Gardeners perhaps haven’t started planning yet, but N.C. State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

Dreaming of spring? Beat the winter blues by planting native seeds.

Late fall and early winter are the perfect times to sow many native species, which benefit pollinators, wildlife, soil and water quality — all while being low-maintenance in your garden.

Now is the time to submit soil samples for faster turnaround time on results and avoid peak-season testing fees. This year, the peak laboratory season starts Wednesday, Nov. 26, and runs through March 31, 2026.

Samples must physically arrive at the Agronomic Services’ loading dock by Tuesday, Nov. 25, by 5 p.m. or earlier to avoid being charged a peak-season fee of $4 per sample.

N.C. Cooperative Extension of Haywood County is hosting a Learn to Grow series and Lifelong Gardening classes, which provide information presented by the horticulture agent, Rachel Douglas, and N.C. State Extension Master Gardener volunteers on a full variety of home garden-ing topics.

Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and or-namental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

The Waynesville Garden Club honored Carolyn Taylor with its Outstanding Lifetime Member Award (since 1976) at its May 8 meeting. Taylor was also the one who designed the garden club iris emblem.

Do you have a gardening question? NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer your questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

Master gardener volunteers will be on hand at a booth on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, May through August, at Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market in Waynesville in the HART Theater parking lot. 

Lake Junaluska’s Spring Plant Sale will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym.  

For sale will be a few thousand plants, including an assortment of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables, hanging baskets and several varieties of native plants from the Corneille Bryan Native Garden, said Melissa Marshall, Lake Junaluska director of grounds. 

The planting season is getting closer, and Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems.