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Showing posts from November 14, 2010

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We have about three dozen succulents and cacti in containers. Each fall I would haul them indoors to protect them from the elements and then in the spring I'd place them outdoors. They don't really like this, but I thought it was the only way to keep them alive. Until I saw this blog post about a xeric cactus garden at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, leading to a visit to the JC Raulston Arboretum near the fairgrounds. Could we pull off a desert garden in the Carolina clay? With some help, perhaps. Reading how a Raleigh gardener set up a scree/xeric/Alpine garden at home sealed the deal. In September, we had several large azaleas removed from the front yard. The azaleas were not only hosting some noxious weeds, they were also blocking the sun from a nice perennial flower bed. This is the 15' X 20' hole that resulted from removing the azaleas. We then found Michael Blake Inc. -- a terrific garden center in Knightdale. Michael sells Permatill , engineered slate