April 2025

April's Show Stopper

Known for their stunning foliage and graceful growth habit, they make beautiful specimen trees in the landscape or in containers.

Shade is key: Plant in dappled sunlight or morning sun with afternoon shade to prevent leaf scorch.
Soil: They prefer well-draining, slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter.
Watering: Keep soil consistently moist, but not soggy, especially during hot months. They do not like drought or standing water.
Mulching: A layer of mulch helps retain moisture and regulate soil temperature. Keep mulch away from the tree’s trunk to prevent rot.
Pruning: Best done in late winter to shape the tree and remove dead branches. Avoid heavy pruning. Japanese maples have a naturally graceful shape.
Aphids & scale insects can be occasional pests—use insecticidal soap if needed.

Best Varieties for the Lowcountry (think Zone 9)

In the Lowcountry, where summers can be quite warm, it’s important to choose heat-tolerant varieties.

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’ – Tolerates heat well and has vibrant red leaves.
Acer palmatum 'Seiryu' - A rare upright lace-leaf variety with excellent heat resistance.
Acer palmatum 'Tamukeyama' - A cascading, deep-red variety that holds color well in heat.
Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' (Coral Bark Maple) - Green leaves in summer, vibrant coral-colored bark in winter.
Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' - This small red-leafed variety has rich burgundy foliage and brilliant fall color. It thrives in shade and cold, offering year-round beauty..
Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Waterfall’ - features lacy green foliage and a graceful, weeping form. Fall brings brilliant gold and orange color. Ideal for part shade and adding soft texture to the landscape.

If you're looking to deepen your knowledge of Japanese maples, Mr Maple, operated by brothers Matt and Tim Nichols in East Flat Rock, NC, is an excellent resource. They offer over 1,000 cultivars of Japanese maples and other rare plants, available for purchase online or by appointment at their nursery.

Maple-curious? Why not join our upcoming workshop "Mastering Japanese Maples with Jack Soulier on Wednesday, April 16? Come get inspired and bring a little Zen to your garden. Find out more here.

Garden Tasks To Tackle

Mulching

Proper mulching is essential for plant health and moisture retention. Here are some key tips for applying mulch effectively:

Choose the right mulch - Organic mulch (e.g., shredded bark, wood chips, pine needles, compost, straw) enriches the soil as it decomposes. Refresh it annually or as needed. While inorganic mulch (e.g., gravel, rubber mulch) lasts longer, it does nothing to improve soil quality.
Apply the right amount - 2–4 inches is ideal for most plants.Too much mulch (over 4 inches) can suffocate roots and retain excess moisture.
Keep away from plant stems and trunks - Maintain a 2–3 inch gap around tree trunks, shrubs, and plant stems to prevent rot, pests, and disease.
Avoid piling mulch up against a tree trunk (as pictured above) also known as “volcano mulching.”
Mulch at the right time - Apply in spring to suppress weeds and retain moisture before summer heat. Apply in fall to insulate roots before winter.
Water - Water the soil before applying mulch to lock in moisture. Water after applying mulch to help it settle.

Feeding our Soil so the Soil feeds the Plants

Spring is here and our first reaction may be to grab those name-brand synthetic fertilizers so often featured in the big box centers. Let’s take a closer look at this decades-old practice and what it really means for your plants’ health.

Ever wonder how ancient forest trees stay so healthy without fertilizer? Their secret lies in the rich soil and the powerful partnership between roots and soil microbes working together below the surface.

So if good quality soil is the key to healthy plants what steps should you do to promote healthy soil in your home garden?

First, if you are still using chemical, synthetic fertilizers, today is the day to stop. It's ok to ask landscape maintenance companies for other options as well.
Commit to adding compost to all your planting beds at least once, if not three times, during the year.
Distribute compost to all planted bed areas at a depth of no more than 2 inches.
Top with a layer of organic mulch (pine straw or pine or hardwood bark nuggets) to help retain moisture and reduce weeds.
Most importantly—plant more plants! Areas covered in just mulch need roots in the soil, because the beneficial microorganisms that keep soil healthy rely on those roots for food and support. It is this complex symbiotic relationship between the microorganisms living under the soil and the plants rooted in and living above the soil that has resulted in the current recommendation for restorative gardening

Where to Find Good Compost

Compost made closest to your garden is the best. (Look for us to address home composting in a subsequent issue). With smaller gardens, many of us can't compost, and even if you can, you will likely need more than your home pile can provide. So, where to find good compost?

Charleston County's Bees Ferry Compost is just $1 for a 5 gallon bucket - bring your own containers.
Compost is available in bulk from All Seasons and Soil3. Brie Arthur, who gave November's lecture offers a 10% savings from Soil3.
Bags of compost can also be bought from reliable retailers (the negative being the plastic bag itself). Compost can come from a variety of well-managed, plant-based sources—like animal waste from plant-fed livestock or even leftovers from mushroom farming.

Grow a Little Greener

Our precious pollinators are facing some serious challenges across the country—especially the loss of natural habitat.

And while a lush, weed-free lawn might look great, it doesn’t offer much (if anything) for pollinators. Even common “weeds” like clover can provide valuable nectar, but a perfectly manicured lawn? It’s basically a food desert for bees and butterflies.

As development continues to take over natural spaces, it’s up to us—everyday homeowners—to help make a difference. Here are simple ways you can support pollinators right in your own backyard.

Reduce your lawn by treating it as you would a planting bed. Instead of having lawn cover a majority of your property, reduce it to what you really need.
Think area rug instead of wall to wall carpet.
Bring your planting beds up to its perimeter and fill them with interesting trees, shrubs, and ground covering perennials that will support the threatened pollinator and insect populations.
Eliminate chemical fertilizers and pesticides which are synonymous with lawns and also kill beneficial insects. Instead, use an organic nitrogen rich fertilizer like milorganite and allow your healthy grass to choke out weeds.
Use an electric or battery powered mower with no toxic emissions. It will be all that your smaller area of turf requires.

Local Pro Tips

Pick up spent blooms from under your camellia bushes to prevent camellia fire blight caused by the fungus Ciborinia camelliae which causes next year's blooms to turn brown and drop prematurely.
We love our Live Oaks but not so much their leaves. Consider a battery powered blower - a quick walk around the garden with a blower and you can quickly move the leaves off your paths and into the beds where they provide a fine ground cover.

Containing Garden Thugs

Popcorn Tree, also known as the Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera, formerly Sapium sebiferum)

The Popcorn Tree was once valued for its seeds, which were used to make candles, soaps, and paints. In the Lowcountry, its white seeds have even been used in holiday wreaths for generations.

While some attribute Benjamin Franklin with introducing this tree, it likely hitched a ride with others trading exotic plants in the 1700s. It wasn’t until after Hurricane Hugo in 1989 that we truly saw how invasive it could be.

How invasive are they? Here are a few not-so-fun facts:

They grow fast. Like... really fast. They outpace native plants and quickly take over open spaces, wetlands, forests, and even roadsides.
They produce tons of seeds. One mature tree can drop thousands of seeds per year, and those seeds spread far and wide—by wind, water, birds, and even people (thanks to their pretty white seed coating).
Nothing eats them. Most local wildlife and insects won’t touch popcorn trees. So while native plants get nibbled and balanced out, popcorn trees grow unchecked.
They’re habitat bullies. Once established, they form dense stands that crowd out native plants, reduce biodiversity, and change the structure of natural ecosystems—especially in wetland areas.
Their leaves contain compounds that can alter soil chemistry and suppress other plant growth, making it even harder for native species to make a comeback.

They may look ornamental, especially in fall with those bright red leaves, but they’re bad news for our native landscapes.

A big thank you to Rebecca Fanning, Sullivan’s Island Town Naturalist and our March lecturer, for sharing an inspiring update on the restoration work in Sullivan's Island's 200-acre maritime forest.

This past winter, Rebecca teamed up with residents of the Town of Sullivan's Island to remove a whopping 1,043 mature Popcorn Trees, plus countless saplings. They are not done yet! The crew will be back this winter to continue their work to restore and protect this precious habitat.

Popcorn Tree in spring

Ferns We Love

Ferns are the ideal plant to use when gardening in filtered sun to light shade.

They will tolerate the good drainage provided in soils infiltrated by large and small tree roots.
They may require supplemental watering in very hot and dry conditions but are well adapted to our area's average rainfall.
Generally pest and disease free, their only maintenance needs involve cleaning up damaged or tired foliage from the prior year in the early spring before the new fiddleheads emerge.
Best used as a broad swath under a large tree or planted as a part of a tapestry created with other shade-tolerant perennials and annuals.

Three desirable species for our Lowcountry climate include:

Holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) - gets its common name from its fronds resembling the leaves found on many holly trees and shrubs. It is evergreen with glossy broad fronds of medium green and has adapted to our area’s climate since its introduction from Eastern Asia via England in early Colonial times. It is very resilient to our sometimes-drought conditions once established. Holly ferns stay in place but grow wider over time. They release spores, which may allow a few to appear in other areas but are easily removed. They benefit from pruning of older fronts several times a year.

Sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibility) is a medium-sized, deciduous native fern whose name comes from its sensitivity to frost when it will go dormant but returns reliably every spring. Being native, they grow well in moist conditions along stream banks and prefer organically rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soils. Once established, they spread via creeping rhizomes and spores but are easily lifted out if they extend beyond the areas intended. The more shade they are in, the less consistent moisture they require.

Southern maidenhair fern (Adiantum capillus-veneris) is a native jewel in Lowcountry shade gardens that is best used as a companion plant to bolder textured foliage. It has delicate, fine-textured fronds in a light apple green color, which brightens other shade plants and weaves through coarser foliage. Often considered difficult to grow, it requires organically amended, well-drained soil with filtered or even full, morning sun (not afternoon) and even moisture. It does tend to go dormant for 3-5 weeks during the summer months, but returns reliably after this break, as well as returning early in the Spring from its winter dormancy. Also lovely in a pot on a shady porch or terrace. (Pictured above with irises and autumn fern)

Fern Fanatics can keep reading: South Carolina's Native Ferns

Giving Natives Their Day

We love Native Azaleas!

As did William Bartrum, who in 1791 first described the Flame Azalea, writing “This is the most gay and brilliant flowering shrub yet known.”

Their leaves drop in November, but all winter long, the flower buds at the tips of every branch quietly swell with promise. And then—boom!—April arrives and it’s showtime! Watch as these native beauties burst open in an exciting range of colors: from soft to medium pinks, creamy whites to bright whites, sunny yellows with hints of orange, and even fiery oranges and reds.

There are at least 17 species of this native stunner in North America, but only 3–4 thrive in our tricky Lowcountry climate. The good news? Plant breeders have taken notice! There’s a growing effort to hybridize these native azaleas (yep, we’re talking deciduous native azaleas) to create more heat- and humidity-tolerant varieties for Southern gardens.

In the wild, you’ll spot them in wooded areas (often confused with wild honeysuckle), which makes many gardeners think they need shade. Not true! These plants can handle more sun than you’d expect—and in fact, a sunnier spot encourages more blooms and bolder colors.

Here’s how to keep them happy:

Plant in rich, well-drained, slightly acidic soil
Add compost once a year
Mulch well and skip the extra watering
Pest and fuss-free - they are a dream!

Bonus: They provide nectar and pollen, and even serve as host plants for native pollinators.

You can prune after blooming, into June if needed. Some cultivars stay neat and compact, while others reach 8–10 feet tall and upright.

Pro tip: Pair them with bold summer and fall-blooming perennials that will steal the show later in the season. Let these native azaleas shine in winter and spring, when your garden needs a little boost.

The best species for our climate include:

A. austrinum, commonly called the Florida flame azalea
A. canescens, commonly called the Piedmont azalea
A. flammeum, commonly called the Oconee azalea
A. atlanticum, commonly called the Coastal azalea

April is the perfect time to visit these local garden centers (and HORT Business Partners), Hyams Garden Center, ESD (Elizabeth Stuart Design), and Roots & Shoots Nursery to find Azaleas in or near full bloom. Also, Carolina Native Nursery in NC specializes in native Azaleas.

Want to dig deeper? Azaleas and Rhododendron - what's the difference?

Hats Off to Belle Hall HOA!

Last month in The Vine, we talked about Charleston’s No Mow March—a local effort to give beneficial insects a chance to complete their life cycles by letting the grass and spring vegetation grow a little wild before the first mow.

Big kudos to the Belle Hall subdivision in Mt. Pleasant! Their HOA made the awesome call to hold off mowing until April—giving pollinators and beneficial bugs a head start this spring.

We love to see it—and hope this awareness keeps spreading!

Just for Hort Members

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