Hostas are a go-to plant for almost any gardener dealing with shade to part-shade in the garden. The one glaring exception is that hostas are deer favorites. If you live in deer country you know that plantings featuring tulips, hosta and daylilies … [Read more...]
JAPANESE BEETLES HOW TO IDENTIFY AND GET RID OF JAPANESE BEETLES IN THE GARDEN
What are those iridescent green garden beetles eating your plants? Here are tips on how to identify and get rid of Japanese beetles. More... … [Read more...]
Tree of Heaven & Spotted Lantern Fly
If you’re hosting this incredibly common plant, you could be hosting #SpottedLanternfly before you know it. Ailanthus trees, more commonly known as tree-of-heaven, are the preferred host of everyone’s least favorite #BadBug. Learn … [Read more...]
Mulching Landscape Trees
Mulches are materials placed over the soil surface to enhance landscape beauty, improve soil conditions, protect plants from foot traffic and lawn equipment, and suppress weeds. Mulches can also improve soil structure and fertility. This is … [Read more...]
Squash Bug: Management in Home Gardens
Squash bug (Anasa tristis) can be the most destructive insect pest of winter squash and pumpkins. Feeding damage results in wilting of vines, often with plants being prematurely killed. Problems are most common in the warmer areas of the state and … [Read more...]
Who Are We? What Do Master Gardeners Do?
Master Gardeners are active in every state and are from all walks of life. In Bedford County, we volunteer on behalf of Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE). Our group is called "BAMGA", which stands for Bedford Area Master Gardeners … [Read more...]
Maximize Your Basil Harvest- 3 Mistakes to Avoid
Do you want your basil plant to be big and lush? Here's some quick tips to ensure you enjoy the largest yield from your basil plants. Check out this YouTube presentation by Stacy Murphy (Sep 14, 2016) … [Read more...]
WEEDS AS INDICATOR PLANTS – WHAT COMMON WEEDS CAN TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR SOIL
Weeds are annoying, but they can also be great indicator plants, telling you what nutrients your garden is lacking or what it has in excess. More: http://Weeds are annoying, but they can also be great indicator plants, telling you what … [Read more...]
Rosette Disease
The client brought in a sample from his rose bush, which has red color, distorted leaves and buds. DIAGNOSIS / RECOMMENDATION The problem was identified as rose rosette disease (RRD). The recommendation is to remove and destroy … [Read more...]
Mulch: Using Colored Plastic Mulches in the Vegetable Garden
As you’ve been flipping through the pages of all the gardening and seed catalogs that landed on your doorstep this winter, chances are you’ve seen a page or two dedicated to plastic mulches in every color of the rainbow. Plastic mulches, particularly … [Read more...]