February is finally here. Sure, we are still in winter and will have some cold days and maybe some more snow days. But, on the nice days, there are plenty of outdoor chores to get done this month. Hold off on pruning your shrubs just because they look bad. A lot of our evergreens, such … Read more
One of my New Year’s resolutions for my garden was to get back in the habit of trying something new instead of sticking with the tried and true. So in keeping with that resolution, I dug through our full selection of 2018 seeds here and found some new seed varieties I’m going to try this … Read more
Hellebores are truly winter’s most interesting evergreen perennial. We can have color from any time between December through April when nothing else is growing let alone in bloom. Not only do hellebores bloom at a time of year when we are desperate for some color, they are also deer resistant. We just experienced our coldest … Read more
This coming Friday is Groundhog’s Day. So here are a few interesting facts about Groundhogs… Groundhogs are not related to hogs at all but are marmots closely related to squirrels. They are basically a giant ground squirrel. They’re widely distributed across North America from northern Alabama all the way up to Alaska. They truly hibernate … Read more
These past three weeks sure has taken a toll on us gardeners. It is hard to spend any time outside. But, most of all, we are all concerned about the health of some of our outdoor plants. Here we are on the 24th of January. One bright side to all of this worrisome is that spring … Read more
Sunday, January 21, was Squirrel Appreciation Day. What? I’m supposed to appreciate these fuzzy little things that destroy my garden? Well…Yes. The word ‘squirrel’ comes from the Anglo-Norman word esquirel with roots in the Greek word skiouros meaning ‘shadow-tailed.’ A group of squirrels is called a “scurry” (a Scurry of Squirrels—appropriate). They are native to every … Read more
If you have a Cyclamen now or you want to try cyclamen for big, bold winter color, here are some care tips to keep in mind for this plant. First, are you aware that Cyclamen plants are actual a bulb, called a corn, planted in the soil? Keep this information in mind as you continue … Read more
I did it again. In all of this excessively cold weather, I was so obsessed with protecting the pipes that I forgot to protect my rosemary and lavender. They are, I hate to admit, dead. Again. I just went through this last winter. I know they’re more vulnerable because they are container grown and wish … Read more
Here we are in mid-January after having some of the coldest days on record for the Richmond area. It is hard to want to get outside in the gardens with this type of weather. The best strategy is to stay inside where it is warm and contemplate how you want to garden this year. One … Read more
Tomorrow, January 10th is National Houseplant Appreciation Day. Why do we need a houseplant appreciation day? Well, the Christmas tree has come down; we’ve swept up the last of the wrapping paper, and the poinsettia is sitting in a corner dropping leaves (because it really wants to be in front of that sunny window over there). … Read more
