For a beautiful spring display, you should plan to plant bulbs in fall. Find out how to select, plant and care for bulbs in your garden. Read more: … [Read more...]
Chelsea chop
The Chelsea chop (so called because it is usually carried out at the end of May, coinciding with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show) is a pruning method by which you limit the size and control the flowering season of many herbaceous plants. Read more: … [Read more...]
Seed Saving Basics
Have you wondered whether you can replant seeds from your garden? Here is basic information to help you get started with saving seeds. Read More: … [Read more...]
Spotted Lanternfly in Virginia
A potentially very serious pest of grapes, peaches, hops, and a variety of other crops, the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, was detected in Frederick County, Virginia, on Jan. 10, 2018. It is important to look for … [Read more...]
Gardening Guided by Phenology
For many centuries, farmers took their signs for planting times from nature. Today, we call this study of cyclic biological occurrences phenology. Here are some examples of phenology used by farmers and horticulturists. Read More: … [Read more...]
Managing the Japanese Beetle:
A Homeowner’s Handbook
Both as adults and as grubs (the larval stage), Japanese beetles are destructive plant pests. Adults feed on the foliage and fruits of several hundredspecies of fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines, and field and vegetable crops. Read More: … [Read more...]
Virginia’s Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Date
Selecting appropriate planting dates is a critical component of successful vegetable gardening. Vegetables vary widely in their preferred growing conditions and tolerance to temperature extremes, both cold and hot. Understanding the local frost-free … [Read more...]
What to do about woodchucks
The woodchuck (a.k.a. groundhog) is often caught between being a celebrity and a villain. One day we rely on their shadow to forecast the seasons; the next we grumble as they make a meal of our carefully planted garden vegetables. Continued: … [Read more...]
Chiggers
Chiggers are the immature stage of certain mites belonging to the family Trombiculidae. Continued: … [Read more...]
Terrariums
A terrarium is a tightly closed, clear glass or plastic container filled with small plants. It also has come to mean an open, transparent container for growing and displaying plants. Terrariums are most useful for small plants that do not adapt well … [Read more...]