APRIL IS A GREAT GARDENING MONTH Here we are in the middle of April. So much is happening with gardening right now. However—PLEASE WATCH THE WEATHER FORECAST for any possible late-season frost or freeze. Our average last frost for our area is around the 20th of April. A few years ago we had a frost … Read more
HOW GARDENING CAN HELP WITH ALZHEIMER’S All of us know this horrible disease. All of us know that there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s. Many of us have experienced loved ones and friends who have suffered from the effects of Alzheimer’s. The founder of Meadows Farms, Bill Meadows, who was the father of the … Read more
CAN A TROPICAL LANDSCAPE BE DONE HERE IN CENTRAL VIRGINIA? Can we create a tropical oasis in this area? A quick answer to this question is yes! You will need to put on your creative cap because there are a few steps that you can do now knowing that you will add to this landscape … Read more
NATIVE PLANTS ARE ESSENTIAL In a nutshell, native plants are essential if bees are to survive and thrive. Make sense? It does to me and it does to many others, thank goodness. Matter of fact, adding natives to the landscape has become very, very popular over the last few years. And, The Great Big Greenhouse … Read more
PROPER MULCHING TECHNIQUES AND PROBLEMS CAUSED BY OVER MULCHING Now is the great time to be mulching existing garden beds. Here is a quick list of what proper mulching will provide: Mulch is considered the first line of defense against weed growth. New mulch adds a fresh, clean look to all garden beds Mulch helps … Read more
KNOWLEDGE IS THE KEY TO BEING A SUCCESSFUL GARDENER March is finally here and Spring is in the air!! March is an exciting month for gardeners and landscapers. To enhance this excitement is that we have Daylight Saving Time that begins on Sunday, March 13. With Daylight Saving Time we “spring forward” on clocks one … Read more
VEGETABLE GARDENING TO ANOTHER LEVEL How many of you are aware of the PLANT A ROW FOR THE HUNGRY (PAR) program? I didn’t know this existed until recently. I believe wholeheartedly in its concept. As a matter of fact, I mentioned this idea of donating our extra produce to our food pantries in past blogs. … Read more
FEBRUARY IS HOUSEPLANT MONTH AT THE GREAT BIG GREENHOUSE In order to support FEBRUARY IS HOUSEPLANT MONTH I decided to step out of my comfort zone with my weekly blog and highlight a very popular tropical plant—the Prayer Plant. The Prayer plant is a member of the Marantaceae family, which also includes the beautifully colored … Read more
NOTHING LIKE SEEING SOME COLOR DURING THE DEAD OF WINTER Are you familiar with Hellebores? You may know them from their nickname—Christmas Rose (for those that bloom in December) or Lenton Rose (for those that bloom in late winter). Each year more people are learning about hellebores and are becoming interested in planting them in … Read more
FEBRUARY: ONE MONTH CLOSER TO SPRING!! February can be a transitional month for gardeners to take advantage of when wanting to get outside and do some gardening chores. February can be a cold and dreary month. On the other hand, February can give us some long stretches of warm weather to enjoy. Speaking of spring—spring … Read more
