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Workshops for consumers and professionals
Extension training programs in the Lowcountry offer training for both consumers and professionals. Consumer workshops in Charleston have shown more than 300 participants the best ways to prune crape myrtles to maintain the trees' appearance and health. Participants also learned how to care for various pruning tools and how t o return a butchered tree back to its natural form over time.

One of the Clemson programs for professionals, called the Commercial Ornamental & Turfgrass Shortcourse, has prepared more than 200 participants for the rigorous certification exam conducted by the S.C. Landscape and Nursery Association. Other professional workshops include certification courses for plant identification, disease management, and best management practices. These programs include presentations by industry experts, hands-on demonstrations and tours of commercial facilities. Topics covered range from effective usage of the latest fungicides to protecting landscape plants from damage by deer or building construction crews.

An irrigation design and water conservation class was held in Beaufort, in conjunction with the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer authority and local horticulture industry professionals. In addition, an Ornamental Horticulture Field Day & Job Fair was held in Beaufort for professionals, youth and the general public.

Extension horticulture agents also provide educational programs and displays at the Charleston Spring Plant and Flower Festival in April and at the Coastal Carolina Fair held in Florence in October. Some 20,000 visitors attend the Charleston festival and 15,000 visit the exhibit at the Coastal Carolina Fair. 

Other sources of Extension information in Charleston include the "Lowcountry Gardener" column in the Sunday Post & Courier newspaper and a Saturday morning call-in program on WTMA radio. Extension gardening columns also appear in dozens of newspapers across South Carolina and a Tuesday afternoon call-in show, called "Palmetto Gardening," can be heard statewide on Clemson's Your Day radio program.

For more information on Extension horticulture programs in the Lowcountry, contact Mark Arena or Paul Thompson in the Berkeley County office or Brian Smith in the Charleston office. For information on other Extension programs across the state, contact the Clemson Extension office in your county.