Charleston, South Carolina – Many things shift with the seasons, including our gardens. Here are some suggestions and strategies for getting ready for autumn plants and food.
To get the lay of the land, News 2 interviews David Manger, the proprietor of Roots and Shoots, a native plant nursery in West Ashley.
“Transitioning from summer to fall, summer is a time of abundant growth. “You often have weeds in your gardens,” Manger explains.
According to Manger, the first thing you should do is manage the weeds before starting your fall garden.
Manger recommends that you re-nourish your soil. “You want to get them [your plants] filled with nutrients, and make them nice and happy,” the manager replied.
He recommends composting and prepping your garden bed to supply vital nutrients to your plants. He explains how to compost with mulch and advocates raking leaves from your yard and returning them to your garden beds rather than putting them on the curb.
“It immediately puts all your nutrients back in the ground where they belong, where the plants can use them,” Mr. Manger explained.
Aside from preparing our gardens, Manger tells us about the fall blossom.
Fall is an important season for insects because it helps them prepare for winter, which can be a time of food scarcity in the animal kingdom.
“With that evolution of our insects and plants, fall is a big time for nectar production, so you see tons and tons of blooming things,” Mr. Manger said.
Goldenrods, bushes, and hibiscus flowers are examples of locally grown native flora.
Roots and Shoots features over 250 species of plants that flourish in the Southeast that you may cultivate in your yard.
With the motto “give your garden wings,” they offer everything wildlife requires to thrive in the yard.
“When you use our native plants, your yard comes to life with beautiful wings, animals, creatures, and motion, so it’s more than a pretty scene like a painting; it’s a yard that does things for us and everything else as well,” according to Manger.
