Charleston City Paper: Digs - May 2022

May 2022

RETHINK YOUR LAWN WITH ECO-FRIENDLY

CLOVER

At Home with

JANICE HUDGINS

+ SUCCULENTS

ARE HARDY HOUSEPLANTS

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Rethink your lawn with clover for eco-friendly yard

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From Staff Reports

Nitrogen fixer. Clover takes nitrogen from the air and “fixes” it in your soil,

Jacki Dee/Flickr

Clover’s dense structure helps suppress existing weeds in your yard. eliminating the need to apply nitrogen plant food because it does the work for you, keeping lawns green and growing while adding natural nitrogen to the soil.

Drought tolerant. Clover has longer, deeper roots than turf grass, reaching down into the soil for the moisture it needs so you won’t have to water as much during normal weather conditions. Plus, it stays green year-round, is resistant to drought and tolerates wet conditions.

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Controls weeds. Clover’s dense structure and growth habits help suppress existing weeds and the establishment of new weeds because it grows via stolons (stems that grow horizontally along the ground).

Low to no maintenance. You can mow clover — the more it’s cut, the smaller the leaf size — or simply let it grow, as it only grows 4-6 inches tall and doesn’t get unwieldy, making it an ideal lawn alternative or healthy addition to your lawn.

Thrives in sun to partial shade. Unlike some turfgrass types, clover does well in partial shade that receives at least some direct sunshine daily.

Stands up to foot traffic. Clover also has superior wear tolerance over turf grass, does well in compacted soil and fills bare spots quickly.

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Makes great groundcover. Grow it alone or, because of its adaptability and ability to grow in a wide variety of conditions, combine it with other groundcover plants, such as creeping phlox, ivy and thyme.

This year, you may want to rethink typical lawn turf, the large amounts of water it uses and the chemicals it needs. Instead, try an eco-friendly alternative to replace or renovate your lawn.

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Who has time to continuously care for that carpet-like, green grass almost everyone longs for? Nearly no one. Cultivating a lush, green lawn takes time, can be expensive and is a mainstay on weekend to-do lists from spring through fall. It’s a serious commitment.

Traditional turf lawns require a lot of maintenance. You must mow and remove weeds often. Furthermore, the amount of water usage can be staggering. The average American family uses 320 gallons of water per day, about 30% of which is devoted to outdoor uses, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. More than half of that is used for watering lawns and gardens. Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost onethird of all residential water use, totaling nearly 9 billion gallons per day.

Maybe it’s now time to rethink this obsession with turf grass lawns and take a page from the past: Clover can help create a greatlooking lawn. Several decades ago, clover was considered so essential for lawns that it was a standard component in lawn seed mixes and wasn’t considered a weed. Clover was branded a weed when agricultural chemical companies created herbicides to rid lawns of broadleaf plants. These herbicides had no effect on grass, but killed everything else, clovers included, which is how clover became identified as a weed.

It’s not too late to renovate your lawn and reintroduce the springy, soft, green carpet of clover back into your lawn. It’s fluffy on the feet, aids in weed and erosion control and, when used to overseed existing lawns, fills in bare spots fast.

Today as interest grows in more ecofriendly ways to care for grass, you might consider totally replacing your lawn with an option like Miniclover, which should not be confused with invasive white Dutch clover.

“Miniclover is about one-third to half the size of white Dutch clover, producing a thick, carpet-like appearance that blends well with turf,” said Troy Hake, president and owner of Outsidepride.com, which offers a multitude of seeds, including grasses, clovers, wildflowers, herbs and more. “It’s especially attractive, cost effective, eco-friendly and can help you get that thick, lush, green lawn your neighbors will envy.”

In addition to providing weed and erosion control, the fluffy lawn alternative offers a variety of benefits:

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AT HOME IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

Family is where Janice Hudgins’ heart is

By Samantha Connors

Digs 05.04.2022

Little Miss Ha owner Janice Hudgins didn’t cook much Vietnamese food before opening her restaurant on Houston Northcutt Blvd. in Mount Pleasant.

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“My mom lives 20 minutes away, and as a Vietnamese mother, she just makes food for us all the time,” Hudgins said. “So, it was like, well why do I need to cook Vietnamese food? Mom makes it even better.”

But after moving back to Charleston from Atlanta in 2009, Hudgins began exploring new career options. She worked in sales and real estate before becoming a stay-at-home mom after having four children with her husband, Johnny.

While investigating potential job opportunities after a decadelong stint as a caregiver, Hudgins began posting photos of Food Network chef-inspired meals on Facebook. And people (metaphorically) ate it up.

So at the request of friends and acquaintances, Hudgins began doing private dinners and catering events in 2016, serving her mom’s Vietnamese food.

“It was hard because she doesn’t write down recipes,” Hudgins said. “The only time we really spent cooking in the kitchen together when I was little was rolling egg rolls. We used to roll egg rolls for a local caterer in Moncks Corner, and he would order hundreds from us in one week. So we had an assembly line of mom making the filling, I would roll the eggrolls, and my brother Ryan, who’s my executive chef now, would peel all the eggroll wrappers. That was his only job because he was only 5 or 6 years old.”

When the demand for private dinners increased, Hudgins had to get in the kitchen with her mom and learn how to master her recipes. And she put them down in writing.

“She goes by taste, smell and sight. Not by recipes. So she was trying to teach us that’s how you cook,” Hudgins said. “I still go by recipes, but a lot of it now is intuitive and I can pull those senses.

Hudgins’ and her kids spend a lot of time on their backyard dock, where the kids like to fish with their grandpa and neighborhood friends.

But the biggest learning curve was just trying to take her recipes and put it in a recipe format.”

THE LOWDOWN ON JANICE HUDGINS

A living inspiration inspires a nickname

Age: 42.

Birthplace: Charleston, S.C. Education: Bachelor’s degree in communications from College of Charleston.

Current profession: Owner/operator of Little Miss Ha Vietnamese Cuisine.

Past profession of interest: Real estate agent.

Family: Married to Johnny Hudgins; mother of four children.

Pets: Margot, a golden doodle (she was supposed to be a mini, but she is definitely not).

The Hudgins family (and their dog Margot) gather on their screened-in porch for movie nights (above).

rings true to this day. Little Miss Ha is closed on Sundays to allow for family time.

Coming to America During the day, the kids get Janice Hudgins’ parents immigrated to Moncks Corner from to decide on a family activity Vietnam with her two older brothers in 1979. Hudgins and her like watching a movie on their younger brother Ryan are both first generation Vietnameseporch, going to the beach or Americans born and raised in Moncks Corner. just spending a couple of hours Hudgins pointed out that although the Charleston area at Barnes & Noble. doesn’t have a large Vietnamese community, her family had Sunday nights are for family Hudgins’ parents (pictured on her wedding day) the support of other relatives that already lived here, including dinners, where there might help care for their four aunts, uncles and cousins. be anywhere from six people grandchildren.

“We always gathered at our house every single Saturday and (Hudgins, her husband, her mom would make a main dish like pho or bún bò huê´,” she parents and the kids) to 10 or recalled. “Then all of the aunts would bring in a specialty dish more if her brother or friends come by. “It’s always an open door,” that they loved to make. she said. “Sometimes the neighbors are over. People pop in all of the time because we value it so much.”

Both of Hudgins’ parents help out with taking care of their four grandchildren, whether it’s Miss Ha making dinner for the kids four nights a week, even after getting off work at 7 p.m., or her dad shuttling the kids around from school to ballet practice and anywhere in between.

“Growing up, it was always all about taking care of your family,” Hudgins said. “I don’t know what I would do without them.”

And as a way of giving back, Hudgins has a special goal in mind for her mom, who got her nickname Miss Ha while working at the former Piggly Wiggly on Meeting Street downtown.

Photos by Samantha Connors “That was her very first job,” said When the King Street Mellow Mushroom closed in 2020, Johnny made this Hudgins. “Her name is Thu-Ha, but custom painting from the restaurant a new part of the Hudgins’ home decor. they couldn’t pronounce her name, so everyone called her Miss Ha. And I “The way it is with a lot of Asian cultures, we’re not very verbal don’t think she would have ever thought when she was ringing with how we express love and care, but the way we show how in groceries every single day that one day she would have a scanmuch we love or care about you is we’ll work for hours on that nable product that would be hers. That is the goal — to have her special dish that we know that you want.” products, her food, packaged up to share across the country.

Family support was a huge aspect of her life, and that still She is the heart of why we all do what we do.”

Something people would be surprised to learn about you: I can’t swim and I never exercise.

Favorite thing to do outside of work: Hang out with my kids.

Favorite food to eat: Vietnamese food is obvious. Outside of that, anything sweet.

Favorite food to cook: Outside of Vietnamese food, I love cooking recipes from Barefoot Contessa! Besides my mom, she’s my idol!

Favorite cocktail or beverage: Our Margarit-Ha from Little Miss Ha or an expensive French chardonnay.

Five foods you always need in your refrigerator: Nuoc cham, pasta, cream cheese, half & half, butter.

What meal would you want served to you for your last supper: Rack of lamb.

Something that you have too much of at home: Stuffed animals Secret vice and guilty pleasure: Reality TV. Favorite musicians: Pink Martini, Garth Brooks, Avett Brothers. It just depends on the mood. I love all music.

Pet peeve: People leaving stuff around and not putting things away.

Philosophy: Give without expecting anything in return. Do it with a happy heart.

Your advice for how someone new to Charleston: There is one degree of separation in Charleston. Everyone knows someone who you know, so just be mindful.

Anything about the pandemic affected you in particular: Adapt or die.

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“Mom is the inspiration for all of us, not only with the restaurant, but just how everyone should live,” Hudgins said. “She is Miss Ha and when I started doing her recipes for the private events and catering, I just called myself Little Miss Ha.” After dabbling in private events, Hudgins’ family was invited

by Michael Shemtov to do the first pop-up dinner series at the original Butcher & Bee at 654 King Street with Miss Ha doing a majority of the cooking. The family continued the pop-ups for about a year.

In 2018, Shemtov, a longtime Hudgins family friend, approached the couple about renting a booth in the now-closed Workshop space on King Street Extension. Johnny Hudgins’ worked with Shemtov to open the former Mellow Mushroom on King Street and three other Mellow Mushrooms in the area. With his restaurant experience and Miss Ha’s recipes, the couple decided to go for it.

Little Miss Ha’s booth in Workshop took off, and the couple decided in 2019 to start their own full-blown restaurant in Mount Pleasant where they knew a lot of their customers were based.

Just five weeks after opening the doors to Little Miss Ha, the pandemic forced shutdowns across the nation. The Hudgins family had to find a way to pivot the business by doing things like delivery service. Now they’re finally getting back into a normal groove and hope to expand the business by offering products like their homemade broths and sauces.

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Succulents are hardy houseplants

By Toni Reale, special to Digs Succulents are easy-to-care-for plants that have quickly become one of the most popular houseplants. There are more than 1,000 types of succulents that vary in size, color and growth habit which makes collecting them fun and interesting. Common genera include echeveria, haworthia and kalanchoe.

The key to success with keeping your houseplants thriving is to mimic their natural conditions. Succulents, which have evolved in arid and sunny environments, would therefore require a lot of light (preferably six hours a day or more) and minimal water.

Soil

The arid environments that succulents are accustomed to are nutrient-deficient and drain well. Pot up your succulents using a soil specifically formulated for them or simply create it by mixing one part of potting soil to one part of coarse sand. This medium will allow water to flow through

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easily, avoiding root rot. Be sure your pot has a drainage hole.

Water

In nature, succulents receive infrequent rainfall. Water more frequently in the spring and summer (perhaps once a week) and less in the fall and winter (perhaps once every two weeks). Water the soil so that it runs out of the drainage hole. Be sure to allow the soil to completely dry between watering. This watering pattern mimics rainfall patterns in arid conditions. Do not be tempted to water a little bit here and there as this can actually do more harm than good to your plant. If the leaves of your succulent turn yellow, black or squishy, you are most likely over-watering. If the leaves are wrinkly or limp, you might not be watering enough.

Light

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Wait for the soil to be completely dry before you water your succulents again.

Reale

Succulents are sun-seekers. Most succulent varieties thrive with bright direct light for at least six hours a day. They can do well inside near your brightest window, and also can be moved outside during the

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growing season and back indoors during dormancy. You’ll know if your plant needs more light if you see a stretching growth pattern.

Propagation

Succulents can be fun and easy to propagate. Here are some ways to try to expand your collection: • Look for “pups” or offsets that have sprung up alongside the mother plant. You can carefully remove them and replant in a small pot.

• Let fallen leaves remain where they land, some will take root and grow a pup off the tip of the leaf.

• Some succulents will be easy to propagate

during replanting. You can separate the roots and plant in different pots.

Trendsetters

Customers continuously request any kind of “string-of” succulent. This includes a string of pearls, string of tears, string of dolphins and string of turtles. The hanging, spilling-over growth pattern is attractive and unique.

Toni Reale is the owner of Roadside Blooms, a unique flower and plant shop in Park Circle in North Charleston. It specializes in weddings, events and everyday deliveries using nearly 100 percent American- and locally grown blooms.

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Echeveria and other succulents are relatively easy to grow.

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Digs 05.04.2022