Celebrate Easter by watching the sun rise over Hickory Nut Gorge during the annual service atop Chimney Rock.
See our master list of places to see and things to do in the western North Carolina mountains, including Asheville and our many small towns.
Citizen-Times, Betty Montgomery, Garden columnist
What a joy to see some perennial color in early spring. I have a few early blooming perennials that are lovely now while others are just beginning to break through the ground. I have several perennials that will take some shade and which fit in nicely with hostas, ferns, and grasses. I have had several of them for years and in recent years have discovered two newer ones that I have added to my garden.
An old time favorite that brings on lovely blooms is a native wildflower, Virginia Bluebells, also known as Mertensia virginica. Clusters of small, trumpet-shaped flowers nodding from a single sturdy stem look stunning in any garden location. It starts blooming in early spring with pink buds that later mature into blue flowers.
I was given one plant years ago and it has produced other little plants that I have moved around in the garden. After Virginia bluebells bloom and set seed, they die back to the ground. I have to be careful not to disturb this area or the seeds that have dropped this year might not develop into a plant next year. When Virginia Bluebells are mature and well established, they have a long taproot and if I am thinking of moving them, I have to be careful to dig deep enough to get all the root.
Warming greetings to you, March lambs. Our mountain home is abundant with blossoms as the trees and bees awaken and the green ones begin growing. As you get into gardening this year, be sure to reach out with any questions that pop up with the dandelions and violets. Send them to me at gardening@mountainx.com. This month’s questions were all about soil, which feels very appropriate as we begin to engage with the living earth once more after winter’s rest.
Container confinement
Do I need to change out the soil in my container garden each spring? Or add anything into them?
Gardening in containers is a bit different from gardening in the ground, but many of the same principles apply. Since the soil in raised beds is finite in quantity, plant roots can’t explore beyond it in search of water and nutrients as they can in the ground. In addition, raised-bed soil mixes generally need to be fluffier and more aerated than the soil of the ground. Water, nutrients and plant roots need to be able to move about easily in the small amount of soil that’s contained in even the biggest containers.
The short answer to your question is no, you don’t need to completely change the soil in your container garden each year, and yes, it’s a good idea to add some amendments to it. Whatever plants you grew in that particular soil last year pulled many of the nutrients into their bodies in order to grow. That means those nutrients will be in shorter supply in the soil mix this year. Additionally, pests and diseases can build up in soil over time, especially in a closed system like a container that probably isn’t teeming with beneficial organisms. (Click title for more)
In a little over a week, a total solar eclipse will leave millions of people across North America in temporary darkness.
If you miss 2024's celestial event, the next opportunity to glimpse a total solar eclipse in the U.S. is a mere 20 years away, when Montana and North Dakota will slip into darkness in 2044.
Though not in the path of totality for 2024's eclipse, Asheville will experience approximately 85% of the eclipse during its peak on April 8, making it one of the best locations to view the event in North Carolina.
Wondering when you should put on your eclipse glasses or looking for an event to attend the day of the eclipse? Here's what you should know.
In the article
What is a total solar eclipse?
When is the eclipse for Asheville?
Protection required for viewing
Educational opportunities aplenty in WNC as the eclipse approaches. Here are a few to consider:
Asheville breweries are hosting eclipse events. Here are a few:
CHEROKEE, N.C. – The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is set to open the first cannabis dispensary in North Carolina. The Great Smoky Cannabis Company, operated by Qualla Enterprises, LLC – an EBCI tribal entity – will open to the public for sale of medical cannabis products only on Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m.
The dispensary is located at 91 Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee, N.C. in the same building that housed the now-defunct Cherokee Tribal Bingo.
EBCI voters overwhelmingly approved the idea of legalizing cannabis for adult-use (recreational) in a September 2023 referendum, but it has not been approved into the Cherokee Code yet.
The following question was posed on the Sept. 7, 2023 referendum, “Do you support legalizing the possession and use of cannabis for persons who are at least twenty-one (21) years old and require the EBCI Tribal Council to develop legislation to regulate the market?”
The referendum passed 2,464 (yes) to 1,057 (no).
Tabled Ord. No. 63 (2024) was submitted by the entirety of Dinilawigi (Tribal Council). A work session was held on the legislation on Feb. 28. The ordinance was not on the agenda for the March 7 session of Dinilawigi (Tribal Council), and it is not on the agenda for the scheduled session on April 4.
A ‘Joint Statement from Tribal Leadership’ was issued by EBCI leaders on the afternoon of Thursday, March 28. It read, “Recently, it was announced that the Great Smoky Cannabis Company will open its doors on April 20, 2024, exclusively for medical cannabis purposes. Since then, we have received several questions about the status of recreational use and where it stands today.
Thanks for stopping by, wishing you a warm, bright and colorful weekend.
“Be safe out there.” Lamont Cranston