THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
Add pops of color to winter gardens
On New Year’s Day, my gardening mad friends in England sent me photos of their yard, and I was struck by how colorful it was, ...
Dr. Cynthia Wood, Author at Farmville - Page 5 of 8
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
New apps for field work
Not too many years ago, hiking meant carrying a heavy backpack filled with my favorite field guides – some for plants, some for mushrooms and ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 16, 2020 10:27 am
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
Gardening resolutions for the New Year
Hi there, it’s me, Uschi, my mom’s best garden helper. She’s busy reading seed catalogs and making lists of plants that she doesn’t need and ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 9, 2020 11:55 am
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
The aftermath of finding a rare plant
A good part of last year was spent hiking with a list of plants that needed to be documented in various counties. For example, common ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Friday, January 3, 2020 11:16 am
From the Ground Up
A Christmas tree primer: simple steps to a happy holiday
Americans have been having a love affair with Christmas trees for more than 150 years. German settlers introduced the first Christmas trees in the mid-1800s. ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Friday, December 20, 2019 12:48 pm
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
Sweet anticipation: Habenadas in November
Here it is early November and I’m still nursing along a pepper plant because I’m curious about its fruit. Almost everyone in my family is ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, November 14, 2019 11:56 am
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
Torrey’s mountain mint: A rare find
It’s been so hot and dry that I decided Oct. 4 would be my last major hike before the skunk cabbages emerge in late December. ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Saturday, October 12, 2019 11:19 am
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
A tale of persistence and what grows in the swamp
While mucking about in a swampy area at Holliday Lake State Park last month, I stumbled upon an odd looking little plant that I had ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, October 3, 2019 3:23 pm
Columns
Gardeners questions
Over the years, I’ve gotten lots of questions about gardening. Most are the usual ones — when to plant potatoes, how to grow sweet potato ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 26, 2019 4:26 pm
MOTHER NATURE'S GARDEN
Long-lobed arrowhead: An uncommon plant
In the early days of the commonwealth, the naming of rivers was arbitrary. Settlers along a particular waterway named it whatever they pleased. For example, ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Friday, September 13, 2019 10:00 am
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
Tomato mania
You’ve heard of Crimson Tide? Well, last month I had a red tide running through my kitchen. Way back in early spring, I prepped my ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 5, 2019 2:58 pm
Columns
The gardener and the wedding: Part II
The wedding is fast approaching — Labor Day weekend. Invitations have been sent, responses have been tallied, accommodations and transportation have been arranged; even the ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Saturday, August 17, 2019 5:00 am
Columns
The difference in buttonweed
It’s been so hot that my hikes have been reduced to half-hearted slogs up and down the back roads near my farm. No enthusiasm and ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Saturday, August 3, 2019 5:00 am
Columns
Wood Betony: an interesting hemiparasite
There are some native plants that I just can’t keep straight in my head unless I see the leaves and the flowers together. Wood betony, ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Friday, July 19, 2019 5:00 am
Columns
Luxurious food
Mention luxurious food and most people think of heaping servings of beluga caviar, raw sea urchins, foie gras, kopi luwak coffee or other expensive, hard-to-find ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, July 11, 2019 11:12 am
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
The lazy gardener
I don’t know exactly how it happened, but, at nearly 72, I find myself managing two homes and gardens — one in town and the ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, June 20, 2019 2:29 pm
Columns
Slipper Orchids: Love and obsession
Wildflower people are both incredibly generous and seriously obsessive. This spring I’ve been the recipient of untold generosity. It’s common knowledge that everyone loves lady’s ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, June 13, 2019 1:59 pm
Columns
Moss: Going with the flow
Some gardeners have very inflexible opinions about how their gardens should look; they insist on imposing their will on nature. Others take stock of what ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, May 9, 2019 8:48 am
Columns
The thrill of the find
In my ongoing rambles in the woods, I visit new places every year, but I also return to the same areas over and over every ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, April 25, 2019 8:20 am
Columns
Lyre-leaf sage: An assertive native
Walk across any unkempt lawn (mine!), waste area or woodland clearing this month and you’ll find basal rosettes of dark green and purple leaves that ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, April 11, 2019 7:58 am
Columns
The gardener and the wedding: Part I
In most families when a daughter brings home a serious boyfriend and announces her engagement, there is an immediate flurry of activity related to dresses, ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, April 4, 2019 7:33 am
Columns
Coltsfoot: an early sign of spring
By late February, most of us are so desperate for early signs of spring that we’re overjoyed to find henbit and purple dead nettle infesting ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, March 21, 2019 8:42 am
THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE
The art of keeping plants alive
About every six weeks, I get a text from someone I know. It contains only a photo of a very sad looking house plant. No ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Tuesday, March 19, 2019 8:52 am
Columns
Pass-along garden
We gardeners just naturally share plants. In fact, it’s not unusual for someone to have what’s fondly known as a pass-along garden. You know the ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Wednesday, February 27, 2019 6:06 pm
Columns
Naming plants
When people on my Facebook wildflower page talk about plants, there can be massive confusion. Many of them are intimidated by scientific names so they ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, February 7, 2019 9:32 am
Columns
Virginia Creeper: vibrant color to brighten a fall day
Visit that massive stone heap, Blenheim Palace, in October and you’ll find the walls near the main entrance and clock tower glowing red in the ...
by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 10, 2019 7:33 am
Columns
After the storm
January is usually all about reading seed catalogs by a roaring fire and making endless wish lists of new exotic plants that I absolutely must ...