PITT COUNTY FARMER'S MARKET

 

Take the opportunity this Saturday, August 1st, to meet some Master Gardener Volunteers at the Farmer's Market.  They will have a table set up from 8:00-11:30 AM to answer your gardening questions.  They are usually given a spot under the tent at the back of the building.  If you haven't been out to the Farmer's Market for awhile, you need to go.  If you can't grow it, buy it from our local farmers.  Not only will you find produce, but also eggs, honey, plants, homemade soaps, pickles, salsas, baked goods, pottery, coffee......etc. etc.  Check out their Facebook Page:  Pitt-County-Farmers-Market-by-the-vendors

WHAT'S IN BLOOM

Among our plants of interest this week, you will see some grasses that have started to bloom with their plumes or inflorescences adding texture and movement to the gardens.   This article is from a retail point of view, but it has some useful facts for the home gardener:  ORNAMENTAL GRASSES

 l. to r.
1.  Pennisetum alopecuroides (Fountain Grass)
2.  Echinacea 'Hot Papaya' (Coneflower)
3.  Coreopsis verticillata 'Zagretta'
4.  Pennisetum 'Rubrum' (Purple Fountain Grass)
5.  Lantana camara 'Miss Huff'

 

6.  Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' (Black-eyed Susans)

7.  Sedum 'Autumn Joy'

8.  Nepeta faassinii 'Six Hills Giant' (Catmint)

9.  Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite' (Rose of Sharon)

10.  Veronica spicata 'Sunny Border Blue'  (Spiked Speedwell) 

Photos by M. Endres

WILDFLOWERS

Scutellaria incana  (Hoary Skullcap)

Some flowers flowers fade in the hot days of summer and others flourish.  Here are two  natives that are blooming now in the Wildflower Garden.  Read more about each plant by clicking on these links:
Scutellaria incana

and

Rudbeckia triloba

Photos by C. Taylor

Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed Susans)



WHAT'S IN BLOOM

The gardens are full of blossoms to admire.  A trip to the Arboretum would make a nice morning trip before the heat sets in!

1 - Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite' (Rose of Sharon) in Butterfly Garden
2 - Aster novi-belgii 'Winston Churchill'  (Michaelmas Daisy) in Butterfly Garden
3 - Cuphea 'Vermillionaire' (Firecracker Plant) in Container #3
4 - Tinantia pringlei (Speckled Wandering Jew) in Landscape for Wet Sites
5 - Panicum virgatum 'Shenandoa' (Switchgrass) in Children's Garden

6 - Monarda sp. (Bee Balm) in Herb Garden
7 - Lantana camara 'Miss Huff' in Mixed Border
8- Echinacea purpurea 'Leuchtstern' (Bright Star Coneflower) in Mixed Border
9 - Double Knock Out Rose (Tree Form) in Rose Garden
10 - Tanacetum vulgare (Tansy) in Herb Garden

Photos by M. Endres

SWAMP ROSE MALLOW

 Blooming now in our Perennial Border is

Hibiscus moscheutos.

The Swamp Rose's large, plate-sized blooms make it a real showstopper.  It prefers moist soil, full sun to partial shade, and will bloom from summer into fall.  It is a native plant to the wetlands of the Southeast.  

Other plants of interest this week which you can see samples in our 'What's In Bloom' display at the Arboretum are:

#1  Calicarpa americana   (American Beautyberry)    - Landscape for Wet Sites
#2  Lagerstoemia indica 'Natchez'   (Crape myrtle)      - Left side of Agriculture Center
#3  Acer palmatum 'Butterfly'   (Japanese Maple)         - Butterfly Garden
#4  Tinantia pringlei    (Speckled Wandering Jew)        - Landscape for Wet Sites
#5  Panicum virgatum 'Shenadoah'   (Switchgrass)       - Children's Garden
#6  Vitus rotundifolia  'Black Nesbitt'  Nesbitt muscandine    - Small Fruits
#7  Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips'   ( Littleleaf Sage)       - Perennial Border
#8  Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'      (Purple Coneflower)  - Children's Garden
#9  Gaillardia aestivalis var. winkerii ( Texas White Firewheel)   - Island near Pittosporum Garden             
#10 Echinacea 'Hot Papaya'   (Coneflower)       - Mixed Border

HOME GROWN TOMATOES

If all went right with your Spring plantings of tomatoes, you might be enjoying them now.  If you are having problems with insects or diseases, check out this new site:  TOMATOES for loads of tips.  You can still plant tomatoes this time of year to extend your harvest.