QUESTION Client wants to know whether hydrangea, azalea & miscellaneous shrubs can be pruned in the late Fall. DIAGNOSIS / RECOMMENDATION According to Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) publication A Guide to Successful Pruning: Shrub … [Read more...]
Fall Flowering Plants
Just because summer is ending does not mean that it has to be the end of color in your home landscape. Several herbaceous annuals and perennials come into their full glory in the fall. The old faithfuls for fall color are chrysanthemums (mums) and … [Read more...]
From The Bedford Extension MG Help Desk
QUESTION The client needs to seed a large lawn area (about 5 acres) and was looking for information to help do so. DIAGNOSIS / RECOMMENDATION It was recommended that the client get a soil test first to determine the appropriate … [Read more...]
Spider Mites – Houseplants
Spider mites are very tiny plant pests that are related to spiders. They feed only on plants. CONTINUE SOURCE: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/spider-mites-houseplants … [Read more...]
Gardening for Resilience: The Bounty of Fall Vegetables
Without doubt, you’ve heard that the Covid19 pandemic has motivated many newbies to get digging as they create vegetable gardens to nourish the body, mind, and spirit. Some call these “victory gardens” because they conjure up the gardening momentum … [Read more...]
NATIVE PLANTS: AN ELEGANT SOLUTION
Along the eastern edge of Lake Sydnor, on the narrow strip of land between the shoreline and the Children’s Garden, a group of plants is hard at work. The beauty of the bed belies its greater purpose. The plants there are members of a “designed plant … [Read more...]
From The Bedford Extension MG Help Desk – August 2020
QUESTION The client called in because his potatoes have spots that look like bugs have eaten chunks. The black inside the potato when cut goes deep, but the potatoes are not green. Potatoes had been grown in that area in the previous … [Read more...]
5 Essential Tools for Gardening Comfort
Bedford Area Master Gardener Phyllis Turner is featured in this AARP article! Phyllis has a wealth of knowledge on this topic and has offered presentations and written fact sheets to help educate people on strategies they can employ to lessen the … [Read more...]
THE FLIGHT OF THE FIREFLIES
With summer comes memories of dark, summer evenings running around the yard catching fireflies. While you may know them as lightening bugs, there was nothing more delightful than capturing these mercurial little insects and watching them light up … [Read more...]
Gardening When It’s Hot – Dealing With Summer Heat In The Garden
In many regions, and especially here in the Southeast, it’s that icky time of year again. The summer heat (and humidity) is back. Dealing with summer heat can be difficult and it’s worse for those who are not accustomed to it. But it’s no picnic for … [Read more...]