Last week, I discussed what to do with citrus over the winter. This week, I’ll discuss what to do with orchids over the winter. How Many Species? Really? First, a little background: there are over 30,000 naturally occurring species of orchids, with well over 100,000 manmade hybrids. 30.000??? That’s right! Orchids are the single most … Read more
Last week, I brought all my citrus back inside for the winter, so I thought I’d talk about them this week. I have a Meyer lemon, a Key lime, and two kumquats. Citrus is fairly easy to grow if you’ve got the right spot. How Citrus Trees Found Their Way to The Americas Citrus trees … Read more
Last week, I wrote about things you can do in your garden from mid- to late fall. This week, I thought I’d mention some eco-friendly things you can do now. One Big Eco-Friendly Action Fall is a great time to plant, and one of the most eco-friendly things you can do is plant native plants. … Read more
One of the most important things you can do is to learn which USDA winter hardiness zone you are in. In Central Virginia, we are in zone 7a, which means our winter lows can drop to around 5 degrees. To the west, in the mountains, some areas are zone 6, where their winter lows have … Read more
Here’s How to Protect Your Fall Veggies This is the perfect time of year for cool-season veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, cabbages, arugula, radishes, and collards. Unfortunately, it also makes it the perfect time of year for Cabbage Loopers and Cabbage worms. They love to munch on all members of the cabbage family, … Read more
It’s almost that time. Time for what? Time to move your houseplants back inside! Here’s What to Do Now, if you do what I do, you’ve already moved your indoor plants closer to the house where there is a bit more shade. This gets them used to the change in light levels BEFORE you move … Read more
How are you going to handle your fall decorating this year? I always put in some fall flowers, real pumpkins, and scarecrows. I will carve some of the pumpkins into Jack O’Lanterns, but I’ll set uncarved pumpkins on the stairs and the sidewalk. Some of the most common flowers for fall are chrysanthemums, pansies, ornamental … Read more
Yesterday, September 22nd, was the Fall Equinox—the first day of astronomical fall. For meteorologists, the first day of fall is the first of September. On this day, the days and nights are equal in length, like they are on the Spring Equinox in March. From here on out, the nights will be longer than the … Read more
Pumpkins, whether you carve them or set them on stairs or a porch, are a great fall decoration. Here’s how to make them last their longest. How To Choose That “Just Right” Pumpkin When you pick out a pumpkin, make sure there are no cuts or gouges in it. These may have already exposed the … Read more
Last week, we discussed what to do with indoor plants that have been summering outside. There are also some things you can do now for your outdoor plants. We mentioned pruning and replanting last week. This week, it’s about fall mulching! Is Mulch Needed? Why mulch? Mulch can suppress weeds. It helps to retain moisture … Read more
