TIS THE SEASON We are now into the third week of November. It seems that everyone has the holidays on their minds. With that mindset, many people are looking at all the beautiful and popular holiday plants. Here is a brief rundown of some of the most popular holiday plants along with some care tips. … Read more
BIRDING IS THE COUNTRY’S SECOND-MOST POPULAR PASTIME (AFTER GARDENING) BIRD FEEDING IS OKAY AGAIN IN VIRGINIA Some of you may be asking yourself “was there an issue with bird feeding last year?” The quick answer is yes. But, for us here in Central Virginia we were not affected as badly as in the mountains and … Read more
GOODBYE OCTOBER / HELL-O NOVEMBER! YES, IT IS NOVEMBER BUT IT IS STILL FALL AND A GREAT TIME TO PLANT! October was a warm month and a little dry, unfortunately. Thank goodness for the rain that we got the last week of October. A lot of planting was done in October. So, the key to … Read more
BECOME AN ECOLOGY BUG – KEEP ECOLOGY IN MIND WHEN MAKING LANDSCAPING DECISIONS Earlier this month I did my Thursday NBC12 gardening segment on the topic of conserving energy with landscaping. I got some good reactions from viewers who called wanting to learn more and asking if I had any handout information (which we do). … Read more
FALL IS NOT THE SEASON TO BE DOING RANDOM PRUNING ON OUR SHRUBS AND TREES. YOU COULD BE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD. Fall is a favorite time for most of us to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and get out into our gardens. After a hot summer, we are all eager to get … Read more
IT IS NOW OCTOBER AND NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO CLEAN As with any outdoor water source, a water garden collects organic matter that needs to be cleaned out. The best time to do this is when the water temperature is cooler, such as now. Cooler water temperature helps minimize any stress to fish … Read more
FALL IS FOR PLANTING AND OCTOBER IS A VERY ACTIVE GARDENING MONTH HERE ARE SOME GARDENING TIPS Before I get into sharing some October gardening chores, let me do a re-cap of September. The first day of September started with a bang. Tropical Storm Ida passed by us giving us some rain but, thankfully, nothing damaging. … 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
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
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
