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AUGUST IS A GOOD MONTH TO THINK ABOUT DIVIDING PERENNIALS Here we are in the “Dogs Days of Summer”. It is hot. It is humid. And, it can be dry. Like us, plants too can struggle under these conditions. But, perennials that are over-crowded can be under more stress. Sometimes dividing perennials is needed in...

Have you been thinking about building a raised garden bed? If so, August is a good month to do so and this will enable you to try it out come this fall. Here is what I suggest to customers who ask me about raised gardening beds: My first question is: What is it that you...

AUGUST CAN BE A TOUGH MONTH FOR GARDENERS Yes, August can be tough for gardening mainly because of the heat and high humidity that makes being outside and working in the gardens a little unbearable. This may be the main reason to look at August as a planning month for the upcoming fall planting season....

BLUEBERRIES ARE OFTEN LABELED A SUPERFOOD – FOR GOOD REASON! I am a nut when it comes to blueberries. I LOVE BLUEBERRIES!! I eat blueberries every morning mixed with my oatmeal and have been for years. And, I love buying fresh, locally grown blueberries that are available at our farmers’ market. Blueberries are labeled a...

NOW IS THE TIME TO EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS AND GET READY FOR THE UPCOMING FALL PLANTING SEASON I can’t believe that I have not done a blog on this topic. Dealing with heavy clay that holds water is very frustrating for homeowners who are planting their landscape. So many plants struggle and may eventually die...

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ESTABLISHING A GOOD, HEALTHY LAWN Knowledge is the key to success with almost anything and this is certainly true with lawn care here in Central Virginia. Yes, it is only early July but now is the best time to put your game plan together as to what you need...

SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY HERE AND, YES, IT IS HOT BUT THERE ARE GARDENING CHORES THAT NEED TO BE DONE IN JULY. Before I get into July and gardening chores, let me recap June. All in all, June turned out to be a decent month for gardening—nothing Earth-shattering. We had some unseasonably hot days. We had...

YET ANOTHER PERENNIAL TO HIGHLIGHT Here we are in the last days of June with July coming later this week.  I guess I can’t get enough of June being the Perennial Gardening Month and wanting to highlight yet another wonderful and beautiful perennial. Coneflower is such a beautiful and hardy perennial.  They come in so...

JUNE IS PERENNIAL GARDENING MONTH I am going to continue spotlighting a perennial this month and take advantage of the fact that June is Perennial Gardening Month. My perennial pick is ASTILBE! Astilbe, sometimes referred to as False Spirea or False Goat’s Beard (don’t ask me why because I don’t know—does anyone know why Astilbe...

AND THE WINNER IS: Schizachyrium scoparium, or Little Bluestem Grass Schizachyrium is better—and easier—known as Little Bluestem grass. To be honest, it has taken me some time to be able to enunciate the botanical name correctly. I embarrassed myself while on TV stumbling with the enunciation. The Perennial Plant Association selects a different perennial each...