Durham County Master Gardener volunteers – Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

By Lissa Lutz, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

(Image credit: Allie Mullin)

It’s that time of year again. The sun is warm and friendly, mosquitoes are still snoozing, daffodils are perky amidst a flush of green, and that urge to work the soil begins anew. Though our rational minds know that fall is the better time for planting, there is something about spring that makes us want to contribute to its burst of verdant growth. We find joy in creating new garden spaces, starting the vegetable garden, converting lawn to habitat-friendly meadow, designing container displays, or just tucking a new plant or two into any available remaining space.

If you are lucky enough to live in the Triangle area, you may already know about the Friends of Durham County Extension Master Gardener annual spring plant sale. For a whirlwind few hours, shoppers peruse and take home the roughly 3,000 plants that have been lovingly seeded, divided, propagated, rooted and potted up by a dedicated team of Master Gardener volunteers. Despite the sale’s objective as sole fundraiser for the EMGV program, most team members participate because of their passion for growing and sharing the plants they love. Prices are competitive so everyone can take home a plant. In fact, at the Plant Festival that precedes the sale (March 22 this year), 250 people can take home a free plant.

This year, we asked Master Gardener volunteers who are plant sale team members to tell us about their favorite plants that are in the sale this year. Their picks may inspire you to try a new plant this year. If you cannot be at the April 5 sale in Durham (721 Foster St, 10am until sold out), look for these plants at your local nurseries and enjoy contributing to spring’s display!

Philodendrons

As I think about my favorite houseplant and why it is, so many thoughts and plants come to mind. But rather than being species-specific, philodendrons are one of my favorites that will be plentiful at this year’s sale. There are over 450 named philodendron varieties in the world. The diversity of form, habit, and coloring makes them versatile and desirable. Some of our offerings this year will be the ever-popular heartleaf to the more exotic-Blushing Philodendron (Philodendron erubescens). —Wanda

Philodendron erubescens is a climbing tropical herbaceous perennial in the arum family (Araceae). The leaves, petioles, and spathe of this plant all exhibit the “blush” coloring. The leaves are glossy, deep green on the upper surface, and have a reddish or copper coloring on the underside. (Image credit: Dinesh Valke CC-BY-SA 2.0)

Gomphrena

It’s hard to believe that this little Gomphrena globosa ‘Fireworks’ seedling will grow up to be this vibrant spectacular plant on the right! Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’ has a hot pink flower with yellow tips, hence its name. It is an annual plant that thrives in sunny, hot, dry conditions, so is perfect in the Master Gardener Container Demonstration Gardens at Cocoa Cinnamon. It is a spectacular yet tough plant that will grow 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide, is a favorite of pollinators, and looks great in cut flower arrangements. —Deborah

Gomphrena globosa ‘Fireworks’ starts small but becomes a beautiful plant that is easy to grow and it is pollinator friendly. (Image credit: Deborah Pilkington)

Buckeye

I love the Painted Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica) because it is such a harbinger of spring. One of the first trees to leaf out, this small understory tree is easy to spot in moist rich woods everywhere. The leaves are followed by a display of showy, creamy-yellow flowers. Buckeye has naturalized in my yard and the deer have ignored it. In the fall, the leathery seed capsules split open to reveal several shiny, smooth brown “buckeyes.” They are irresistible to touch; just don’t eat them as they contain toxic compounds. —Lissa

The Painted Buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica) is native to the Southeastern United States. It does best in sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil. (Image credit: Dcrjsr CC BY 3.0, Suzanne Cadwell CC BY-NC 4.0)

Cherokee Sedge

Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge) is a work horse in my garden. It’s a versatile plant that can be used as ground cover, edging, and as a companion plant for contrasting texture. I love the contrasting grassy texture in between my blooming flowers. It prefers moist conditions, so it can be used in the rain garden, but it is adaptable to various growing conditions. It thrives in my dry, full sun garden. It’s low maintenance and shade tolerant. If that’s not enough, it’s deer resistant and green all winter long. —Tram

Cherokee sedge is a native sedge. It blooms in spring and is followed by attractive drooping seedheads. The arching evergreen to semi-evergreen grass-like foliage is attractive all season. (Image credit: K Andre CC BY 2.0)

Sweet Prince Tomato

While I love all of our tomato varieties, I have a serious soft spot for ‘Sweet Prince.’ I’ve grown this variety the past two years in big pots, and by mid-season the plants have absolutely exploded with growth. They produce almost too many great little tomatoes right up until frost, and seem overall unbothered by disease. They’re actually a product of the NCSU tomato breeding program — I’m sure part of the reason they have such great disease resistance! —Ashley

The tomato breeding program, located at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center develops parental breeding lines and F1 hybrids with superior genetics such as the ‘Sweet Prince’. (Image credit: NCSU Plant Breeding Consortium)

Aromatic Aster

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium is a favorite native plant of mine. In the fall, it anchors this perennial garden in front of my barn, staying in bloom for a full two months at a time of year when most plants are shutting down. Known as aromatic aster, it prefers poor soil, full sun, and is drought tolerant once established. Spreading both by seed and stolons, it can try to take over, but is easily divided when needed. Notice the color difference in the closeup photograph. The darker reddish flower centers mean an older bloom that most likely has been pollinated, while the yellow center means a bloom that is younger and most likely not yet pollinated. —Peter

Aromatic aster is a native perennial wildflower in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. This plant was selected as the 2000 NC Wildflower of the Year. (Image credit: Peter Gilmer)

Anise Hyssop

I appreciate a plant that is self-sufficient, and Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is that. Its needs are minor. A little water every now and then and a trim in early spring, and it does the rest. Its purple inflorescences start blooming in mid-summer and don’t stop until sometime in October. The spiky flower heads sway heavily with the weight of so many bees. I’ve paired it with goldenrod (Solidago rugosa), swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), and purple cone flower (Echinacea purpurea). Together they create a stunning display. I call them my “State Fair flowers” because they’re in full bloom when the Raleigh State Fair is in town. —Marcia

Anise Hyssop, (Agastache foeniculum) attracts bees, butterflies and birds to the garden and is resistant to deer and rabbits. (Image credit: Guettarda CC BY SA 4.)

Fish Pepper

I have been a little obsessed with the fish pepper (Capsicum annuum var. annum). This plant is a recent addition to my garden, but it is now a permanent fixture. I first heard about the fish pepper in an article in a cooking magazine in early 2021. The plant, prominent in the Black community, nearly disappeared but was lovingly resurrected by seed savers and food historians. By happenstance, I first encountered the actual pepper during my Master Gardener training class at Briggs’ Community Garden. I saved the seeds from the pepper I was given and have been growing them ever since. I use them as an unexpected and subtle new flavor in the Caribbean meals that I have learned from my mother. —Deandra

Debra Freeman explains the history and legacy of the fish pepper in the African American garden. You can read about it at this site: https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/fish-peppers-african-american-garden-article (Image credit: Epicurious)

Spotted Bee Balm and Rattlesnake Master

I love plants that come back year after year, and of the perennials I grow I especially love Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata) for its absolutely strange shape and color. This plant throws out flower spikes that look like they belong on an alien planet and defy an easy description. This plant loves sun, is easy to grow, doesn’t creep much beyond where you plant it, and is beloved by pollinators. I already have it in my garden and plan to put it absolutely everywhere. It looks especially good next to the demure flowers of Blue Sage (which we sold last year!) and the wackier Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), which we have available again this year, which adds a fantastic counterpoint of a blue-ish green leaf and tall, spiky, beautiful white flower “balls.” All three are perennial and complement each other with their looks and with what they provide for our local pollinators. —Ali

Spotted Bee Balm (Monarda punctata) and Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium) are available at the plant sale and are an excellent choice for a sunny pollinator garden. (Image credit: Susan Strine CC BY 2.0; Eleanor CC BY NC 4.0)

Peppers

Attempting to pick one favorite vegetable was difficult at best. I realized I couldn’t pick just one…. So I decided to focus generally on the versatile pepper. Growing a variety of sweet and hot peppers offers so many options. I’m well known for my pepper casserole (just ask my neighbors). The dish I have adapted is the standard stuffed pepper recipe with ground meat, tomato, onions and rice, but I add corn and extra spices like good chili powder. Instead of stuffing the peppers, I cut up a variety of hot and sweet peppers into bite size pieces, quickly blanch them and then stir them into the casserole. Top it with cheese and bake until bubbly. Delish! (Note: Don’t eat meat? Replace it with black beans.)

And of course, I love to eat sweet lunchbox peppers right off the vine. The larger sweet Carmen (red) and Escamillo (yellow) are also great fresh, sliced into salads or stuffed. Grilled shishitos are a great touch to any meal; just don’t mix them up with your green cayenne peppers, as I have done. I grow the cute little Peach Wasp for the sole purpose of drying and grinding into pepper flakes. They are just a bit hotter than the ripe, red cayenne peppers and add a fruity taste. I haven’t even mentioned the Poblano! The possibilities are endless so try a few new peppers this year and experiment yourself. I would love to hear what you discover. —Bev

Peppers can be sweet, hot, large, or small and used in many culinary creations! (Image credit: Oregon State University, James Meyers)

To see all the plants that will be available for sale at the 2025 Plant Sale, see our website https://www.backyardtreasuresplantsale.org.

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By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

BOLO (be on the lookout) for early spring bloomers including star magnolia (Magnolia stellata), daffodils (Narsisus spp.) perhaps covered in late snow or bathed in warm sunshine, and the Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). (Image credit: Melinda Heigel)

March: noun, the third month of the Julian calendar, verb from middle French meaning to trample. It appears that boots (not jack) might be in order.

By the time Y’all read this winter may be gone—or not. The weather pattern may have changed to a drier more user-friendly one—or not. We might be able to get out and work in our gardens—or not. It might snow another 3 or 6″ to complement the already prodigious amount we’ve received. Welcome to piedmont North Carolina in the spring where we beg for more/less rain, sunshine, wind, whatever we don’t currently have and decry perceived excesses of anything. Gardeners can be a needy lot, but there is always hope. We are nothing if not hopeful and optimistic. We KNOW it (whatever “it” is) will get better and things will be just fine.

So, here are the things that can/should be done in the garden in March depending on all the things in the earlier paragraph. Happy gardening!

Lawn Care

(Image credit: NC State Extension)

Cool season grasses (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) can be fertilized with a slow release high nitrogen (the first number) fertilizer.

Apply preemergent weed control after the forsythia (Forsythia intermedia) blooms and before the native dogwoods (Cornus florida) bloom. (That there is real science.)

Commence mowing activities when needed (or when the mower no longer mires in the mud). Cool season grasses should be kept mown at 3” to 4.” Warm season grasses (zoysia, Bermuda, centipede) are still dormant. You get to play with them next month.

Remember, grass clippings should either be left on the lawn, composted, or used for mulch. They don’t belong in the landfill.

Fertilizing

Feed your shrubbery this month. Established plants do not need heavy fertilizing. Let “moderation in all things” be your mantra. Shade trees can be fertilized now, but only if your SOIL TEST (free again beginning April 1 through November) indicates a need.

Emerging bulbs can be fertilized this month. Fertilize asparagus beds early in March, before the new spears emerge.

Planting

As usual, everything in this section is dependent upon soil conditions.

Trees and shrubs may be planted now as well as fruit trees and grape vines up to bud break. Plants planted now will require more intentional water management through our oft droughty summer.

March is a good time to plant perennials.

Start annuals and warm season vegetables inside now if you haven’t already done so. These can be transplanted outside after the threat of frost has gone. (No bets on that date anymore.)

Rose bushes can be planted now.

The same veggies that can be planted in the fall can also be planted now (unless, of course, you are sick to death of broccoli and beets). These include the aforementioned broccoli, beets, carrots, cabbages, cauliflower, potatoes and turnips. Then there are the salad greens, lettuces, spinach, chard, etc. So, in May it’ll be salad and roasted root vegetables for supper?

Pruning

Prune any fruit trees that didn’t get done in February.

Deadhead any early spring annuals such as pansies (Viola x hybrids) as the blooms fade in order to prolong bloom time.

Roses can be pruned in the latter half of the month.

Overgrown broadleaf shrubs can still be severely whacked. (No, it won’t kill them, and they be much more manageable—for a while.)¹

Spraying

The following miscreant pests will be out and about this time of the year: euonymus scale, spider mites on evergreens, hybrid rhododendron borers, and lace bugs on azaleas. Spray only as necessary with an appropriate product and always read and follow label directions.

Apply a dormant oil to fruit trees to control several insects. This is especially important if you have just pruned the trees.

When in bloom, spray apple and pear trees with streptomycin to prevent fire blight.

Other Swell Stuff You Can Do in March

Get ready for prime time. Check all your gardening equipment and make sure it will be ready to go when you need it. Nothing is more frustrating than being all psyched up to mow the grass (I have heard there really are people for whom this is a reality) only to discover that the starter battery is dead, the blades need to be sharpened, all the tires are flat, the belt that broke last fall didn’t fix itself over the winter, all the things. Check all the garden gizmos now and prevent a possible psychotic break later.

Try experimenting with a new annual, perennial or veggie this season. Experimenting can be fun, and you might just discover a new BFF plant. Also, experimenting has been shown to have very few side effects.

North Carolina Arbor Day (not to be confused with National Arbor Day) is this month. It is always the first Friday after the 15^th, ergo on the 21st this year. Plant a tree or seven.

Get a few of your summer clothes out of the attic but keep your heavy winter jacket close by. You could need both in the same day.

Mellow March, Y’all.

Notes

1–Keep in mind, many woody ornamentals are pruned according to their flowering date. Spring bloomers like dogwood or forsythia are usually pruned after they bloom. Summer-flowering plants are generally best pruned when dormant before new growth begins in the spring.

Resources and Additional Information

Learn more about organic lawn care: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/organic-lawn-care-a-guide-to-organic-lawn-maintenance-and-pest-management

How to read a fertilizing label like a pro: https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/reading-a-fertilizer-label

Spring vegetable gardening: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/home-vegetable-gardening-a-quick-reference-guide

Read our blog article on year round vegetable gardening for early springtime tips: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-2F1

Pruning techniques for trees and shrubs: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/general-pruning-techniques

Guide to cleaning and sharpening garden tools: https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/download/how-to-clean-and-sharpen-garden-tools_MF3288

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