Plant
Bruce Williams Ph.D.
Sandy soils
Dr. Bruce Williams, Ph.D.
Brunswick County
Cooperative Extension Service
Dear Plant Doctor:
Our home is located on a sand
dune several hundred yards from
the ocean. An evergreen vine
.called smilex grows with its ber
ries all over the dune. We would
like to get more of this vine. Can it
be planted? What nurseries carry
this vine?
Answer: Most gardeners know
smilex as greenbrier, catbrier or
carrion-flower. I was first intro
duced to the many ornamental uses
of this plant by gardeners in Fayet
teville. There, gardeners train the
vine to grow above and around the
front door, forming a beautiful
evergreen entry bower.
The genus Smilex is in the lily
family and contains a dozen or more
species of native evergreen or
deciduous vines. Plant taxonomists
must be feuding about what to call
this plant because none of the three
reference books I have agrees on
what to call the species you men
tion.
I suspect you have Smilex
puriculata (or Smilex laurifolia)
growing on your sand dune. This
plant is known by the very mislead
ing common name of "wild bam
boo".
Dr. Karl Graetz worked with this
species in the early 1970s for use on
.dune establishment, conservation
and beautification. He found that
.seeds of this species require two or
jnore years for germination and
must be scarified prior to planting.
The black fruit containing the seed
Jias been identified as an excellent
wildlife food.
This plant is well-adapted to the
sand dunes where it has adapted to
salt spray and blowing sand. I find
the dark-green foliage a welcome
sight on the barren seacoast in the
winter and believe this plant has
great potential in coastal plains gar
dens. Inland species are very
tolerant of adverse conditions, as
well as being disease and insect
resistant.
I expect you will have a difficult
time finding a nursery that stocks
this plant I understand that the
woody tuber of this plant can be
transplanted during the winter
months with pretty good success. If
anyone knows of a nursery stocking
this plant, please drop me a line.
Dear Plant Doctor:
I read your column every week
and find it most informative. Hav
r
ing recently moved to North Caro
lina from Long Island, N. Y., I am
still trying to find the best plants
to grow in my yard. I have had
much success with vinca, im
patiens and begonia but there
must be others I can introduce to
my yard. What annuals would you
suggest? I also have three lovely
hanging pots of lantana. What do
I do with them in winter months?
Answer Space will severely limit
my answer but I will try to briefly
list some of the plants you may want
to try next year.
Dependable annuals or flowers
planted as annuals in the coastal
plains of North Carolina include the
many forms of celosia (Celosia up.)
(cockscomb and Chinese wool
flower), Cleomc (Cleome spinosa),
cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus),
blanket flower (Gaillardia pul
chella), four o’clocks (Mirabilia
jalapa), marigolds (Tagetes sp.),
flowering tobacco (Nicoliana alata),
petunia (Petunia hybrida), portulaca
(Portulaca grandiflora), scarlet sage
(Salvia splendens) and the many
strawflower types (eg. Gomphrena
and Helichrysum species). In this
column next spring I will list the
best varieties of these plants as
determined by N. C. State Univer
sity field tests.
Remember to also utilize the
many, many perennial flowering
plants available to the eastern North
Carolina gardener. The daylily
(Hemerolcallis sp.), hosta (Hosta
sp.), astilbe (Astilbe sp.), coreopsis
(Coreopsis sp.), moss phlox (Phlox
subulata), and obedient plant
(Plysostegia virginiana) are just a
few of the dozens of species that
make wonderful flowering garden
additions.
Your lantana should overwinter in
the garage or basement just fine.
Just keep the soil slightly moist (on
the dry side) and do not allow it to
freeze. Move outside in March or
April.
Join an arboretum, botanical gar
den or master gardeners group and
get involved with their horticultural
programs to really find out about
some of the garden "gems" to be
found in the coastal Carolinas.
Send your gardening questions or
comments to The Plant Doctor, P.
0. Box 109, Bolivia, NC 28422.
COFFEY'S
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Museum receives ‘challenge’ grant
The Southport Maritime Museum
has received a $7,500 challenge
gram from the Kathleen Price and
Joseph M. Bryan Family Foundation
of Greensboro.
In order to receive the grant
Southport Maritime Museum, Inc.,
must raise an additional $7,500 in
new pledges by June 1,1993. When
paid, the grant will be used to
renovate the museum’s warehouse
building space for use as a research
library, educational classroom and
controlled artifacts storage facility.
Mary Strickland, director, said,
"We are delighted to receive this
generous vote of confidence from
the Kathleen Price and Joseph M.
Bryan Family Foundation. The mu
seum’s board of directors and ad
visory board recognize our emerg
ing responsibility to preserve and
display the artifacts of the Lower
Cape Fear region’s maritime
heritage, while promoting future lo
cal opportunities in maritime-related
industries, such as aquaculture.
"This grant serves to remind us of
the needs of our community, our op
portunity to communicate with our
Jeff Batchelor, retail sales manager at Lowe’s,
presents Judy Collins of Boiling Spring Lakes with
the microwave oven she won as the grand prize in
The Stale Port Pilot’s second annual Christmas
cookie contest. Mrs. Collins’ recipe for her award
winning "Mary Ann’s Holiday Cookies" will ap
pear, along with the other top winners and the
finalists, in the Holiday Gift Guide to be published
as a supplement to the November 24 edition of The
Slate Port Pilot.
youth about their past and future,
and the desire of others to join hands
in that effort."
The Southport Maritime Museum
also provides educational programs
to students in a five-county area free
of charge.
For more information or to make a
contribution to help meet the chal
lenge, persons should contact the
Southport Maritime Museum at 919
457-0003.
The Kathleen Price and Joseph M.
Bryan Family Foundation provides
support across North Carolina for
non-profit initiatives in arts, educa
tion, health, human service and pub
lic interest fields.
Hospital classes in
diabetes education
The fall session of the diabetes ed
ucation classes at The Brunswick
Hospital will begin on Monday, No
vember 23.
The program is designed to edu
cate diabetics about proper nutrition,
exercise, eye care, foot care, stress
and complications associated with
the disease.
The classes are free of charge and
open to all diabetics, as well as fam
ily members involved in their care.
Registered nurses from The Bruns
wick Hospital will be instructors.
Program participants will be in
vited to join the diabetes support
group which meets at 7 p.m. the first
Monday of each month in The
Brunswick Hospital’s conference
room.
More information or reservations
can be obtained by calling Sherry
Henricksen or Patricia Nutter at
754-8121.
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