NC State Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Orange County

09/15/2026

09/14/2026

Ready to learn what your soil has to say?

In Orange County, pick up an official NCDA soil sample box, form and sampling instructions at the outdoor station beside the front door of the Bonnie B. Davis Environment and Agricultural Center, 1020 US-70W in Hillsborough.

When your sample is ready, bring it back to the same outdoor station for drop-off.

Prefer to start online?

You’ll find forms, instructions and soil-testing resources at TheOrangeGardener.org/resources.

Or come find the Master Gardeners at the Carrboro or Eno River farmers’ markets.

We have soil sample kits at our booths, too. Come say hello—we’re always happy to talk gardening.

Standard NCDA soil testing is free for North Carolina residents through November 30, so now is a particularly good time to get curious about what’s happening beneath your plants.

Got your box?

Next, we’ll show you how to collect a sample that actually represents the place you want to understand.

09/13/2026

🐝 Why is a coneflower covered in bees one moment…and butterflies a little later? 🦋

Back in June, we kept noticing something about the coneflowers.

Some mornings, the bees seemed to own them. Later, butterflies would arrive in numbers. Sometimes they were all there together.

The flower looked the same. But it wasn’t.

What looks like one coneflower is actually hundreds of tiny flowers packed together. The raised center is made of disk florets, and they don’t all open at once. Each morning, a new ring begins to open, moving from the outside of the cone toward the center.

Those newly opened florets present pollen during their first day, while nectar remains available for several days. Research on Echinacea purpurea found nectar available for up to four days, with the greatest amount produced around midday on the second day.

So while the coneflower may look unchanged to us, the food it offers pollinators is constantly changing.

🐝 Bees use both pollen and nectar. Nectar gives adult bees energy, while female bees also collect protein-rich pollen to help feed their young.

🦋 Adult butterflies are mainly looking for nectar. Their activity is also strongly influenced by sunlight and temperature. NC State notes that many butterflies need to warm up before becoming active.

So why bees at one moment and butterflies at another? It’s probably not one simple reason. Pollen, nectar, temperature, sunlight, time of day and pollinator behavior can all change who shows up.

Next time you see a coneflower buzzing with life, look closely—and then come back a few hours later. You may find a very different crowd.

🌿 Want coneflowers in your own garden? We’ll have them at PlantFest on October 10 at Blackwood Farm Park.

🦋 Want to learn more about supporting pollinators in the Piedmont? Our pollinator calendar will also be available at PlantFest.

👕 And if you’ve ever stopped mid-conversation because you spotted a bee, butterfly, or really good plant… you’re in good company. We’ll also have an “Easily Distracted by Plants & Pollinators” shirt at PlantFest.

09/12/2026

NATIVE AZALEAS FOR DAPPLED SHADE

Sweet Azalea
Rhododendron arborescens

Sweet azalea is an erect, loosely branched, deciduous shrub in the blueberry family (Ericaceae). Native to the southern Appalachian region from southern Pennsylvania to Georgia, it naturally grows along wooded slopes, streambanks and other moist habitats.

Its trumpet-shaped flowers are typically a pure, waxy white, creating a striking contrast with their five long pink or red stamens. Sweet azalea is also called smooth azalea, partly because its young stems and leaves are generally smooth and without hairs.

The flowers have a strong, sweet-spicy fragrance, while the dried leaves have a coumarin-like scent. The fragrance is often compared to heliotrope, cloves, vanilla or cinnamon and is usually strongest on warm, humid days and during the evening.

Plant sweet azalea near a path, porch or seating area where its perfume can be enjoyed when it blooms from late May through July.

The display continues in autumn, when the foliage turns brilliant shades of orange, crimson or purple.

PLANTING RECOMMENDATIONS

• Dappled light or gentle morning sun and afternoon shade

• Acidic soil, ideally around pH 4.5–6.0

• Loose, organic soil that remains evenly moist but drains freely

• The top of the root ball positioned slightly above the surrounding grade

• Two to three inches of pine bark, pine straw, or shredded-leaf mulch

• No digging or cultivation around their shallow roots

• Pruning, if necessary, immediately after flowering

• Fast growing and spreading by underground runners, sweet azalea can reach a height and width of 8 to 12 feet, occasionally reaching 20 feet.

For a long flowering sequence in a woodland garden, combine pinxterbloom azalea for spring, sweet azalea for early summer and plumleaf azalea for late summer.

Plumleaf azalea is native to Georgia and Alabama, but not to North Carolina.

Sweet Azalea will be available at PlantFest on October 10, 2026, at Blackwood Farm Park.

www.PlantFestNC.org

Image credit: Plate 617 from Addisonia, published by the New York Botanical Garden.

09/11/2026

Plant an oak. Grow an ecosystem.

When choosing a tree for your landscape, consider what it can do for wildlife as well as what it can do for your yard.

Native oaks are ecological powerhouses. Their leaves provide food for the caterpillars of many moths and butterflies. Those caterpillars, in turn, are an important food source for birds — especially when they are feeding their young.

And an oak’s contribution doesn’t stop there. Acorns provide food for birds and mammals, while the branches, bark, and cavities of mature trees offer shelter, nesting sites, and cover.

Have room for an oak?
At PlantFest on October 10, we’ll have three native species to choose from:

-Cherrybark Oak — A large oak particularly well suited to moist sites and landscapes with plenty of room.

-Shumard Oak — An adaptable shade tree that tolerates a range of growing conditions and offers attractive fall color.

-Black Oak — A tough native that can handle drier conditions and poorer soils.

Whichever you choose, remember: right tree, right place. Give an oak the space it needs to mature, and you’re planting much more than a tree — you’re creating habitat for years to come.

Plant a tree. Create habitat. Leave a legacy.

09/10/2026

Hannah Popish has spent years growing, harvesting, preparing - and continually learning from - herbs.

Come wander through that world with her at our September Dig Deeper. Hannah is a Chatham County grower, clinical herbalist, educator and founder of Poppysol Farm + Apothecary.

Her fascination with plants goes way back. At fourteen, she made her own herbal encyclopedia. Her winding path since then has taken her through social work, coffee farms around the world, farming and herbalism.

Gardening for Self-Care with Herbs
Sunday, September 13
2-3:30 p.m.
Orange County Main Public Library, Hillsborough
Free

09/09/2026

ANSWER: A — Ragweed! 🌿

Goldenrod often gets blamed for fall allergies because its bright yellow flowers are easy to spot just when allergy season kicks into high gear. But ragweed is usually the real culprit.

Ragweed releases large amounts of lightweight pollen that travels on the wind. Goldenrod pollen is heavier and stickier and is carried primarily by insects, so very little becomes airborne.

So don’t blame the goldenrod! Its late-season flowers provide an important source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies and other pollinators when fewer plants are in bloom.

The showy plant gets the blame. The inconspicuous one makes us sneeze!

09/08/2026

Come dig deeper with us this fall.

Learn from three people who have spent years going deep into the things that fascinate them - and who are still learning, exploring and sharing what they know.

Three Sunday afternoons. Three fascinating subjects to explore with experts who know them deeply. All free.

In September, Hannah Popish invites us into her world of herbs and self-care. In October, Dr. Danesha Seth Carley brings the curiosity of a pollinator expert who co-wrote the book - and is still asking questions. And in November, botanist Dr. Scott Zona shows us where the good stuff is hiding in NC State's Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

That's what Dig Deeper is about: time to explore one subject with someone who knows it deeply, whatever you already know about gardening.

DIG DEEPER - FALL 2026

Gardening for Self-Care with Herbs
Hannah Popish - September 13

Pollinator Gardening in the South
Dr. Danesha Seth Carley - October 18

Plant Toolbox Tips
Dr. Scott Zona - November 15

Sundays - 2-3:30 p.m.
Orange County Main Public Library - Hillsborough

09/07/2026

Announcing the Release of

2027 A Pollinator Year in the Piedmont

Available at PlantFest, Saturday, October 10.

Discover how your garden can make a difference for pollinators throughout the year!

A Pollinator Year in the Piedmont is a calendar that shares simple monthly ideas, practical gardening tips, and QR codes linking to reliable resources to help gardeners create welcoming habitats for pollinators.

Whether you have a large garden, a small backyard, or a few containers, you can support pollinators, one plant, one bloom, and one pollinator at a time.

Created by the Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Association of Orange County, NC (EMGVA), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the NC State Extension Master Gardener program in Orange County by raising funds for its educational programs and community outreach.