Finding plant treasures in the Foothills

Growing up in North Carolina  late summer was always one of my favorite times of the year. I looked forward to going back to school and seeing many friends I had not seen all summer, and it was ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-life-for-old-living.html

My journey as a plantsman and a nurseryman has taken many turns over the years. Most may not understand this next statement but most of the plants I grow I did not choose but rather they chose me...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2014/05/devils-tongue-eastern-prickly-pear.html

In recent times with our dubious economy many people are interested in returning to growing and producing things themselves that they can eat. Fruits and vegetables growing has increased with hom...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2014/01/planting-for-survival.html

Winter after the holiday season is over can be a long, dismal and depressing time of year for some depending on where you live and how severe of a winter you have.  Winter can be an eye opening ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2013/01/bark.html

As the holiday season is upon us we are searching for gift ideas. This is my pulpit so I am putting forth my two cents worth to whoever reads it. Gardening and landscaping are more important than...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-gift-giving.html

Sometimes a common name does not give proper respect to the plant that is tagged with it, other times it shows its hardiness. Many plant Maples for shade trees and that is fine, but we really nee...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-better-tree-swamp-white-oak.html

I am often talking to a customer at our booth at a market or at the nursery who may be browsing at some of our small trees when they say, "Its no use for me to plant one of those, I would never l...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/11/grandfather-clause-ginkgo-bilboa.html

Over the last ten years I have had some funny looks, sneers, and laughs about some of the plants and trees I grow at the nursery. As a person dedicated to primarily growing native plants and tre...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/11/seven-billion-and-counting.html

A few years back I wrote about propagating Oak Leaf Hydrangea from seed with success. Since then I have even taken cuttings of some of my seedlings. Many of the seedlings have finished growing ou...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/11/fall-foliage-interest.html

This post is and isnt just about native plants and trees, it is my observation and my belief. We all who are over 40 and some younger have failed to show the next generation and the next the impo...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/03/failure-to-ourselves-and-those-who.html

(He is like a man which built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it for it was foun...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2012/02/return-of-cacti.html

Never consider a native plant a weed just because you do not understand it. A book could be filled up quickly with knowledge that is known and more about what is not known about our native Eld...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2011/02/elders-revisited.html

Being in the nursery business all my 48 years once in a while I run across a plant that defies knowledge even logic. About fifteen years ago I received ten small seedlings of Aesculus pavia the...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-year-but-spring-is-nor-far-away_01.html

Driving in the summer on the Blue Ridge parkway around the Boone North Carolina area has always been a very pleasant and refreshing experience. The North Carolina mountains have a way of giving ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2010/09/woolly-menace.html

This time of year makes us reflect on the happenings and our blessings from the past year. This year I entered social media on Twitter and on Facebook and I have met online and or in person som...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/12/holly-jolly.html

Defeat and rejection are some of the challenges of life to overcome. Only when we have experienced some of these disappointments then and only then can we truly appreciate when we succeed or ou...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/09/bliss.html

It has been a while since I last posted. Times are challenging, going through a divorce makes you question many things in life. Through my 46 years growing up and living the nursery industry I ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/07/elders-among-us.html

I finally got a chance today to visit the Cucumber magnolias again. I was tipped off by my cousin Jonathon Campbell that they were in bloom. We have had much recent rain and that clearly has ta...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/05/magnolia-and-hydrangea-update.html

Magnolia macrophylla known by the common names of Bigleaf Magnolia and cucumber tree was first shown to me at an early age by my father while we were near a creek one summers day. My father wan...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/03/cucumber-tree-magnolia.html

I thought I would follow my last post with another about this wonderful plant. I have never collected seed for this plant before this year. After reading what I could on the internet from nativ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/03/oak-leaf-hydrangea-seed-collecting.html

The Oakleaf Hydrangea(Hydrangea Quercifolia) is truly a plant for all seasons. Native to portions of the southeastern United States it gets it's common name from the almost red oak like leaves...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/02/anytime.html

Up until a couple years ago I completely neglected the American Beautyberry. I am an avid wildlife conservationist especially for our Bobwhite Quail. When thinking of native plants with berrie...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/02/purple-pizazz-american-beautyberry.html

As a life long nurseryman many friends and customers have shared cuttings, seed and divisions of plants in their landscapes with me. You might often find me early in the morning searching a fri...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/02/virginia-spiderwort.html

Here in the middle of winter I thought I would bring a little taste of summer in to the blog with a wonderful and underused native plant. Queen of the meadow, Gravel or Kidney root, Purple or ...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/02/queen-of-meadow.html

During this presidential inauguration week many Americans are feeling very good about their country. I have saw many speak and write about how proud they are of our flag. This reminded me of o...

http://foothillplanttreasures.blogspot.com/2009/01/liberty-tree.html