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 ^PAINTING SERVICE 842*6196 Exterior Cleaning 707 Yaupon Drive Yaupon Beach 278-9442 Pre-Holidays Customer Appreciation ’Open Mouse ‘Weekend" 10% to 40% OFF SALE •Live Plants •Cut Flowers (including roses) •Silk Arrangements •Wreaths •Silk Memorial Arrangements •Balloons •Christmas Arrangements •Decorations & Gifts •Gifts •Gift Baskets •Baskets •Ceramics •Brass •Copper •Pottery •China •Porcelain Sale begins Wednesday, November 18 & concludes Saturday, November 28 <, with the Open House. Refreshments & Registration for Gift Certificates 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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CANS PRICES ON WEEKLY SPECIALS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER IS THROUGH NOVEMBER 22. 1992 • SOME ITEMS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ALL ST TES Visit a Rite Aid Pharmacy Soon . .. Southport • Wilson’s Plaza, Hwy. 87 & 211, Ph: 457-6999