By the way, PETRICHOR is defined as “THE SMELL OF EARTH AFTER RAIN”. To a gardener, rain is generally a welcome blessing. Rainfall and plants are usually a match made in heaven. We sure have had our share of rainfall, and petrichor, this past week in the Richmond area. Going into this latest rainfall, we were about … Read more
Should you mulch your vegetable garden? Well, it can help with such problems as weeds and conserve moisture. But what you use on a vegetable garden is almost as important as what you put in it. Here are some options: Black Plastic–Black plastic mulch can warm the soil. Earlier in the spring, around the end … Read more
Over the past month, The Great Big Greenhouse and Meadows Farms Nursery have sold thousands of hanging baskets. Blooming hanging baskets are a staple for adding color to decks, patios, porches, and balconies. Although they are an instant way to add color to our outdoor space, they do require a bit of care to stay … Read more
I’ve had several customers this week asking about growing pumpkins—and when to plant for a Halloween harvest. So here’s some information about pumpkins… Pumpkins are members of the cucurbit family—that means they are related to squash, cucumbers, and melons. They were a food crop cultivated by Native Americans long before the European settlers ever arrived. … Read more
So many people are out now taking advantage of warm sunny days to plant their vegetables, I thought I’d re-run my blog from a couple of years ago on preventing diseases in your vegetable. It’s a whole lot easier not to get a problem in the first place… Unfortunately, our commonly grown garden vegetables are … Read more
Horseradish brings up visions of rare roast beef, doesn’t it? But it’s also a very versatile vegetable that can be used many ways. The young tender leaves can even be used like arugula in salads or on sandwiches. Horseradish is a perennial that is related to cabbage, broccoli, arugula, etc. It has been cultivated for … Read more
Living with a forty foot tall maple in the front yard, a huge redbud on one side and an entire hill of oaks and maples behind, I’ve become (out of necessity) a fan of shade tolerant flowers. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites—annuals, perennials, bulbs. Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis): Dainty nodding bells will … Read more
Yes, it is Strawberry season—the plants are now available for you to start your own strawberry patch. So how do we do that? Strawberries are perennials so choose a permanent sunny place where they can stay. Strawberry plants come in little bundles of “crowns”. A crown is the growing point of the plant with … Read more
March is the month that we, gardeners, have been looking forward to. For some of us, it has been a long, boring winter. March means that hibernation is finally over and we can spend more time outside. Just like with meteorology, the green industry looks at the first of March as the beginning of spring … 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
