NOW IS THE TIME TO GET READY FOR THE FALL PLANTING SEASON It is mid-August and now is a great time to be doing some preparatory work with improving our clay heavy soil in the lawn or gardens. Everyone who lives in Central Virginia knows all about our red soil. You can have all the … Read more
Did you know the Monarch butterfly population has declined 90% in the last 20 years? The destruction of native prairies and grasslands, as well as the widespread use of commercial weed killers, has decimated the population of native milkweed—the only plant Monarch butterflies will lay eggs on. You can help. By incorporating milkweed into your … Read more
FICUS lyrata, BETTER KNOWN BY ITS’ COMMON NAME – FIDDLE-LEAF FIG – IS MY HIGHLIGHT PLANT FOR AUGUST Now is as good a time as any to jump onto the bandwagon and think about adding some houseplants to your home, apartment, or office. More and more people are adding houseplants to their lives. One of … Read more
Is anything more summery than watermelon? I can remember as a kid sitting on the patio surrounded by family with watermelon juice all over my shirt and face laughing while spitting seeds in the backyard. The only thing even remotely close to the sheer deliciousness was my grandma’s homemade peach ice cream. Yesterday, August 3rd, … Read more
THERE ARE PLENTY OF CHORES TO DO NOW TO GET READY FOR THE UPCOMING FALL GARDENING SEASON Before looking at tasks to accomplish in August, let me do a re-cap of July and the weather. Probably can sum up July with two words – hot and dry. We have been a little below average for … Read more
This time of year is a perfect time to think about your fall garden. What are you going to do when the tomatoes, cucumbers and green beans give out? Do you let your garden just sit over the winter or do you get excited about a whole new garden season? If you’re going to let … Read more
PLANT A LITTLE ‘FAMILY’ HAPPINESS Today’s hectic lifestyle has left many families disconnected from nature. Spending time together as a family in the garden is an easy and natural way to have quality time with one another. We are all reading more and more how our younger children are spending too much time indoors on … Read more
This time of year, I tend to get bogged down in details: squash bugs showing up on my watermelon vines; tomato blooms that won’t set fruit because the temperature is 95 degrees; trying to keep everything watered (including me!) in unrelenting heat. I ask myself “Why the heck did I plant so much?” Last Thursday … Read more
IT’S JULY / IT’S SUMMER / IT’S HOT – BUT, CERTAIN PLANTS CAN BE PLANTED NOW THAT OUR CATERPILLARS AND BUTTERFLIES LOVE I know it can be a struggling time for gardeners with this heat and humidity. This is why timing is everything with planning our gardening activities. Early in the morning or late in … Read more
In 2003 the United States Department of Agriculture established July as National Blueberry Month. Nice to have a whole month dedicated to one of my favorite things. So here are a few interesting tidbits about these delicious berries. Blueberries belong to the family Ericales. This makes them related to cranberries, Brazil nuts, persimmons, camellias, azaleas, … Read more
