WPTF Weekend Gardener

Fraud-prevention segment featuring the NC Secretary of State’s office, plus State Farmers Market and local events updates

Broadcast from the Jane McKimmon Center at NC State for the NC 55+ Lifestyle Show, with event highlights and schedule

Monica’s State Farmers Market update on what’s fresh, vendor shout-outs, and weekend notes including the Korean Food Festival.

Listener Q&A on dividing/transplanting, mulch basics, and prepping garden beds and lawns for the cool season.

A tribute to J.C. Knowles with favorite stories, plus fall color picks—pansies, camellias—and how to plant daffodils and other bulbs now.

Warm-season lawn choices and shade (fine-blade zoysias vs. St. Augustine), grub issues in zoysia; hornworms vs. armyworms; when to cut back lantana (after a hard freeze); deer-resistant winter color with snapdragons; and how trimming ligustrum now can cost you spring blooms, with quick spacing notes for future shade trees.

Fall color and drought updates; why autumn is the best time to plant trees and shrubs; fescue seeding and watering; Gerald’s pepper seed-saving and unusual varieties; container tips for church planters (swap oversized ornamental kale for snapdragons or dianthus, use trailing pansies, ensure good drainage); plus camellias and other compact shrubs for small yards.

Fall lawn rescue (centipede vs. rye), deadheading/feeding roses, ginger lilies and collards; listener Q&A and wrap from Womble’s.

Store-floor chat (gear, gas logs); Etheridge on crop prices; callers on rye overseeding and tomatoes; Gary Pierce’s fixes for stressed turf and rose care.

Kickoff from J.E. Womble & Sons in Lillington; Bob Etheridge on drought and NC farmers; Erica Gallion on Youth Legislative Assembly & Super Kids; Gary Pierce begins Q&A on lawns, roses, and fall veggies.

Bradley O’Neill highlights the restored IH tractors, and Chris Massey from C. Massey Plumbing drops by. Amanda Bratcher gives what-to-do-now pruning/planting tips, with a quick State Fair flower show preview from the crew.

Paula Perry shares the 5-acre maze designed by Wayne Batten, the tractor showcase with International Harvester Chapter 37, and donations benefiting Interfaith Food Shuttle. Plus: caller Steve, pumpkin “stackables” for cooking, and quick fall planting notes.

Opening hours from Crossroads Corn Maze. Mike Raley, Rufus Edmisten, and Amanda Bratcher talk fall weather/drought and watering, then Jean Spooner (Umstead Coalition) previews today’s native plant sale at William B. Umstead State Park.

More fall Q&A with Mart Bumgarner: saving seed from summer annuals, why tulips act like annuals here, and why you should leave some stems standing for winter pollinator habitat. We also talk favorite ornamental grasses (hello, muhly and little bluestem) and share PlantFest logistics and highlights. Plus campus notes on JPAC and the Allen de Hart Concert Series. Note: This week’s show runs two...

Broadcast live from Louisburg College’s Seby B. Jones Performing Arts Center (JPAC), with local historian Mark Pace of the Tar River Center for History & Culture sharing Louisburg stories (Person Place, Gov. Thomas W. Bickett). Former mayor and state representative Lucy Allen joins the conversation. Orange County Cooperative Extension’s Mart Bumgarner previews PlantFest (Sat., Oct. 11) at Blac...

Fall color takes center stage: the “banana pudding plant” is blooming now, and Phil lays out cool‑season staples — pansies, mums, and more — for fresh containers and beds. Monica from the State Farmers Market checks in with a full autumn lineup: pumpkins, gourds, straw bales, pansies, and shrubs for seasonal decorating.

Lisa Grele Barrie from Raleigh City Farm joins to talk urban agriculture, community support, and tackling food insecurity. Then Andrew Kren from the National Weather Service updates the tropics — how Humberto’s track could tug Imelda east and what that means for NC. Plus, the crew sorts a roadside “corn-like” mystery plant as a ginger lily (and a few look‑alikes).

Mike Raley, Phil Campbell, and Rufus Edmisten kick off with tomato seed‑saving how‑tos — including Gerald Adams’ OxiClean method and how it compares with the traditional ferment‑and‑strain approach. They also chat fragrant fall standouts like banana shrub/osmanthus and note early dogwood color. Listener calls touch on tiny tomatoes like ‘Coyote’ and heirlooms like ‘Cousin Gladys.’

Mike and Rufus wrap up from Durham with more open house fun, giveaways, and garden talk. Listener calls spark tips on crepe myrtles, Rose of Sharon, and hydrangeas, while the show blends home improvement, horticultural insight, and good humor from the Weekend Gardener team.

The broadcast continues with discussions including the upcoming Fall Plant Sale in Chapel Hill, favorite native plants, fall-blooming flowers like rain lilies and tea olives, and plenty of laughter with callers and community friends

Mike Raley and Rufus Edmisten open the show from the Aluminum Company of NC in Durham with Sammy Hanna. The team celebrates Mike’s birthday, talks company history and home projects, and answers gardening questions on pruning Japanese maples and figs

The conversation continues with listener Steve bringing in daylily photos and plants, sparking talk of weeds, stiltgrass, bamboo, figs, and Roses of Sharon. Bill Mitchell joins to highlight grills, spas, saunas, and games during the store’s renovation expo. The hour wraps with more garden advice, community stories, and a few laughs over hot dogs and foosball

Mike Raley, Phil Campbell, and Rufus Edmisten open the show at Atlantic Spas and Billiards in Raleigh. The team talks fall flowers like swamp daisies, sunflowers, sedums, and zinnias while sharing tips on bog gardens and pollinator favorites. Lively stories and laughter keep the first half moving.

Mike, Rufus, and Patrick wrap up with wide-ranging garden talk — from giant coneflowers to ginger lilies and lessons from Patrick’s time at Heronswood Garden in Washington State. The final hour blends expert advice, botanical history, and plenty of good humor from the Weekend Gardener team

The conversation deepens with Patrick McMillan exploring heirloom chrysanthemums and their upcoming show at the NC State Fairgrounds. Listeners hear about the history, diversity, and beauty of these rare mums, along with Patrick’s reflections on horticulture and plant stories that connect to memory and place