I LOVE THIS PLANT My selected plant to highlight is the Itea virginica ‘Henry’s Garnet’. Or, more commonly referred to as Virginia Sweetspire. As you may figure out with Virginia being in its name, Virginia Sweetspire is a native shrub to our area. Right now it is in flower. It has fragrant, white flower spikes … Read more
‘TIS THE SEASON WE HAVE WATER PLANTS NOW! Water plants represent yet another form of landscaping. Yes, it is not for everyone. But more and more homeowners are accenting their existing landscape with a water feature. This feature doesn’t have to be large. You can start small and then “grow” and expand your water feature … Read more
MAY IS ANOTHER SPRING MONTH. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE? Let’s recap the month of April. April can be considered a dryer-than-normal month. “April showers bring May flowers” does not apply this year. But overall, we are still ahead of rainfall for the year. Our soil temperature continues to warm up more each week. All … Read more
MANY OF OUR BENEFICIAL INSECTS NEED OUR HELP – INCLUDING THE BUTTERFLIES Our butterflies need our help—especially the Monarch butterfly. Here are some butterfly gardening tips to consider this spring and summer. When planning and planting our gardens this spring, remember some of the blooming annuals and perennials that are particularly attractive for our butterfly … Read more
THINK ABOUT ADAPTING TO SQUARE-FOOT GARDENING Last week, I wrote my blog on vegetable gardening. It is time to move forward and get our vegetables and herbs planted. Just keep in mind that vegetable gardening is just at the beginning stages. Early May is still a great time to get started. Now, back to this … Read more
ARE YOU READY? Here we are in mid-April. I carefully watch our weather and our extended forecast to correctly advise customers on vegetable gardening. With Virginia weather consistently breaking now (fingers crossed), many Virginians are turning their attention, once again, to vegetable gardening. I am writing this blog on April 11th. Every day, I tell … Read more
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS BAD FOR YOUR SHRUBS AND TREES Happy April to everyone! A couple of weeks ago, we had our MULCH MADNESS sale. Thousands of bags of mulch were sold. It is such a popular event. And it is timely, too, because now is a prime time to apply fresh … Read more
FINALLY! APRIL IS HERE! BOY ARE WE READY TO HELP YOU! Let’s re-cap March. Early March was warm, and we got a good amount of rainfall. But, starting around the middle of March, we turned dry for about 10 days, and our daily high temperatures were cooler than average. We did get some much-needed soaking … Read more
SPRING IS OFFICIALLY HERE This month, gardeners are experiencing many changes. First, daylight saving time started, which gave everyone extra daylight in the evening to be outside and do some gardening. Second, Spring officially began on Tuesday, March 19th. But what Mother Nature gives us is the most important. So far in March, we have … Read more
LAVENDER IS A BUSHY PERENNIAL THAT WILL LAST YEARS IN THE GARDEN OR CONTAINERS Spring is in the air, and so is the scent of lavender. For many of you, lavender is an all-time favorite perennial. For others, growing it can be challenging and frustrating. Here’s a little historical background on this popular plant. Lavender … Read more
