Columns
Bringing in the sheaves
When I was a kid, late summer/early fall meant harvest time — black eyed peas, purple hulls, the last of the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butter ...
When I was a kid, late summer/early fall meant harvest time — black eyed peas, purple hulls, the last of the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butter ...
It’s been immortalized in song, grown at Kew Gardens as an exotic, used to make ink, eaten as an early spring green and is a ...
Have you met the cleomes? They’re old, favorite garden plants that are enjoying renewed interest. The heirloom “Rose Queen” cleome originated in the West Indies ...
Some people retire and are quite content to do nothing. Others are constantly looking for new projects and challenges. Imagine deciding to abandon city living ...
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and very thoughtful young woman who wanted to have the perfect early summer wedding. You know the ...
Several months ago, a friend went for her regular morning walk. As usual, she took photos of snails, interesting clouds and whatever else struck her ...
I might have gotten carried away when I planted the early spring garden this year. I always plant lettuce, chard and kale, but this year I ...
I own a farm in Lunenburg County that my husband and I have decided to turn into a weekend bolt hole and eventually a retirement home. ...
When you mention the Natural Bridge, most people don’t think of hiking trails, but there are three at the relatively new Natural Bridge State Park. ...
Many years ago, when I was a kid, growing vegetables was serious business. We had row after row of melons in a location some distance ...
As soon as the new year begins, I’m always anxious to learn what the Virginia Native Plant Society’s wildflower of the year will be. The ...
Have you ever wondered how many gardens we humans have made since the beginning of civilization? We’ve grown grains and other crops for food; herbs ...
Several weeks ago, a friend emailed me a question about his azaleas. They’ve been planted in the same location for many years and have always ...
You probably know it as that bright patch of orange you see when you’re driving along back roads in our area in mid-summer. If you’ve ...
It might be cold and dreary at times, but it’s never too cold or dreary to think about what to do in the garden once ...
My family has a long-standing tradition of taking leisurely walks in the woods during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It’s a great way ...
When I was a little kid growing up on a local farm, we had a very scraggly looking, old apple tree that was much loved ...
You probably saw it growing along the back roads in late summer/early fall. With its tall, dark red stems and clusters of small purplish-red flowers, ...
For years, we gardeners were told we should spend the last glorious days of fall cleaning up our yards. Remove dead foliage; deadhead spent flowers; ...
If you grew up in Virginia, chances are gardening is just an inherent part of who you are. You know what I mean — you ...
I often hear people describe all native plants as good and all non-native species as invasive or bad, and I become concerned. Life just isn’t ...
Brave the heat for a walk in a moist meadow or along the edge of a wooded area and you just might find a Canada ...
A few years ago, I added a bottle tree to a perennial border in the back garden. The reaction, unfortunately, wasn’t what I had expected. ...
Wa kid, I couldn’t wait for school to be over in mid-June so that I could spend time with my grandma and my aunt. The ...
Robert Frost wrote about a meadow saturated with them and hoped that the meadow wouldn’t be mowed while they were blooming. Frost had found a ...
May was all about taking a break from garden maintenance and enjoying the parade of azaleas, rhododendrons, peonies and irises. Thanks to the copious amount ...
Several weeks ago, friends forced me out of my trail walking comfort zone and insisted that I try two new areas. I wasn’t happy about ...