10
May 2014
Gardening: A Word to the Wise
• Recognize that plants kept in containers may be more severely
affected, as their roots are more exposed.
• In general, starting in the spring, provide plants with an eight-month
fertilizer (ratio 19-5-14) and always mulch to help retain moisture.
The good news: By the time you read this, the icy cold winter of 2014
should be a distant memory.
The bad news: For many of you, glancing out the window at your
garden or yard where brown and damaged/dead plants abound will
bring those memories right back.
Happily, the March program of the Kiawah Conservancy’s Conservation
Matters series brought John Wise of Garden Wise Nursery and Garden
Center to the island to address how to deal with the fallout from one
of the coldest winters we have experienced in the past 30 years. Dr.
Wise presented a comprehensive description of how to cope with
plants that appear to have suffered severe damage from the extreme
temperatures that prevailed these past few months. In particular, Jan.
7, with a nighttime low of 19 degrees, and Jan. 8 with a daytime high
of just 32 and a nighttime low in the low 20s. These were just a few of
several episodes of sustained subfreezing temperatures.
Repeatedly, Dr. Wise emphasized the importance of patience in
dealing with our gardens. He suggested waiting in most cases to cut
back affected plants until they have had time to recover. Some other
suggestions/information presented by Dr. Wise included:
• For ginger and stromanthe - cut back the ruined leaves and watch
for new shoots to appear before giving up.
• For citrus plants and bananas - wait to prune giving the plant
plenty of time to recover.
• Be aware that some damage may be from a lack of nutrients such
as magnesium and not a result of the cold.
Dr. Wise discussed selecting plants appropriate for Kiawah’s location
and pointed out that despite the damage done by this past winter’s cold,
even greater damage may be done by the heat we experience during the
summer months. Without discussing the politics involved, he pointed
out that some of what we are experiencing may be the beginning of global
climate change. He included both general and specific information in
his excellent presentation and offered numerous examples of the plants
and conditions he addressed. Despite the fact that this time of year is
extraordinarily busy for him, he took the time to address questions from
the audience and to stay afterwards to chat.
The Kiawah Conservancy worked with KICA and the Garden Club to
present the Garden Wise program. Joan Collar, president of the Garden
Club introduced the speaker and the entire KICA land management
crew attended. The Kiawah Conservancy has already scheduled free
Conservation Matters educational programs for every month in 2014.
In April, Kiawah resident Jane Ellis presented information about South
Carolina’s native plants and their historic and current medicinal uses.
Kiawah Island Golf Resort naturalists will lead a kayaking tour along
the Kiawah River to explore sandbars and the creatures that live around
them on May 10. Featured during the summer are visits by the South
Carolina Aquarium Rovers and The Center for Birds of Prey as well as
a Reptile Round-up program with naturalist Michael Frees. During the
fall and early winter, Kiawah resident and former KICA board chair Paul
Roberts will present a program on bird identification complete with his
wonderful photographs and Pamela Cohen will show her fabulous images
as she discusses nature photography. All of these special events are open
to island residents and guests and are part of the Kiawah Conservancy’s
mission to provide education about the island’s natural world.
For additional information about the Kiawah Conservancy and
Conservation Matters program series, visit kaiwahconservancy.org, like the
Kiawah Conservancy on Facebook or follow @KiawahConserv on Twitter.
Article contributed by Digest Member Volunteer Shauneen Hutchinson.
Spruce Up Your Yard with Pine Straw from KICA
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