Category Archives: Top Agriculture News
Witchy native shrub brings spring bottlebrush blooms and fiery fall color
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener If you have ever wanted to grow your own bottle brushes, then you have come to the right place. The Fothergilla latifolia or F. major or the Dwarf Fothergilla (gard...
Oct 05, 2025
Trump plans aid package for US soybean farmers while seeking trade deal with China
By DIDI TANG and JOSH FUNK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is planning a significant aid package to U.S. soybean farmers to help them survive China's boycott of American bean...
Oct 05, 2025
2 killed in Cuba as Tropical Storm Imelda and Hurricane Humberto threaten Bahamas and Bermuda
By DNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Authorities in the Bahamas closed most schools on Monday as Tropical Storm Imelda dropped heavy rain in the northern Caribbean, including ov...
Sep 29, 2025
Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Imelda threaten the Bahamas and Bermuda
By DNICA COTO Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Authorities in the Bahamas closed a majority of schools on Monday following mandatory evacuations for some islands in the archipelago as Tro...
Sep 29, 2025
One year later, western North Carolina still recovers from Hurricane Helene
SPRUCE PINE, N.C. (NCN News) - It has been one year since the worst storm to ever hit North Carolina devastated the western part of the state.Hurricane Helene was not even on the list of storms to wor...
Sep 25, 2025
Russian sage: Not from Russia, but perfect for NC gardens
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerI planted some Russian Sage (Salvia yangii) decades ago. Alas, I can't remember when it faded into oblivion. It is really not native to Russia and hails from Central...
Sep 24, 2025
Sweet autumn clematis charms, but NC experts say avoid it
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerI must say that I have rarely written an article about a plant I like but I don’t recommend for WPTF Weekend Gardener listeners. Sweet Autumn Clematis (Clemati...
Sep 21, 2025
Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina a year ago. Some students never returned to school
By MAKIYA SEMINERA of The Associated Press and LAURA HACKETT and JOSE SANDOVAL of Blue Ridge Public Radio SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) - When 12-year-old Natalie Briggs visited the ruins of her home after Hur...
Sep 19, 2025
Red and black chokeberries thrive in North Carolina landscapes
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend Gardener Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) are versatile shrubs native to North Carolina. I have seen many of the red varieties, ...
Sep 14, 2025
Bottlebrush blooms, fall color make Clethra a versatile shrub
By MIKE RALEY WPTF Weekend GardenerI have many different species of plants in my landscape. However, I do not own a "Clethra alnifolia" or "sweet pepper bush" or "summersweet". I bet if I were to ask ...
Sep 07, 2025