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1 week ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 12, 2025 A few of my hydrangeas were damaged during freezing weather earlier this spring. Many ask when is the best time to cut them back. Hydrangeas don’t really need heavy pruning to produce ample flowers. There are four major types of hydrangeas grown in Rowan County and all are pruned differently and at different times. Those with deadwood can be pruned or deadheaded at any time of the year.
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2 weeks ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 5, 2025 Friends I’ve spoken with seem to have a love/hate relationship with wisteria. Many love the “Old South” look of the vines cascading over trellises and trees. Others hate the vines’ aggressive growth which often causes serious problems to trees and structures. The plant was introduced to the United States from Japan and China in the 1800s as an ornamental vine.
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3 weeks ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 29, 2025 I was visiting a friend’s home last week and she seemed to be concerned about masses of small, bright, colorful flowers spotted throughout various sections of her lawn. Most of the flowers are vivid white, but there were some light shades of blue and purple. The spreading flowers were identified as spring star flowers, or Stars of Bethlehem (Ipheion uniflorum). The bulb, a native of Argentina, is rather thin and easily blends into fescue lawns.
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1 month ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 22, 2025 A friend of mine asked me why he would have pecans for some years and none other times. Harvesting pecans can be a challenge for those who live in our area. My family farm had four gigantic trees planted in the ’40s that produced massive crops for some years and other years virtually none. There are several factors for lack of pecan production: poor pollination, insects and diseases, weather, etc. The most common issue is poor pollination.
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1 month ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 15, 2025 I had a friend ask me about his Bradford pear this past week. Bradfords across the county are now in full bloom with beautiful, radiant white canopies. They are also dotting their blooms along fence rows, abandoned fields and highways. Years ago, Bradford pears were touted as the tree of the future because of their small compact size, colorful blooms and brilliant fall color.
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1 month ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 8, 2025 Daffodils are now in bloom throughout the county. They are about as colorful as I have seen in years. Interestingly enough, I had a person tell me this was the second year in a row that their daffodils did not bloom and was wondering what she needed to do to make them start blooming again. Here are a few reasons why daffodils do not repeat bloom. • Damaged foliage after bloom. As soon as the bulbs bloom, many homeowners mistakenly remove the foliage.
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1 month ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 1, 2025 Warmer and dryer weather has homeowners evaluating their lawns and landscapes. Lawns are starting to turn green; daffodils are starting to bloom and flowering shrubs are showing their buds. However, some evergreens and other shrubs just don’t look good. Over the past few months, we’ve had our share of unusually cold weather causing foliar problems. Some boxwoods, camellias and other evergreen shrubs have yellow-orange leaves.
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2 months ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, February 22, 2025 I had a lady email a photo of a beautiful camellia bloom last week. It’s hard to believe that there are some shrubs blooming now even with the crazy weather we’ve experienced over the past few months. Large colorful blooms make camellias a favorite in southern landscapes in the early spring. They are especially popular now because most flowering plants are still dormant.
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2 months ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, February 15, 2025 I’ve seen a few daffodil plantings blooming this spring because of our unusual warm weather. There is another plant, the Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis), that normally blooms in mid-March is now in bloom across Rowan County. There are more than 20 species of winter blooming hellebores that adapt and grow well in our area.
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2 months ago | 
salisburypost.com | Darrell Blackwelder
Published 12:00 am Saturday, February 8, 2025 A friend of mine at breakfast told me that he felt English ivy was becoming the new kudzu. He has a good point. When you look throughout the county, you see many trees engulfed in the vine. English ivy was used as an ornamental ground cover in Rowan County landscapes in areas where shade from trees prohibits growth of grass. It also found on steep hillsides. However, left unchecked, English ivy can completely engulf trees becoming unsightly.
