It’s time to think about moving houseplants back inside for the winter. One of the first things I do is move all the plants right up next to the house—just outside the window that they’ll be in when I move them inside. That gets them used to lower light while they still have Mother Nature … Read more
EXPERIENCE THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE I give all credit to a good friend and colleague, Joel Koci, for putting together this information. Joel is a certified arborist who owned his own company, Arborcare, here in the Richmond area before retiring. Now, Joel is a Virginia Cooperative Extension Associate for Urban Forestry at Virginia State … Read more
I’m one of those people who believe that onions and garlic make everything taste better. If a recipe calls for half an onion, I figure adding the whole onion will make it even better. Same with garlic. And since fall is a perfect time to plant onions and garlic—and we just got fresh garlic and … Read more
FALL IS FOR PLANTING Are you ready for Fall? I sure am. I don’t mind the heat but fall is my favorite season of all the seasons. August was somewhat kind to us. We did have some very hot days. But, we have been hotter in August. We did not set any high-temperature records. Most … Read more
This coming Wednesday, the 22nd, is the first “Official” day of autumn—for some of us, anyway. Three Seasons Rather Than Four Eight hundred years ago, people basically thought of three seasons–Summer, Winter, and Harvest. Spring was sort of glossed over as a “pre-summer” period known as Lenten. The word “Harvest” comes from an old Norse … Read more
DO I AMEND MY CLAY SOIL WHEN I PLANT THIS FALL? PLANTING IT RIGHT So, do I add compost matter to my soil when I plant or not? I am confused because I hear both sides as to why or why not to add amendments to the soil. Both sides of this issue seem convincing. … Read more
Surprise Lilies, Magic Lilies, Resurrection Lilies, Naked Ladies, Spider Lilies, Hurricane Lilies—these are all nicknames given to various types of Lycoris. Lycoris – Beautiful Flowers With Many Names Lycoris are strong perennials that send up lush foliage in the spring, which then dies down, and they bloom in late summer without foliage—hence the nicknames Surprise … Read more
SEPTEMBER IS THE BEGINNING OF THE FALL IS FOR PLANTING SEASON Let’s do a little re-capping of August. August started with a nice rainfall and the first week of August was cool and almost fall-like with cool temperatures. Then the typical hot weather came back. We had some hot and very humid days in August. … Read more
Yesterday was Labor Day. It’s hard to believe the first day of fall is a little more than two weeks away on Wednesday, September 22nd. I’ve already noticed it’s getting dark earlier every night. Just a month ago, sunrise was at 6:18 a.m. and sunset was at 8:14 p.m. Now sunrise is at 6:44 a.m. and … Read more
THE POWER OF PLANTS It just warms my heart and soul when I talk to so many customers who have used landscaping and gardening and learning the value of houseplants as a family activity for the first time. This family trend is truly a “silver lining” to this pandemic year that we have all had … Read more
