Credit SC Public Radio Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Blueberries, figs,  and muscadines are plants good for  backyard orchard s–   you don’t have to do much as far as insect or disease control goes. Elderberry is another plant you might add to your backyard if you have some room.

Clemson Extension Agent and Host of "Making It Grow" Amanda McNulty visits Dr. Lance Beecher, Clemson University Aquaculture and Fisheries Specialist, and learns all about their research being done in aquaponics.

The small town of Bishopville, SC is home to some traditional vacation stops like museums and parks, but also a few quirkier spots like Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden. Pearl is happy to speak with his guests about everything from bushes to better education systems. Pearl’s garden, located right in his backyard, is filled with beautiful topiaries, fascinating metal works and pearls of wisdom. His guests are likely to leave not only with fond memories of his landscaping feats, but with a sense of ambition as well.

The South Carolina AG + ART TOUR is a free, self-guided tour of designated farms in South Carolina featuring local artisans and farmer's markets. During this tour you will have the opportunity to see first-hand where your food comes from, watch artists in action and purchase their works, dance to the melodies of bluegrass and folksongs, and learn more about rural life. http://www.agandarttour.com

Esther Wagner of PalmettoPride joins Clemson Extension Water Resources Agent Katie Altman on the set of "Making It Grow" to talk about their Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program. The arrangement and design of buildings and open spaces can encourage or discourage undesirable behavior and criminal activity. CPTED works by decreasing opportunities for crime and increasing the chances that a legitimate user will see and report crime as it occurs.

Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The National Park Service staff wear a variety of hats. One responsibility that we might not think of is keeping invasive species at bay in what are described as some of the most iconic and ecologically important areas of the country. The Exotic Plant Management Teams were created to meet this challenge. Among the plants they must battle are Asian wistarias which overtake trees and shrubs in many locales. Here is their description of the damage they’ve observed.

Credit SC Public Radio Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow.

Terasa Lott of Clemson Extension and Kaitlyn Park of South Carolina ETV prepare an English Dessert for the Royal Wedding!

One common name for this tree is "Tulip Poplar." However, it is not in the poplar family, but in the magnolia.

Joining us on "Making It Grow" are students from Mayewood Middle School in Sumter, SC. They are part of the Junior Master Gardener Program that introduces young gardeners to the art and science of gardening and helps them develop leadership and life skills to become good citizens within their communities, schools and families. On the show, they make “Know and Show Sombreros” and also show some of their lettuce plants they have been growing in the classroom.