MOTHER’S DAY IS THIS SUNDAY, MAY 14TH Mother’s Day was started in 1908 and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. The holiday traditionally involves presenting Mom with flowers and a card. The botanical name for peonies is Paeonia. They are native to Asia and Europe. The history of peonies goes back to ancient days … Read more
May is here, and it is the perfect time to get outside and do some gardening. I want to take a minute to re-cap April. April started out warm and with some rain. We then had some cold nights in early April that gave us freeze and frost warnings in the area. The second half … Read more
HERE WE ARE IN 2023 AND EDIBLE GARDENING IS STRONGER THAN EVER I wrote on this topic a few years ago. The idea of edible landscaping was just becoming popular. Jump to 2023 and edible landscaping is thriving with homeowners. I want to share my personal story: At my previous house I had my vegetable … Read more
EARTH DAY IS SATURDAY, APRIL 22 The theme for Earth Day 2023 is Invest in our Planet. I think this theme says it all. The whole purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness of what we can do to protect our environment and natural resources for generations to come. Never think that anything you … Read more
GOOD OR BAD? IT DEPENDS Lately, homeowners have been coming into the garden center to talk about moss they have discovered growing in their lawns. Most want to know why and what they can do to eliminate the moss. Some other homeowners are OK with having a moss-covered yard. Here are some primary reasons why … Read more
WHAT A GREAT MONTH FOR GARDENERS The month of March was challenging. March was warm in the beginning and then turned colder during the middle of the month. The last 10 days of March were back to normal for March. But, on a more positive note—March kept up with giving us weekly rainfall, which was … Read more
SHOULD WE BE RECOMMENDING PLANTING BOXWOODS IN OUR LANDSCAPE? Should we be planting boxwoods knowing that boxwood blight is prevalent in Central Virginia? My answer to customers who ask this question is YES, but with a different mindset when choosing boxwood varieties. There is no question that people need to be concerned about boxwood blight … Read more
RUDBECKIA AMERICAN GOLD RUSH Rudbeckia is more commonly called Black-Eyed Susan. The Perennial Plant Association chooses a perennial to honor each year that is suitable for a wide range of growing climates, requires low maintenance, have multi-season interests, and is relatively pest and disease free. To me, this variety of Black Eyed Susan fits the … Read more
ARE YOU READY TO START PLANTING? Here we are in mid-March. Up to this point, our winter has been the perfect storm. We have experienced a mild winter with just a few frigid days. And we have had weekly rainfall. Our ground soil is moist and warm for this time of year. So many of … Read more
HOW EARTHWORMS BENEFIT OUR SOIL Some people are freaked out when they see earthworms. Earthworms aren’t everybody’s favorite. I get that. But having earthworms in your soil is an excellent sign in many ways. Earthworms provide many benefits to healthy, productive soils, and wise gardeners do everything they can to maintain healthy populations of earthworms … Read more
