Garden Journal

Driving me nuts: In response to my announcement that I planned to plant a hazelnut, a reader offered a cautionary note: “They spread voraciously!” Point taken. I believe I’ll still proceed, but at least I’ve been forewarned. On a related matter, this helpful reader noted that “chinquapins are superb trees.”

Power flowers: Reems Creek Valley Nursery will offer a free seminar, “Beauty With Bulbs: Natural, Formal or Forced,” on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 2 p.m. The nursery is at 70 Monticello Road in Weaverville. Please pre-register by calling 645-3937.

Little lambs eat ivy?: Maybe yes, maybe no. However, if you’re short on lambs and long on English ivy, you should cut off vines at the base of any tree they have in their clutches — but don’t pull them down. Rather, let them die in place and weather away, which will do less damage to bark and branches. Meanwhile, you might consider leaving poison-ivy vines that have grown up into tree crowns. Poison ivy won’t kill the trees, and the berries are an important food source for migrating birds.

Speaking of migration: Chimney swifts are gathering in advance of their annual trek to South America. Join People Allied for Real Conservancy for their Fourth Annual Swift Watch, at the Asheville Middle School (97 S. French Broad Ave., from 7 to 8 p.m. every evening through Sept. 30.

NOTE: The Xpress garden section will be turned under for the season after Oct. 18; look for it again when the crocuses are in bloom.

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About Cecil Bothwell
A writer for Mountain Xpress since three years before there WAS an MX--back in the days of GreenLine. Former managing editor of the paper, founding editor of the Warren Wilson College environmental journal, Heartstone, member of the national editorial board of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, publisher of Brave Ulysses Books, radio host of "Blows Against the Empire" on WPVM-LP 103.5 FM, co-author of the best selling guide Finding your way in Asheville. Lives with three cats, macs and cacti. His other car is a canoe. Paints, plays music and for the past five years has been researching and soon to publish a critical biography--Billy Graham: Prince of War:

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