African violets are among the most popular flowering houseplants. With their fuzzy leaves and compact clusters of pretty flowers, along with their ease of care, it’s no wonder we love them. But, there can be issues with these houseplants. If your … [Read more...]
Vegetable Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide
Vegetable gardening is becoming more popular—both as a pastime and a food source. We experience satisfaction in planting a seed or transplant, watching it grow to maturity, and harvesting the fruits of our labors. In addition, vegetable gardening … [Read more...]
Care of Flowering Gift Plants in the Home
One of the nicest gifts one can give or receive is a flowering potted plant. Flowering plants are not just for holidays or for special occasions. Blooming plants can be given throughout the year and used for interior decorations anywhere people live, … [Read more...]
Spiders: An Undeserved Bad Reputation
All too often, spiders are seen as scary and dangerous. In reality, the vast majority of spiders are harmless to humans, and valuable predators of arthropod pests in our yards and gardens. Learning more about spider biology and identification, can … [Read more...]
It’s January: Time to Plan Your Garden
Playing in dirt is a gardener’s delight. We may tend to think of planting early crops such as peas, salad greens, and potatoes as the beginning of the gardening season. In truth, the work of gardening begins long before that, and it starts in the … [Read more...]
Twas the Night Before Christmas – Gardener’s Edition
“Twas the Night before Christmas and All Through the Yard,Not a plant was left standing, the ground it was hard.The tools were all hung in the garage with careA well-deserved rest now that the garden was bare. The bulbs were nestled all snug in … [Read more...]
Gift ideas for gardeners on 2020 Christmas lists
“’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the yard, not a plant was left standing, and the ground was hard.” So begins Karen Geisler’s gardener adaptation of Clement Clarke Moore’s Christmas classic “The Night Before Christmas.” … [Read more...]
EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT “AUDREY”!
We have a guest at the Dept of Parks/Rec and Virginia Cooperative Extension building. What an honor to welcome Audrey, the philodendron, to our ranks. She is a beauty for sure and is the treasure of Byron Maddox, a fellow master gardener. We … [Read more...]
Holiday cacti
Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) and Easter cactus (Schlumbergera gaertneri) are popular houseplants, often given as gifts during the holiday season. They are grown for their beautiful, exotic … [Read more...]
Selection and Care of Christmas Trees
For many families, selection and purchase of a Christmas tree is an annual tradition. Indeed, bringing home the tree often signals the official start of the holiday season. Proper selection of a tree, like any other product, will help to make the … [Read more...]