you're going to talk about.

Davis> Okay, well, first of all, with fall being here, of course, we're seeing goldenrods blooming everywhere, all over the roadsides, in the fields around.

A lot of people think that goldenrod is, is a weed, but, it's, it's a non-allergenic wildflower.

It's pollinator attractor.

And in my opinion, it's one of the ten perfect perennials because it's just so carefree.

Beautiful blooms.

Pollinator attractor.

It lets you know that fall is on its way when it's in bloom.

And it doesn't require very much care at all.

It just needs, quite a bit of sun and a little bit of water, every now and then.

Amanda> I think we have 30 or 40 different ones.

<Mhm> There, there are a lot of them just in South Carolina right.

Davis> There are a number of different species, subspecies.

This is the straight species, the Solidago and... the reason it gets such a bad rap is because it blooms at the same time as...

Both speaking> "ragweed."

Davis> So when people start, start having their hay fever symptoms and they look around and see all these beautiful yellow flowers, they say, "that's what's causing the problem," and it's absolutely not.

This is, this is just a wonderful plant to have in your perennial garden.

Amanda> And I was collecting some yesterday.

And, I had to go like, "go away bee, go away bee."

I need a piece of this, you know, because they were just having a wonderful feast on it.

Davis> In fact, I, I took a little video of, two bees feeding on this plant as I was selecting it to bring down.

Amanda> Well, thank you so much.

We'll look forward to what you're bringing out later.

All right, Terasa, who needs some help with something?

Terasa> Let's see, I believe, "Elle or Ell-e," I'm not sure how we pronounce it.

From Pageland said, "Please help, my roses have these strange, gall-like growths on them.

They're orangish red.

Is my plant infected with something?"

Amanda> Ugh, Terasa> We do have a picture.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, Jonathan, I guess if anybody knows, you do.

I don't know if we're going to have to give her a real sad response or, or just... or just wait and see.

Jonathan> Looking at that photo, I'm happy to say that it's not infected with anything.

Those are rose hips.

And so it is fall, roses make seed just like any fruit plant.

And so rose hips are a fruit of the rosebush and so they're very high in vitamin C. <Yes> You can make jams out of them, jellies... Plant the seeds and grow your own roses.

Now, if you do plan to do that, roses and anything in the Rosaceae family, so your apples, pears, anything like that is going to require a period of stratification.

<Okay> Which is just cold treatment of the seed.

So you take those seeds, you put them in a Ziploc bag of wet, or moist sand- <moist> And toss them in the fridge for three months, plant them in the spring and then you'll have baby roses.

Amanda> And, you know, during the Second World War, the English, who were just so cut off from everything, but are great lovers of flowers... their, one of their only sources of vitamin C was rose hips.

<Rose hips> Yeah, yeah.

Jonathan> Really cool.

Amanda> You know how people... everything's supposed to be natural... <right> So I have some, vitamin C that I take, and, and it says, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and it has some kind of, you know, fancy scientific name.

And then it says, and "natural rose hips."

Jonathan> If you want rose hips, don't deadhead.

If you don't want rose hips, go ahead and deadhead your roses.

And that just means, removing those spent blossoms.

Amanda> And I eat them sometimes.

<Yeah> I think they're pretty tasty.

Some are tastier than others.

Jonathan> Very much so, yes.

Amanda> But if you're a grazer.

(laughter) Well thank you so much, and I'm so glad that you were able to give her wonderful news, because there's often unhappy news with roses.

<Right> Okay.

All righty.

Well Terasa.

Terasa> You know, a lot of people associate Cooperative Extension with horticulture, agriculture and might not realize that we work in ten different programmatic areas.

Including rural health and nutrition and food systems and safety.

So we're excited, we have some questions that are more in Hannah's alley, so to speak.

Doris from Society Hill, said, "I have diabetes and I'd like to start eating more vegetables.

Are certain vegetables better than others?"

Amanda> Gosh, that's a interesting, choice.

Well, what advice would you give her?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, absolutely.

So, we in the Rural Health and Nutrition Team, in my research, we work a lot with folks with diabetes.

So, and as a dietitian, I always say we never label foods as good or bad.

Most foods for the, for the most part, will have some nutritional value to them.

For folks with diabetes, though, you may have heard that one of the nutrients that we focus on the most is carbohydrates, because carbohydrates are what get broken down to sugar in our bloodstream, and that's what raises our blood sugar levels, which is what we're looking at in diabetes.

So there are certain types of vegetables that are higher in those carbohydrates.

That doesn't mean that folks with diabetes shouldn't eat those.

Those definitely have a place in our diet.

It's just trying to pay more attention to those vegetables that are lower in carbohydrates.

Amanda> -well let's start with, Which ones should we perhaps use in moderation?

And then which ones should we perhaps just have a nice big second helping of?

Dr. Hannah> Absolutely.

So the ones that we would have in moderation, is we call our starchy vegetables, and that would be any type of potato.

So white potatoes or sweet potatoes, pretty much any type of bean or pea.

So think Lima beans, black peas, black beans <Really?> Amanda> Gosh.

So butter beans?

Dr. Hannah> Butter beans.

Amanda> Dagnabbit.

Dr. Hannah> That doesn't mean you can't have them, just control the portions Amanda> Okay.

Okay.

Dr. Hannah> Those are our main starchy vegetable categories.

Corn is also a starchy vegetables, so it's going to be higher in carbohydrates.

So again you can have them just try to control the portion size of them.

Amanda> And then which ones... can we really fill up on?

Dr. Hannah> Yes.

Basically anything else.

So... Amanda> How about a Rutabaga?

Dr. Hannah> Rutabagas are great.

Amanda> Oh good, Because I love- Dr. Hannah> Rutabagas are great.

Yep.

Carrots...

Broccoli, Cabbage.

Pretty much any type of leafy green, collard greens, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, all of those are pretty low in carbohydrates.

So they're going to bring you a lot of vitamins and minerals, which are really great for us.

They're high in fiber, which is great, but they're lower in carbohydrates.

So they won't raise your blood sugar as much.

Amanda> And there's some of them that you can, get more nutrition out of, if they're cooked first rather than eaten raw.

Dr. Hannah> That is true for some.

A common example of that is tomatoes.

Tomatoes have something called lycopene, and cooking them actually makes it a little more available for us.

So that is true.

I usually tell people, though, how ever you prefer to eat your vegetables, that's going to be better than eating no vegetables.

So you know, whatever preparation method you prefer is is typically where- Amanda> You know, we grow so many watermelons in South Carolina, we're always saying they're so full of lycopene too... where do fruits fit in?

Dr. Hannah> Fruits, we treat those similarly to starchy vegetables, so they're absolutely still an important part of the diet.

They're just going to come with a little more carbohydrate, a little more sugar.

So absolutely consume them, but just watch your portion size.

Amanda> We've been eating a lot of watermelon this summer.

Dr. Hannah> Yes.

Watermelons are great.

<Okay> Terasa> I really love the message about not really trying to label them as good or bad.

And just, I think that moderation recommendation is so...

It's hard if you deny yourself something that you really love.

Dr. Hannah> Very much, so.

Amanda> Well, thank you.

Yeah.

All right Davis, what you gonna pull up now?

Davis> Well, you know, we talked about fall being here and all the warm colors that we normally associate with fall.

The oranges and purples and, burgundies, but, some of our best fall color actually will come in the form of the, the New England asters.

The, these are no longer grouped with the, genus Aster.

They are now called, Symphyotrichum- Amanda> I'm sticking with Asters.

Davis> Yeah Asters, that's fine.

They, they use that to differentiate the North American natives from the, European and Eurasian natives, which are the true Asters.<Okay> But, but as you can see, fall color is not limited to, russets and browns and yellows.

We've got this vibrant... Fuchsia.

And the, this lovely dark purple I call this a "Furman" purple, although this one is, purple dome aster and the, the, the red one here is... Andenken An Alma Potschke.

Amanda> And this has a center of tiny florets.

So is this one, that they... Well it looks, on this, it's got a butterfly on it.

Davis> Yeah.

Butterflies love these.

They do produce quite a bit of nectar.

And having that open, flower form, the butterflies have a fine place to land and perches and then- Amanda> Oh!

Davis> then, enjoy the nectar.

Amanda> So if you were going to take these home and plant them, what recommend... recommendations would you give?

Davis> Full sun, part shade.

Here again, like the goldenrod, they're, they're very adaptable since they are a, woods edge and open field native.

So, as long as they get, four to six hours of direct sun, they'll do fine.

And I have seen these actually blooming in, in spots, that only get a couple of hours of morning sun.

They just don't bloom quite as heavily.

They require adequate moisture, but, but they're not fussy about it.

Yeah, they, they can, they can get through a drought pretty quickly.

<Okay> Amanda> And I guess they're deciduous.

Davis> Yes.

They will die back completely to the ground in the winter.

Cut them back as soon as they all turn brown, and next year they'll just come back stronger and heavier.

Amanda> Do they tend to spread a little bit so they can have- Davis> They do, but they do, but they're not aggressive by any stretch of the imagination.

They're very well behaved perennials.

Amanda> Okay.

Now, this just has one stem, so it's not something easily divided, I guess- <well> Spring when they come back?

Davis> -In the, at the end of winter, early spring when you first start to see the new growth appearing, dig up the whole clump and you'll, if you dust a little bit of the soil away from the crown, you'll be able to see the individual growing points, and you can just separate them right out.

Amanda> Well, I just think that is a beautiful- Davis> What I've done is just, take, take two spading forks, drive them into the root ball back to back and just pull them apart, break it in half and replant.

Amanda> Goodness gracious.

Well, they certainly are... And how long is the blooming period?

Davis> They'll bloom for about four or five weeks, which is fairly long for a perennial.

Amanda> Yeah.

I just think that's fabulous.

Davis> And sometimes they'll actually pop out a few blooms in the spring too, to let you know that they're still there.

(laughter) Amanda> "Hello, don't forget about me."

Well, thank you so much for sharing that with us.

Davis> You're welcome.

Amanda> Okay.

All right, Terasa, let's see if we can help somebody.

Terasa> Sure.

This question hails from Ian in McBee.

He said, "I have a persimmon tree in my yard, very healthy, about eight years old, but it has never made a single persimmon.

What can I do to get it to set fruit?"

It's a beautiful tree.

It just doesn't make any fruit.

I can understand how that would be frustrating.

Amanda> Yeah.

Well, tell us the secret.

Jonathan> Well, so eight years old, that's old enough for a fruit tree to be making fruit.

So fruit trees, you know, three to five years, you're going to get fruit...

If it's eight years old and it's a healthy tree, it's probably male.

So persimmons are dioecious trees, separate male and female plants.

And so what I would recommend was, this spring, checking the flowers.

If the flowers are in clusters, typically males, the male persimmons, they flower in clusters.

<Oh> If you take the flower and you just kind of peel it open, if there are just, stamens in there, just, anthers.

<yeah> it's a male tree.

<okay> If you see a carpel in the middle, it's a female tree.

It just needs a pollinator- Amanda> -she just needs a male.

Jonathan> Unless you have a, parthenogenic variety.

So some persimmons they're female... but we call them parthenogenic.

So they will actually set fruit without a pollinator.

Amanda> But this one, as old as it is probably- Jonathan> Probably not.

So it's probably either male check in the spring, or it's a female that you need a male tree for.

Amanda> Now, since this person hasn't been eating these persimmons, would you like to give them some advice on when it would be wise to taste the persimmon from your tree?

Jonathan> Well, if you've got an American persimmon, you need to wait until they're about rotten to eat them.

Otherwise you're going to have cotton mouth.

(laughter) Terasa> You'll make the biggest pucker you've ever made.

Amanda> Turn your mouth inside out.

<Yes> Jonathan> But if it's the oriental persimmon or a D. kaki, those are pretty...

They'll get, you'll know when they're ripe.

They're not as astringent.

There's astringent and non-astringent varieties.

Amanda> And I think it's in the Ebenaceae and... <Yes> the leaves have black dots on them a lot.

<Yes> Which I think is fun when identifying... think about Ebony.

Jonathan> Right.

Amanda> And, yeah.

And those black dots on leaves.

It's a pretty, pretty, pretty tree.

Jonathan> Very healthy, hardly any disease issues, so go for it.

Just got a male or female that needs a partner, so.

Amanda> You might have to, run out there and keep the raccoons away, because they're gonna like them too, right.

Jonathan> Very much so.

Amanda> Yeah.

Okay.

Well that was a wonderful answer, thank you.

Okay Terasa, I bet somebody else could use some advice.

Terasa> Always.

There's always questions.

We never seem to run out.

This one comes from Denise, in Fairfield.

She said, "What should I pair with my homegrown produce to ensure a nutritionally balanced meal?"

Amanda> Goodness.

So she's got home grown produce, and we talked about the ones that you can eat lots and lots of, and the ones you should be moderate with.

Although they are good for you.

So what do you think?

I mean, because a lot of people now are vegans and vegetarians and things.

So help us out here.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

So there's no one size fits all necessarily for a meal.

But on a national level we use something called "My Plate."

So if you ever heard about the "Food Pyramid," if you ever learned about food groups and how to pair foods together with the "Food Pyramid," "My Plate" is our new version of that.

And it's a helpful visual because we eat off of a plate and not a pyramid, so that's why they changed it.

So we recommend that folks make half of their plate fruits and vegetables.

And what that will look like will depend on the individual needs of the person.

But half of the plate fruits and vegetables, a quarter of the plate being a grain product and preferably a whole grain.

So think brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc.. Amanda> Oh, okay.

Dr. Hannah> And then the other quarter of your plate, being a protein.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you could certainly rely on plant based alternatives like tofu.

<tofu> But we generally recommend for, meat eaters that they choose lean sources of protein.

So white meat chicken, turkey, fish.

<Okay> Lean pork, like pork tenderloin, things like that.

Amanda> So sometimes do vegetarians and all, need to be more careful about their iron intake or vitamin B are those two things, I've heard about.

<Yes> Amanda> Address that a little bit.

Dr. Hannah> Sure, iron and B12, vitamin B12 are two things that are a little bit harder for vegetarians and vegans to get, because they are typically found in the highest, concentrations in, in meat and in animal, animal foods.

So for iron, you can get that from beans and peas.

Some beans and peas are pretty high in iron.

B12 is a little trickier.

I usually recommend that folks consider taking a B12 supplement, because it's just a little bit hard to, to get that.

There is something called... Oh, I'm forgetting the name of it.

I'll think of it in a minute.

Amanda> You're too young- that's my role- (laughter) Dr. Hannah> Nutritional yeast.

That's the name of it.

Amanda> Oh, of course.

<Yes> Which is so wonderful on popcorn.

Dr. Hannah> It is.

It tastes like cheese.

Amanda> It's wonderful.

Yeah.

I take it to the movie theater with me and put it on popcorn.

Dr. Hannah> Yes, yes.

That's actually a really good plant based source of B12.

So if someone likes that, they can, they can try that.

Amanda> And then, I've tried to be a very faithful blood donor, and apparently I kind of got overwhelmed, and, my hemoglobin got too low.

They said they had to take some iron.

And my brother, who is a nutritional and a oncologist, said, I thought this was interesting and I'll just share it in case anybody else wants to do it.

He said that, "I need to take it first thing in the morning, with just some water or coffee, and vitamin C," that one that has, that's got that all natural business... because, your gut changes pH as it moves through.

And the first part of your gut is where iron is absorbed.

So if I took my iron pill later in the day, I would not get the benefit of it, which I just thought.

I was so glad he was able to tell me that because, I thought, you know, if I'm going to take the dang thing, you know, I might as well.

And it's not much trouble.

So he said, just do that first and then wait about an hour before I have something else.

I thought that was a good tip.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, vitamin C does enhance iron absorption.

So we usually recommend people take those together.

That will be helpful.

Amanda> Okay.

Yeah.

Okay, so we now have the... eat healthy plate.

Dr. Hannah> Yes.

<My Plate> "My Plate" is what we call it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Amanda> And we'd like for it to be a healthy plate too.

Dr. Hannah> We would, preferably, most of the time.

Amanda> Okay.

<Yes> Okay Davis, I think you've got something else we can might bring up.

Davis> Well, this is also... Amanda> Can I hand you this?...

Davis> Just set it up here will be fine.

<Okay> This one is, Polemonium reptans, also known as "Jacob's Ladder."

This particular variety is called "Stairway to Heaven" because it's got these beautiful variegated leaves.

This one is a little bit more of a cool weather, perennial, although they perform extremely well in containers, the further south you go.

The, good news in that respect is that this one needs shade.

So, if it's, if you're in a hot climate, just put it in a container.

Keep it in the shade in the spring, late spring, early summer, it will have beautiful azure blue flowers.

Amanda> Those are really- Davis> Born in really pretty clusters.

This one doesn't bloom as heavily as the species, but then you've got the interest of variegated foliage all season- Amanda> - very handsome foliage plant.

Davis> It makes a nice filler for, for a perennial container and maybe spot in a few annuals.

It'll bloom all summer long- Amanda> And then this one is evergreen?

Davis> No, it is deciduous.

Amanda> It's also deciduous.

Okay.

So maybe good to have it in a container, so you remember where it is, Davis> Right.

Amanda> Well, isn't it just amazing the different things that people are coming up with?

Okay, a lovely, lovely, we... through Terasa, learned about all kinds of fun shops over at the PeeDee Farmer's Market.

And one of them was "Growing Hobby."

And, we had a wonderful visit from Holly Beaumier.

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.

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> It was so much fun getting to make these.

And we put little bits of bling in them, you know, just to make it a little more funny, but, you know, usually people like to put a lot of Chrysanthemums and things like that out, but I think the way she had them stacked, would make a beautiful fall display.

<mhm> And, you know, right by your doorstep and probably last longer than just a Chrysanthemum.

Terasa> I'm so glad that you've connected with Holly, on a few occasions.

We met each other, gosh, over ten years ago, I think, which was prior to her working with her business, "Growing Hobby."

And it's been really fun to watch the business grow, and to have her come on the show and show us how to be creative.

Amanda> And she's going to start having water gardens with all kinds of water lilies.

So we're going to try to go over in the spring, when the water lilies are blooming.

Won't that be fun?

Terasa> Oh, it will be.

<yeah> And her husband, if I'm not mistaken, is quite a, topiary artist.

Amanda> He does- Terasa> -not topiary, bonsai.

Amanda> Bonsai.

<Yes bonsai> I think we'll probably have to, we're going to meet him, too.

And since I've learned how to say her last name, that's his last name.

Beaumier, so... that's not, I'm sure.

I'm not very good with French, but she said that was passable.

How 'bout that.

(laughter) Okay, so hats, hats, hats, hats, hats, hats, hats.

So I told everybody, I truly fell down in the road nine times getting hat stuff yesterday because all the good stuff is on the other side of the ditch.

(laughter) It always is.

Terasa> You're going to get yourself in trouble one day- Amanda> And the ditches are full of water.

So the dog thought like, "what in the heck are we doing?"

You know, stop and a truck stopped to see if I was okay, which was nice of him.

But anyway, so Sumac is just, I think, beautiful.

And of course the one that grows in the upstate is prettier once it, the fruit is more erect and a little prettier.

But, you could make lemonade with it.

Did you know that?

<mhm> Yeah.

And so there is, and that's the purple berry and there's a, there's something called poison Sumac that apparently nobody's ever seen except Doctor John.

And I think they've even changed the name now.

And it grows in wet areas.

And so we're not going to run into that one.

But I think the birds love the fruits.

Terasa> I think it's fall colors.

So, you know, I don't really see it in people's landscapes.

I'm not sure why- Amanda> I planted some.

It's pretty vigorous, but I've got a big yard and, Yeah, I haven't made the lemonade yet...

I bet, I just need to do that.

Terasa> We'll do a taste test.

Amanda> Yeah, we will.

(laughter) And then I've got, Joe Pye.

And I think this is one of the little ones.

I got this from the Calhoun County Library.

They have a pollinator garden, and I think this is the little one.

And then I stuck a little bit of goldenrod in just for fun.

Okay.

Terasa> And that's our state wildflower, if I'm not mistaken.

Goldenrod?

I think our state flower is the Carolina jessamine, but the state wildflower is Goldenrod.

Amanda> Good for you.

Yeah.

Terasa> I might be from South Carolina, but I try to know all of our state symbols.

Amanda> And so, Terasa is a real rhubarb fan.

And that's a challenge to grow in South Carolina.

Terasa> Yes, for sure.

Amanda> Okay.

Davis, I think you've got some things to show.

Davis> I do have a couple more, a couple more, native plants here.

We've got the, native, creeping wintergreen or Gaultheria.

You can see it's got these beautiful red berries.

So this is in the Heath family.

So it's going to have a little bell shaped flowers in the spring and early summer.

And, it, it here again, it's a shade loving perennial because most East coast, natives are woodland perennials because we used to be heavily wooded, we're not so much anymore.

Amanda> Everything was... Davis> But the, the red, the red berries really pop out.

And, a lot of times when I'm showing this to, to a client or to someone who's interested, they kind of get a little unnerved when I eat one of the berries.

Because that is the original source for all of wintergreen.

It's a wonderful wintergreen flavor.

Have one, enjoy.

Amanda> Thank you.

Davis> But it will, it also takes on a really nice bronze color in the wintertime.

<Mmm> It's evergreen, it cascades, and they do great in containers.

Amanda> Oh it will cascade.

Davis> Mhm.

And so for the people that, that are in the more hot summer areas, this is an excellent container plant.

It's evergreen.

It's got nice winter interest.

And it combines really well with our native alumroot.

This is a Heuchera, also referred to as a coral bell.

And this happens to be a color selection of the native, Huechera americana.

Amanda> And does it grow, just about as well?

I found that some of the cultivars don't seem to be quite as vigorous.

What do you think?

Davis> This one, this one can be pretty vigorous.

The thing about the coral bells in general, is they do develop sort of a woody stem.

And as that woody stem grows, sometimes it loses its vigor.

So all you have to do is just mound, a little bit of topsoil or compost up around that stem every year or two.

And it'll continue to grow and continue to, to spread.

Amanda> Well, that's a good tip.

Davis> But, but it also does really well in containers.

You know, earlier we were mentioning the, the "Jacob's Ladder," the Polemonium.

You can imagine what this is going to look like in your foam container on your front porch in the shade.

You know, a lot of people, say, "I've got a shady front porch and I want some color there in the winter."

Well, here you go.

Amanda> Now, so this one is deciduous, I believe.

Davis> No it's evergreen.

Amanda> Oh it is, so, this will just last and last.

How about that?

And they have about the same requirements for water and all that?

Davis> The wintergreen can, can be a little bit thirsty.

So, when, when you're watering your container, just make sure that you water it around the wintergreen and let it wick out to the other, other plants.

Amanda> Well, I think that would be perfectly lovely.

And I imagine y'all have, y'all have containers up there at South Pleasantburg?

Davis> We do.

We have, we've got actually a massive, assortment of, of containers, small, big, intermediate size- Amanda> -find something, that would complement this and look pretty on your porch.

Davis> And if you need any help, assembling those containers, we've got, of course, Sue Crull.

Who's been with us for years.

She's our container specialist.

Amanda> Really?

Davis> And there are a number, of other folks there that are- Amanda> You seem to know a little bit.

Davis> A little, yeah.

(laughter) Amanda> Well, isn't that too much fun.

Because a lot of times you might want to put a container together and you might just, pick stuff that's just not going to be compatible.

Davis> And we'll take it right out of your cart and put back into your cart what we'll work with.

Amanda> That's fun.

Thanks a lot.

Okay.

Terasa> It's nice to see so much diversity.

So I think you know, you were mentioning mums, and you see lots and lots of mums.

And so there are other alternatives.

And especially if you have shade and you don't have that sun.

Unfortunately, I have almost no shade at my house, so I'm a little jealous because I'd like to incorporate some more of those things.

Amanda> Well, all you have to do is plant a tree.

Terasa> Yes, I just have to wait for them to mature enough to provide shade.

Davis> Or plant a big one.

(laughter) Amanda> Okay, well, Terasa?

Terasa> More questions, you say.

How about we help Malcolm in Anderson?

Now, this is an interesting question, and I can't wait to hear the answer.

Malcolm said "someone told him it's illegal to grow cotton at home," and he wants to know if that is true.

Amanda> Ah.

I think there's something you're supposed to do if you grow cotton.

Help us figure this out.

Jonathan> And so it's not illegal, per se.

It is highly discouraged to grow cotton at home.

Cotton is one of South Carolina's top commodity crops.

Amanda> Boy it's a big crop.

Jonathan> Right.

And so in order to protect that crop from a reemergence of the boll weevil, South Carolina has implemented a permit program for growing cotton at home.

And you can find all the information for this on- Amanda> A permit?

Jonathan> Yes.

You need a permit to grow cotton at home.

You are not permitted to share or sell, cotton seed and regulatory defines, cotton grown at home as "ornamental" cotton.

So they consider that, you know, less than, it's an acre or less.

They call that "ornamental" because you're just growing it for the looks.

You're not a commercial producer, so- Amanda> I've seen, I've heard that even the homeowners might need to put the trap out with the pheromone in it.

What do you think, Jonathan?

Jonathan> So I don't think they require the trap anymore according to the permit, but you do have to allow them permission to come to the property and inspect your plants if your permit is approved.

But you are not allowed to sell or distribute seed of "ornamental" cotton or individual plants.

So that's why you won't see cotton sold at nurseries.

Amanda> Okay.

Jonathan> That's all of that.

So it's not illegal to grow cotton at home.

You just need a permit.

And that's super- Amanda> So, whom would you apply to for a permit?

Jonathan> Clemson's Department of Regulatory Services.

So if you go online, you can find the form there.

Amanda> Okay.

Thank you so very much.

Terasa> Now while you're talking about kind of regulations, it made me think there are some things that, that homeowners need to know about plant propagation and some, some plants.

You you're not allowed to legally propagate, right?

Jonathan> And so again, that's to protect South Carolina's agribusiness economy.

So it's not the government being mean, there's a reason.

Amanda> Well I mean agriculture's our biggest... income producer.

Jonathan> Right.

Amanda> Yeah.

Very important.

Terasa> And then there's plant patents.

Jonathan> Some.

Yes.

Some plants are under patent.

Some I mean, you'd know about it, variety protections.

Davis> It's, it's to protect the, the breeder who is, who's invested a lot of time and money and research into developing these plants, plant patents typically last 17 years.

And, you can, the developer can reapply for the patent after the first one expires.

So you can actually have a plant that's patented, as long as 34 years before it becomes public domain.

But here again, that's to protect the people who, who develop these plants that make it so easy for the rest of us to beautify our homes.

Amanda> Phew, well.

Terasa> You're ready for another one.

Amanda> Yeah.

Let's try.

Terasa> This one comes from your neck of the woods, so to speak.

Gavin in Saint Matthew said, "How can I use the information on the Nutrition Facts label when trying to, select nutritious food at the grocery store?"

Amanda> Goodness.

Terasa> I know I personally, look at the labels a lot.

Because sodium seems to be hidden in things.

And, so I try to be kind of conscious and not consume excessive amounts of sodium.

Amanda> And I've got a friend who has to stay away from MSG.

And so I'm always looking for that, so... What all should you look for and do different... Do different cans and manufacturers sometimes have the same product but with different ingredients added to it?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, great question.

So there's a lot of information on the Nutrition Facts label.

And they actually just recently updated it and changed some things around.

Added a little bit.

So the new label is a little bit easier I think, for consumers to read and interpret.

What people look at is going to depend on what their particular nutrition goals are.

Or again, if they have a diet related condition, like they have to restrict sodium, that's something that they might look at.

What I generally try to guide people to look at is, really important to look at the serving size, which is at the very top of the nutrition label first, because that's going to impact the rest of the information on the label.

If you eat an entire bag of potato chips, but that information on the nutrition label is only for half the bag, it's not going to be necessarily accurate if you're taking those numbers at face value.

So start with that and then look at what matters to you on the label.

Saturated fat is something that I look closely at, because saturated fat is the type of fat, that contributes most to different forms of heart conditions.

Amanda> What exactly is saturated fat?

Can you tell me?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

Saturated fat, so if you have a food that's really high in saturated fat it's going to be solid at room temperature.

And you can kind of, how it looks in a container is essentially what it could eventually make the inside of your blood vessels, your arteries look like.

For a lack of a scientific... display.

<Okay> But, so saturated fat contributes to "clogged arteries," if you've heard that term before.

So it can eventually lead to like heart attacks and things like that.

It doesn't mean that we can't have any saturated fat.

We just recommend that people, less than 10% of their calorie intake be from saturated fat.

Amanda> Or fat in general?

Dr. Hannah> Just saturated fat.

Amanda> So a lot of people like to use all these olive oils and these avocado oils, and I like sesame oil, for asparagus, is just wonderful.

So those I guess are not saturated.

Dr. Hannah> Those are a lot lower in saturated fat than, like butter.

That would be solid at room temperature.

So any oil that's liquid at room temperature, they're pretty low in saturated fat, and they're actually high in unsaturated fats.

That are, there's a bunch of different types of those.

And they're not always listed on the nutrition label.

But yeah oils are typically a better choice compared to solid fats.

<Okay> Amanda> So how about reduced guilt potato chips?

(laughter) Dr. Hannah> Yes.

Those are typically baked.

There's a lot of baked potato chips out there.

<Oh> So if you were to look at the nutrition label for baked versus regular potato chips, they're typically going to be lower in saturated fat.

A lot of times they're lower in sodium.

They don't add quite as much salt to those.

Typically the calorie amount is lower.

So yeah, those are great options.

Amanda> How 'bout that.

Well, that's kind of fun.

Dr. Hannah> Yeah.

Amanda> So there's just a lot of information that people don't have yet, it sounds like, Terasa.

And, is your team trying to help spread this information?

Dr. Hannah> Yeah, yeah.

So our Rural Health and Nutrition Team has a ton of different programs out there, and almost all of them are going to hit on general nutrition education like that, teaching people how to read Nutrition Facts labels.

And looking at what's important for them based on their particular health and health conditions.

So absolutely, if you have more questions, reach out to, if you have a local Rural Health and Nutrition Agent in your county, they can definitely answer your questions.

Amanda> Okay, well, I'm so pleased that you brought us all this information.

<Yeah> Although I do like butter.

(laughter) Dr. Hannah> Everything in moderation.

Amanda> Okay.

Well, thank y'all all for coming.

It was such a treat to have you with us here, and I hope that y'all, you at home will be with us next week.

And we'll say night night.

♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪ 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.