Mother Nature's Garden
Thugs and potential thugs
I’ve been searching for wildflowers since I was about 12 years old. It’s what my dad and I did on Sunday afternoon. One summer when ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Species of roses
Roses are very old flowering plants. Fossil evidence shows that they’re around 35 million years old. The cultivation of roses probably began in China over ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
The mystique of lady’s slippers
Virginia has quite a few species of native orchids. Some are showy, while others are almost drab by comparison; they don’t look the way most ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Yellow confusion in Mother Nature’s garden
It all began with a series of posts on my Facebook wildflower community page. There was a flurry of photos of plants with yellow blooms ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
A tale of two plants
Walk through just about any wooded area in Prince Edward or surrounding counties and you’re likely to find a short perennial plant with thick, dark ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Old friends rediscovered in new places
Nearly 10 years ago, I found some trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) at Holliday Lake on the Lakeshore Trail. It was more than halfway around the ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Consider the dandelion
Dandelions. Children are endlessly fascinated by them. They’re often the first flower that kids can identify, and probably the only one that they can pick ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Native Plants for winter interest
It’s still cold in the woods, so February is the perfect time to take a leisurely stroll through your home garden to see how it ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Thugs and potential thugs
Just like people, plants manage to slip into our country uninvited; they hitchhike in packing materials or grain, for example. Some are well behaved and ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
In my father’s time
There is renewed interest in using natural, native materials for holiday decorations. It’s part of the nativist movement that’s so prevalent in gardening. Think fresh, ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Pokeweed is an amazing plant
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 ... Read more
3 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Embracing creativity and diversity
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Quite a find — the scarlet cup
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Black cohosh — 2017 Wildflower of the Year
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Help! My Azaleas have yellow leaves
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Butterfly weed: 2017 Perennial of the Year
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Annual ramble in the woods
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Apples part of culinary heritage
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 ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Ironweed: The pollinators’ friend
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, ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Time to tuck your garden to sleep?
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; ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Asters: Late Summer Splendor
It’s been so hot and dry recently, I just haven’t had much interest in walking trails. Nevertheless, I packed up Navi, my favorite walking companion, ... Read more
4 years ago by Staff Report.
The classic Virginia garden
If you grew up in Virginia, chances are gardening is just an inherent part of who you are. You know what I mean — you ... Read more
4 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Honeyvine milkweed: a native with mixed reviews
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 ... Read more
5 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
The Canada Lily: a striking native
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 ... Read more
5 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
The good and the bad in Mother Nature’s garden
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 ... Read more
5 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Rose pogonia: an uncommon orchid in our area
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 ... Read more
5 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
New trails and a new plant
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 ... Read more