Making It Grow Minutes

Host Amanda McNulty describes the many uses of black locust trees.

Want fence posts that will last for 100 years? Use black locust wood.

Host Amanda McNulty describes the joys of gathering the fragrant white blossoms of the black locust tree.

Locust wood is extremely durable and reports say locust fence posts easily last fifty years.

At first glance, the blossoms of a black locust tree can be mistaken for white wisteria.

If done at the wrong time of the year, cut-stumping wisteria can strangle the trees they’re wrapped around.

Native wistaria (Wisteria frutescens), also known as "swamp wisteria," isn’t as showy as its invasive cousins and blooms later.

Wisteria doesn't just strangle trees, it can completely obscure the ground below from sunlight, creating a dark dead zone.

Amanda McNulty says you can spell it "wisteria" or "wistaria," but please don't plant it.

One plant, two spellings. Host Amanda McNulty explains what information you'll discover online based on how you type the name of this blooming vine.

Amanda McNulty explains the difference between yellow jessamine and swamp jessamine.

If you’re new to the South, you need to know that yellow jessamine is extremely poisonous.

If you’ve ever tried to pull yellow jessamine out by the roots, you’ll understand the nickname “poor man’s rope.”

Sometimes, yellow jessamine blooms in conjunction with Asian azaleas, but this year, it jumped the gun.

Amanda McNulty explains why yellow jessamine was selected in 1924 as our state flower.

Dandelions have long tap roots, and unless you get almost all of them out, they merrily grow right back.

Early settlers to the New World brought dandelion seeds with them to have a source of vitamin-rich greens.

Though dandelions are sometimes considered a pest, their prolific growth does have some ecological benefits.

Dandelions grow everywhere, except in Antarctica.

Though there are a wide variety of types of greens, Amanda McNulty explains why some are her favorites, while others fall short.