TREES HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT September is here in just a few days. September is the month that kicks off the FALL IS FOR PLANTING season. Fall is the best time to plant shade trees. After all the hot days this past couple of months, shade can make life in Virginia more bearable. One strong reason…
Fall is less than a month away! (Gosh, I feel like summer just got here–) It’s time to begin thinking about how to get the most from your fall garden. Here are some suggestions. Plant pansies and violas: One of the most popular cool-season flowers, they’re available in a wide range of colors. They’ll bloom most…
AS PROMISED IN LAST WEEKS’ BLOG – HERE IS INFORMATION TO HELP WITH YOUR PLANTING There is a lot of wisdom in the title of this blog. Many issues with a plant’s performance can be avoided by simply planting properly. FALL IS FOR PLANTING My mission in writing this blog is solely educational and, in…
My blog last week was about Milkweeds—a host plant for Monarch butterflies. I had several questions this past week about other host plants so thought I’d repost this blog from a couple of years ago. I get so many questions about what flowers to plant for a “butterfly” garden. Well, if we don’t start planting…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
I KNOW, YOU ARE THINKING “WHAT IS DOUG DOING BLOGGING ABOUT ORCHIDS”?! First, I have to somewhat agree with your thinking. I am out of my comfort zone, just a little, with this article. I grew up with house plants. Both of my grandmothers loved plants. So, it comes naturally. I plan to do a…
