South Durham Green Neighbors

02/04/2026

When February’s cold, wintry days have you looking ahead to spring, it’s a great time to start planning. Get a jump on the season with these February Garden Tips from the archives, covering what you can plant now, which plants to prune or divide this month, and tips for planning your 2026 vegetable garden layout.

Source (Alamance Gardener February 2023): https://alamance.ces.ncsu.edu/2023/02/february-2023-alamance-gardener/

02/04/2026

🫐✂️ Blueberry pruning season is here in the Piedmont!

Late winter = the perfect time to prune while bushes are dormant. It feels scary 😅, but pruning = healthier plants + more berries 🍇

Cut out:
❌ Dead or damaged wood
❌ Crossing/rubbing branches
❌ Old, wood-colored branches (less fruit)
❌ Low branches touching the ground

🌞💨 Goal: open the center for sunlight + airflow and make room for new canes that will fruit this summer!

Don’t fear over-pruning 💚 Blueberries are tough 💪 and will recover — you might just get fewer berries for a year or two while they rebuild.

If it looks a little bare… you did it right 😉

Future you (and your berry bowl 🥣) will be grateful 💙

01/30/2026

🍀 Ready to learn how is different from ?

Want to take a nature program to the next level?

Or just want to learn more about this growing field of interest?

The Intro to Therapeutic Horticulture course is designed for professionals, students and volunteers interested in connecting people with plants for a purpose!

🌟 Course info ➡ go.ncsu.edu/th1-april26

(or reporter.ncsu.edu/link/instanceview?courseID=CALS-HORT-TH1&deptName=CALS&instanceID=000019)

Email [email protected] with questions. There are course discounts for Extension professionals and Master Gardener volunteers.

NC State Therapeutic Horticulture North Carolina Botanical Garden

01/19/2026

New reports from Mexico show that monarch butterfly populations have roughly doubled this year - which is a great turnaround so far! According to a joint monitoring report from WWF-Mexico and the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, the eastern monarch population occupied about 1.79 hectares of forest during the 2024–25 winter season, up from 0.90 hectares the previous year.

Scientists say this increase is likely due to favorable weather and improved migration conditions across North America. However, experts caution that while the jump is encouraging, it doesn’t mean the monarchs have fully recovered just yet. The population remains well below the levels needed for long-term stability, and their numbers tend to fluctuate widely from year to year.

Still, the rebound offers a welcome sign of hope!

01/16/2026

01/10/2026

Make plans now to design a few of these plants in your garden. As winter finally loosens its grip, migrating songbirds return with empty stomachs and plenty of energy to replenish. 🌼 Early spring, however, doesn’t offer much natural food—unless your garden is stocked with the right native plants. These species supply berries, seeds, insects, and protective cover just when birds need them most, turning your yard into a springtime buffet.
Here are 12 native plants that are irresistible to songbirds in early spring:
Serviceberry — Among the first shrubs to fruit, offering robins and cedar waxwings a welcome early-season treat.
Red Osier Dogwood — Hosts plenty of insects in spring and produces vibrant berries later on.
American Beautyberry — Its clusters of purple berries often linger through winter, feeding hungry cardinals as the season shifts.
Winterberry — Bright red berries that remain into early spring, perfect for thrushes and bluebirds emerging from winter scarcity.
Chokeberry — Packed with nutrients, its tart fruits are ideal for fueling spring migrants.
Eastern Red Cedar — Produces berry-like cones loved by cedar waxwings and other early arrivers.
Staghorn Sumac — Its fuzzy red seed clusters provide reliable calories for migrating flocks.
Blackhaw Viburnum — Holds onto its fruit through winter, giving early birds a much-needed head start.
American Holly — Offers both long-lasting berries and dense evergreen cover for sheltering birds.
Purple Coneflower — Even after snow melts, its seed heads remain a favorite snack for finches.
Switchgrass — Tall stems packed with seeds attract sparrows and other ground-feeding species.
River Birch — Supports early-emerging insects, making it a magnet for warblers, chickadees, and other insect-loving birds.
❤️🌱🌿

01/10/2026

We are zone 8a in Durham, too.

Want to grow a greener thumb in Zone 8a? 🌷 Subscribe to the electronic "Garden Zone" newsletter from the NC State Extension Master Gardener℠ volunteers of Mecklenburg County!

You'll receive:

🕣 Timely and locally-relevant advice on planting, pruning, and pest and disease prevention and control
✅ Reliable, science-backed advice and recommendations for home gardening
🍅 Articles and photos by Extension Master Gardener volunteers
📣 Announcements of upcoming gardening workshops and events

Subscribe ➡ mecklenburg.ces.ncsu.edu/email-me

This is just one of several regular newsletters produced by Extension Master Gardener programs in our state. Enjoy!

Images by EMG volunteers from 2025 issues of the Garden Zone newsletter, clockwise from top left: Bird Friendly Gardens by Alden Picard; How Trees Cool the Air by Jean Wilson; Deadheading and Dividing Daylilies for Better Blooms by Julie Coffey; Welcome the wasps to your garden by Gina Tadle

NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Mecklenburg County

01/10/2026

01/07/2026

UPDATE: Due to weather, the Seed Starting class has been moved online to Zoom. It's now on Saturday, 1/31/26 at 10 a.m. to 12 noon, allowing many more gardeners to attend than the in-person format. Sign up now for free at eventbrite.com/e/seed-starting-hattie-meadows-gardening-school-tickets-1977297217204?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=1

____________________________________________________________
🎉 Don't forget to register for the Hattie Meadows Gardening School at Stanford L. Warren Branch - Durham County Library! Everyone in our local community is invited to take FREE classes on all things gardening.

⭐ Space is limited, so registration is highly recommended ➡ go.ncsu.edu/hattie-meadows

(or dconc.gov/DurhamCo-News/Hattie-Meadows-Gardening-School-at-Stanford-L.-Warren-Branch-Library.htm)

CLASS 1 | The Dirt on Soil, Saturday, January 10, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
🌿 Presented by Ashley Troth, Horticulture Agent, N.C. Cooperative Extension, Durham County Center

CLASS 2 | Seed Starting, Saturday, January 24, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
🌱 Presented by Marcia Kirinus, NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteer, Durham County

CLASS 3 | Design Thinking, Saturday, February 14, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
🗺 Presented by Stefan Bloodworth, former curator of the Blomquist Garden of Native Plants at Sarah P. Duke Gardens

CLASS 4 | Garden Design with Native Plants, Saturday, February 28, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
🏡 Presented by Sheldon Galloway, Owner and Head of Operations at Garden Environments

CLASS 5 | Vegetable Gardening Symposium, Saturday, March 14, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
🍅 Three speakers will present a little something for everyone, from beginner to experienced veggie grower

More classes will be announced and posted online. The gardening school was made possible by grant funding from the Durham Library Foundation.

01/05/2026

01/03/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐃𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲

𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐮𝐛𝐬

• Spray fruit trees with dormant oil spray to reduce pests. Use organic spray for apple, pear and other stone fruits.
• Protect newly planted trees from sunscald by wrapping main trunks with tree wrap. Remove in spring when tree growth resumes.

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬/𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐬/𝐁𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬

• Check garden catalogues and online nurseries for drought and disease tolerant perennials. When looking at non-native varieties, consider cultivars that will not self-seed and become invasive.
• Start a personal garden journal to record what, when, and where you planted and what blooms monthly in your garden. Note successes and failures from previous year.
Vegetables
• Choose a garden location with full sun for 8-10 hours and convenient access to water. Determine your garden type: in-ground, raised bed, or container. Choose which vegetables to grow, map out your garden, and develop a planting plan.
• Start seeds for cool-season vegetables such as cabbage, leaf lettuce and collards. Start them indoors in bright sunlight or under grow lights. Keep seedlings moist, but not wet, and fertilize at half strength every other week after true leaves appear.

𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐧𝐬

• For warm-season lawns: Pull winter weeds to prevent them from going to seed. Do not mow or fertilize. Note: Centipede grass is sensitive to certain herbicides, follow label directions on herbicide container.
• For cool-season lawns: Mow weekly to 3”. Watch for signs of yellow patch, a common disease that appears as irregular yellow or white patches or rings up to 3’ in diameter.
• For all lawns: Remove lawn debris (rocks, sticks, and leaves) to allow proper green-up in the spring. Apply broadleaf herbicides for control of chickweed and henbit. Watch for fairy rings: patches, rings, or arcs of dead grass caused by a fungus that makes the soil and roots water-repellant.