Category Archives: Weekend Gardener
Black-Eyed Susan: A Cheerful Bloom From North Carolina to Norway
MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerMelissa and I just returned from a trip to Norway where we traveled as far north as Myrdal, which is 3,000 feet above sea level and about 350 miles south of the Arctic ...
Jul 16, 2025
Black-Eyed Susan: A Cheerful Bloom From North Carolina to Norway
MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerMelissa and I just returned from a trip to Norway where we traveled as far north as Myrdal, which is 3,000 feet above sea level and about 350 miles south of the Arctic ...
Jul 16, 2025
Serviceberry: A little-known native tree that birds (and gardeners) love
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerRALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Many years ago, my family and I were visiting relatives in Ohio in early April. On the way back home it snowed, although it did not stic...
Jul 01, 2025
Serviceberry: A little-known native tree that birds (and gardeners) love
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerRALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – Many years ago, my family and I were visiting relatives in Ohio in early April. On the way back home it snowed, although it did not stic...
Jul 01, 2025
From Ditch Lilies to Showstoppers: Growing Daylilies in North Carolina
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerOur loyal Weekend Gardener listener and friend Steve is the pot master of the universe when it comes to daylilies (Hemerocallis). You may have heard them referred to...
Jun 08, 2025
Meet Illicium: A Shade-Loving Shrub with Personality
By MIKE RALEYI can remember a time when there were few shade-loving shrubs from which to choose for the North Carolina landscape. In the early years of the "Weekend Gardener," Erv Evans or those who f...
May 20, 2025
Why the ninebark shrub deserves a spot in your garden
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerHow many of you have ever heard of the Ninebark shrub or Physocarpus opulifolius for those of you who like to get technical? I hadn't until recently! Since then I ha...
Apr 29, 2025
Why the ninebark shrub deserves a spot in your garden
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerHow many of you have ever heard of the Ninebark shrub or Physocarpus opulifolius for those of you who like to get technical? I hadn't until recently! Since then I ha...
Apr 29, 2025
A honey of a winter bloom
By Mike RaleyIf you want a plant with a scientific name that really rings, then winter honeysuckle is for you. The botanical name for this aromatic specimen is Lonicera fragrantissima. Catchy, huh? Kn...
Jan 18, 2025
Japanese flowering apricot, a J.C. Raulston favorite
By Mike RaleyUnfortunately, I never met Dr. J.C. Raulston, the namesake of the world-famous research gardens at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He was killed in an auto accident in 1996, t...
Jan 11, 2025