County Extension

Looking for an inexpensive way to market your horticulture business? Be a part of the updated Brunswick County Green Pages, a publication of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service listing businesses providing products and services to the people of Brunswick County.

If you sell plants and garden supplies, lawn mowers and other equipment, market fruits and vegetables, or provide landscape installation and maintenance services, don’t miss this opportunity.

Winter is a good time to think about renovating your landscape. It is easier to see the bare bones of the garden without the distraction of foliage or blooms. It is always wise to keep some of the plants in an established landscape. That way you can still provide habitats for wildlife and reduce erosion. The trick is in knowing which plants to keep. Here are a few guidelines to help you sift through all your botanical choices.

Thanks to Sharon Dowdy of the University of Georgia for the following information:

Flowering bulbs typically herald the coming of spring. By using a technique called “forcing” you can enjoy many springtime bulbs during the winter, too.

“My first Christmas in Ringold, Ga., I bought amaryllis bulbs and had a contest with the ladies in the Extension office,” said Charles Lancaster, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent in Catoosa County. “I bought bulbs in four colors, and we each picked one.” 

I received a call from a consumer the other day wanting to know what he could do out in the garden this time of year. People usually don’t start getting the “garden bug” until the weather warms up a bit. I told him one of the tasks he could work on is preparing the vegetable garden for spring planting.