I have always loved to see summertime arrive and, ironically, as I get older, I am almost as happy to see it leave. Summer seems to bring a sense of freedom, even a little more relaxed atmosphere, maybe stemming from my school days and summer vacations, but nonetheless, a happy feeling. As summer is winding down, now I look forward to fall with its cooler temperatures and crisp autumn mornings. Fall brings to mind images of pumpkins, hayrides, bonfires, our county fair, and warm apple cider with brilliant hues of red, orange, and yellow painting our landscapes. A cornucopia, also known as a horn of plenty, is basically what I want to offer here today.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Robeson County Center, will be offering a plethora of horticultural classes this fall. We have a series of seven classes on general gardening entitled "The Extension Gardening Series." These classes include: Starting Vegetable Seeds, Sustainable Vegetable Gardening, Easy to Grow Fruits and Berries, Organic Pest Management, Living Landscapes with Perennials, Living Landscapes with Trees and Shrubs, and lastly, Sustainable Lawns and Alternatives. These classes are free to the general public, and you can pick and choose any that you might be interested in attending. Registration is strongly recommended to ensure adequate space for everyone. You may call to register. The classes start October 1 and will be held weekly on Wednesdays – skipping the week of October 15 –from 10 a.m. until noon at the O.P. Owens Agricultural Center, located 455 Caton Road in Lumberton.

You might be asking yourself, what is a living landscape? If you would, imagine a developer purchases a tract of land, be it wooded, cropland, or meadows. The property is basically cleared of everything, roads are installed, houses built, and the newly installed landscape might include six evergreen shrubs as foundation plants in front of the house. Where are all the native plants that supported our local ecosystem? We are now offering a very minimalist landscape that offers nothing back to the natural environment that had previously sustained itself through the years. The Living Landscape classes address this issue and highlight native plants we can add to our landscape that will give back to the "community", unlike a half-acre lawn that does have some benefit, but not what a native “natural” landscape can offer.   Thankfully, there is growing interest in being better stewards of our land and natural resources. Folks are realizing we need to continue to provide habitat for our native fauna. There is no better way to counter this degradation than to include native plants in our landscape.

If you have ever been interested in the Extension Master Gardener Program, I would encourage you to attend this series. Attending five of these general classes is a prerequisite for the Master Gardener training, which will be held in late winter/early spring of 2026 at the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Hoke County Center,  since the 2025 training was held in Robeson County. I will offer travel from our office to Hoke for anyone interested in attending.