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Decades ago on fall trips to Topsail Island, I began to notice what I thought was a white blooming shrub here and there along the roadways. I thought this rather unusual, since few native plants along our coast produce blooms in October and November. Back in the 80’s, I probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to the white masses of seeds on the Saltbush or Baccharis halimifolia, but my first Weekend Gardener co-host, Erv Evans, and the gentleman who hired me in 1975, Charles Stegall, both urged me to pay attention to the world around me, especially plants. By the way, the saltbush is also colloquially known as consumption weed, coyote bush, high-tide bush, silverling, groundsel and sea myrtle. Snappy names, huh? Well, its growth habits and means of reproduction are even more irritating.

The saltbush is native, but the North Carolina Native Plant Society considers this provocative plant invasive. It was once only located near the coast, but now you can find it through eastern North Carolina and the Piedmont region. There are other native coastal plants that have made their way west

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mack Brown wanted to make it clear after his final game as North Carolina’s coach: he’s not mad at the decision, though he didn’t like how everything was handled.

Seed Cylinders are the easiest, longest-lasting way to feed your birds. Wild Bird Unlimited's Bug, Nut, & Berry Cylinder is packed with mealworms, tree nuts, sunflower chips, peanuts, raisins, and cranberries – everything you need to get lots of birds to visit your backyard. Stan Tekiela’s renow

CARY, N.C. (AP) — Olivia Thomas scored on a free kick in the 62nd minute for her fourth goal of the NCAA Tournament and North Carolina beat Wake Forest 1-0 on Monday night for the program’s first national championship since 2012.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour was presented with the state’s highest honor by Gov. Roy Cooper after Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

By SAM MEDNICK, ADRIENNE SURPRENANT and SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

Anyone who has ever listened to the WPTF Weekend Gardener for any length of time knows I love fragrance in the winter landscape. Actually, I have always had a fondness for the winter landscape. The hues of brown and gray, sprinkled with contrasting evergreens and cover crops of rye, help make the countryside look sort of neat, clean and orderly.

Stores across the state are running flash sales on puppies for the holiday season: Friendly Pets in Greensboro offered $200 off in late November, Petland Raleigh offered a 35 percent discount for Black Friday, and The Pet Warehouse in Jacksonville will send five lucky customers away with their choice of a free dog toy before Christmas. Enter one of these stores in December, and you’ll find it packed wall to wall with prospective customers and a wide selection of verified purebred dogs.

Not the showiest in the camellia world, but it may be the most interesting—and probably grown more than any other type of camellia in the world—the camellia ( Camellia sinensis ). Why is it interesting? This camellia is also called the “tea plant.” Yes, its leaves are used to make some familiar types of tea. There are two major varieties: the Chinese Camellia sinensis sinensis and the Indian Camellia sinensis assamica. The Chinese is what we grow in the Piedmont region, a more cold-hardy variety than the Indian Camellia sinensis assamica.