Through The Garden Gate
Latest Through The Garden Gate
Trends in daylily hybridization
Gardeners are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and I suspect that daylily growers are the nicest of the nice. This summer I ... Read more
7 days ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Beware those yellow ‘blooms’
Earlier this summer, my husband commented that he really liked the funny looking yellow flowers in a pot by the front porch. I was puzzled ... Read more
2 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Do the Chelsea chop
It’s hot and humid, so I haven’t spent much time in the garden. I’ve gone outside every morning to wander through the various beds and ... Read more
2 months ago by Staff Report.
The ultimate pass along garden plant
You’ve seen them growing along the side of back roads, near abandoned homesteads and even along the edge of wooded areas. You’ve probably also seen ... Read more
3 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Beware of poisonous plants in the garden
Hello, fellow gardeners. It’s me, Anca. Some of you already know me. I’m my mom’s new gardening assistant. She says that I’m more trouble than ... Read more
4 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Wisteria is the perfect plant for a pergola
Whenever I visit friends in England, I’m seriously envious of their garden, but especially the wisteria (wisteria sinensis) that festoons one side of their 19th ... Read more
5 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
The joys of growing potatoes
I’ve always loved growing and eating potatoes. There’s nothing better than planting seed potatoes, watching them grow and waiting for just the right time to ... Read more
5 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Embracing the unexpected
Every spring, I look forward to participating in several workshops on gardening. If I get one or two new ideas for what to plant or ... Read more
7 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Loropetalum — a versatile garden shrub
Have you met Loropetalum chinense, better known as the Chinese fringe flower? I first learned about it last fall when I was looking for something ... Read more
7 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Planting the right plants can help pollinators
Pollinators and plants have been having a love affair for more than 100 million years. Throughout that period, plants have developed unique ways to entice ... Read more
8 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
What’s new in the garden for 2021
I’ve looked into my crystal ball in search of clues about what 2021 will portend for gardeners, and what I see looks remarkably similar to ... Read more
10 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
A perfect plant gift for the Christmas season
Various types of plants are popular as gifts during the holiday season – poinsettias, cyclamen, orchids, and Christmas cacti all have their supporters. As many ... Read more
10 months ago by Staff Report.
Project to extend the gardening season was a success
Late last winter, I accepted a challenge to infuse more native plants into my existing garden while also extending the growing season. All through February ... Read more
12 months ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
It’s the perfect time to find gentians
Fall means yellow flowers — goldenrods by the dozen, sunflowers, sneezeweed, and many, many more — but not all fall wildflowers are yellow. There are ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Gardening with dogs
Hello, fellow gardeners. My name is Anca vom Dreifke Wood. I’m my mom’s new garden helper. I can’t pick locks and open gates like my ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
COLUMN — Possessed with a pickling passion
Every summer when I was a kid, my mother and grandmother would become obsessed with the need to can, pickle, and preserve everything in sight. ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
How to survive hot, dry summers in the garden
July was brutally hot and dry. We had day after day of temperatures over 90 degrees with high humidity and no rain. Even though I ... Read more
1 year ago by Staff Report.
Gardens continually evolve
Gardens never really stay the same. Years ago, my grandmother, and many of her contemporaries in rural Virginia, planted forsythia, japonica, roses, lilacs, peonies, daffodils ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Growing picture perfect pitcher plants
Sometimes a gardener just needs a change of pace, something like a wild child plant that looks as if it came from another planet. If ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
The challenge of adding fall color to the garden
As most of you who have seen my garden know, it’s all about spring and early summer. There are masses of hellebores that begin to ... Read more
1 year ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Gardening from a dog’s viewpoint
Hello, fellow gardeners. It’s me, Uschi again. While my mom is busy moaning about the general state of affairs – plants arriving and no one ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Gardening trends for 2020
Like just about everything else, gardening is influenced by trends. For nearly 10 years, our obsession with native plants has increased. Some gardeners have been ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
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, ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
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 ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
Glorious excess
It’s December and that means short days and long, dark nights, so I’ve temporarily abandoned the garden. There’s plenty I can do out there — ... Read more
2 years ago by Staff Report.
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 ... Read more
2 years ago by Dr. Cynthia Wood.
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 ... Read more