SPRING WILL OFFICIALLY BE HERE IN APPROXIMATELY 46 DAYS GROUNDHOG DAY JUST HAPPENED: GROUNDHOG POPS US (Sung to: “I’m a little teapot”) HERE’S A LITTLE GROUNDHOG, FURRY AND BROWN, HE’S POPPING UP TO LOOK AROUND. IF HE SEES HIS SHADOW, DOWN HE’LL GO. THEN SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER – OH NO!! So, did he … Read more
WOOD ASHES: GOOD IDEA OR A BAD IDEA? Quick answer to the question above is—GOOD IDEA, but to use IN MODERATION. Like with most everything, knowledge is key in doing it right and with success. After that cold spell over the holidays, many used their fireplaces and wood stoves to keep warm. As a result, they … Read more
HOW WOULD YOU RATE OUR WINTER SO FAR? What actually constitutes how we rate our winters in Virginia? I think it depends on who we ask. Personally, my vote is that we are having a good winter. I base my vote solely on the temperatures—especially here in January. Where I grew up along Lake Erie, … Read more
JANUARY IS A GOOD MONTH TO SIT BACK, RELAX, AND PLAN YOUR GARDEN STRATEGY FOR THE UPCOMING SPRING SEASON Let’s talk about December before we get into talking about January. Our daily temperatures hovered around normal. We did get a great soaking rain on the 15th of December—I live in Midlothian and we got over … Read more
YEAR ROUND CONTAINER GARDENING HAS BECOME A STRONG GARDENING TREND Yes, container gardening is very popular. Yes, container gardening can be done year round here in Central Virginia. Yes, each or our four seasons gives our container gardens their own challenges. These past couple of weeks I have had numerous customers ask about what they … Read more
LOOKING AT YOUR WINTERTIME LANDSCAPES So many avid gardeners are now adjusting to a gardening season where there is not a lot of activity. But, on nice, sunny days, it is good to get outside, get some fresh air, walk around your gardens, and look at these gardens from a different perspective. This is the … Read more
LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEAS Here we are approaching Hanukkah and Christmas. If you are a procrastinator like me then you are just getting started with holiday shopping. See us at The Great Big Greenhouse and we can assist you with making some great, unique gift choices. Here are just a few ideas for gifts: PLANTS We … Read more
LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR Mother Nature sure has been kind to us gardeners as we enter December. In the last half of November, we got some much-needed rainfall that helped our water table and helped water all of our plants. We also had some above-average temperatures to go along with the rain. All I … Read more
USING YOUR EVERGREEN CLIPPINGS FOR DECORATIONS Here we are heading into December. This year we have stayed frost-free up until the week before Thanksgiving. With this colder weather, our plants are now more dormant for the season. With this dormancy comes an excellent time to do some “selective” pruning to use these clippings for holiday … Read more
THE HOLIDAY SEASON DOESN’T NEED TO BE A BURDEN ON OUR PLANET Here we are at a time when so many of us are on the verge of decorating our home for the holidays. I think this blog idea stems from the fact that all of us are affected by our economy and inflation. We … Read more
